Cubans Franco And Barthelemy Join Puerto Rico’s Pabon And Gonzalez On Aug 28

HOLLYWOOD, FL, August 19 – The South Florida weather is hotter than ever, and on August 28th, Seminole Warriors Boxing will be bringing in its share of hurricanes as five Caribbean boxing standouts enter the ring for undercard bouts on the hard-hitting Friday Night Fights event at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. In action will be former Cuban amateur stars Luis Franco and Rances Barthelemy, and Puerto Rican up and comers Jesus Pabon, Jonathan Gonzalez, and Joel Morales..

Tickets for this event, which is headlined by the championship doubleheader featuring Juan Urango vs Randall Bailey and Clinton Woods vs Tavoris Cloud, are priced at $52, $102, $152, and $202, and may be purchased at the Hard Rock Live Box Office or by going online at www.TicketMaster.com.
Doors open at 7:00pm, and the first bell rings at 8pm. The ESPN2 Friday Night Fights telecast begins at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.

An exciting lightweight with dynamite in his gloves, Rances Barthelemy (1-0, 1 KO) – the brother of 2004 Olympic Gold medalist and current pro prospect Yan Barthelemy – competed in 200 amateur fights while earning the Cuban junior national championship. In 2008, he defected to the United States, and on August 8, 2009, he made his pro debut with a spectacular 13 second knockout of Jamal Clay at the Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, South Carolina. In his South Florida debut on August 28th, he will face Fort Lauderdale’s Vinesah Rungea (2-13-3) in a four round featherweight attraction.

One of the best amateur boxers to hail from Cuba in the past decade, 2004 Olympian Luis Franco (1-0, 1 KO) had over 400 amateur fights to his name, winning the world junior championship in 2000 and competeing in the 2004 Olympics. He also waged war against countryman Yuriorkis Gamboa, splitting four fights with the highly regarded contender. In 2009, Franco defected to the United States and made his debut in July with a first round TKO of unbeaten Leroy Padilla. Now standing in his way is Tampa Bay’s Charlie Serrano (8-2, 2 KOs), who will battle Franco in a junior lightweight four rounder.

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jesus Pabon (14-1, 8 KOs) has done his island proud with his two-fisted attack and determination to win. Currently riding a four fight winning streak that includes wins over 11-1 Bulmaro Solis and veteran Lenin Arroyo, the 29-year old southpaw will face his stiffest test to date in unbeaten Cleveland native Prenice Brewer (12-0-1, 6 KOs). A 2005 National Golden Gloves champion, Brewer – who is trained by Jack Loew, trainer of middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik – has made a smooth transition to the pro game and is ready for his step up against Pabon in their junior welterweight eight rounder.

2008 Puerto Rican Olympian Jonathan Gonzalez (4-0, 4 KOs) has fight game insiders raving over his potential to someday wear a world championship belt. A Silver medalist at the Pan American Games and a Gold Medal winner in the Jose “Cheo” Aponte Tournament (both in 2007) who finished his amateur career with a stellar 132-18 record, the 20-year old Caguas native has stopped his last three pro victims in the first round. Looking to stop that streak in this four round welterweight bout will be Brooklyn, New York’s Jason Thompson (5-3-1, 4 KOs), who already owns two victories over unbeaten prospects.

Making his United States debut on August 28th will be Ponce super middleweight Joel Morales (2-0, 2 KOs), who is unbeaten in his pro campaign thus far. Standing across the ring from him in this four round battle will be Orlando’s Robert Campbell (3-2-1, 3 KOs).