On May 19, Mikkel Kessler will move up in weight, clashing with Allan Green for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Light Heavyweight World Championship (Silver). Today the Viking Warrior opened his gym during a media workout in Copenhagen. Here is what the three-time world champion had to say about his preparation for a historic night of entertainment at Denmark´s most famous football stadium, which also features the live screening of the UEFA Champions League Final and a top undercard.
Q: For the first time of your career, you will be fighting at light heavyweight. How has the training been going?
MK: “Brilliant. I have put on some pounds and I am hitting harder than ever. And I must say I haven´t lost any of my speed either. Going up to light heavyweight has given me much more one-punch KO power.”
Q: You haven´t fought since last June. You must be thrilled to be back.
MK: “Absolutely. It has been so hard to be away from the ring. At the moment I am taking it out everyday on my sparring partners. My coach Jimmy Montoya had to ask me to calm down and take things easy. I am really fired up and can´t wait to get it on with Allan Green.”
Q: What do you think of him?
MK: “I have actually been thinking a lot about him. He is always on my mind, when I go to sleep and when I wake up. We have analyzed his every move, so there will be no surprises on May 19. He is fast and he is strong, but I am going to teach him a lesson when we meet at PARKEN.”
Q: What kind of lesson?
MK: “Well, he will get the first taste of my new KO power. He is going to be the first person I hit without head guard and sparring gloves. It will be an unpleasant experience for him. He is a big puncher with a lot of power, but punchers usually don´t like to get hit. They have a big punch but not a good chin. I don´t think Green will last for 12 rounds in the same ring with me, but he will ultimately find out on May 19.”
Irish Invasion “streaming” May 12
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (May 3, 2012) – The entire May 12th “Irish Invasion” card, headlined by undefeated Irish super featherweight prospect Patrick “The Punisher” Hyland (25-0, 11 KOs), will be streamed online live at www.ustream.tv/bslive.
Hyland takes on veteran Frankie Archuleta (27-9-1, 14 KOs) in the 10-round main event, at Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.
“Irish Invasion” 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.
Viewers may register now to watch “Irish Invasion” by going to www.ustream.tv/bslive for $15.00. Check for replay details.
Calling all of the action from ringside will be Randy Gordon, who hosts “Friday Night at the Fights” on Sirius XM Satellite Radio along with co-host “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney. The well-known and highly-respected Gordon served as Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission from 1988-1995, as well as Editor-in-Chief of The Ring Magazine (1979-1983) and Boxing Illustrated. He has been an on-air commentator for ESPN, USA Network, SportsChannel, MSG Network, FNN, CNN, KMOX and WFAN.
Yonkers (NY) super featherweight Chazz McDowell (5-1, 1 KOs) faces Cuban-born Yuniel Ramos in the six-round co-feature, while Canadian light welterweight Natasha Spencer (3-0-1, 2 KOs) tangles with Racquel Bailey (1-1-1) in a six-round female match. Unbeaten Maryland light heavyweight prospect Thomas Williams, Jr. (7-0, 4 KOs) fights an opponent to be determined in a six-round bout.
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 $100.00 (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.teamsnookiboxing.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.
About Rolling Thunder, Chapter III New York: The major function of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. is to publicize POW-MIA issues: To educate the public that many American prisoners of war were left behind after all previous wars and to help correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become prisoners of war-missing in action. Go online to www.rtnych3.com for more information about his non-profit organization that is also committed to helping American veterans from all wars.
Starnino, Kozlin highlight stacked lineup
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May 3, 2012) – The undercard for Jimmy Burchfield’s “Up For Grabs” professional boxing event at Twin River Casino on Thursday, May 24, 2012 is beginning to take shape, and several of the featured bouts could steal the show from the highly-anticipated main event between Joey Spina and Vladine Biosse.
The most notable bout is the six-round super middleweight co-feature between hometown favorites Richard “Bobo The Bull” Starnino (9-7-2, 2 KOs) of Providence and Warwick, R.I., veteran Keith Kozlin (6-3-1, 4 KOs), who is looking to end a stretch of three consecutive fights without a win.
“He’s hungry,” said Starnino, who celebrated his 40th birthday Tuesday. “He needs this as much as I do.”
“Up For Grabs” also features the return of former reality television star Richard Gingras (11-2, 7 KOs) of “The Contender,” who, after signing a promotional agreement with Classic Entertainment & Sports, will battle Terrance Smith Jr. (7-13-2, 4 KOs) of Oklahoma City in the six-round cruiserweight special attraction.
Unbeaten Burlington, Vt., super middleweight Kevin Cobbs (3-0, 1 KO) will face veteran Borngod Washington (3-10, 1 KO) of Queens, N.Y., in a four-round bout while female bantamweight Shelito Vincent (2-0) of Providence will battle newcomer Carmen Cruz of Fort Myers, Fla., in a four-round bout.
CES will also introduce another one of its most recent signings on May 24th when undefeated Medford, Oreg., heavyweight “Irish” Mike Wilson (5-0, 3 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time in 18 months in a four-round bout.
Super lightweight Zack Ramsey, a former national amateur champion from Springfield, Mass., will make his long-awaited debut while middleweight Thomas Falowo (6-0, 4 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., light heavyweight Alex Amparo (3-0, 2 KOs) of Providence, welterweight Diego Pereira (6-0-1, 2 KOs) and Woonsocket, R.I., middleweight Joe Gardner (8-4, 1 KO) will return to the ring in separate six-round bouts, with the exception of Gardner, who’ll fight in a four-rounder. The main event is an eight-round intrastate battle between Biosse (12-1-1, 6 KOs) and Spina (26-2-2, 18 KOs) for Biosse’s New England super middleweight title.
The card is stacked from top to bottom with the region’s most sought-after talent with the co-feature between Starnino and Kozlin looming as a potential showstopper. According to Kozlin, it’s a battle between two fighters with similar styles, who, simply put, “go forward and punch.” The only difference is Starnino’s experience, which could be the deciding factor.
“There’s nothing spectacular about him,” Starnino said. “He comes straight at you.
“The toughest part for me is that at my age I’m in a fight against myself to get back to the level where I once was. I’m pretty close. For me to get ready to fight these young bucks, I’ve got to train twice as hard as everyone else. I do three sessions a day; I run, go to the gym, and then I go to the boxing gym. I’m strong, physically, but my speed and timing is what I’m fighting against.”
Like Kozlin, Starnino is looking to turn the corner after losing to unbeaten prospect Ryan McKenzie in January – Starnino’s fourth loss in his last fight fights dating back to 2008. Coincidentally, May 24th is the four-year anniversary of Starnino’s last win – a third-round knockout against Richard Royal on May 23rd, 2008 – and “Bobo The Bull” plans on celebrating with a much-needed victory now that he’s fighting on more even terms.
“The kid McKenzie was 6-foot-3,” Starnino said. “I don’t do well against taller fighters because I like to fight on the inside. It’s harder for me to do that against taller fighters because they like to fight on the outside. Keith is an inside fighter, too, and once I get hit I throw the game plan out the window.
“That’s why they call me ‘The Bull.’ I just go right at you. It’s going to be a good fight.”
This won’t be the first time two exchange blows, though it will be the first time it counts; when Kozlin began boxing professionally four years ago, he and Starnino trained at the same gym. They actually sparred against one another.
“He was one of the guys we used to beat up on,” Starnino said with a laugh. “The kid can take a beating. I used to wail on him. He got a lot better through the years. He’s got some skills, but skills can only take you so far.”
This time, it counts, and neither fighter is taking anything for granted on the 24th.
“He was the man at the gym,” Kozlin recalled. “I have a lot of respect for him, but I have to win this fight.”
Tickets for “Up For Grabs” are $35.00, $50.00, $75.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.
(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Up For Grabs.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must enter through the West entrance.)