AUSTIN, TX – Many championships have been won in Austin, TX, most of them by sports teams emblazoned with a Longhorn logo in burnt orange and white. This time a championship of a different sort will be on the line in Austin as world ranked Fernando Guerrero 21-0 (16 KO’s) will meet “Contender” Champion Grady Brewer 27-12 (15 KO’s) for the NABF Super Welterweight Championship on ESPN Friday Night Fights live from the Frank Erwin Center on June 17th.
Guerrero, currently ranked #2 in the world as a middleweight, will be making his first appearance as 154 lb fighter and his first appearance as a professional in Texas. Guerrero is known for his ability to sell large live gate audiences in his hometown of Salisbury, MD, but will now attempt to endear Texas fight fans to his all out action style. Brewer is no secret to fight fans as he rose from a relative unknown to win the popular TV reality series “The Contender” with a hard fought split decision victory over Steve Forbes. Since being crowned “Contender” champion Brewer has gone an impressive 5-1 with victories over current IBF World Champion Cornelius Bundrage and previously undefeated prospect Albert Onolunose(18-1). The Guerrero vs Brewer main event will be 10 rounds and televised live on ESPN Friday Night Fights.
The feature bout on the television broadcast will showcase fast rising welterweight prospect Karim Mayfield 13-0-1 (8 KO’s) against former world title holder Steve Forbes 35-9 (11 KO’s) in a 10 round welterweight match up. Mayfield, from San Francisco, CA, has awaited his opportunity for main stream exposure since turning professional five years ago. Mayfield holds upset wins over four previously undefeated fighters and has found it hard to get suitable fights as word of his style and power began to spread throughout boxing circles. Mayfield will take a huge step up in class as he meets the veteran Forbes on June 17th. Forbes has fought the best talent in the business including Oscar De La Hoya and Andre Berto and will bring a wealth of boxing experience with him to the ring against the upstart Mayfield. This match up of the power punching young lion and the experienced tactician is sure to be great from the beginning to the end.
The undercard for June 17th Friday Night Fights will feature former amateur standout Javontae Starks 4-0 (4 KO’s) in a four round match up with Julio Cesar Rangel 6-4 (4 KO’s), rising American heavyweight prospect Maurice Byarm 11-0 (8 KO’s) in a six round battle with Homero Fonseca 9-4 (2 KO’s) and local attractions Gilbert Vera 11-3-1 (5 KO’s), Zach Briones 1-0 and Corey Yett 2-1 in separate bouts. Vera, the younger brother of world ranked Brian Vera, is sure to be a crowd favorite at the Frank Erwin Center.
Tickets are $25, $60, $75 and $100 VIP and are ON SALE NOW!
Tickets available at all Texas Box Office outlets including select H-E-B stores, Ft. Hood ITR and Renaissance Records in Killeen, by phone at (512) 477-6060 or 1-800-982-2386 or online at TexasBoxOffice.com.
THE FOLLOWING DISCOUNTS ARE AVAILABLE:
Military buy one get one free on the $25 and $60 ticket prices with valid ID at the Frank Erwin Center box office, Ft. Hood ITR and Renaissance Records in Killeen. College and University students, faculty and staff buy one get one free on the $25 and $60 ticket prices with valid ID at the Frank Erwin Center box office. Groups of six receive a 6-pack of tickets for $96. Offer is good on the $25 ticket price only. Groups should call the Group Sales Department at (512) 232-4343. No double discounts. Offers are subject to availability.
Purchase the Rib-eye Steak Dinner and dine in the Lone Star Room at the Frank Erwin Center from 5-7PM. Guest of honor Jesus Chavez will make an appearance. Guest of honor Jesus Chavez will make an appearance. This special offer is only $40 and includes a buffet style dinner, parking (subject to availability) and exclusive access during the night to the Knockout Club with cash bars located backstage right off the floor. An event ticket must accompany a ticket to the dinner. This exclusive offer is limited and subject to availability, and can be purchased online at TexasBoxOffice.com.
Suites at the Frank Erwin Center provide a unique environment to entertain your clients, family and friends. For more information, call (512) 471-4713 or email suites@erwin.utexas.edu.
Liakhovich vs. Helenius July 16 Munich
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (June 1, 2011) – The delayed return of former world heavyweight champion and 1996 Bellarusian Olympian, Sergei “The White Wolf” Liakhovich is on July 16 as the Bellarusian Olympian takes on highly-touted, undefeated Robert “The Nordiac Nightmare” Helenius in Munich, Germany.
The 35-year-old Liakhovich (25-3, 16 KOs), rated No. 13 by the World Boxing Council, was supposed to be back in action April 9 in Newark after nearly a year-long absence, but an injury suffered in the final week of training camp forced him to withdraw. Instead of taking an easy tune-up, or sign a more lucrative deal offered by K2 Promotions, Liakhovich chose to make his Main Events debut against Helenius (15-0, 10 KOs), who is world rated among the top four governing bodies (WBO #2, IBF #3, WBA #8 and IBF (IBF #15), as well as No. 8 by The Ring. Helenius is a native of Norway but he lives and fights out of Germany.
“This is what being a true champion really is about,” Liakhovich explained. “I believe you have to take risks to get greater results. Boxing is the best of all sports but its core is in earning respect as a fighter. I think you can accomplish that by taking risks. I had to do that in the past when I fought Dominick Quinn, who was America’s top heavyweight hope at that time, and nobody gave me a chance when I went against Lamon Brewster. Both times taking risks paid off for me and this is not any different. My opponent is a good fighter. He proved that he deserves to be in the top 10 of the world by defeating Brewster and (Samuel) Peter. But he’s never faced anybody with my skills.
“I was very disappointed I had to cancel my (April) fight, but I believe what happens is always for a reason, and sometimes things turn out the way you did not expect. I am glad I have this opportunity and I will take full advantage of it. I’m working again with trainer Kenny Weldon, who was in my corner when I won the WBO title, and doing things that I had stopped. We’ve also been working on a few new things to prepare for this fight. I think it’s going to be a very good fight with two guys putting everything on the line.”
Back in 2006, Liahkovich was on top of the boxing world having won a unanimous decision (117-110, 115-113, 115-112) against Brewster for the WBO crown, sporting a 23-1(13 KOs) pro record that included notable wins against world title contender Guinn and previously undefeated Friday Ahunanya. In his first world title defense, however, Liakhovich lost his belt to Shannon Briggs by way of a 12th round technical knockout with only one second remaining in the fight, in which Sergei led on all three judges’ cards by scores of 106-103, 106-103 and 105-104.
After his fight against Briggs, Sergei was put on his old promoter’s shelf and he has fought only three times since 2006, the last a ninth-round stoppage of Evans Quinn a year ago in Germany.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Sergei,” Main Events CEO Kathy Duva commented. “From the moment he was offered the match with Helenius, he absolutely demanded that we make the fight. There are very few elite professional boxers who are willing to put everything on the line without a moment’s hesitation, as Sergei did, and accept such a challenge. I believe that his experience and courage will carry the day on July 16th against such a strong opponent. Sergei is one of the most fan friendly fighters in boxing and we all look forward to a great match in Munich. We also look forward to bringing home the win!”
Liakhovich’s Boston-based attorney and veteran boxing lawyer, Anthony Cardinale, got Sergei out of his last contract and negotiated his new deal with Main Events and the Helenius fight. “Sergei chose to take a fight that he could have easily avoided and made more money in a three-fight deal which was offered by K2 (two undercard bouts on the Wladimir Klitschko-David Haye and Vitali Klitschko-Tomasz Adamek cards followed by a guaranteed world title shot),” Atty. Cardinale noted. “His reasoning was a win against Helenius will make a world title fight considerably more valuable to him and his family than the deal offered by K2.
“If I were Helenius, I would be concerned because Sergei is getting into the ring a rested, top-conditioned, supremely motivated, championship caliber heavyweight with much more experience. This is not going to be a walk through like Helenius has had against out-of-shape, disinterested former champions just showing up for paydays. He is about to enter a hungry wolf’s den and he won’t come out undefeated.”
Allen & Bernardo continue winning ways for Boxing 360
NEW YORK (June 1, 2011) – A pair of unbeaten Boxing 360 fighters, Lennox “2 Sharpe” Allen and Eudy “AK47” Bernardo, continued their winning ways this past weekend, respectively, by capturing one title and retaining another.
Undefeated, New York State super middleweight Allen (15-0-1, 9 KOs) returned home to Georgetown, Guyana for an Independence Day showdown last Saturday night, in which he thoroughly dominated Kwesi Jones (7-2, 4 KOs) en route to a 12-round unanimous decision (120-108, 119-109, 118-110) for the vacant WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation title.
Bernardo (9-0, 6 KOs) stopped John Nolasco (18-6-4, 8 KOs) in the eighth round of their Dominican Lightweight Championship bout in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, marking Eudy’s second successful title defense since winning that belt last July.
Other members of Boxing 360’s stable include USBA heavyweight champion Maurice “Sugar Moe” Harris, WBC #3 super bantamweight Leon “Hurry Up” Moore, former IBF super middleweight champion Alejandro “Naco” Berrio, NY State champion welterweight Danny Sostre, KO king Tyrone Brunson, Nick “Hands of Gold” Casal, Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, middleweight prospect DonYil Livingston, Joshua “The Juice” Harris, Emad Ali, Mike Mollo, “King” David Estrada and Angel “Toro” Hernandez.
Go to www.Boxing360.com for more information about Allen and Bernbardo, Boxing 360 or any of its other fighters.