Heavyweight veteran “Dangerous” Damon Reed admits it. “In a lot of my recent fights, I was saying to myself that I’m not going to get hurt.”
This time it’s different.
Fighting in the 12-round main event of The Empire Sports and Entertainment’s Fox Sports-televised “Fight Night in America” event, Reed will challenge hall-of-famer James Toney for his International Boxing Association (IBA) Heavyweight Championship on Thursday, February 24, at the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in San Bernardino, California.
And after what he calls a perfect training camp, Reed vows: “It’s ‘live or die’ in the ring this time. To win, James Toney is going to have to hurt me. If he’s overlooking me at all or not training properly he’s in trouble.”
A restaurant owner in his native Kansas, Reed (45-14, 32 KOs) claims it’s not about the money. After a long career of winning consistently in the third tier of the sport, but always coming up short against higher quality opposition, he’s ready to spring the big upset this time.
“I feel really confident that I’ve done everything I can do and now I’m really looking forward to this fight. I respect James, but I don’t put anybody on a pedestal above me. I’ve done 80 rounds of sparring and I can’t say how many miles I’ve run. I’ve got it all mapped out how I’m going to beat him and I’m ready to do this thing. I’m excited about being on Fox Sports and I’m going to fight as hard as I can. I haven’t felt this good before a fight in five to ten years.”
Tickets for Fight Night in America are available at the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino box office, www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. They are priced between $40 and $70. The San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino Box Office is located on the main casino level, inside the gift shop. For more information, call the box office at 1-800-359-2464 ext: 2832 or visit www.sanmanuel.com.
The official weigh-in is open to the public (21 and older) and will be held on Wednesday evening, February 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Tukut Lounge. There is no parking fee for general parking, valet parking available for $3.00. Handicap parking is also available.
A yearlong national television series that showcases and chronicles the best of the new breed of boxing talent from around the world, Fight Night in America delivers this most classic of sports action to the demands of a sophisticated and avid 21st century audience. For more information, visit www.theempirese.com.