CRAIG WATSON has landed an immediate British welterweight title rematch against Lee Purdy.
And he will have hometown advantage at Oldham Sports Centre for his return against the Essex man on Saturday July 16.
Purdy caused one of the biggest domestic boxing upsets so far this year last month when stopping Watson in five rounds at Manchester’s MEN Arena last month.
Hatton Promotions President Ricky Hatton said: “Again Hatton Promotions are proving that when our fighters suffer a setback we give them opportunities to correct what went wrong.
“Craig knows it all went wrong last month and although Purdy is tough and powerful, I am backing my man to become champion again.
“Craig proved he can bounce back when he got revenge over John O’Donnell so I have every reason to be confident.
“There has been a great response from the public in Oldham so the crowd should be lifting the roof off.”
The show is not being televised and tickets are selling fast for Watson’s revenge missing and are available prices £35, £55 and £75 VIP from 01925 755222
Heavyweights Thompson, Willis Look to Stay Undefeated at Battle at the Boat 82
TACOMA, Wash. – Heavyweights “Vicious’ Vincent Thompson and Jonte Willis will both look to remain unbeaten when they step into the ring at Brian Halquist Production’s Battle at the Boat 82: Fight Night to the Playboy Mansion on Saturday, June 4 at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma.
Thompson, a resident of Federal Way, has put together a perfect 7-0 professional record and has quickly become a fan favorite at the Emerald Queen Casino.
Thompson’s power was on full display during his last appearance in Tacoma on March 19 when he dominated Ryan Shay with a barrage of crushing body shots – the final coming a little more than a minute into the second round which forced referee Jeff Macaluso to call the bout.
It was Thompson’s first fight in 2011. He closed out 2010 with an impressive victory over the previously unbeaten Charles Ellis, a former 2003 National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion, on Nov. 13, 2010.
Thompson also posted an impressive four-round unanimous decision over highly-regarded Villi Bloomfield last August. He made his professional debut in August, 2009 by defeating Freddie Miller.
Thompson’s opponent will be Kelsey Arnold, of Lexington, TN. Arnold (4-7-1) is coming off a loss to undefeated Andy Ruiz, Jr., a top ranking heavyweight in Mexico.
“I don’t care who they throw at me. I am the type of fighter who will step into the ring with anyone,” Thompson said. “This is just another step towards bringing a title back to Washington State.”
Thompson, however, isn’t the only undefeated heavyweight on the card as Tacoma’s Willis (7-0-1, 3 KOs) looks to continue his winning ways.
Local boxing fans will remember Willis from his stellar amateur career.
Willis, the 2006 United States Amateur Super Heavyweight Champion, won the Super Heavyweight Championship at the Tacoma Golden Gloves in 2007 – defeating Canada’s No. 2 ranked superheavyweight Brandon Lowrie – before defeating two-time United States Champion Michael Hunter at the West Regional Golden Gloves in Las Vegas and moving on to the National Golden Gloves tournament where he lost in the semi-finals to Tyler Turner.
Willis turned pro in November, 2007, knocking out Isouf Kone in the third round in his debut performance. He proceeded to win his first seven bouts – three by knockout – before drawing with David Long (10-1-1) on Jan. 15.
Willis faces hard-hitting Canadian Shane Andreesen, who sports a record of 10-3-0 with six wins coming by knockout.
In addition to professional boxing, the event will also feature a ring card girl contests and the famous Playboy Playmates, including Tacoma-native Stacy Fuson, Bridget Marquardt from TV’s The Girls Next Door and Playboy Radio’s Pilar Lastra, with the winner of the ring card girl contest will win a trip to the world famous Playboy Mansion.
First fight on the card will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35, $55 and $100 and are available at the Emerald Queen Casino box office 1-888-831-7655 and at all Ticketmaster outlets.
For more information please visit www.Halquistproductions.com.
TICKETS
Tickets are available at the Emerald Queen Casino box office 1-888-831-7655 and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Ticket Prices: *$100 – $45 – $25
Get up to date information at: www.Halquistproductions.com
GUEVARA FACES MARIO RODRIGUEZ PLUS JORGE LINARES TAKES ON FRANCISCO CORDERO ON “SABADOS DE CORONA” ON MAY 28
LOS ANGELES, May 23 – Televisa’s “Sabados De Corona” is back on Saturday, May 28, as unbeaten Pedro Guevara takes to the ring in his hometown of Mazatlan to battle Guasave’s Mario Rodriguez in a 12-round bout for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver light flyweight championship.
In the co-main event at the Mazatlan International Center, former Two-Division World Champion Jorge “El Nino de Oro” Linares of Venezuela squares off against Colombia’s Francisco Cordero in a 10 round fight for the WBA International lightweight title.
This stellar doubleheader headlines a hard-hitting night of boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Box Latino and sponsored by Corona. The Televisa broadcast begins at 10:30pm CT/9:30 PM MT. Doors open at 5:00pm MT and the first bell rings at 6:00pm MT.
The fights will also be available in the United States as AT&T* is exclusively delivering the series across three screens (TV, Online and Mobile) to AT&T U-verse members. The U-verse broadcasts will air live at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT on AT&T U-verse® TV, U-verse Online at www.att.net/boxeo and, for subscribers to the U-verse Live TV mobile application, on qualifying mobile phones.**
Mazatlan Sinaloa, Mexico’s Pedro “Jibran” Guevara (12-0, 8 KO’s) has done his city and his country proud thus far in his three-year professional career, roaring out to a perfect record while showing off the skills that many believe will have him wearing a world championship belt sooner rather than later. Coming off of a 7-0 year in 2010, Guevara is riding a five-fight knockout streak that includes a third round finish of Karluis Diaz last December which earned him the WBC Silver light flyweight title that he will defend on May 28.
22-year-old Mario “Dragoncito” Rodriguez (10-6-3, 7 KO’s) packs middleweight power into his 108-pound frame and, as a former WBC Continental Americas minimumweight champion, he knows how to fight and win at the elite level of the sport. In August of 2010, Rodriguez lost a hard fought 12-round decision to Donnie Nietes in a fight for the WBO minimumweight world title, but now up to 108 pounds, he’s expecting big things, beginning with his upcoming showdown with Guevara.
One of boxing’s best, former Featherweight and Super Featherweight World Champion Jorge “El Nino de Oro” Linares (30-1, 19 KO’s) is seeking a third divisional title. Winner of three in a row since an upset loss to Juan Carlos Salgado in 2009, Linares hasn’t been taking it easy, as he has been in with Francisco Lorenzo, Rocky Juarez and Jesus “Matador” Chavez in recent bouts. Next up for the Barinas, Venezuela native is a showdown with Cordero who with only one loss on his resume, will not be an easy out for Linares.
Barranquilla, Colombia’s Francisco “Volcan” Cordero (23-1, 15 KO’s) is a rising star who knows that a win over the highly-ranked Linares will be his ticket to the big time. A staple on the Colombian fight circuit who owns a win over 14-1 Koseki Nakama that took place in Nakama’s home turf in Okinawa, Japan, Cordero’s lone loss came in a 2010 world title bout against Jorge “Coloradito” Solis. After the world title challenge loss, he bounced back with a second round knockout over Julio Gomez, all systems are go for the talented 24-year-old. He looks to continue his winning ways against the formidable Linares.