The undercard has been announced for the Friday, January 4, 2013, season debut of ESPN Friday Night Fights, live from Stage 305 in the Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida. (Broadcast live at 10 PM Eastern on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, online through WatchESPN.com, and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.)
Presented by Warriors Boxing and Bad Dog Productions in association with the Magic City Casino, the two televised bouts will be a 12-round elimination bout for the IBF’s #2 position at super featherweight between Miami-based Cuban Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (17-0, 11 KOs) and undefeated Afghani-Canadian Arash Usmanee (20-0, 10 KOs) and a 10-round junior middleweight punch-out between Puerto Rican slugger Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (15-0-1, 13 KOs) and Philadelphia’s Derek “Pooh” Ennis (23-3-1, 13 KOs).
In support will be a host of competitive match-ups between local and international contenders, topped by a 10-round light welterweight attraction between Yuri Ramanau (22-2, 14 KOs) Minsk, Belarus and Jeremy Bryan (15-2, 7 KOs) of Paterson, New Jersey.
In a four-round heavyweight battle between undefeated hopefuls, Keith Tapia (5-0, 4 KOs) of New York, New York, will take on Rafael Valenzuela (6-0) of Agua Prieta, Mexico.
Also featured that night will be a six-round middleweight battle, as Bayamón, Puerto Rico’s Roberto J. Acevedo (6-0, 4 KOs) takes on Francisco Rios Gil (17-17, 12 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico .
In a four-round featherweight scrap between undefeated prospects, Miami, Florida’s Hairon Socarras (5-0-1, 4 KOs) will face Josh Bowles (6-0, 1 KO) of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
And in a six-round light heavyweight battle, Zenica, Bosnia’s Radivoje Kalajdzic (8-0, 6 KOs) will take on Grover Young (6-7-1, 3 KOs) of Memphis.
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Tickets are on sale now on the Magic City Casino website www.magiccitycasino.com as well as in person at the Magic City Players Club. They are priced at $100, $75, $50 and $35.
Doors open at 7:30 pm and the first bell is at 8:00.
About Magic City Casino
Magic City Casino features 800 Las Vegas-style slot machines, 18-table Poker Room, outdoor concert amphitheater, multi-purpose indoor venue, seasonal live greyhound racing and multiple food and beverage outlets, among other state-of-the-art amenities. The casino is open every day (Sunday through Thursday: 10 am to 4 am; Friday and Saturday: 10 am to 5 am). For more information, visit www.magiccitycasino.com
