Another intriguing fight has been added to the undercard of this Friday’s ShoBox: The New Generation telecast (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) presented by Warriors Boxing, entitled “Shootout at Texas Station”, from the Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas, as undefeated Cuban American Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (15-0, 11 KOs) will now face Denmark, via Nigeria’s Robert “Super” Osiobe (11-4, 6 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight battle.
“Shootout at Texas Station” will be headlined by a 10-round junior middleweight main event between Cuba’s Yudel Jhonson (12-0, 8 KOs) and Cleveland’s Willie “The Great” Nelson (17-1-1, 11 KOs). The eight-round co-feature will pit undefeated super middleweights Badou Jack “The Ripper” (10-0, 8 KOs) of Sweden and Colombia’s power-punching Alexander Brand (17-0, 15 KOs).
Barthelemy had originally been scheduled to face Mexico’s Aalan Martinez, but an injury forced his withdrawal and the removal of the fight from the televised portion of the show.
The addition of the capable Osiobe, however, makes that fact unfortunate for the television audience.
“That’s a great fight,” said event promoter Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing. “You really have to hand it to Rances to be taken off TV, but still want to go in against a tough opponent. He’s a true fighter and we’re very proud of him.”
Osiobe’s four losses have come against three undefeated fighters and one former world title challenger, in a fight for the European championship.
“Rances was sensational in his last fight against Hylon Williams, so we’re confident in his abilities, but this fight is by no means a gimme. Osiobe is competitive with just about any super featherweight in the world.”
Tickets for “Shootout at Texas Station” are on sale now, priced at $27 and $52 and are available at Ticketmaster, any Texas Station rewards center or at SCLV.COM/CONCERTS. A few VIP seats are available at a price of $102 can be purchased by calling (954) 985-1155.
On fight night, doors open at 6:30 and the action starts at 7:00 pm.
Station Bucks may be used to purchase tickets. All ages welcome. Under 21 must be accompanied by an adult 21 or over. Show subject to change without notice. Management reserves all rights. Digital Photography and video prohibited. Tickets can be purchased at any Station Casinos Boarding Pass Rewards Center, The Fiesta’s, by logging onto stationcasinos.com/concerts or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel is located at 2101 Texas Star Lane in North Las Vegas. Telephone: (702) 631-1000 or (800) 654-8888.
Weights from Lowell
LOWELL, MA (May 8, 2012) — All of the participants for tomorrow night’s “Homecoming” professional boxing card, at Lowell Memorial Hall, weighed-in tonight at the nearby Hookslide Kelley’s Sports Bar & Grill.
Homecoming weigh in
Main Event — USBO Super Middleweight Championship (10)
Joey McCreedy (13-5-2, 6 KOs), Lowell, MA 166 LBS.
Shujaa El-Amin (7-13-1, 4 KOs), Flint, MI 168 LBS.
Co-Feature – Light Welterweights (8-0)
Sean Eklund (10-4, 2 KOs), Lowell, MA 142 1/2 LBS.
James Ventry (7-13-1, 4 KOs), Miagra Falls, NY 139. 1/2 LBS.
Light Welterweights (6)
Antonio Canas (6-0, 3 KOs), Chicago, IL 141 1/2 LBS.
Tyrone Chatman (9-1-1, 6 KOs), St. Louis, MO 143 LBS.
Welterweights (4)
Rafael Jusino (0-6), Lawrence, MA 144 LBS.
Jimmy Smith (pro debut), Portland, ME 146 1/2 LBS.
Middleweights (4)
Bernie Ongewe (pro debut), Dracut, MA 158 1/2 LBS.
Anthony Jones (0-0-1), Newark, NJ 160 LBS.
WHAT: “Homecoming” Professional Boxing
WHEN: Wednesday, May 9, 2012
WHERE: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA
PROMOTER: Chicago Fight Clubs Promotions
TICKETS: $25.00, $40.00 and $75.00, available to purchase by calling 978.761.8374 or at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium box office
INFORMATION:www.cfcpromotion.com or www.irishjoemccreedy.com
DOORS OPEN: 6:00 PM / ET
FIRST BOUT: 7:00 PM / ET
Jamel Herring Punches His Ticket for the 2012 Olympic Games in London While Michael Hunter Advances
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO) –Team USA added a fifth member to their Olympic boxing team on Tuesday evening as light welterweight Jamel Herring (Coram, N.Y.) qualified his spot in London. Herring won his third bout in four days to qualify the light welterweight division for the United States squad. Heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) notched his second win of the tournament to advance to the semifinal round but has not officially qualified his spot yet.
The United States Marine Corps Sergeant faced off with Yoelvis Hernandez of Venezuela in light welterweight quarterfinal action with the winner earning a berth in London and the loser going home empty handed. The bout was a close contest throughout the nine minutes of action with Herring taking the critical first round lead by a 5-3 margin. Hernandez pulled it to a 7-6 margin with only the final round remaining, but Herring refused to give up his lead and his Olympic dream. He staved off a late comeback, winning a 12-10 final decision and a berth on the 2012 Olympic Team.
“I can actually say that hard work pays off,” Herring said after his bout. “I turned a dream into a reality, especially since about a year ago, not too many people gave me a chance.”
Hunter recorded his second straight convincing victory of the tournament, defeating Figueroa by a 25-7 margin. Once again, Hunter enjoyed a big first round, taking a 10-4 lead after one. He continued to pour on the points in the second, claiming an 18-6 advantage as the final round begin. Hunter went on to win the bout 25-7 to join Herring and Browne in the semifinals. As his weight division requires a top three finish, he is not qualified for the Olympic Games with Tuesday’s victory.
Herring is the second of three Olympic Trials winners to qualify his spot at the Americas Qualifier after falling short at the 2011 World Championships, the first international qualifying tournament for the 2012 Olympics. Herring earned his spot at the Americas Qualifier by winning the 2012 USA Boxing National Championships in the deepest weight class in the tournament. A two-time Armed Forces National Champion, Herring won a silver medal for the United States at the 2010 World Military Championships.
He is a member of the Marine Corps boxing team led by Head Coach Jesse Revelo, and has served two tours of duty in service to the United States. The United States has never failed to qualify the light welterweight division with the most recent Olympic medal in the weight class coming at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney with a silver medal performance by Ricardo Williams.
Team USA now has five qualified athletes with Herring joining flyweight Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio), bantamweight Joseph Diaz, Jr. (S. El Monte, Calif.), welterweight Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) and light heavyweight Marcus Browne (Staten Island, N.Y.).
Lightweight Jose Ramirez (Avenal, Calif.) and middleweight Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio) will look to join them when they take the ring for their qualifying bouts on Wednesday. Ramirez will take on Alejandro Rynn of Canada while Gausha battles Puerto Rico’s Enrique Collazo. Super heavyweight Dominic Breazale (Alhambra, Calif.) will compete in Wednesday’s action as well, facing home nation boxer Gidelson Silva of Brazil. As Breazale must place in the top three with Hunter, Wednesday’s bout will not be his qualifying contest.
U.S. Results
141 lbs: Jamel Herring, Coram, N.Y./USA dec. Yoelvis Hernandez, VEN, 12-10
201 lbs: Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) dec. Marcio Figueroa, VEN, 25-7
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).