03.05.04 – LA—Championship professional boxing returns to Kinder May 14 in The Pavilion at Coushatta with “Knockouts at Coushatta VII.” Fighter weigh-in is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Friday, May 13, in Gumbeaux’s Oyster & Sports Bar located inside the casino. Olympic gold medalist and former cruiserweight champion of the world Vassiliy Jirov 34W-3L (29 KO’s) headlines an action-packed fight card in a 10-round heavyweight bout on May 14, 2005 at Coushatta Casino Resort..
The co-main event features two of the top female welterweights in the world: IBA Continental light welterweight champion Mary Jo Sanders 14-0 (4KO’s) will battle former IBF champion Lisa Holewyne for the Continental Americas Welterweight championship.
“We are very excited about this event. We believe our guests are the best and they deserve an action-packed night of excitement like this,” stated Nora Popillion, Events & Promotions Manager at Coushatta Casino Resort. “On May 14, boxing fans will witness another great show.”
Undercard bouts feature Lafayette-area favorite “Bad” Chad Broussard (47 wins, 34 KO’s), James (Hurricane) Kitchens of Lake Charles (6 wins, 5 KO’s), Chris Henry (2 wins, 2KO’s) of Orange, Texas, plus Brad Thompson (13 wins, 9 KO’s) from Peterson, Alabama, and Shelby Pudwill (20 wins 9 KO’s) from McLauglin, South Dakota.
On May 14, The Pavilion’s doors open at 6:00 p.m. First under card match begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets on sale in casino gift shop. Phone 1-800-584-7263, ext 7814, to purchase tickets by phone.
Located 25 miles northeast of Lake Charles on US 165 (I-10 Exit 44) and five miles north of Kinder, Coushatta Casino Resort is Louisiana’s largest landbased gaming resort with over 2800 slot machines and 62 table games, plus a 16-table live Poker Room. It features five restaurants on the casino floor. Kids Quest, the supervised children’s activity center, is available for children 6 weeks to 12 years of age, and The Arcade at Coushatta welcomes ages 12 and up. More than 500 hotel rooms provide luxurious accommodations. Red Shoes Park RV resort offers 108 pads plus 100 chalets. Koasati Pines at Coushatta, the 18-hole par-72 championship golf course, provides a challenging, yet relaxing, experience for novice and experienced golfers alike. Feather Fuel, the 24-bay fuel facility and convenience store, offers all grades of fuel at competitive prices. Coushatta Casino Resort is owned and operated by the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. Phone 1-800-584-7263 for more information, or access the website at www.coushattacasinoresort.com
Carlos Kalinchuk, Contributing Writer & Photographer