NEW YORK (September 28, 2011) – Buffalo welterweight Nick “Hands of Gold” Casal continues his journey back to boxing prominence October 15 against undefeated prospect Michael “Slick” Anderson on the non-televised portion of the Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson pay-per-view event at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.
Casal (21-4-1, 16 KOs) was a highly-decorated amateur who captured gold medals at the 2002 U.S. National Junior Championships and the Sweden Box-Cup for Under-19 boxers. In 2003, Nick reached the quarterfinals of the National Golden Gloves Tournament, defeating Anthony Dirrell in the process, before losing to current world champion, Andre Berto. Casal also won a bronze medal at the 2004 U.S. Championships but he had to drop out of the competition with a hand injury.
In 2004, Casal turned pro and he was unbeaten in his first 17 pro bouts, including a pair of draws. Nick extended current WBC Silver champion Antonio “Tony” DeMarco, the former WBC Interim light titlist, the full 10 rounds in 2002, albeit in a losing effort (94-96, 93-93, 97-93) that demonstrated his vast potential. Casal has won his last three fights, including a third-round technical knockout of Martin Tucker this past April in his Boxing 360 debut.
Casal, however, damaged his hand and he has been out of action since. His fight against Andersson was supposed to be September 30 on ShoBox, before being switched to Oct. 15. “Fighting on ShoBox would have given me more exposure but the Hopkins-Dawson show is much bigger with a larger audience,” said Casal who is training in Las Vegas. “I hurt my hand a little bit in my last fight but it’s now 100-percent.”
The 30-year-old Anderson (11-0-1, 9 KOs), fighting out of Newark, hasn’t fought anybody near Casal’s level of competition. If Anderson believes he’s going to use Casal as a stepping-stone, according to Nick, he’s got another thing coming. “I’m going to use him as a stepping-stone,”Casal insisted. “He has no experience and I’m coming for a win. I don’t know anything about him but, after the first round, I’ll know what to do.
“In another year, I hope to be fighting for a world title. I beat both Dirrells (Andre and Anthony), Berto and Vanes Martirosyan in the amateurs. I fought at 156 as an amateur and moved down to fight at 140 as a pro. Some of them went up in weight and won world titles. I just need a couple of more fights to be ready for a world title shot. I turned pro when I was 18 – maybe a little early – but I’m only 25 with a lot of fights left in me. I had a lot of growing up to do and now’s the time to make something happen.”
Casal’s promoter, Boxing 360 founder and CEO Mario Yagobi, believes his upcoming fight is a tremendous opportunity for Nick. “Nick has to step-up and, if he passes this test, it’s on to bigger and better things for him. This is a great opportunity. I think he’s up to it. In the past he has won better challenges in bigger fights. I believe he has the talent and heart to take him to the top. He made the commitment to train in Las Vegas, away from his home in Buffalo, in order to get better sparring. He’s working hard and I know he’ll be ready October 15th.”
Casal’s talented Boxing 360 stable-mate, undefeated middleweight prospect DonYil Livingston (5-0-1, 3 KOs), will also be in action on the Oct. 15thHopkins-Dawson undercard against unbeaten Kurtiss Colvin (6-0, 5 KOs) in a six-round bout.
Other members of Boxing 360’s stable include IBF World Light Junior Lightweight Champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, USBA heavyweight champion Maurice Sugar Moe” Harris, WBC #5 super bantamweight Leon“Hurry Up” Moore, former IBF super middleweight champion Alejandro “Naco”Berrio, unbeaten welterweight prospect Vitaliy “Demyan” Demyanenko, WBC Caribbean& NY State super middleweight champion Lennox “2 Sharpe” Allen, Dominican lightweight champion Eudy “AK47” Bernardo, KO king Tyrone Brunson, Mike Mollo, Joel Diaz Jr., and “King” David Estrada.
Go to www.Boxing360.comfor more information about Casal, Boxing 360 or any of its other fighters as well as scheduled events.
HBO Sports To Replay Pascal vs. Hopkins II This Weekend
Sept. 28, 2011 – Leading up to the intriguing light heavyweight title showdown between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson set for Saturday, Oct. 15 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® — HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of one of the sport’s signature moments: the night Bernard Hopkins amazed the sporting world and became the oldest world title-holder in boxing history.
On Friday, Sept. 30 at 1:40 a.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, Oct. 1 at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay Pascal vs. Hopkins II. The 12-round battle which took place last May in Montreal became perhaps the most satisfying moment in Hopkins’ storied career as the Philadelphia native turned back the hands of time with a convincing triumph over Jean Pascal, earning him a new world title at the age of 46. Hopkins now holds the distinction of being the oldest champion in boxing history.
The classic fight will also be available to HBO On Demand® subscribers and can be seen 24 hours a day thru Monday, October 24. It is also posted on the HBO GO® service.
Hopkins vs. Dawson takes place on Saturday, Oct. 15 from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.
Kendall Holt Preparing To Face Undefeated Danny Garcia On October 15 Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson Televised Undercard
TOTOWA, NJ (September 28, 2011) — Former world champion Kendall “Rated R” Holt is on a mission to recapture a world title belt, but first he must score a win over unbeaten prospect Danny “Swift” Garcia when they meet Oct. 15 on the “Believe It Or Not: Hopkins vs. Dawson” pay-per-view undercard at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles for the vacant NABO Junior Welterweight title, as well as for the World Boxing Council (WBC) #1 and IBF #2 ratings positions.
A single parent raising his son, the 30-year-old Holt (27-4, 15 KOs) is managed by New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, and now trained by Buddy McGirt. Kendall captured the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Welterweight World Title in 2008, sensationally stopping Ricardo Torres in the opening round. The Paterson, New Jersey boxer successfully defended his crown against Demetrius Hopkins and now, once again, Holt positioned himself for another world title shot.
“Nothing has ever been given to Kendall,” Holt’s promoter Gary Shaw said. “He’s worked very hard for everything he’s accomplished in the ring, never losing sight of another world title shot, and he’s worked his way back up the ratings. We’re confident that his experience, skills and determination will drive him to another impressive victory against Garcia.”
Holt, presently rated WBO #3, WBC #4 and IBF #6 at 140 lbs. continued. “This fight is extremely important for me. I need to show the public that I’m a force to be reckoned with and that I can and will be world champion again.
“I’ve been working hard my whole career. My first chance wasn’t easy. I had to fight my way to become the mandatory challenger to force Torres to fight me, so, this is just like another day at the office for me.”
Garcia, 23, has a perfect 21-0 (14 KOs) record against lesser quality opponents than Holt has faced. Fighting out of Philadelphia, he is a world-class fighter who is rated WBC #8, IBF #10 and WBO #13.
“I see me being victorious,” Holt predicted. “Garcia’s a good, young fighter but my experience and skill level are much better than his. It’s not so much what he’s done, but what Golden Boy has done for him. They’ve picked the right opponents for him and his matchmaking has been great to get him to the top of the mountain. It’s my turn to push him off the cliff because he’s not ready for this level. He may have been a good amateur and he’s a good pro prospect, but this is an entirely different level. They picked the wrong guy this time. They shouldn’t have picked me because I have too much experience and better skills.”
Tickets for Hopkins vs. Dawson, priced at $300, $150, $75 and $25, are available for purchase online at www.staplescenter.com and www.ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000 and at the STAPLES Center box office.
The Hopkins vs. Dawson pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Hopkins vs. Dawson fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com