25.02.05 – Undefeated United States Boxing Association super middleweight champion Yusef Mack of Philadelphia and challenger Richard Grant of Brooklyn, N.Y., know the importance of their nationally and internationally televised 12-round title bout promoted by Guilty Boxing in association with Tecate Friday, Feb. 25, at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev..
But that doesn’t faze Mack. “I don’t care who I’m fighting,” he said about his first 168-pound title defense. “I never care. I’m the champion.”
Mack, with a record of 18-0-2 and 12 knockouts, won the vacant USBA super middleweight championship in his most recent outing with an eighth-round knockout out Shannon Miller Oct. 8, 2004, in Philadelphia.
And Grant isn’t daunted by the task at hand either. “I realize opportunities like this are the ones I have to take advantage of,” he said. “I need to win this fight if I expect to fight for a world championship. I know I have to win.”
Grant has a record of 16-10-1 with three knockouts.
A second 12-round fight is on the “Guilty Fight Night” card, this matching former International Boxing Federation mini-flyweight champion Daniel Reyes of Colombia against world-ranked Omar Soto of Mexico in an IBF 105-pound championship elimination bout.
“Grant certainly brings something to the table,” said Mack’s trainer, Percy Custus. “He’s a good boxer and he’s been in with good opponents.
“We can’t take Grant lightly. We have to take care of business because that’s how we’ll get a shot at a world title.”
Said Grant, whose ability surpasses his record, “I’m definitely not just an opponent. I can take a fighter to school. I closed one of (Jeff) Lacy’s eyes and I took that fight on only 10 days notice. I’ve had time to prepare for this fight, and I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for a long time.”
Grant went the 12-round distance with current IBF super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy on July 15, 2003.
The winner of the Reyes-Soto title elimination bout Feb. 25 at the Orleans is scheduled to face current IBF mini-flyweight champion Muhammad Rachman.
Reyes, the champion for 11 months during 2003 and 2004, has a record of 34-2-1 with 19 knockouts.
Soto, ranked No. 10 by the IBF, has a record of 14-2-1 with 10 knockouts.
Reyes won the IBF mini-flyweight championship Oct. 4, 2003, with a sixth-round knockout of Edgar Cardenas and defended successfully April 10, 2004, stopping Roberto Carlos Leyva in the third round. Reyes was upset and dethroned by 12-round split decision by Rachman in the former champ’s most recent outing, Sept. 14.
Guilty Boxing building world-class stable
LAS VEGAS (February 24, 2005) – Guilty Boxing quickly has become a major promoter in terms of both broadcasting power and developing a world-class stable of fighters. Las Vegas-based Guilty Boxing, Inc. and Guilty Productions, Inc. were founded by Nick Rattenni to create a full-service boxing and production operation. Guilty provides a truly unique combination of promotion, production, sales and marketing professionals that are all dedicated to bringing true competition back to boxing.
“Guilty Fight Night” is a weekly boxing series that provides a minimum of 48 episodes a year to a continually expanding broadcast carriage of more than 60 million households all over the world on America One, Fox Sports International, BEN Television, Urban American Television and other cable outlets. Shows also feature an extensive amount of high-quality features and behind the scene looks at fighters and events emanating from locations like The Orleans Hotel & Casino and the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Tijuana (Mexico), Connecticut, Puerto Rico, and southern California.
“In ‘Guilty Fight Night’ we have the vehicle to bring boxing back to the glory days when it was the most watched sport in the world, “Guilty vice president Jay Hassman explained. “We’re able to showcase our boxers all over the world, boosting exposure not only for our fighters, but for Guilty as well. But Guilty isn’t all about broadcasting, either. We’re building a stable of superstars, boxers fighting or who will soon be fighting for major world titles. We have one world champion, Melinda Cooper, and Cosme Rivera hopefully will be fighting Zab Judah for the undisputed world welterweight title in May. Some of our other fighters are knocking on the door. For example, two Guilty fighters, Daniel Reyes and Omar “Lobito” Soto, are fighting Friday night (Feb. 25) at The Orleans in the IBF 105-pound title elimination match. Guilty already is having a major impact on professional boxing and we’ve really just started our business plan.”