PROVIDENCE – Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc. has signed World Boxing Council No. 18-rated super welterweight Ossie Duran (20-5-1, 9 KOs, former Commonwealth (Great Britain) light middleweight and welterweight champion, to a promotional contact. Duran, now fighting out of Providence via his native Ghana and adopted home in England, makes his CES and United States debut May 18 in a six-round “Special Attraction” against an opponent to be determined.. Ossie also was the WBF welterweight and WBF Pan-European welterweight title-older. ”
“I’ve been looking for somebody to back me up,” Ossie said. “I now have that in Rhode Island with Jimmy and I will win a championship.”
Duran’s most significant victory to date was a stunning third-round knockout of Jamie Moore (20-1), current British lightweight champion, June 26 2004 for the vacant Commonwealth light middleweight title.
“Ossie Duran is a world-class fighter and we’re excited to have him on Team CES,” Burchfield noted. “He never had anyone protecting him before and took fights on short notice. Now he’s living in Providence with his cousin and being trained by Peter Manfredo, Sr. He’s going to fight a few times at 154 pounds, but we believe he’ll be a world champion at 147.”
“Let It Ride” Pro-Am Show May 18 at R.I. Convention Center
“Let It Ride,” promoted by CES and sponsored by Lincoln Park, will be the first Pro-Am boxing show in Rhode Island history. Burchfield recently announced that “Let It Ride,” headlined by the intrastate rivalry between IWBF lightweight champion Jaime “The Hurricane” Clampitt (16-3-1, 7 KOs) and IWBF featherweight title-holder Missy “The Fury” Fiorentino (13-1, 6 KOs) for Clampitt’s belt, also includes several amateur matches Thursday night, May 18 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence.
Tentatively slated to box is two-time U.S. Championships welterweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade, of Providence, a bonafide candidate for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, as well as another national contender, Mark DeLuca, of Duxbury (MA). Providence’s 13-year-old Hector Colon is expected to box and a match has been made between locals Diego Pereira and Jesus Cairo.
Providence’s 2004 US Olympian and heavyweight prospect, Jason “Big Six” Estrada (5-0, 1
KO), super welterweight Ossie Duran, lightweight Eddie Soto (4-0, 3 KOs) and middleweight Richard “Bobo” Starnino (6-1-1, 1 KO), as well as South Boston via Ireland super middleweight Joe “Sugar” Rea (5-0, 4 KOs) are other pros scheduled to fight on “Let It Ride.” All bouts and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets for “Let It Ride” are priced at $150 (limited Jimmy’s Platinum Club), $100 (ringside), $60 (reserved) and $30 (general admission). Call 401.724.2253 to order tickets, for additional information, sponsorship/advertising opportunities, or special VIP table seating. Or go to www.cesboxing.com.
“Put Up or Shut Up,” ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights, May 10 at Foxwoods
Unbeaten super middleweight Elvin Ayala (13-0, 5 KOs), of New Haven (CT), has been added to the CES-promoted “Put Up of Shut Up,” featuring a pair of WBC USNBC title fights, on ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The two 12-round, co-main events matches Providence cruiserweight Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey (11-0, 6 KOs), WBC USNBC title-holder, and NABA champion Shaun George (11-0-2, 5 KOs) in a unification bout, in addition to WBC USNBC super middleweight champion Joey “KO Kid” Spina (17-0-1, 12 KOs), of Providence, versus challenger Jessie Brinkley (26-3, 17 KOs), a semifinalist in The Contender television reality series
Ayala, rated No. 18 by the NABA, is matched in a six-round bout against Dan Thornton (15-15, 11 KOs), of Columbus, Ohio. Also scheduled to fight are unbeaten Connecticut (Manchester) featherweight Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard (8-0, 6 KOs), former Everlast two-time Under-19 National amateur champion; undefeated Las Vegas via Cleveland cruiserweight Aaron Williams (7-0-1, 5 KOs), 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials bonze medallist; Connecticut (Hartford) heavyweight Tony Grano (3-0, 3 KOs), former U.S. Championships amateur heavyweight champion. All bouts and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, priced at $150 (Platinum Main Event Ringside), $100 (Gold Co-Feature Ringside) and $50 (Silver Reserved), are on sale and available by calling CES (401.724.2254/2253), Foxwoods’ box office (800.200.2882) or online at www.foxwoods.com. For more information visit www.cesboxing.com. Fans purchasing tickets for “Put Up or Shut Up” and the May 18th “Let It Ride” show in Providence will receive a 10-percent discount. Buses will be available to take fans from Providence to Foxwoods on May 10.