Uncasville, CT – Heavyweights Cassius Chaney and Juiseppe Cusumano continued their climb to the top of the division Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena with knockout victories in the main and co-main events of Summer Heat, presented by CES Boxing.
The New London, CT, veteran Chaney (22-1, 15 KOs) made quick work of Mathew McKinney in the main event, flooring his opponent three times to score the win at 2:07 of the opening round, while the 6-foot-4 Sicilian Juiseppe Cusumano (21-4, 19 KOs) finished Lynn, MA, native Dennis Ventura at 1:53 of the second round. The event streamed live on BXNG TV, showcasing both top-ranked heavyweights to a worldwide audience.
Body shots were the weapon of choice for both winners. Chaney exposed McKinney’s core early and often, using a devastating right hook to the ribcage to finish the fight. Cusumano was equally effective to the body, blasting Ventura with several unanswered hooks to the midsection before referee Danny Schiavone stopped the fight.
Chaney and Cusumano entered the weekend ranked 11th and 17th, respectively, among United States heavyweights and among the top 75 in the world. As they continue to establish their footing, the “who’s who” list among heavyweights is much clearer following Oleksandr Usky’s second win over Anthony Joshua this past weekend to retain the IBF, IBO, WBO, and WBA Super World Heavyweight titles. The opportunities are endless for both.
In other action Saturday at Mohegan, New London super featherweight Alejandro Paulino (11-0) kept his perfect record intact with a hard-earned 58-56, 60-54, 59-55 win over Bronx, NY, challenger Brandon Idrogo. Paulino ran into some trouble in the opening round courtesy of a hard, overhand right by Idrogo, but recovered quickly and dominated the second half of the fight to earn the win.
In similar fashion, Boston lightweight Jonathan de Pina (9-1) rebounded from a slow start to earn a narrow 59-56, 58-56, 58-56 unanimous decision win over New York’s Christian Otero.
Fighting for the first time since his MMA world title bout in February, Cranston, RI, light heavyweight Gary Balletto III (3-0, 2 KOs) returned to the boxing ring and scored a second-round knockout win over debut Jeremiah David Austin at the 2:55 mark. Stoughton, MA, heavyweight Sean Bey (7-0, 7 KOs) turned in an equally-impressive performance, stopping Dallas’ John Shipman at the 12-second mark of the second round following two knockdowns in the opening round. Bey remains perfect at 7-0 with each win coming by knockout and none of his fights lasting past the second round.
Also remaining undefeated, Springfield, MA, welterweight Jalen Renaud improved to 9-0 with a 58-56, 59-55, 60-54 unanimous decision win over Quincy, MA, veteran Michael Ogundo and southpaw middleweight Francis Hogan upped his record to 12-0 with a fourth-round knockout win over Cleotis Pendarvis, sending his opening crashing to the canvas at the 2:59 mark. Female welterweight Stevie Jane Coleman (3-1) scored her first career knockout in the opener, stopping debut Jesenia Rivas of Denver 39 seconds into the opening round.
For more information, follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESBOXING.
INFORMATION
CES Boxingis one of the top promotions in the northeast and one of the few to successfully promote both mixed martial arts and professional boxing. Launched in 1992 by longtime boxing judge Jimmy Burchfield Sr., the promotion is the only in professional boxing to boast two reigning WBC Youth world champions in lightweight Jamaine Ortiz and featherweight Irvin Gonzalez. CES Boxing recently teamed with UFC FIGHT PASS, the world’s No. 1 streaming platform for combat sports, to showcase its events to a worldwide audience, and worked as a promotional consultant for the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. pay-per-view event in November of 2020.
Mohegan Sun Arena is one of the busiest Arenas in the United States and is ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena finished 2021 with its first “#1 Indoor Arena” ranking for its capacity in the world according to Pollstar and VenuesNow, ranked among the top 10 venues in the United States regardless of size based on ticket sales, and was named “2021 Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency. In recent years, the award-winning venue has also been the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven-time national award winner for “Casino of the Year – Arena” by the Academy of Country Music. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit MoheganSun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.