Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions, Rodney Berman/Golden Gloves, and Zanfer Promotions will present a sensational world championship fight card on Saturday, August 14, 2010, at the Laredo Energy Arena, located at 6700 Arena Boulevard in Laredo, Texas. This internationally-flavored event will feature boxers from South Korea, Mexico, South Africa and Brazil. Featured fights will be televised live on TV Azteca, Fox Sports, and live internationally worldwide..
In the main event, scheduled for 12 rounds for the vacant International Boxing Federation lightweight world championship, IBF No. 1-ranked Ji-Hoon “Volcano” Kim, 21-5 with 18 knockouts, of Goyang City, Korea, will battle IBF No. 3-ranked Miguel Angel “Titere” Vazquez, 25-3 with 12 knockouts, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Banner Promotions president Art Pelullo said, “My partners on this event – Rodney Berman, Zanfer Promotions, and Roy Medina at the Laredo Energy Arena – and I are very pleased to bring this exciting matchup to Laredo. This will be the first major world title fight in Laredo since the great International Boxing Hall of Famer Orlando Canizales defended the IBF bantamweight world title here in his hometown against Sergio Reyes 16 years ago in October, 1994, and we think it’s good one.
“This is Kim’s third fight in Laredo – he’s given very exciting performances and gained a lot of fans here – and Vazquez is coming off his career-best win against previously undefeated contender Breidis Prescott. Kim has won his last 11 fights by knockout, and Vazquez rose to the occasion and proved himself in the biggest fight of his life. It’s going to be a classic boxer-puncher matchup, and we think a great night of world championship boxing.”
After Kim’s knockout win against Tyrone Harris in February, Fightnews.com’s Francisco Salazar reported from ringside: “Kim has started to turn heads in the boxing world with his hard-hitting and explosive power….”
After Vazquez’ 10 round decision win against Prescott, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com: “Vazquez outhustled him all night to win the split decision in an upset…. Prescott, best known for his shocking first-round knockout of Amir Khan in September 2008, started well…but after that, it was almost all Vazquez, who won his fourth in a row. He had Prescott bleeding from the mouth and had swollen his left eye. This is a big win for the unheralded Vazquez.”
Featured bouts will include Hekkie Budler, 16-0 with 5 knockouts, of Johannesburg, South Africa, in a 10 round light flyweight bout. Budler is an undefeated star in South Africa and looking to make a name for himself in the United States.
Jackson Junior, 7-0 with 6 knockouts, a light heavyweight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, is the most talented fighter to come from Brazil since Acelino “Popo” Freitas. Jackson is managed by Servilio De Oliveira, the former Brazilian Olympic bronze medalist and manager of former IBF featherweight world champion Valdemir Pereira.
Also appearing on the card will be local Laredo favorite Rodolfo Gomez Jr., 6-0 with 5 knockouts, the son of Manuel “Shotgun” Gomez, in a super welterweight bout.
More exciting bouts will be announced. All bouts subject to change without notice.
Doors open at: 6:00 P.M. (Central Time)
First fight at: 8:00 P.M. (Central Time)
Tickets prices: $20, $40, $60, $80 (facility fee not included).
Tables: $300 (four-seat cocktail table); 10-seat tables available for: $700 (third row), $1,000 (second row), $1,500 (ringside).
Tickets available at: Laredo Energy Arena Box Office; all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, and TicketMaster.com.
Molina going back to the future against unbeaten Lundy on ESPN Friday Night Fights McCreedy-Biosse co-feature on “Let Freedom Ring” show July 9 at Twin River Event Center, RI
PROVIDENCE (July 1, 2010) – Fighting the second time for the NABO lightweight crown, John Molina, Jr. believes an impressive victory this time against NABO lightweight champion “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (18-0-1, 10 KOs) not only will get him the belt that has eluded him, but put him right into contention in the deep 135-pound division.
Molina (20-1, 16 KOs) is traveling across the country from California to Rhode Island to challenge the outspoken Lundy (18-0-1, 10 KOs), now rated No. 7 by the World Boxing Organization, in the 10-round main event on the July 9th “Let Freedom Ring” show, presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), at Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, RI.
An ill Molina suffered his first and only loss as a pro last September, losing a 10-round decision to Martin Honorio (26-4-1) for the NABO and NABF lightweight championships. “I felt that it was a small setback in the early stages of my career,” Molina said. “It was a good learning experience. Don’t get me wrong, though. Even though I was under the weather, it was a tough pill to swallow because I’m such a competitor. The only real undefeated fighter today is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Hey, even Manny Pacquiao has three losses. It builds character and has made me a better fighter.”
Molina describes himself as an all-action fighter, much the same as Lundy. “I’m going to come in and do what I do best – fight,” John explained. “I’m not a basketball or baseball player; I’m a fighter. We’re both modern-day gladiators. No disrespect to Hank Lundy – he’s a good fighter – but I plan on showcasing myself July 9th on ESPN. It’s going to be a great fight for fans – a Clash of Titans!
“Lundy’s never at loss of words. He can say all he wants, but we’re fighting in a ring, not at a podium. I’m not one to disrespect anybody. I do predict this is going to be a helluva fight.”
New England super middleweight champion “Irish” Joey McCreedy (11-4-2, 6 KOs), trained by “Irish” Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund, puts his title on the line against his friend and stable-mate, former U. of Rhode Island football player Vladine Biosse (6-0, 4 KOs), in the 8-round co-feature.
Quincy (MA) welterweight Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (2-1, 1 KO) will be out for revenge in a 6-round rematch against the only opponent to defeat her, Providence’s Kali Reis (2-0 1 KO), who won a hotly-contested 4-round decision in their first meeting.
Providence firefighter Eric Estrada makes his long-awaited pro debut in a 4-round match against cruiserweight Keon Graham (2-2). Estrada, whose brother is 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada, was perfect as an amateur with a 6-0 record, including victories in the New England Golden Gloves Tournament and Rocky Marciano Tournament.
Roxbury (MA) super middleweight Maceo Crowder (2-0, 1 KO), whose brother is 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade, faces pro-debuting Worcester (MA) mixed martial arts fighter Ralph Johnson
Also slated to fight in 4-round bouts are Warwick (RI) super middleweight Keith Kozlin (5-1, 3 KOs) vs. New Bedford’s (MA) Eric Pinaretta (2-3, 2 KOs), Woonsocket (RI) super middleweight Joe Gardner (4-1-1, 1 KO) vs. Demarcus “Main Event” Clark (1-2, 1 KO), Lincoln super lightweight Diego Pereira (4-0, 2 KOs) vs. Richard Calazada (2-1, 1 KO), and Fall River (MA) middleweight Dustin Reinhold (1-1, 1 KO) vs. Joel Nieves (0-2). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets for “Let Freedom Ring,” priced at $35.00, $50.00, $75.00 and $100.00, are available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at Twin River’s Players Club booth at Twin River, or any TicketMaster location.
Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or the Twin River Event Center (877.82.RIVER/ www.twinriver.com) for more information. Doors open at 5:30 PM/ET, first bout at 6:30 PM/ET.
(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Let Freedom Ring.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied at all times by an adult and they must enter through the West entrance.)
THOMPSON BOXING PROMOTIONS INKS EFRAIN ESQUIVIAS FORMER NATIONAL GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMP IS 8-0 AS A PRO
LOS ANGELES, July 1, 2010 – A stellar amateur who has gone on to build a sizeable fan following in less than three years as an unbeaten professional, super bantamweight prospect Efrain Esquivias is going to take the next step towards a world championship with Thompson Boxing Promotions, who signed him to an exclusive promotional deal this week.
“We’re proud to announce the signing of Efrain Esquivias to Thompson Boxing Promotions, and we have a lot of confidence that he will eventually join the ranks of our world champions Timothy Bradley and Yonnhy Perez,” said Ken Thompson, founder of Thompson Boxing Promotions. “Efrain is a talented boxer with an exciting style, and he’s a mature young man as well, which means he has all the tools to go far in this sport.”
“I’m happy to be on the Thompson Boxing Promotions team, and I plan on becoming the next world champion on the roster,” said Esquivias. “I’m determined to get to the top, and I’ve dedicated my career to my father, so I won’t let him down.”
A 2006 National Golden Gloves champion at bantamweight, Carson, California’s Efrain Esquivias (8-0, 5 KOs) has made a seamless transition to the pro ranks, earning victories and positive notices in all eight of his pro bouts. Inspired by his late father, Efrain Sr., Esquivias has won four of his last five by knockout, and the 26-year old can box or bang, making him a tough style matchup for anyone in the super bantamweight division. Esquivias will make his Thompson Boxing Promotion debut later this month on Saturday, July 31 at The Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California
2008 OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST VYACHESLAV GLAZKOV TO TAKE OM MARK “OAK TREE” BROWN ON JULY 14TH AT THE ARENA IN PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA (JULY 1, 2010)—Yet another medalist from the most recent Olympics has been added to a special night of boxing on Wednesday night July 14th at The Arena in South Philadelphia as heavyweight bronze medalist Vyacheslav Glazkov will take on the immensely popular Mark “Oak Tree” Brown in a bout scheduled for six rounds.
This show will be the first in the brand new Comcast Boxing Series that will be televised around the country and is promoted by No Limits Promotions
The main event will feature undefeated Israeli sensation, Ran Nakash taking on former Light Heavyweight champion Lou Del Valle in a bout scheduled for ten rounds.
Glazkov of Lugasnk, Ukraine could have done better than the bronze but an elbow injury forced him out of the competition just before his third fight.
As a pro, Glazkov has been perfect as he is 5-0 with three knockouts. He has spread out his victories as he has won two fights each in Russia and Ukraine with his remaining win coming in the Dominican Republic.
In his last bout, the twenty-five year old scored a third round stoppage over Ivan Shvayko on April 24th in Kiev Ukraine.
Brown of Salem, New Jersey has a record of 15-3 with seven knockouts.
He is one of the most popular fighters in the tri-state area with his gregarious personality and antics outside the ring.
In the ring, Brown won his first seven bouts before being stopped by then undefeated knockout artist Joey Abell (6-0) on July 7, 2006.
After that first defeat, Brown won eight consecutive fights which included his incredible come from behind stoppage victory over then undefeated Tony Grano (14-0-1).
Already down multiple times, Brown came back in the eighth and final round to stop Grano and claim the vacant WBF title.
After one more victory, Brown has dropped his last two fights. He was stopped by former world title challenger Fres Oquendo (29-5-1) and his last bout, Brown almost pulled off another miracle finish in the rematch with Grano.
After losing just about all of the first nine rounds, Brown dropped Grano in the tenth and final round but was unable to stop Grano in the rematch the took place on March 12th.
That bout is just one of the seven world class bouts scheduled for July 14th.
In the main event, Nakash (24-0, 18 KO’s) will battle former light heavyweight champion, Del Valle (36-6-2, 22 KO’s) in what will be by far Nakash’s toughest foe to date.
In the eight round co-feature, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, Felix Diaz (5-0, 3 KO’s) of Santo Domingo, DR will take on Corey Rodriguez (4-1-1, 3 KO’s) of Saint Anthony, Minnesota
In an intriguing Middleweight bout, Maks Liminov (12-0, 8 KO’s) of Prokopyevsk, Russia will take on battles tested Phil Williams (11-3-1, 10 KO’s) of Minneapolis, MN in a bout scheduled for six rounds.
Former world Jr. Amateur champion, Joey Dawejko (3-0, 1 KO) will take on Keon Graham (2-2) of Akron, Ohio in a four round Heavyweight bout.
Oz Goldenburg (1-0) of Tel Aviv, Israel will battle pro debuting Kenny Brown of Philadelphia in a four round Lightweight bout.
William Miranda (1-0) of Allentown, PA will take on debut Carmello Marrero of Reading, PA in a four round Heavyweight bout.
Former Penn State Offensive Lineman, Imani Bell of Philadelphia will be making his pro debut against Levay Kin (0-2) in a four round Heavyweight bout.
Tickets for this memorable night of boxing are priced at $100, $75, and $50 and can be purchased at following locals:
Peltz Boxing (2501 Brown Street) 215- 765 -0922
The Arena (7 West Ritner St.) 267-687-7560
Joey Eye 267-304-9399
Don Elbaum 610-933-7510