Atlantic City, April 26 – Before future Hall of Famer Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins steps into the ring to defend his WBC and Ring Magazine light heavyweight titles against “Bad” Chad Dawson this Saturday, April 28 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, fans will be treated to a full slate of undercard action that includes a heavyweight showdown between Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell and “The Gentleman” Chazz Witherspoon in the co-main event, and appearances by young talents Shawn “Showtime” Porter, Michael “Baby Face” Faragon, Lavarn Harvell, Michael Perez, Julian Williams and Phil “The Italian Sensation” Lo Greco.
Returning to the ring for the first time since a February 2011 win over Agnes Adjaho, Akron, Ohio’s Shawn “Showtime” Porter (18-0, 13 KO’s) is a former National Golden Gloves champion and 2008 U.S. Olympic alternate whose speed and power have made him a top candidate for world title honors. A former NABF and NABO champion, the 24-year-old Porter will meet veteran Patrick Thompson (18-17-1, 8 KO’s) in an eight-round welterweight bout.
Another 24-year old sailing to the top of the boxing world is Syracuse, New York native Michael “Baby Face” Faragon (17-0, 8 KO’s). A well-schooled boxer with solid power puncher, Faragon won 85 amateur bouts before entering the pro game in 2007. Coming off of a third round technical knockout win over of Andres Ledesma in January, Faragon takes on Huatabampo, Mexico’s Sergio Rivera (16-9-2, 10 KOs) in a lightweight matchup scheduled for eight rounds.
Atlantic City’s own Lavarn Harvell (9-0, 4 KO’s) will look to impress his hometown fans when he engages in a border battle with Sharon, Pennsylania’s Anthony Pietrantonio (7-8, 6 KO’s) in a four-round light heavyweight bout.
Newark, New Jersey’s Michael “The Artist” Perez (15-1, 9 KO’s) will look to bounce back from the first loss of his pro career to fellow prospect Omar Figueroa when he squares off against seasoned veteran Julian Rodriguez (17-20-4, 11 KO’s) of Juarez, Mexico in a scheduled eight-round fight in the lightweight division.
An eight-round battle of junior middleweight prospects is sure to get the Atlantic City crowd on their feet when Philadelphia’s Julian Williams (8-0-1, 4 KO’s) steps into the ring to face Guaynabo, Puerto Rico native Hector Rosario (7-1-2, 5 KO’s), who is unbeaten in his last seven fights.
Opening the show is one of the newest members of the Golden Boy Promotions roster, unbeaten welterweight Phil “The Italian Sensation” Lo Greco (22-0, 12 KO’s), a favorite in Canada and Italy, but who is now hoping to win over fans in the United States, will see action in a six round bout against an opponent to be determined. A WBC international champion with impressive power and an exciting style, Lo Greco is amped up for his U.S. debut on April 28.
“Hopkins vs. Dawson: Once And For All,” a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ WBC and Ring Magazine light heavyweight world championships, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Caesars Atlantic City. Also featured will be a 12-round heavyweight battle between Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell and “The Gentleman” Chazz Witherspoon for the vacant NABO heavyweight title. The event will take place at Boardwalk Hall presented by Caesars in Atlantic City, New Jersey and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets, priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.
Patterson training Hyland for Archuleta bout on May 12th
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (April 26, 2012) – Unbeaten Irish super featherweight prospect Patrick “The Punisher” Hyland (25-0, 11 KOs) wants to get where his trainer, two-time world champion Tracy Harris Patterson, has already been.
Hyland headlines the May 12th “Irish Invasion” card against veteran Frankie Archuleta (27-9-1, 14 KOs) in the 10-round main event, at Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The “Irish Invasion” card is being presented by Final Round Promotions, in association with Team Snooki Boxing and Bob Duffy’s Ring Promotions, and sponsored in part by Title Boxing.
Patterson, who lives in nearby New Paltz, was trained by his father, the late Floyd Patterson, two-time world heavyweight champion and 1952 Olympic gold medal winner. Tracy (63-8-2, 43 KOs) was the world super bantamweight champion in the early to mid-nineties.
The 28-year-old Hyland, rated No. 6 by the United States Boxing Association (“USBA”), is the reigning World Boxing Federation (“WBF”) super featherweight champion.
Patterson started training Patrick’s brother, Paul, who was the first of the three Hyland brothers to fight in the United States. Tracy went back-and-forth from the US to Ireland to work Paul’s fights and eventually he started training Patrick, who decided to move to Marlboro, New York in order to train regularly with Patterson.
“I liked Patrick’s determination,” Patterson spoke about first working with Patrick. “His willingness to be in the gym impressed me. He will do whatever is necessary to accomplish his goals as a professional fighter. He’s a pro outside of the ring, too. Patrick made a commitment to come to America when he signed with Final Round Promotions and Team Snooki Boxing to get his shot. Although he came here well established, he still needed work on his defense and movement. Now, he’s the full package.
“His father (Patrick, Sr.) has worked with Patrick and he has entrusted his son with me. At the May 12th show, I’ll be Patrick’s chief and his father will be working the corner as an assistant.”
Patterson believes his protégé can make it to the top of the mountain that he climbed two decades ago. “Patrick’s not far from a world title shot,” Tracy predicted. “He just hasn’t been given an opportunity, yet, to step into the ring with an opponent who can get him in position for a world title shot. He’s at the door now.
“When you get to a certain level, all fighters are good, but the one who wants it the most will win. Patrick has that now; he’s very hungry. He walks around with the determination to become world champion.”
The more experienced Archuleta is best known, perhaps, for upsetting five-time world champion Johnny Tapia. A former New Mexico and Texas State champion, Frankie extended former world champion Alejandro Berrio and world title challenger Emmanuel Lucero the full 12-round distance in their respective fights.
“We don’t take anybody lightly,” Patterson concluded. “Patrick has to be fully prepared because Archuleta’s coming in looking for an upset. Patrick’s ready now. A few more weeks of sparring and he’ll be like a lion come fight night.”
Yonkers (NY) super featherweight Chazz McDowell (5-1, 1 KOs) fights Cuban-born Yuniel Ramos in the six-round co-feature, while Canadian light welterweight Natasha Spencer (3-0-1, 2 KOs) meets Racquel Bailey (1-1-1) in a six-round female match. Unbeaten Maryland light heavyweight prospect Thomas Williams, Jr. (7-0, 4 KOs) has been added to the card in a six-round match against an opponent to be determined.
Also fighting on the undercard in separate four-round bouts are undefeated Newburgh light welterweight favorite Treysean Wiggins (3-0, 3 KOs) vs. Larenzo Wilson (1-1-1), New York City light middleweight Valdrin Muriqi (2-1) vs. Philip Burnette (2-3, 1 KOs), former USA Mid-American middleweight champion Bryant “The Spartan” Pappas (13-0-1, 13 KOs) vs. Josh Williams (5-4, 4 KOs), Brooklyn super middleweight Travis “The Notorious” Peterkin (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. TBA, and Waterbury (CT) light welterweight Jair Ramos (2-0, 1 KO) vs. Anthony “Pride of Virginia” Royal (0-1-1). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Pappas, a sergeant in the Yonkers Police Department, is a cancer survivor who is donating his purse to cancer research. Team Snooki Boxing is donating $1.00 from each sold ticket to Rolling Thunder, Chapter III New York to support needy U.S. military veterans.
Tickets, reasonably priced at $35.00, $50.00 and $100 (Gold Ringside), are available to purchase at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center and through all Ticketmaster outlets.
Doors open at 6:30 PM/ET with the first bout scheduled for 7:30 PM/ET. Go to www.finalroundpromotions.com for additional information.
About Final Round Promotions: A full service boxing and MMA promotional company, Final Round Promotions is based in Poughkeepsie, New York and operated by Mike Pascale and Brian Burke.
About Team Snooki Boxing: Founded by one of the stars of MTV’s reality show, Jersey Shore, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, and her father, Andy, Team Snooki Boxing handle Patrick Hyland.