New York (January 14, 2009) – Amateur sensation Sadam Ali is set to make his highly anticipated pro debut this Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi on the under card of the Berto-Collazo World Championship fight. Fans are in for an extra treat in Biloxi as the energetic and extremely talented fighter sets out to make his mark as a pro boxer. “We are happy to add Olympian Sadam Ali to our Saturday night show at the Beau Rivage,” said show promoter Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment. “It should be a great fight..”
The twenty year old featherweight from Canarsee, Brooklyn will face Ricky Thompson of Tampa, Florida in what promises to be an exciting bout. Ali’s superior hand speed and quick footwork are beautiful to watch, and his lightning fast combinations and accurate counter punching ability earned him a fan following. Ali is always an impressive crowd pleaser and puts on a good show- to the crowd’s chant of “Ali, Ali, Ali!”- perhaps a foreshadowing of a spectacular future as a professional boxer.
“I’m ready to do what I have to do,” said Ali. “To show the world I can be a successful pro like I was an amateur. I want to be the best I can be.”
Ali is a highly decorated amateur champion- a Junior National Champion, a PAL National Champion, a U-19 National Champion, and a two-time New York City Golden Gloves champion. He also took a historical role on the 2008 US Olympic team. The son of Yemeni Arab parents, he is a true trailblazer as the first Arab American fighter to ever represent the United States at the Games.
“My son made it to the Olympic Games,” said father and manager David Ali. “I am not really worried about this fight. He will do fine.”
“We have been waiting for this for some time – now we are here and ready. Its time for some havoc and we are in the hurt business,” said Ali’s trainer Andre Rozier.
Ali has been training hard to turn pro since he fought in the Olympics- anxious to make his mark as a professional fighter after fighting as an amateur for twelve years and learning the true meaning of sacrifice through boxing. Ali said his ultimate goal is to be a successful boxer and to go to college at the same time.
“Sadam Ali is an excellent prospect and I believe he will have a long and distinguished career,” said DiBella. “We look forward to his pro debut.”
Doors open at 3 p.m. and preliminary bouts begin at 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $45, $100 and $150 plus tax and service charge and can be purchased at the Beau Rivage Box Office or by calling 888.566.7469. Beau Rivage room reservations can be made by calling 888.567.6667 or visiting www.beaurivage.com. Tickets are also available by calling DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577. For more information, please visit DiBella entertainment on the web at www.dbe1.com.
Daniel Edouard Ranked Number 15 by WBC
West Palm Beach, FL (USA), January 14, 2009 – Daniel Edouard also known as “The Haitian Sensation” continues his press towards bigger fights as he adds a World Boxing Council (WBC) Junior Middleweight number 15 ranking to his credit.
Edouard who is also ranked number 11 by the World Boxing Association at Middleweight recently received news of the ranking. “The WBC is the god-father of all sanctioning bodies and being ranked highly by them is an honor and certainly a major step in the right direction.” Edouard continued “But make no mistake. I will get neither content nor lethargic in my boxing methodology. I will continue to work towards bigger and better bouts and the best way for me to do that is to keep winning. When I am as prepared as I need to be for the absolute top level the world will know!”
Edouard is yet to be signed to his next fight. “We are actively seeking bouts and I am preparing myself as much as possible. I was in the gym during Christmas and New Years, and I expect great things soon.”
When asked about future opponents Edouard said, “All options are being weighed. One thing for sure is that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated. It would make little sense for me to call out the major players of the division right now. I’ll just keep winning, winning impressively and eventually they will find me.”
For more information visit www.myspace.com/officialhaitiansensation
MORAN WILL MAKE HIS MARK AT HOME
FRANK MALONEY has won the purse bids for Matthew Marsh’s British super-bantamweight title defence against Liverpool’s Mark Moran.
His bid in excess of £31,600 means Moran (11-0-1) who Maloney co-promotes with VIP Promotions will have crucial home advantage.
The eagerly awaited clash between Britain’s top 8st 10lb fighters will take place at Leigh Indoor Sports Centre on Friday April 17.
Maloney said: “This is what is known in the trade as a pick ’em fight and home advantage could be crucial so it is a big bonus to win the purse bids.
“Both fighters sell a lot of tickets but Mark’s fans could swing the fight in his favour.
“I think Moran will win, but the only guarantee I can make is that it’ll be a candidate for domestic Fight of the Year.”
Southpaw Moran turned professional in October 2003 and his finest win came last May when he stopped Danny Wallace to become English champion in front of 58,000 fans at City of Manchester Stadium.
Moran, 26, was a team-mate of Marsh (11-1) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and won a bantamweight bronze medal.
Marsh, also 26, captured the British title last June outpointing Esham Pickering and in his only defence won a majority decision over Rocky Dean.
The cockney boxer’s only professional loss came when stepped up to featherweight in October 2007 and was stopped in 11 rounds by Derry Matthews in a WBU title challenge.
Marsh didn’t fare as well as Moran when then Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester getting knocked out by South African flyweight Nzimeni Msutu when he was clearly weight drained.
An action packed undercard will be revealed shortly, but will feature the best young talent from Liverpool and Manchester.