SAN ANTONIO (September 12, 2017) – An action-packed night of rising stars and local talent will be featured as part of an exciting undercard lineup on Saturday, September 23 from the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Mexican Olympian and 2016 bronze medalist Misael Rodriguez (2-0, 1 KO) will compete in a six-round middleweight bout while 2016 Lithuanian Olympian Eimantas Stanionis (2-0, 2 KOs) enters the ring for six rounds of welterweight action.
The September 23 event is headlined by the World Boxing Super Series quarter-final showdown between Yunier Dorticos and Dmitry Kudryashov and also features a reserve match between once-beaten cruiserweights Keith Tapia and Lateef Kayode, while former world champion Nonito Donaire returns to take on Mexico’s Ruben Garcia Hernandez. *Media credential information below.
Additional action will see unbeaten prospect Money Powell IV (3-0, 2 KOs) meet Antonio Urista (9-2, 2 KOs) in a six-round super welterweight contest, Nigerian heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba (1-0, 1 KO) facing unbeaten Daniel Gallemore (5-0, 2 KOs) in a six-round fight and Nigerian prospect Wesley Apochi (1-0, 1 KO) in a six-round cruiserweight matchup against Leo Pla (5-7-2, 2 KOs).
A host of talented local fighters from San Antonio will round out the undercard as Daniel Baiz (9-1, 5 KOs) competes in super welterweight action, Kendo Castaneda (10-0, 4 KOs) enters the ring for a six round welterweight fight, welterweight prospect Joseph Rodriguez (12-0-1, 2 KOs) fights in a four-round attraction and middleweight Dagoberto Nevarez (1-0, 1 KO) steps in for a four-round bout.
At last year’s Rio games, the 23-year-old Rodriguez overcame incredible odds to win the first Olympic boxing medal for Mexico since Christian Bejerano in 2000. The Chihuahua native and his teammates had to resort to begging on public buses and streets in Mexico to raise money to compete in international boxing tournaments. He completed his road to the medal stand by defeating Egypt’s Hosam Bakr Abdin to clinch a medal in the middleweight division. Rodriguez made his pro debut in April with a dominant decision victory over Brian True and followed it up knockout of Jose David Mosquera in July.
An accomplished amateur representing Kaunas, Lithuania, Stanionis is looking to become the next Eastern European fighter to make a splash in the U.S. The 23-year-old had a 141-19 record as an amateur and earned four senior national championships before winning gold at the European Olympic Qualifier to earn his trip to the 2016 Games. A gold medalist at welterweight at the 2015 European Amateur Boxing Championships, Stanionis has impressed with knockouts in his first two starts since turning pro in April.
Born in Germany, where his former boxer father was stationed in the military, Powell IV dedicated himself to boxing for good when his family moved back to the U.S. in 2011. The 19-year-old has quickly made a name for himself since then, winning the 2016 Youth Welterweight National Championship to earn the top ranking in the 152-pound division by USA Boxing. Fighting out of Fort Mitchell, on the state line of Alabama and Georgia, Powell scored stoppage victories in his first two starts before a dominant decision victory to pick up his third win in July.
The 23-year-old Ajagba is set to turn pro after beating the odds and making the 2016 Rio Olympics to represent his native Nigeria. Although he lost in the quarterfinals, Ajagba made a splash by delivering a highlight reel knockout in his opening bout against Trinidad and Tobago. The fighter known as “King Kong” also won an African games gold medal during his impressive amateur career delivered a first round knockout in his pro debut in July.
Orogun, Nigeria’s Apochi was once the captain of his country’s national boxing team, a testament to how far he came since a surprising second place finish in the 2011 Africa Games. The 29-year-old represented Nigeria at the 2013 World Championships and earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games before turning pro in July and delivering a knockout in his debut.
*To apply for media credentials visit http://www.swansonpr.com/credentials. Deadline for credentials is Friday, September 15.
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WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES FIXTURES
16/09/17 – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
Callum Smith vs. Erik Skoglund (WBC Diamond)
Echo Arena, Liverpool, United Kingdom
23/09/17 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Yunier Dorticos vs. Dmitry Kudryashov (WBA World)
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, USA
30/09/17 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez (WBC World)
Riga Arena, Riga, Latvia
07/10/17 – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
Chris Eubank Jr vs. Avni Yildirim (IBO World)
Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle, Stuttgart, Germany
14/10/17 – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
George Groves vs. Jamie Cox (WBA Super)
The SSE Arena, Wembley, London, United Kingdom
21/10/17 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final
Murat Gassiev vs. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (IBF World)
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA
TO BE CONFIRMED
Super Middleweight Quarter-Finals:
Juergen Braehmer vs. Rob Brant
WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES AT A GLANCE
Number of participants: 16
Number of belts: 7
Number of world champions: 6
Number of former world champions: 3
Number of undefeated fighters: 9
Combined Record of participants: 423 wins, 17 losses, 294 KOs
ABOUT THE WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES
Organized by Comosa AG, the World Boxing Super Series will kick off in September 2017, featuring the Cruiserweight and Super Middleweight divisions. In each weight class, eight elite boxers will battle it out in a bracket-style elimination tournament, with four quarter-finals (fall 2017), two semi-finals (early 2018) and one final (May 2018). This makes for seven top fights per weight class, and a total of 14 fights in Season One to be staged in premier venues around the globe. The winners of the World Boxing Super Series will rightfully receive The Greatest Prize in Boxing, the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Please visit our website WorldBoxingSuperSeries.com for more information or follow @WBSuperSeries on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
