London (18 August 2011) British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will return to the ring on September 17 at the iconic venue of the King’s Hall in Belfast, fresh from his electrifying victory over Dereck Chisora at Wembley Arena last month.
Fury’s opponent will be named next week in Belfast at a press conference at the King’s Hall on Wednesday (24 August) when Hennessy Sports will also have the undercard in attendance for this Channel 5 screened show.
It had been hoped that Fury would face former Commonwealth heavyweight champion Martin Rogan in a British, Commonwealth and Irish title fight but a new opponent must be found after the Belfast man refused to fight Fury.
Fury commented: “I’m very disappointed in Martin because he was at my fight with Chisora in London and said right after that he wanted the fight. He was made a massive offer, he was getting the chance to fight in Belfast, he said he was going to beat me senseless and yet he walked away.
“In my opinion that is just the mentality of a bully boy. He talked the talk but he couldn’t walk the walk which must be embarrassing for him in Belfast. I know he lost twice to Sam Sexton in Belfast and maybe he didn’t want to get beaten up again in Belfast.
“But the Irish fans will know when they see me box in Belfast that they’re looking at the best Irish heavyweight around and I’m not going to walk away from any challenge. I’m going all the way to the World heavyweight title.”
Promoter Mick Hennessy commented: “The fight fans in Belfast can expect a great night’s boxing on September 17. Tyson Fury is the new star of Irish and World boxing and he’s very proud of his Irish roots so that’s why he wants to box in Belfast.
“We all know the history surrounding the King’s Hall so it’s a privilege for Tyson to fight there. We’ll officially finalize everything next week.”
Theresa Morrissey, Financial and Commercial Director at the King’s Hall said, “The Complex is delighted to welcome Hennessy Sports to the venue for the first time. The King’s Hall is the home of high profile boxing matches in Northern Ireland and we look forward to lots of entertainment on the night.”
To add spice to this already great event, former WBC Light Welterweight Champion Junior “The Hitter” Witter will be in action against Northern Ireland’s former Irish champion Stephen Haughian over 10 rounds.
Joining these fighters at the King’s Hall will be a host of talented boxers including Kid Galahad, Phill Fury, Ryan Greene, Willie Thomspson, Tommy Tolan, Phil Townsley and Kevin O’Hara.
Undercard to date:
12 x 3 min rounds – Tyson Fury (Galway / Nutts Corner) vs. TBA
10 x 3 min rounds – Junior Witter (Sheffield) vs. Stephen Haughian (Lurgan)
8 x 3 min rounds – Ryan Greene (Lurgan) vs. Willie Thompson (Ballyclare)
6 x 3 min rounds – Kid Galahad (Sheffield) vs. TBA
6 x 3 min rounds – Phill Fury (Lancaster) vs. TBA
6 x 3 min rounds – Tommy Tolan (Belfast) vs. Philip Townsley
6 x 3 min rounds – Kevin O’Hara (Belfast) vs. TBA
The Official Press Conference will be held at the Kings Hall from 12pm on Wednesday 24th August.
If you would like to attend the press conference please RSVP to lee@hennessysports.com.
Official Press Conference
Wednesday 24th August
11.30pm for 12pm start
The Octagon Suite,
King’s Hall Complex,
Balmoral,
Belfast,
BT9 6GW.
Tickets will be on sale next week priced at £28.00, £50 and £100 from the Ticketmaster box office on 0844 277 4455 (24 hour). Tickets are also available in person from the Ticketmaster outlets, and online from www.ticketmaster.ie.
Lundy ready to unload on David Diaz
HAMMOND, Ind. (Aug. 18, 2011) – After catching a glimpse of David Diaz in person for the first time, “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy left Thursday’s weigh-in deathly afraid – not for his own well-being, but for that of his opponent.
“He’s small!” Lundy said after weighing in at 134.6 pounds in advance of his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight title defense against Diaz Friday, Aug. 19th, 2011 in the 10-round co-feature of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” season finale at the at The Venue At Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., presented by Hitz Entertainment in association with Banner Promotions.
“I’m generally used to fighting bigger guys and this guy is small. I’m scared of what might happen because I’m used to fighting bigger guys. I was thinking before what I’ve got to do. Now, it’s a no-brainer. I’m scared for him!”
Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs), 35, a former world champion from Chicago who held the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title from 2006 to 2008 before losing it to Manny Pacquiao, weighed in at 134.4 pounds Thursday at the Horseshoe Casino. He’s in the midst of his second comeback following a 10-month layoff and has an extensive resume that includes wins over former five-time world champion Erik Morales and former World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight champion Ener Julio.
Asked if his experience will be the deciding factor in Friday’s fight against Lundy (20-1-1, 10 KOs), Diaz said, “I hope it is! I feel real good. I did the workouts and did the rounds with the young bucks. We’re ready. We feel good. [Friday] will take care of itself.”
Diaz is coming off a win against Robert Frankel in January while Lundy is in search of his third consecutive victory since losing his North American Boxing Organization (NABO) title to John Molina Jr. in July of 2009. He rebounded from that loss with a win over Omri Lowther two months later on ESPN and then captured the vacant NABF title with a hard-fought win over Patrick Lopez, a two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004) for the Venezuelan national team.
“The only fight I saw of him that I thought was good was the Patrick Lopez one,” Diaz said. “He looked awesome in that fight. It’s going to be a tough fight and that’s what I want. I want a tough fight because I want to see for myself where I’m at and whether or not I belong with the best in the world.”
While Diaz might have doubts, Lundy is as confident as ever, especially after standing toe-to-toe with his 5-foot-6 opponent at Thursday’s weigh-in. As always, the ultimate goal for the Philadelphia native is to win a world championship, and a convincing win over Diaz on boxing’s biggest stage would move him one step closer.
“I’m ready to fight and do what I do – put on a good show and take my title back to Philly,” Lundy said. “Whoever wants to step up and fight me for my belt, let’s do it. Whoever gets in that ring in front of me is in for trouble, because you’re standing in my way.
“Watch out. ‘Hammerin’’ Hank ain’t playing. I’m on a mission and, like I said, ‘Hammerin’’ Hank is coming to a city and town near you. You never know where I’m going to pop up. I’m always on the road. Poppa is a rolling stone!”
“Hopefully, my experience will help me in this fight,” Diaz said. “You have to draw back on your old arsenal to see what happens.”
Punchin at the Paradise – “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” Weigh-in Results
All participants for Golden Boy Promotions and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing “Punchin at the Paradise” show Friday night at the Paradise Theater in the Bronx, NY weighed in today at the NYS commission’s office. The show, which will be broadcast on TeleFutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” will be headlined by Newark’s undefeated prospect, Michael “The Artist” Perez (13-0-1, 7KO’s). Fighting in the co-feature, will be the Bronx’s must-see 18-year-old boxing phenom, Eddie Gomez (5-0, 4KO’s) as he looks to impress in his hometown debut. Below is the complete bout card for Friday night’s show with the official weights included.
Lightweights
8 Rounds
Michael Perez – 135 lbs.
Vs.
Miguel Rodriguez – 136 lbs.
____________________________
Jr. Middleweights
6 Rounds
Eddie Gomez – 150 lbs.
Vs.
Marcus Hall – 151 1/4 lbs.
__________________________
Lightweights
6 Rounds
Mike Brooks – 136 lbs.
Vs.
Jamell Tyson – 134 lbs.
___________________________
Welterweights
4 Rounds
Rich Neves – 147 lbs.
Vs.
Latwon Halsey – 146 1/4 lbs.
___________________________
Light Heavyweights
4 Rounds
Todd Eriksson – 170 lbs.
Vs.
Borngod Washington – 173 lbs.
_____________________________
Also scheduled on the card, weighing in on Friday will be two exciting amateur bouts featuring NY Golden Gloves Champions, Pedro Sosa, Louis Cruz and Wesley Ferrer. Sosa and Cruz, both who hail from the Bronx, are returning to the ring for the first time since competing at the 2012 US Olympic Team Boxing Trials. Cruz is scheduled to take on New Rochelle’s Bryant Cruz in a rematch of their highly entertaining scrap (Bryant Cruz W-3) that opened up Star Boxing’s July 15th show at Roseland Ballroom, with Sosa taking on Long Island’s Ferrer in the other scheduled match-up.
*** ALL BOUTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
The night of world-class professional boxing is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Star Boxing and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. Doors open at 6:30pm ET and first fight begins at 7:00pm ET. TeleFutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” will be broadcast at 11:30pm ET / PT (10:30pm CT).
Tickets, priced at $30, $50 and $100, are available for purchase by calling Star Boxing at (718) 823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. Tickets may also be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet or by visiting the Paradise Theater Box Office, or by calling the Paradise Theater at (718) 220-1015. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Paradise Theater door the night of the event.