NEW YORK (June 25, 2008) – Last weekend for DiBella Entertainment can be summed up in one line, “two out of three ain’t bad”. DBE had three of its combatants fighting in separate bouts in two different locations on Friday and Saturday..
The weekend started off well in the Cayman Islands as Ronald “The Chosen One” Hearns improved his undefeated record to 19-0, 15 KO’s as he knocked out Jose Luis Gonzalez (12-4-1, 10 KO’s) in the seventh round of a highly entertaining affair. Hearns looked impressive, throwing strong jabs in a fight that appeared around the world live on ShoBox. Ronald’s improvement has been extraordinary and he is prepared for bigger and better things.
The next day in Memphis, Tennessee DBE promoted HBO’s Boxing After Dark at FedExForum.
In the night’s co-feature, DBE heavyweight Chazz “The Gentleman” Witherspoon challenged a vicious competitor in WBC Continental Americas champ Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola. Both fighters came out swinging and looking for the knockout. Arreola caught Witherspoon, putting him on the mat twice in the third round. The second knockdown occurred as the bell rang to end the round. The referee had no idea that the bell had rung. After looking confused and deliberating with the Commission for several minutes, the referee disqualified Witherspoon as his corner came in the ring thinking the round was over. The corner was not stopped by the inspector, thus they proceeded. “This was not the way for this fight to end,” said DBE head Lou DiBella. “Chris Arreola is a true warrior and we wish him luck on his quest to win the heavyweight title. This referee was completely wrong and lost control of the fight. The corner was never stopped from coming into the ring. This fight had a right to come to a proper and conclusive finish.”
DBE got back on the winning track with an exclamation point in the main event in Memphis. Top DBE welterweight Andre Berto showed he is the future of the power packed division, when the 24-year old captured the vacant WBC welterweight title knocking out tough and rugged Mexican Mikki Rodriguez in the 7th round. “I am so proud to have promoted Andre since his pro debut and I’m thrilled to add another World Champion to DBE’s family of fighters,” said DiBella. “Andre Berto will be a star in boxing for years to come.”