in (147)
Burke's first TV interview in 20 years..
Workers imploded the old Hulton Bridge over the Allegheny River in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday
. The bridge was 107-years-old. (Jan. 26)
Photo courtesy of Will Paul
UNDEFEATED WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS junior middleweight Khiary Gray, seen here celebrating his UBF Northeast Title victory in September, will challenge Cameron Sevilla Rivera on Friday, Feb. 19th, 2016 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., for the vacant WBC Youth Junior Middleweight Title in just his 12th professional bout. Gray is 11-0 with 9 KOs. The Feb. 19th showdown against the Washington native Rivera is the 10-round main event of CES Boxing's 2016 season opener
For one night and one night only, the infamous green belt, one of boxing's most recognized symbols of excellence, comes to Rhode Island, and it'll either stay on the east coast or head west when the night is through.
:22:10 to 2:39:Unbeaten Worcester, Mass., junior middleweight Khiary Gray (11-0, 9 KOs) faces his toughest test to date in the most important fight of his young career Friday, Feb. 19th, 2016 when he challenges Washington's Cameron Sevilla Rivera (6-2-1, 5 KOs) for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth Title in the 10-round main event of CES Boxing's season opener at Twin River Casino.
Cameron Sevilla Rivera
Since making his professional debut in June of 2014, Gray's rapid climb includes 11 bouts in 18 months, a regional title (captured in September courtesy of a vicious knockout win over Kenton Sippio-Cook), and now a shot at the WBC Youth crown, an important step in the development of many young fighters since its inception in 1999.
The WBC Youth program is designed to provide fighters under the age of 24 with an opportunity to gain valuable experience as a precursor to challenging for a world title. The formula has worked; 47 of the fighters who've won WBC Youth titles over the past 17 years have gone on to win world championships, a remarkable footnote to a bout that needs no additional hype.
The list of former youth champions to graduate to world-title status includes 77-fight vet Humberto Soto, a WBC title-holder in two different weight classes; Kermit Cintron, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Juan Diaz, Chad Dawson, Devon Alexander and reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley, who faces Manny Pacquiao for a third time April 9th in Nevada. Whoever wins Feb. 19th joins elite company.
Gray's loaded resume features eight consecutive knockout wins, seven in the first round. The 23-year-old right-hander hasn't
been past the second round since November of 2014. Rivera, also 23, won his first four professional bouts by first-round knockout and scored his fifth in August.
| won 5 of his 6 bouts by knockout, including four in the opening round. |
The Gray-Rivera main event is one of two title bouts on the Feb. 19th card. Female middleweight Kali Reis (7-5-1, 3 KOs) of Providence, a former International Boxing Association (IBA) champion and two-time world-title challenger, returns home for the first time in more than three years to fight for the vacant Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) World Middleweight Title.
The well-traveled Reis brings plenty of big-fight experience to the CES' 2016 debut with a resume that includes bouts against three world champions, including unbeaten WBO Middleweight Champion Christina Hammer, WBO Super Welterweight Champion Hanna Gabriel and reigning WBC 154-pound title-holder Mikaela Lauren. She also faced former World Boxing Association (WBA) Middleweight Champion Teresa Perozzi in Bermuda in 2014, scoring a knockout win in the third round.
Feb. 19th also features the return of five unbeaten prospect, starting with fellow Worcester native Freddy Sanchez (7-0, 5 KO), the hard-hitting junior welterweight who finished 2015 a perfect 4-0, ending with a well-deserved unanimous decision win over New Yorker Sidney Maccow in December.
Stoughton, Mass., junior welterweight Travis Demko (4-0, 1 KO) makes his first appearance since September while his last opponent, Holyoke, Mass., native Mohamed Allam (1-1) returns to Twin River in a separate 4-round bout in search of his first win since November of 2014.
Framingham, Mass., junior welterweight Julio Perez (3-0), who debuted in 2015 and swept the scorecards in three consecutive wins, faces Skowhegan, Maine, native Josh Parker (0-1-1) in a 4-round bout while fellow Framingham vet Timmy Ramos (2-0-1, 2 KOs) returns to Rhode Island two months after fighting to a draw against Cido Hoff, the only blemish on his record.
The special attraction of the night features Alaskan middleweight Fatlum Zhuta (2-0-1, 2 KOs) in his second bout at Twin River and first since December. The 27-year-old Albanian made his east coast debut in December, sending the overmatched Deivison Ribeiro to the canvas twice in the opening round to secure an impressive knockout win.
Tickets for the Feb. 19th season debut are priced at $40, $75 and $125 (VIP) and are available for purchase online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club.
For more information visit www.cesboxing.com or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cesboxing. Updates are also available at www.facebook.com/cesboxing.
-- CES --
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Tomasz "Goral" Adamek
Photo Credits:
Rich Graessle/Main Events
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Kraków, Poland: The upcoming heavyweight showdown between former light heavyweight and cruiserweight world champion Tomasz "Goral" Adamek (50-4, 30 KOs) of Poland and Eric "Drummer Boy" Molina (24-3, 18 KOs) Raymondville, Texas in Kraków on Apr. 2 at the Kraków Arena for the IBF Intercontinental Heavyweight Title will be distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 2 pm ET/11 am PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view.
In addition to the live pay-per-view telecast in Poland as part of Polsat's Boxing Night series, US residents will be able to purchase the fight for pay-per-view on via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and Vubiquity in the United States, as well as Rogers TV and SaskTel in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95. Please contact your local cable or dish provider for more information. This event is presented by Polsat, Main Events and Don King Productions.
The pay-per-view telecast will also include several key undercard bouts: a 10-round cruiserweight fight between Mateusz Masternak vs. Eric Fields, a 10-round cruiserweight fight between Michael Cieslak vs. Francisco Palacios and additional bouts still to be determined.
Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, Adamek's promoter said, "Every time Tomasz fights back home in Poland we get numerous requests from his American fans who wish to watch the fight here. We are so excited to be able to provide them with an opportunity to watch this exciting fight here in the US."
CES photos by Will Paul
Gray issues stern warning to challenger Sippio-Cook in advance of Sept. 18th UBF title bout
WORCESTER, Mass. (Aug. 27th, 2015) – Austin, Tex., junior middleweight Kenton Sippio-Cook thinks Khiary Gray should’ve done his homework before agreeing to fight him Friday, Sept. 18th, 2015 at Twin River Casino.
“Somebody in Khiary’s team either got lazy with their work in finding an opponent, or really just doesn’t care about Khiary,” Sippio-Cook said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Gray (8-0, 6 KOs), speaking publicly for the first time at Wednesday’s press conference at Rocky’s Sports Bar in his hometown of Worcester, Mass., insists this is no last-minute cram session as he prepares to lock horns with Sippio-Cook (6-2, 4 KOs) for the vacant Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) Northeast Junior Middleweight Title in the six-round co-feature of “Mayhem,” presented by CES Boxing.
“I don’t care what he says. He’s going to feel a left hook, body, or head. After that, he’s just going out,” Gray said. “I’m excited for it. I’ve been waiting for it.”
This will be Gray’s first six-round fight, whereas Sippio-Cook has boxed six full rounds three times already and recently went the distance with Wes Capper in a scheduled eight-round bout in May. While Gray has been incredibly in 2015, having already fought five times, none of those fights went past the first round as Gray knocked out each opponent, raising questions as to whether or not he’ll have the stamina to fight six full rounds, if it lasts that long.
Gray, however, insists it’s no issue, referencing his second pro fight last September in which he boxed four full rounds with the game Sergio Cabrera, a fight he won unanimously on the scorecards.
“I could’ve went six or eight rounds,” Gray said. “I’ve sparred 10, 13 rounds before. This is going to be no different.”
This fight also represents Gray’s toughest opponent to date. Though he’s coming off a pair of losses, the 24-year-old Sippio-Cook has stepped up the level of competition in recent fights; his last three opponents have a combined 22-3 record.
The showdown between Gray and Sippio-Cook is one of two title fights on the card, which also includes the 10-round main event between Rhode Islanders Rich Gingras (15-4-1, 9 KOs) of Lincoln, the reigning New England Light Heavyweight champion, and unbeaten challenger Angel Camacho Jr. (14-0, 4 KOs) of Providence.
Tickets for “Mayhem” are priced at $40.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and available for purchase online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
The undercard features several new faces, highlighted by Stoughton, Mass., junior welterweight Travis Demko (3-0, 1 KO), who makes his Rhode Island debut against Mohamed Allam (1-0) of Holyoke, Mass., followed by Worcester junior middleweight Andy Gonzalez (1-0, 1 KO), who battles 6-foot-4 southpaw Antonio Allen of Philadelphia in Allen’s debut. Both are four-round bouts.
New London, Conn., heavyweight and Peter Manfredo Sr. protégé Cassius Chaney (3-0, 2 KOs), a former two-time amateur national champion, and Bronx, N.Y., light heavyweight “Fly” Mike Marshall (1-0, 1 KO), also make their Rhode Island and Twin River debuts in separate four-round bouts.
Cranston, R.I., junior middleweight Jon Smith (2-0, 1 KO) ends a two-year layoff in a four-round bout against Rodrigo Almeida (1-2) of Woburn, Mass., and Framingham, Mass., junior welterweight Julio Perez (1-0) returns to face newcomer Pedro Martinez Jr. of Mooresville, N.C., in a four-round bout.
For more information on “Mayhem” visit www.cesboxing.com, follow @CESBOXING on Twitter and Instagram and “like” the official CES Facebook fan page
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photo credit will paul
Having already conquered personal demons, McCreedy begins comeback Friday night at Twin River
LOWELL, Mass. (Dec. 14th, 2015) – The blade was probably an inch from his throat, maybe closer. He was too drunk to remember all the details.
The only thing Joey McCreedy remembers is waking up strapped to a bed in a psychiatric ward the following morning, just a few hours after threatening to commit suicide in his mother’s bedroom while his 7-year-old brother looked on.
Once considered the pride of Lowell, Mass. – the young, handsome football star, the darling of the family, the next Micky Ward in and out of the boxing ring – McCreedy had finally hit rock bottom.
Years of masking his on-again, off-again depression with excessive partying and drinking drove him to the edge. The pressure of following in the footsteps of a regional icon, the feeling of failure after losing the biggest fight of his career in Vegas, an entire city turning its back on him, all of it left McCreedy searching for a way out.
The turmoil reached its boiling point one night when McCreedy, already intoxicated following an argument with his girlfriend, who had grown tired of his drinking, went back to the liquor store, bought more alcohol and began mixing it with prescription sleeping pills.
“For some reason, I went downstairs, grabbed a knife, walked into my mom’s room and said, ‘Mom, I love you. Goodbye. I can’t take this anymore.’ I was numb.
“I gave up on myself.”
THE 30-YEAR-OLD MCCREEDY (15-8-2, 6 KOs) begins his long-awaited comeback Friday, Dec. 18th, 2015 on the undercard of CES Boxing’s “Holiday Bash” at Twin River Casino in a six-round bout against Texas’ Emmanuel Sanchez (6-4, 1 KO), his first fight in more than a year.
He’s much leaner than the last time he fought, no longer tipping the scales at 175 pounds, instead fighting closer to the middleweight limit of 160. He was in such good shape throughout this recent training camp he actually had to put on a few pounds to meet Sanchez in the middle at 165.
This isn’t the same McCreedy who, while training for his September 2014 bout against Rich Gingras, used to come home every night from the gym and polish off a couple of bottles of alcohol in his room. McCreedy knows this is his last chance to not only get back to the top, back to where he was that night in Vegas when he fought for a title against Sean Monaghan at the MGM Grand – the pinnacle for most promising fighters – but also to silence those who doubt he has much left in the tank.
McCreedy has always cared what other people think, perhaps to a fault, so when he returned to Lowell following the knockout loss to Monaghan, it hurt him to see so many people turn away, people who had once extended a hand or lent their support. Such is the case in boxing. Life is great at the top when friends come out of the woodwork, but the fall from grace is painful and lonely.
“I lost friends. I lost best friends,” McCreedy said. “A lot of people just gave up on me, just like they did with Micky when he was young.”
That emptiness only drove McCreedy to drink more. His depression worsened following the loss to Gingras, a fight he only agreed to so he could cash his paycheck and buy more liquor.
“I was thinking about Vegas, I was thinking about Lowell, I was thinking about my girlfriend, I was thinking about how I had a chance at the biggest shot in the world and I fucked it up,” he said. “I kept drinking, drinking and drinking.”
McCreedy firmly believes hitting rock bottom, the night he held the knife to his throat, just seconds from taking his own life, was a necessary chapter in the story of his recovery.
“God knew I was stubborn,” he said. “God knew I wasn’t going to get help so he said, ‘OK, we’re going to do it the hard way.’”
Had his mother not intervened, knocking the knife from his hand and tackling her on to the ground – “I don’t know she did it. They say mothers have that super mom strength,” he said – McCreedy would still be on the same path toward self-destruction, perhaps with a much grizzlier ending.
Under heavy medication for the next two weeks, bound in a straight jacket and locked in a cramped, one-room cell with only a hint of sunlight peering in through a tiny window, McCreedy faced his worst fears.
“I was literally on the same floor with people screaming and yelling,” he said. “It was like some shit you see in a movie.”
IT TOOK TIME, but McCreedy eventually opened up. With the help of a psychiatrist, he dug deep to the root of his depression, the burden of trying to emerge from Ward’s shadow, the pressure of losing on boxing’s biggest stage, dealing with bipolar disorder and mood swings. He understood what he had put his family through. He recalled his high school years as a star football player, never having to worry about grades, and the inevitable realization that the sport was merely a pastime, not a career.
McCreedy left the hospital with a second chance at life. He blocked out the negative influences, left behind his connection to Ward and Dicky Eklund, both of whom were larger-than-life figures in Lowell, and began training at the nearby West End Gym.
When he says this is the new Joey McCreedy, he’s sincere. No more drinking, no more partying. He’s got a new job, a new car and an incredible story to share with others in hopes that it’ll one day steer someone in danger toward the right path.
“Everyone deals with depression in a whole different way,” he said. “I figured, let me get me story out there. Maybe I can save a life.
“I’m a different person. I think different. I can’t explain it. It’s something you have to go through yourself, but if I can do this, anybody else can.”
The result in the ring Friday is almost inconsequential at this point. McCreedy has already won the most important battle.
Tickets for the “Holiday Bash” are priced at $40.00, $75.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and available for purchase online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254, or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
The Dec. 18th event will be held in conjunction with the Toys For Tots Foundation. All fans in attendance are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy, which can be left in the collection boxes conveniently located in Twin River’s Interactive Fan Zone.
As an added bonus, the Dec. 18th “Holiday Bash” also features a live performance by Grammy nominated recording artist Karina Pasian of New York City, plus the induction of former CES ring announcer and current Brockton, Mass., Mayor Bill Carpenter into the CES Ring of Honor.
In addition to the McCreedy-Sanchez bout, unbeaten Worcester, Mass., junior middleweight Khiary Gray (10-0, 8 KOs) faces Mexico’s Roberto Valenzuela (69-70-2, 56 KOs) in a six-round bout and fellow junior middleweight Jimmy Williams (9-0-1, 5 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., makes his Twin River debut in a six-round bout against Chris Gray (13-21-1, 1 KO) of Vero Beach, Fla.
The undercard of the “Holiday Bash” features more of New England’s rising stars, including undefeated Worcester super lightweight Freddy Sanchez (6-0, 5 KOs), who puts his record on the line against dangerous New York vet Sidney Maccow (4-3, 3 KOs) in a six-round bout.
Providence, R.I., natives Phil Dudley and Cido Hoff, fighting out of Rhode Island’s 401 Boxing, make their professional debuts in separate four-round bouts; Dudley faces Lawrence, Mass., lightweight Jacob Solis (1-1) and Hoff battles unbeaten super featherweight Timmy Ramos (2-0, 2 KOs) of Framingham, Mass., whom Hoff faced twice as an amateur.
Marlboro, Mass., super featherweight Julio Perez (2-0) aims for his third win of the year against former Greater Lowell Golden Gloves standout Josh Bourque of Salem, N.H., in Bourque’s professional debut and New Bedford, Mass., junior welterweight Ray Oliveira Jr. (3-0, 1 KO) battles 34-fight Brockton vet Antonio Fernandes. Both are four-round bouts.
Also making his Twin River debut in Friday’s special attraction, Albanian middleweight Fatlum Zhuta (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Anchorage, Ala., faces Boston’s Deivison Ribeiro (0-2) in a four-round bout.
For more information the Dec. 18th “Holiday Bash” visit www.cesboxing.com, follow @CESBOXING on Twitter and Instagram and “like” the official CES Boxing Facebook fan page.
– CES –
Click Here to Download Photos - Credits: David Spagnolo/MainEvents |
In the much-anticipated main event of the evening, Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs)* and Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) pleased fans with an action-packed battle. Both fighters started by trading some good shots, but Kovalev started to throw some nasty combinations in the third round to take the wind out of the hostile crowd at the Centre Bell in Montreal. Just before the end of the third round, Kovalev knocked Pascal through the ropes but Pascal was saved by the bell. Sergey came out swinging in the fourth to try to capitalize on the near KO, but Pascal managed to stay on his feet and land a huge right to show Kovalev he was still in the fight. As the bell rang to end the fourth round, both men were still trading big shots.
The fifth round began quietly, but Pascal started to throw some intense combinations in the middle of the round. Kovalev continued to be the aggressor, however, landing some big shots of his own. The crowd at Centre Bell was deafening with cheers for Pascal and boos for Kovalev. Finally, in the eighth round, Sergey came on with a brutal attack that resulted in his own slip. While Sergey was getting up, Pascal looked noticeably rattled at the ropes. The two traded a couple more shots before referee Luis Pabon stopped the fight and declared Kovalev the winner by TKO in the eighth round.
After the fight, Kovalev insisted he will be ready for anything next. He said, "Thank you so much. How it started I didn't like. After fourth round I gained control. He was mine after that. He got me a couple good punches. It is boxing. [On a potential fight with Stevenson] I am ready for anything. [On the possibility of a rematch] I am ready for any fights. If my promoter says I fight Jean Pascal again, I will fight him."
Pascal felt the stoppage was premature, but said this after the fight, "Honestly, it was a good fight. It was an action fight for the fans. I tip my hat to Kovalev. He is a champion. I don't know why the referee stopped the fight. It was a great fight. I was in the fight from the first round. We should do it again. I should have a rematch. I am a crowd-pleaser. At Centre Bell I am always going to give the fans a great fight. I will be back."
In the fight for the #1 position in the IBF and USBA Heavyweight Championship stablemates Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov (20-0-1, 12 KOs) and Steve "USS" Cunningham (28-7, 13 KOs) came out of the box trading big punches. Cunningham appeared to have a slight edge in the first few rounds, but Glazkov, who is always a slow starter, began to show signs of life in the fifth round. The unofficial scorecards from the television and the media were all over the map on this fight, but the judges officially scored the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 116-112 all in favor of Czar Glazkov for a unanimous decision victory. The Ukrainian remains undefeated and will anxiously await to face the winner of Klitschko-Jennings next month.
The PunchStat had Glazkov landing a greater percentage of his shots but a smaller total number of shots (Glazkov 144/441 - 33%; Cunningham 180/649 - 28%). Their jabs landed were almost identical (Glazkov 60/215 - 28%; Cunningham 57/309 - 18%), but Cunningham had the edge with the power punches landed. Their power punch percentages were near even (Glazkov 84/226 - 37%; Cunningham 123-340 - 36%).
The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast began with Main Eventsstablemates slugging it out for the vacant NABF Light Heavyweight Title, Isaac "Golden Boy" Chilemba (23-2-2, 10 KOs) of Malawi and Vasily "The Professor" Lepikhin (17-1, 9 KOs) of Russia. Both fighters looked good early on. In the second round, Chilemba got in some hard shots on the Russian but Lepikhin did not seem fazed. However, Chilemba continued to dominate Lepikhin for the remainder of the fight. Lepikhin managed to go the distance but Chilemba secured a decisive unanimous decision with two judges scoring the bout 99-91 and the third scoring it 100-90. This was the first career loss for Lepikhin and the first fight of the evening to go the distance.
The final PunchStat report has Chilemba landing more than double the number of total punches than Lepikhin, despite their connection percentages being similar (Chilemba 192/683 - 28%; Lepikhin 75/289 - 26%). Also, Chilemba landed nearly half of his power punches (100 of 237 - 42%) whereas Lepikhin landed 27% (36 of 131).
In the final bout before the live HBO telecast, David Theroux (6-0, 4 KOs) of Sorel, QC, CAN stopped Lukasz Janik (12-10-1, 6 KOs) of Katowice, Poland in the third round. Janik fell victim to the three knockdown rule and the referee declared Theroux the winner by TKO at 2:31 in the third round.
Local favorite Dierry Jean (28-1, 20 KOs) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Carlos Manuel Reyes (24-4-1, 16 KOs) of Mao, Dominican Republic were scheduled for ten rounds of light heavyweight action. However, Jean knocked down Reyes in the third. He was then knocked down again a few seconds later and the referee stopped the fight.
Nadjib "Iron Jib" Mohammedi (38-3, 23 KOs) of Aix-en-Provence, France, the #1 contender in the IBF light heavyweight rankings, took on Lee Junior Campbell (8-2, 4 KOs) of Laurenburg, NC. Mohammedi dominated Campbell for every round until the referee stopped the fight in the sixth. As the IBF mandatory contender, he is scheduled to face Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev in his next fight.
According to PunchStat, Nadjib landed more total punches than Campbell threw (Mohammedi 243/672 - 36%; Campbell 40/196 - 20%). The same was also true for jabs (Mohammedi 91/321 - 28%; Campbell 11/74 - 15%) and power punches (Mohammedi 152/351 - 43%; Campbell 29/122 - 24%).
After the fight, Mohammedi said, "I am very happy because this was a great place for a fight. This was my first fight with my new trainer, Abel Sanchez. Tonight I take my time. Campbell was tired and I worked to wear him down. This was a good win tonight. I was smart tonight. Everybody got to see me. Now Canada knows Nadjib Mohammedi."
Light welterweight Yves Ulysse Junior (6-0, 4 KOs) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Miguel Antoine (17-2-1, 9 KOs) of Wildey, Barbados were scheduled for eight rounds but Junior knocked down Antoine three times in the fourth round. He continued his attack in the sixth round and knocked down Antoine at 2:43 and the referee stopped the fight.
In the first bout of the evening welterweights Dmitry "The Mechanic" Mikhaylenko (19-0, 8 KOs) of Gelendzhik, Russia and Felipe De La Paz (14-4-2, 5 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico faced-off. Mikhaylenko knocked down De La Paz just before the bell ended the first round. "The Mechanic" continued his fierce attack on De La Paz until De La Paz quit on the stool before the start of the sixth round.
*Please note all records have been updated to reflect last night's results.
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Firefighters were battling a massive fire at a storage facility in Brooklyn Saturday morning. The facility takes up nearly an entire city block
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A former Marine was convicted Tuesday in the deaths of the "American Sniper" author and another man at a shooting range two years ago, as jurors rejected defense arguments that he was insane and suffered from psychosis.
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Krusher to Face Mohammedi in His First Mandatory Title Defense Saturday, July 25 From Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Televised Live on HBO
Las Vegas, NV: Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) the undefeated unified WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion will take on his first IBF mandatory contender Nadjib "Irondjib" Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable tax and service fees, go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27 at 10 AM PT and will be available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase atmandalaybay.com or ticketmaster.com.
The Russian Wrecking Ball - Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev - is headlining in the storied fight town for the first time. The charismatic and unbeaten knockout artist boasts three current world title belts, 2014 Fighter of the Year honors from numerous publications and an astounding 89% knockout-to-win ratio. After capping off his impressive 2014 campaign with a unanimous decision win over the legendary Bernard Hopkins to unify the WBA and IBF belts with his WBO belt, he began 2015 with a thrilling eighth round knockout of former world champion Jean Pascal in Montreal. The Krusher is on his way to becoming one of boxing's next big superstars.
Kovalev, the 32-year old from Chelyabinsk, Russia now residing in Fort Lauderdale, FL and Los Angeles, CA, said, "I am very excited to return to ring onJuly 25 and fight for Vegas fans. I love fighting on HBO and am happy for this next opportunity."
Egis Klimas, Kovalev's manager, added, "We are so happy to be back in the ring with HBO and Main Events' help. This show will be televised live on HBO. Another good thing is Sergey will be able to fight in mega boxing city Las Vegas and start building as his home base fighting town. Thanks to people at Mandalay Bay for giving this opportunity to us."
In the opposite corner, the IBF's number one contender, Nadjib "Irondjib" Mohammedi will challenge Kovalev with his awkward and aggressive style. He earned this title shot with an exciting win over Anatoliy Dudchenko by TKO in an IBF elimination contest in June of last year. Mohammedi elected to wait as Kovalev unified the belts with Hopkins then took a voluntary defense against Pascal while he added some serious fire power to his corner - world renowned trainer Abel Sanchez. Sanchez, who trains middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin and previously worked with Kovalev.
Nadjib, 30, is from Gardanne, Bouches-du-Rhone, France and trains in Big Bear Lake, California. He will be making his Las Vegas and HBO debuts. When asked about his mandatory fight with Kovalev, he said, "My turn has come to show the world who I am. I let this Kovalev beat some guys but now I will show you he ain't no Krusher. I am smarter. I am faster. I am the next generation of light heavyweight real champions!"
Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, who promotes both pugilists, said, "This will be a great fight. Sergey had a little trouble with Jean Pascal's awkward, aggressive style in March. Nadjib will bring a similar style to the ring on July 25th. He also has Abel Sanchez in his corner, who might have some inside knowledge about Kovalev. The Krusher will try to do what he does best - Krush him. We know for sure that this will be an all-action night at Mandalay Bay, where Main Events is very happy to return."
"Fans who appreciate underdogs, respect Sergey Kovalev," said Peter Nelson, Vice President, programming, HBO Sports. "As an amateur and professional, the unified light heavyweight champ has spent his entire life as an underdog, beating the odds as he does his ring opponents: with total domination. Now a new underdog, Nadjib Mohammedi, seeks to shock the boxing world and dethrone the light heavyweight king. July 25 in Las Vegas will be a great event."
"This light heavyweight fight at Mandalay Bay will be a sensational matchup," said Richard Sturm, President of Entertainment and Sports for MGM Resorts International. "We look forward to working with Kathy and her entire Main Eventsteam as well as Peter Nelson and his HBO staff on this championship event."
Undercard information will be announced shortly.
About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi
WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib "Irondjib" Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay BayEvents Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets go on sale May 27 at 10:00 AM PT and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The fight will be telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing® and undercard information will be released shortly.
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Training Camp Notes: Sullivan Barrera
From Cuban Defector to Rising Prospect in the Light Heavyweight Division
Big Bear Lake, CA: On July 25, 2015 undefeated Cuban light heavyweight Sullivan Barrera (15-0, 10 KOs) will face his biggest challenge to date in the ring since his professional debut in 2009, Vasily "The Professor" Lepikhin (17-1, 9 KOs), but for the 33 year-old from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the hardest time in his life is most definitely in his past.
In 2009, Sullivan defected from Cuba with four other fighters from the Cuban National Team. It was his third attempt to flee Castro's regime and become a professional fighter in the United States. After many days at sea, the five men finally landed in Mexico where they were detained for more than three months. Eventually, Sullivan was able to make it over the Mexican border into the United States.
Shortly thereafter, he made his professional debut, a first round TKO over Anthony Adorno in Miami, Florida. For several years after his debut, he would reside in Florida and continue to fight on many local cards until he met his manager, Luis Molina. Barrera and Molina then met Egis Klimas, manager to Main Events' stablemate Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev and countless other young prospects, who helped Sullivan sign a promotional contract with Main Events.
According to Sullivan, "I ran into some promotional issues and did not fight for a year and a half. When I was 11-0, with the help of Egis Klimas, we approached Main Events about possibly signing with them." Then last year, after he knocked out Lee Campbell in the sixth round, Sullivan began to work with world-renowned trainer, Abel Sanchez at Sanchez' compound in Big Bear Lake, California, The Summit.
After his first training camp with Sanchez, Sullivan decided to leave Miami and take up permanent residence in California at The Summit. Barrera said, "This will be my fourth fight with Abel Sanchez. Technically I live in Big Bear now because I spend most of my time here. I have nobody with me here, all of my family is still in Cuba. I like living in Big Bear because I am by myself and I am comfortable training. I can stay focused. I am around other world-class fighters who push me to want to get to that next level. Most importantly, I am in a place where I am focused daily."
On July 25, Sullivan will face previously undefeated light heavyweight and Main Events' stablemate Vasily "The Professor" Lepikhin (Lepikhin is co-promoted by Main Events, German Titov Promotions and Interbox). Lepikhin suffered his first career loss on the Kovalev-Pascal undercard in March at the hands of WBC #1 contender Isaac "Golden Boy" Chilemba. Sullivan hopes this fight will be a stepping stone to take him to the next level in the division. He said, "I wanted a fight against Pascal but he didn't want to accept the fight against me. At this point I have to settle for the opponents that come my way. I understand that it is only going to get tougher and tougher to get the fights I want, but I am fighting a guy that is obviously coming with everything. He's got a good record and I am sure he is coming to try and redeem himself."
When asked about the hot light heavyweight division he added, "It is great that it is a busy division. After this fight I hope that I can demonstrate that I am ready to fight any of the top tier guys. As long as there is action in the division that is good for me." About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi
WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib "Irondjib" Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. |
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Former U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada has a stern warning for the rest of the field in the 2015 Boxcino heavyweight tournament.
“If I win this first fight,” Estrada (20-5, 6 KOs) said, “it’s over for the rest of these guys.”
The 34-year-old Providence, R.I., heavyweight joined the field early this week when Mario Heredia was pulled from the tournament due to an undisclosed medical issue.
With an impressive amateur background that includes a spot in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and a professional career highlighted by hard-fought bouts against championship contenders Tomasz Adamek and Alexander Povetkin, Estrada’s resume stacks up against that of anyone else’s in the eight-man field, including Friday’s quarterfinal opponent, Lenroy Thomas (18-3, 9 KOs).
“This is a great opportunity,” Estrada said. “I’m always in the gym. I’ve been doing this for 27 years.
“Most fighters in the heavyweight division today, I think my resume stacks up great against, regardless of [the fact] I have five losses. I’ve lost to actual real fighters. I just go in there and I fight. That’s all I do. Regardless of whether this guy fights someone else, or this guy fights that guy, I try to make sure that when I go in that ring that I’m fighting someone that’s worth it.
“I don’t ever want to be known as a guy who fights guys that aren’t up to my level or above me.”
Estrada’s six-round showdown with Thomas, along with the other three quarterfinal bouts in the tournament, will air live on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y.
In addition to returning to the national spotlight, Estrada is also returning to his roots, entering a new promotional agreement with his first promoter, Jimmy Burchfield Sr. of CES Boxing, and Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions. Estrada began his professional career with the Rhode Island-based Burchfield in 2004 and fought under the promotional guidance of CES against Povetkin and Adamek before becoming a free agent in 2010.
“We’ve believed in Jason from Day 1 and never lost our faith in his ability to become heavyweight champion of the world,” Burchfield said. “Long before he qualified for the Olympics, we recognized Jason’s unique talents and are proud to have played a role in his development as a professional.
“This is a joyous day for us, because Jason is back where he belongs and with the promotional guidance of myself and Artie Pelullo, one of the best in the business, there’s no doubt in my mind Jason Estrada will be America’s next great heavyweight champion. This tournament is a tremendous opportunity and he’s ready to win.”
Estrada’s road to championship glory took a major detour following his narrow loss to Adamek in 2010. He returned 11 months later in a surprising knockout loss to Franklin Lawrence and soon after underwent surgery to repair nagging elbow and ankle injuries, which had plagued him since his amateur career.
“I was on a roll, winning fight after fight, so I just put off having surgery,” Estrada said.
Having declared himself injury-free for the first time in seven years, Estrada returned to the ring in late 2011, beginning a year-long stretch in which he won four consecutive bouts – two by knockout – but more surgeries followed in 2013 after his win over Galen Brown, including a procedure to repair a torn ACL, derailing his career for two more years.
“It seemed like I had a black cloud over me,” Estrada said. “I’m trying to get healthy and everything starts to click and then – boom! – something else happens. Then I’m starting from scratch again, starting to get motivated and I’m doing things I’m supposed to do again and – boom! – something else happens.”
Though he still wasn’t 100 percent, Estrada returned in July to face former amateur standout and Massachusetts native Steve Vukosa, who was fighting for the first time in more than 12 years. The 38-year-old Vukosa won by majority decision and has since earned a spot alongside Estrada in the Boxcino tournament, where he’ll face Donovan Dennis (10-1, 8 KOs) Friday night.
“Mentally, I think I was prepared. Physically, I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all,” Estrada said of the fight against Vukosa. “I’m still having issues, but it’s not the time to complain. When opportunities like this come along, you have to snatch it up. I’m 34 years old. There’s no more waiting, taking rests and all this nonsense. I have to get up there and fight and hopefully I have everything I need.
“After this first fight, these guys are in trouble.”
Estrada’s aware this might be his last opportunity to make a run at a world championship. Youth is no longer on his side and he’s coming off major ankle, elbow and knee surgery. He’s dealt with setbacks in the ring and criticism outside of it, whispers from boxing fans and media who say he’s never reached his full potential. He’s learned to brush it off and focus on what matters most.
“You hear it, but what are you going to do? That’s their job. It’s their job to either criticize you or love you,” Estrada said. “I can’t get mad at anyone anymore about that kind of stuff. Before, I used to get upset and want to have an issue with it. The more I think about it, it’s their job. Without these guys criticizing you, without these guys loving you, you wouldn’t even have anyone there to talk about you.
“I’m not even worrying about that. I’ve had setbacks like everyone else. Some people have it lucky and slide right on through. I just go for it. I don’t run from anyone. That’s a pride thing. I go in there and fight regardless of my situation. If you can’t respect that or respect the type of person and fighter I am, oh well. You can’t please everybody.”
Estrada can silence the critics beginning Friday night. The field also includes six-round quarterfinal bouts between Razvan Cojanu (12-1, 7 KOs) and Ed Fountain (10-0,4 KOs) and Andrey Fedesov (25-3, 20 KOs) and Nat Heaven (9-1, 7 KOs).
