Junior middleweight contender “Mean” Joe Greene (22-1, 14 KOs) will make his long-awaited return to the ring this Saturday, October 1, inside the Grand Ballroom at Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, in six-round bout against local journeyman William “Pete” Johnson.
It’s been a long road back for Greene who battled with depression and a loss of focus after suffering his first loss in June of 2010, a close, but unanimous 10-round decision against fellow up-and-comer Vanes Martirosyan in his own home state of New York.
“When he suffered his first loss, especially one he knew he was a better fighter than the guy, it seemed to take a psychological effect on him. He was feeling bad for a long time and it took a long time to get his boxing state of mind back. He always wanted to fight again; he was just waiting for the right time,” explained father/manager/trainer Joe Greene Sr.
Greene is currently training in Florida for another run at the top of the division.
“He’s back full tilt and ready to fight some big names!” added Green Sr.
Promoter Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions says his 25-year-old southpaw has thought long and hard about what went wrong. “Our last fight on HBO, we were on the big stage and he gave the guy too much respect. Not to take anything away from Martirosyan, but that was Joe’s time to shine and he didn’t take full advantage. But he’s taken all the time he needed to get right again and now he’s back better than ever. He’s still one of the best junior middleweights in the world; he just had a bad night.”
Cohen says after one or two tune-up bouts, Greene should be ready for anyone.
“He’s such a talented fighter, it won’t take him long to knock the rust off. And all indications are he’s been looking fantastic in the gym, so it’s more just about fine-tuning and getting sharp before the big fights start happening again.”
“Fights at the Fitz” is being presented by Prize Fight Promotions in Association with Greg Cohen Promotions. The main event will feature undefeated Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield 14-0-1 (9 KO’s) against tough veteran Patrick Lopez 20-4 (12 KO’s) for the vacant NABO Jr. Welterweight Championship.
Tickets for this exciting 8 bout card can be purchased by calling the Fitz Casino Gift Shop at (800)-766-LUCK (5825), by calling Ticketmaster at (901)-525-1515, or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. The doors for this event will open at 6:30 PM and the first fight will start at 7:30 PM.
Eddie Chambers on LAST CALL 9/30
As September comes to a close, the Sport Swami and Brad Johnson celebrated the end of the month with UFC Fighters, Boxing heavyweights, and more football than you can shake a stick at. And with Co-host AMILE WATERS (www.twitter.com/amilewaters) & Angelina Valentine (www.twitter.com/angelinavalen) returning along with some great guests, it’s another can’t miss show only at LAST CALL on www.cyberstationusa.com. This week’s guests include;
Top ranked Heavyweight boxing contender ‘Fast’ EDDIE CHAMBERS (www.twitter.com/fastchampeddie) takes some time from his busy training to sit down with the Swami and Angelina Valentine to talk about his title Eliminator. Among the topics he plans to address is fighting his friend Tony Thompson, appearing in two video games, hiring Emmanuel Steward as his trainer, and why he feels he is ready for a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.
Flores, Coyne Headline Home State Card
Missouri natives BJ Flores and Ryan Coyne return to action on October 15 at the O’Reilly Family Events Center on the campus of Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. In the evening’s main event, Willard native BJ ‘El Peligroso’ Flores looks to climb the cruiserweight rankings as he takes on Paul Jennette. Flores defeated highly regarded Nicholas Iannuzzi by TKO on July 23rd in the same arena.
States Flores, “Jennette is a very tough guy who looks to take the fight to the opponent, often being on the offensive. That style is very similar to mine, so on October 15th, something has to give. Its going to be a very exciting fight, but I’m knocking Jennette out. I’m just thrilled to be back in my hometown fighting in front of family and friends. An impressive victory here only builds my case for a shot at the world title. I want be satisfied until I win a world title, and defend it back in my hometown.”
Ryan ‘The Irish Outlaw’ Coyne has yet to taste defeat as he’s built a record of 17-0. Still, ‘The Irish Outlaw’ believe his best shot at a world title may come at Light Heavyweight, and this fight will take place at 185 pounds. James Crawford has fought Danny Green, Jean Pascal, Jeff Lacy, Adrian Diaconu, and others in a career that has seen him win 40 times. No doubt the Light Heavyweight division beter be on notice as ‘The Irish Outlaw’ will be making a title run.
Both Coyne and Flores look to be active in 2012 as they each try and win a world title. Other bouts on this action packed card include:
Highly regarded young phenom (113-5 as an amateur) Orlando Utsey vs TBA
Will Grover vs Justin Ridgway
Jesse Cook (Debut) vs DeAngelo Clardy
AJ Van Camp vs Ryan Pederson
Steven Mincks vs Robbie Cannon
The event is a hybrid card and will also feature the following professional MMA contests:
Mike Glenn vs Tim Papp
Brian Green vs TBA
Andrew Whitney (of recent You Tube notoriety for his flying knee TKO on HD NET) vs Lewis McKenzie
Chris McDaniel vs Chris Barnes
Jesse Zeugin vs Wade McGlohan
Tickets for Youngblood Auto Presents Champions Colled – A Fight for the Kids can be purchased at the Drury University Box Office, online at www.drurytickets.com, or by calling 417-873-6389