New York, NY (March 28, 2019) Rising heavyweight prospects Oleksandr Teslenko and Clayton Laurent Jr. will return to action Tomorrow, Friday, March 29 under the DiBella Entertainment banner in separate bouts.
Sporting a record of 15-0, with 12 knockouts, the 26-year-old Teslenko, originally from Chernivtsi, Ukraine, now based in Toronto, Canada, will face Brazilian native Fabio Maldonado (26-1, 25 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round clash for the vacant WBA NABA Heavyweight Title. The clash will be a part of a nine-bout event presented by Lee Baxter Promotions at the Mattamy Events Center in Toronto.
Capping a sensational 2018 on December 1 with a third-round knockout of Edson Cesar Antonio in Quebec City, Teslenko will be making his first start this year. Following an outstanding amateur career compiling a 224-23 record, Teslenko has built a highly touted reputation since turning professional in September 2015. The upset-minded Maldonado will be looking to bounce back in to the win column after facing his first defeat, losing a 10-round decision to Oscar Rivas, on December 1, 2018, in Quebec City.
Also on Friday night, at Coliseo Ruben Zayas Montanez, in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, 2016 Olympian Clayton Laurent Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) returns to the ring against German “Bombon” Garcia (4-1, 4 KOs), of Chihuahua, Mexico, in a scheduled four-round bout. Laurent represented his native U.S. Virgin Islands at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he had the prestigious honor of being the country’s flagbearer at the closing ceremonies.
Trained by his stepfather, the legendary two-division world champion Julian “The Hawk” Jackson and standing 6’5″, the 28-year-old Laurent Jr. started off his professional career impressively with two sensational knockouts. Managed by Philippe Fondu and Matt Lark, he is returning to battle following a four-round decision win versus Kenny Cruz Carasquillo, on December 7, 2018, in Puerto Rico. Friday’s event in Puerto Rico is promoted by Spartan Boxing.
“There’s already a lot of buzz about Ukrainian Oleksandr Teslenko and that will only intensify after he captures the WBA NABA heavyweight title. A win tomorrow ensures that Teslenko will take that next step in his career as he chases his dream of becoming a world champion,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Trained by his future Hall-of-Famer stepfather Julian Jackson, Olympian Clayton Laurent Jr. has tremendous potential. He’ll be facing an aggressive power puncher in German Garcia, as it’s important for him to stay active and see different styles at this stage of his career. I expect another impressive win on Friday.”
