Bernard Hopkins will not be the only 45+ year old boxer competing on November 8th. Fight sporting goods company Ringside/Combat Brands from Lenexa Kansas has joined forces with StrikeGym in Coconut Creek Florida to bring a new segment to their Ringside Boxing Tournament Series, exclusively for the ageless fighters. Amateur boxers from the ages of 35-78 will take part in technique clinics led by the sport’s top trainers and former world Champions throughout the week that will lead up to a very competitive two day boxing tournament.

A 68 year old Fort Lauderdale attorney, a 155 pound six foot 48 year old female attorney from Atlanta, a 44 year old college professor from Texas, a 58 year old pilot and former Olympian from the middle of nowhere, a very unique 45 year old musician and many more brave men and woman will compete in this fully sanctioned AIBA and USA Boxing tournament. “This will be the biggest sporting event Coconut Creek has seen in years if not ever” said StrikeGym owner huge masters boxing supporter and serial entrepreneur Chris Holloway.

While most work in the white collar world, all the masters have embraced the champions heart and have prepared themselves for the world’s toughest sport, boxing. They have put themselves through weeks and months of rigorous training to climb into the ropes and fight for honor and the 1st Annual Ringside StrikeGym Masters Championship belt. “We are excited to work with Ringside who is the best in boxing and together we have arranged an excellent week of technical clinics, training sessions and social gatherings for all these brave athletes” said Holloway.

Former 5 time world champion Cory Spinks will be one of the trainers for the event. Spinks, who was at one time the undisputed welterweight champion of the world and is bound for Boxing’s Hall of Fame is excited to work with these older warriors. “I am really looking forward to working with these boxers, who are always eager and open to learning.” Said the former champion.

Anthony Hamm who once trained world champions Arturo Gatti, Ray Mercer, Spinks and many others will also be a guest trainer for a clinic session. Hamm has been training world champions for nearly 30 years and will bring excellent technical lessons for the masters. “Most of these boxers are novice and new to the sport, the bucket-listers we call them, and they are so eager and determined to give three hundred percent I don’t see myself having to push them at all, I just have to teach them, and I like that!”

Johnny Schulz who is one of the “open” or experienced boxers in the masters division works closely with Holloway at StrikeGym promoting USA boxing. “We have boxers from all over the world coming to this tournament, in our first year there is already a great turnout with over 40 boxers having registered for the tournament.” Schulz was hoping to compete at the tournament however due to his experience and weight class (141) there were no opponents to face the former 5 time Ringside Masters World Champion.

Ringside’s’ tournament director Barbara Yoksh had this to say. “Masters boxers are a rare breed of athlete. Their participation in the sport represents a pure love for amateur boxing, and this will clearly be evident in the enthusiasm and passion that will be demonstrated at the StrikeGym Masters Tournament. Although numerous safety rules are adhered to in masters boxing, it is the athletes themselves and their respect for and camaraderie with fellow masters, that results in safe but thoroughly exciting bouts. On behalf of Ringside, I am proud to be a part of what will be a memorable weekend of competition!” Ringside who is well known for hosting the world’s largest amateur boxing tournaments is excited for this excellent destination style tournament.

Former USA Olympian Albert Guardado, and product manager for Ringside/Combat Sports has been very instrumental in organizing this inaugural tournament and technical clinics.

?The event kicks off on Wednesday November 5th with a meet and greet social, followed by a couple days of beach runs great technical boxing training and workouts at StrikeGym. Round one of the tournament will begin on Friday November 7th at 6PM and the Ringside StrikeGym Masters Champions will be determined and crowned on Saturday November 8th with the first bell at 6pm.

The great tournament will end just in time for the boxers to watch 49 year old Bernard Hopkins defend his world title on HBO, unless of course its past their bedtime. The local boxing commission, Florida Gold Coast Boxing, will be on hand officiating the event. Event Tickets and additional information can be found at www.ringsidemasters.com. Tickets are now on sale for both evenings.

By Johnny Schulz-

Former undisputed welterweight world champion and future Hall of Famer Cory Spinks has come full circle with his passion for boxing and is contributing to the humble grass roots of the sport that gave him a long and successful career. Since retiring Spinks has become a certified USA Amateur Boxing trainer and has flourished in South Florida as a coach to kids from the ages of 6 to adults. StrikeGym in Coconut Creek Florida is his boxing home now and his boxing family consist mainly of a bunch of young kids who love his playful but strict coaching style, however most are far too young to really know who he is, and what amazing accomplishments he has made in the sport of boxing. The parents know and they also know their kids are in great hands. He is also grooming a team of young amateur boxers who know exactly who he is and what he has accomplished and follow his lead precisely.

Spinks will be leading his team of young amateur boxers as they compete in their home ring. Spinks the former 5 time world Champion was one of the best boxers of his era and one of few recent boxers to hold unified titles. Spinks comes from a strong boxing bloodline, both his Father Leon and Uncle Michael Spinks won Olympic Gold and were at one time Heavyweight Champions of the world. Most recently Cory has added to that lineage and his wife Christy just gave birth to a baby boy named Cory Leon Michael Spinks. The next next Generation. StrikeGym is located at 6814 Florida 7, Coconut Creek, FL 33073.

Miami, Florida got treated to Mike Tyson’s Judgement Day on Thursday, July 10 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and was shared around the country LIVE On FOX Sports 1.

Iron Mike celebrated his birthday week with an excellent show which staged a main event rematch between Argenis “La Tormenta” Mendez 22-3-1 (11KO) and Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy 20-0(12KO) for for Mendez’s IBF title. All night Barthelemy was content keeping the champ at jabs length offering an occasional 2 punch combination before moving into space. This kept the champ following the Cuban and creating certain pugilistic melanin for the previously fired up crowd. There was very little in-fighting and when an exchange seemed probable it was abandoned mostly by the Cuban letting Mendez off the ropes. The fight showed a little life in round 8 as the two engaged in some welcomed live boxery. Barthelemy was deducted a point in each of rounds 9 and 10 for low blows, however they did not look intentional. Barthelemy showed effort in the last round to put a tiny period at the end of a very conservative but yet successful performance. The final call was all three cards for the new champion Barthelemy. 115-111.

In January live on ESPN Barthlemy knocked out Mendez with punches illegally thrown after the bell ending the second round. Mendez’ promoter, Iron Mike Productions appealed the decision and the fight was ruled a “no contest” with the IBF mandating this rematch.

Mendez fighting out of Brooklyn, was a 2004 Dominican Republic Olympian. He had an incredible 238-13 amateur record, highlighted by a gold-medal performance at the prestigious Pan-American Games, as well as winning a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships. Mendez captured the IBF crown March 9, 2013, stopping defending champion Juan Carlos Salgado in the fourth round.

Warriors Boxing-promoted Barthelemy, also 28, is a former Cuban Junior National Champion who lives in Miami. He originally became Mendez’ original mandatory challenger by way of a second-round knockout of Fahsai Sakkreerin last June.

Light heavyweight Umberto “El Don” Savigne 13-1(10KO) took out a very dormant and stale Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy 26-6(18KO) in just two rounds. Lacy offered very little competition and certainly did not look like a former world champion in this WBC FECARBOX light heavyweight title bout. From round one Savigne controlled every second right until the end where Lacy sat in the corner and ate punches punches until referee Sam Burgos stepped in and saved Left Hook from a sustained beating. The miserable end came at 2:04 of round two. Humberto Savigne is a 2 time Central American Championships Gold medalist and a 2 time Pan American gold medalist as an amateur. Humberto Savigne had over 400 amateur fights coming off of a KO win over undefeated Jackson Junior on ESPN March of 2013. Savigne is the current WBA fedelatin, WBO latin and WBC fecarbox Champion..

“My kid will be the next Pay-Per-View Superstar” – this is what Mike Tyson said earlier this week of 18 year old welterweight Erickson Lubin 6-0(5KO) who stepped up in completion when he faced tough Noe Bolanos 25-10-1 (16KO). The former national amateur champion Lubin, nicknamed “The Hammer” used his long reach to keep a nice distance while often connecting with his left hand; both straight and underneath onto his veteran Mexican counterparts chin. Lubin gained great experience and rounds while efficiently out boxing the 27-year old Bolanos and often landing the Left-handed hammer. “He is the best I have seen in forty years in boxing,” commented Pedro Rogue current USA boxing coach, and former coach of the Cuban National team. All three judges scored the bout 80-72. Over the course of his ten-year professional career, Bolanos has faced numerous contenders and highly regarded prospects including Vivian Harris, Victor Cayo, Ed Paredes, Luis Ramos Jr. and Rene Gonzalez. This was a great test for the young Lubin and will show his team the areas he can improve while stepping up.

Cuban slugger Yunier Dorticos 18-0(17KO) punched his way to a unanimous decision win over a blown up Edison Miranda 35-10(30KO) who weighed in at a career high 198 pounds moving all the way up from middleweight to the Cruiserweight division. Dorticos pushed the pace from the opening bell landing solid straight rights and uppercuts. Miranda’s experience aided his survival, however he looked like a middleweight fighting a Cruiserweight in terms of size, he was able to take the big punches from the hard hitting Cuban. By the end of the tenth and final round Miranda’s face showed the beating he took from the over sized Cuban. The cards read 99-91 and 100-90 twice.

Featherweight Dennis Galarza 5-0(3KO) looked sharp with a quick dismantling of Cody “Red Rooster” Walker 1-1 with a KO at just :58 of round one by way of excellently placed ripping body shots set up beautifully by boxing’s most important punch… a stiff jab.

Light heavyweight Leo Hall 3-0(3KO) picked up another KO win at 2:33 of round one. The Detroit native Hall had Juan Ortega 1-2-1(1KO) down from two excellent straight right hands, and then finished him off after he rose from an eight count with a nice assault.

Cruiserweight Ramon Luis Nicholas was Disqualified in the first round giving the win to Dakota Dawson 3-0(2KO). Dawson rocked Nicholas in round one and in return was knocked down by two big shots and another while Dawson had his knee down disqualifying him in Round one.

Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (35-3, 23 KOs) stalked and beat Victor “Mermelada” Cayo (32-5, 23 KOs) for much of Thursday’s ESPN Thursday Night Fights-televised 10-round welterweight showdown breaking him down with strong punches and relentless pressure. Garcia of Weslaco, Texas walked through everything and anything Cayo had to offer. Cayo of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was able to land shots but that did nothing to slow the steady and relentless pressure punching by Garcia. Cayo was cut over the right eye in the 4th round and he entered the 5th round with a renewed attack and made it competitive, until close to the end of the round when Garcia landed big right hands and a flurry at the bell. Garcia put even more pressure on in the sixth and it overwhelmed Cayo, a nice body head combination sent Cayo to the ropes and a swarming Garcia finished the job prompting referee Telis Assimenios to step in at 2:38 and call a stop to the bout. Garcia is something of a Cinderella story in the making. Never having reached his potential throughout his 13-year boxing career, he was thrust into an ESPN-televised main event on a few days’ notice against Mexico’s Norberto Gonzalez last February and scored an impressive decision victory.

In the 10-round middleweight co-feature, undefeated 2008 Olympian Jonathan “Mantequilla” González (18-0-1, 14 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, got a very close win over Mexico’s Rogelio “Porky” Medina (32-6, 26 KOs). Gonzalez and Medina put on a great competitive match and it was Medina who set the tone early with more accurate punches. Gonzales came on in the mid and later rounds, but Medina was clearly the busier fighter while the punches were equally heavy from both combatants. The scores were 96-94 Medina and 97-93 and 96-94 for Gonzalez.

Back in action after three years, James McGirt (23-3-1, 11 KOs) made quick work of very overmatched Larry Smith Jr. (10-21-1, 7 KOs) of Dallas, Texas with a TKO at 2:55 of round 1. Also on the undercard, Cairo Egypt’s Ahmed Elbiale (4-0, 4 KOs) was both impressive and brutal in his light heavyweight four-rounder against Steven Chadwick Jr. (2-6, 1 KO) of Jacksonville, Florida. Elbiale dropped Chadwick just seconds into the bout with a huge left hook and later with a huge right hook that ended the bout with Chadwick out on the canvass where he laid for several minutes before taken out on a stretcher and to the local hospital. Junior lightweight Juan Carlos Velasquez 12-1 (5KO) outpointed veteran Rogers Mtagwa 27-17-2 (19KO) with a majority decision victory in a one sided affair that had the slick boxing Velazquez boxing nice from distance and keeping the hard charging often wild Tanzanian fighter just out of reach. 2012 Florida Golden Glove Champion Jeff “Rambo” Souffrant 1-0 made a successful debut with a UD win over Jorge Quintero 0-2 from Bogota Colombia. Light heavyweight Vilier Quiñones 8-0(5KO) won via TKO over Edgar Perez 5-9(3KO) at :58 seconds of round one. Light heavyweight knockout artist Yunieski Gonzalez (13-0, 13 KOs) of Havana, Cuba, destroyed Colombia’s Jaison Palomeque (14-9-1, 9 KOs) with a TKO1 win at just :47 seconds of round one, brutal senseless mismatch from the get go. The twin brother of Juan Carlos, lightweight Carlos Ivan Velasquez 12-1 6(KO) took a unanimous decision win over Guillermo Sanchez 13-12-1.

Notables in attendance was Joel Casamayor whom was honored, Riddick Bowe, Sergio Martinez, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Buddy McGirt, and Michael Moore.

Golden Boy Live!Series on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes showcased a number of up and coming prospects. The evening was capped with a main event light middleweight bout where Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo 22-0, 11 KO’s used a late fight surge to overwhelm and stop Jose Angel Rodriguez late in the final round of their televised bout. Charlo the WBC Continental Americas and the NABF light middleweight champion started the bout strong and rocked Jose Angel Rodriguez early in round one to set the tempo, however that tempo was slowed in the mid rounds where Rodriguez seemed to neutralize the attack of Charlo with slick counter punching and feints. The mid rounds were close chess match style rounds that slightly favored Charlo. At the end of Round 5 the action picked up when Charlo landed a few nice straight punches and caught Rodriguez against the ropes, Charlo failed to sustain the attack but the barrage did manage to slow a quickly bruising Rodriguez. Rodriguez answered the bell for round six with a noticeable mouse under his right eye compliments of a great left hook from Iron Man. As the fight wore on Charlo started landing frequent clean punches winning each round but not by an overwhelming margin. As the rounds wore on Rodriguez wore down and Charlo gradually turned the heat up and in the final round he blasted Rodriguez with neck snapping punches from close range. Charlo smelled the end and finished the show at 1:4 of the 10th and final round where referee Sam Burgos stepped in to save the tough but beaten Rodriguez. Where the fight was not overly exciting it was technical showcase and show of closing power by Charlo. Charlo was a bronze medalist at the 2005 Junior Olympics at the age of 15. He finished his amateur career with a record of 56-8. Charlo has been busy in 2013, winning both the WBC Continental Americas and USBA Junior Middleweight Titles with victories over Harry Joe Yorgey and Demetrius Hopkins.

Welterweight Martin Lagunas Jr. made a very successful pro debut with a dominant and strong performance. Lagunas, who was a former national amateur champion threw heavy punches from the opening bell catching Larry Yanez with meaningful punches early on. Yanez was able to establish an early jab, however Lagunas took that away with great heavy counter punching. As round two wore on Lagunas started landing bigger and bigger shots until a thunderous combo floored the game Yanez with the end coming at 1:56 of round number 2.

The second bout of the evening barely got on its way when Willie Jones landed a thunderous left uppercut to the body of Jose Segura Torres at just 56 seconds of the first round. Jones improved to 3-0(2KO),where Torres dropped literally to 1-5

Three time US Olympian Rau’Shee Warren improved to 8-0(3KO) with a quick win over tough, experienced and tested Jhon Alberto Molina 32-25(20KO). Warren, fighting for the sixth time in 2013 came out punching with power from the opening bell. A slick straight left dropped the Colombian Molina in round one while the former Olympian chased stalked Molina steady for 4 rounds landing shots one and two at a time. All three cards read 40-35 to finalize a unanimous decision.

In an interesting match-up of unbeaten southpaws Errol “The Truth” Spence 9-0(7K0) clashed with tough Ghanaian Emmanuel Lartei Lartey 15-1(7KO). Spence was the predator throughout the chess match of southpaws. Spence landed a heavy straight left in the opening round that established momentum while Ice Cold’s corner begged for their fighter to move forward instead of backwards. The only problem was Spence and his heavy shots that kept Lartey from taking a step forward. Spence controlled the fight by being first and keeping his s All three judges saw the bout 79-73 in favor of Spence.

Hard Hitting light welterweight Jeffrey Fontanez 13-0(10KO) looked impressive with a fourth round TKO over tough journeyman Gerardo Zayas.

Notable Boxers in attendance, Roy Jones Jr., Antonio Tarver, Adrian Broner, Paulie Malignaggi, Bermane Stiverne, Daniel Edouard, Luis Ortiz, Micheal Moorer.

2012 Comeback Fighter of the Year Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs’ Get In The Ring Foundation and the Sabrina Cohen Foundation have teamed up with StrikeGym in Coconut Creek for a Fundraiser to “Knock Out Paralysis”! This Saturday, October 12th. StrikeGym’s the doors will be open to the public to come enjoy the facilities as well as live music and two very special guests: Middleweight Champion Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs and cancer-survivor Jessika Attah.

Danny Jacobs’ moniker “Miracle Man” is about as fitting a nickname as they come in the world of boxing. Danny was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma cancer which is a cancerous bone tumor at the age of 24 that left both his boxing career and his life in question. Like the true champion he is, he battled back not only to defeat cancer, but claim a middleweight championship belt as well. The “Miracle Man” could have stopped there, but instead he used his inspirational story as a vehicle to help others in similar situations by constructing the Get In The Ring Foundation. Danny uses his influence and his own experience to help people across the country who have been victims of cancer, obesity, and bullying.

When Danny had the chance to help 26 year-old Jessika Attah, he did not hesitate. Jessica recently underwent spinal surgery to remove a tumor that had grown into her spine. The event left her legs partially disabled and she is doing extensive rehabilitation therapy. Drawing upon the “Magic Man’s” inspirational story, Jessika found encouragement when she needed it most. She had also found an ally. Danny wasted no time when he read about her story and dedicated himself to providing her whatever assistance he could. Together with the Sabrina Cohen Foundation, the Get in The Ring Foundation came up with the “Knock Out Paralysis” Fundraiser. The goal of the fundraiser is to raise 5,000 dollars for Jessika so she can participate in the NeuroFit program and defeat paralysis.

Cancer is something that has touched all of our lives in one way or another. We’ve all had a relative or loved one stricken with the terrible disease to varying degrees and outcomes. Cancer is an evil that we’ve all fought against and one that we know all too well. This weekend, however, we have the rare opportunity to take the fight back to cancer.

October 12th is an opportunity to fight back against a common opponent and an opportunity to support two great fighters on their missions. From 2pm-5pm, come enjoy the StrikeGym facilities with friends and family, enjoy the live music, and come meet our guests of honor. With your help, and with Danny Jacobs and Sabrina Cohen in her corner, there’s no doubt that Jessika can Knock Out Paralysis. StrikeGym is located at 6814 North SR7 in Coconut Creek Florida. Contributing writer Darrell Meckley.

Boxing was back at the BB&T tonight with the second installment of Golden Boy Boxing at the BB&T Center in Sunrise Florida. This card was stacked with excellent young Golden Boy talent who all were matched with fierce competitors, … well with the exception of one disgraceful “fighter” with loose screws.

The main event showcased featherweights Brualio Santos and Derrick Wilson clash who excited the crowd with a very entertaining, hard punching, close encounters all action brawl. The two warriors answered the opening bell with big power punches and great skilled technique boxing and continued until the final bell. The early rounds found the two tactfully exchanging heavy short combinations and sharp accurate punches. Santos dug with deep body shots and short punches while Wilson used his excellent athletic skills to counter punching the hard charging Puerto Rican. The action persisted through the middle rounds with both fighters throwing heavyweight thumping punches… Santos kept his steady attack however as the fight grew Wilson started settling in with his timing and blocking the hard punches thrown by Santos. The final rounds kept tempo and were very close, with Wilson doing just a little bit more each round. Round 9 Wilson landed a great right hand to the temple that put Santos down to the delight of the crowd. Santos quickly made it to his feet and back into action and the two went back to exchanging power punches. Going into the final round I had Wilson up by two points, the final round was a bit of a chess match where both fighters looked in great shape to finish strong and close. I scored the fight 96-95 for Wilson. The final cards read 96-93 twice and 96-94.

Light middleweight Daquan Arnett 11-0(7KO) kept his 0 intact with a sensational made for highlights knockout over hard charging Hector Zuniga 10-2(7KO) who was fighting of Tijuana Mexico. Arnett showed his superior boxing skills and defense. He was sharp with his counter punches and kept Zuniga off of him, when the Mexican was able to catch him on the ropes he was gifted with a few nice shots. The knockout sequence was awesome bringing the sparsely crowded BB&T center to a roar, one would think it was a packed house. The two combatants were exchanging along the ropes when Arnett connected with a left hood, followed by another, and yet another at which time Zuniga shook his head and waved Arnett in for more, a split second later Arnett unloaded a fourth and final left hook that dropped the Mexican like a hot tamale. Arnett barely beat the count but the towel from the Mexicans corner did not as they saved their beaten fighter. The end came at 1:37 of the fifth.

Jamall “The Hitman” Charlo 14-0(10KO) had someone special watching him tonight, the original Hitman, Thomas Hearns was ringside to watching the action. The new aged Hitman did not disappoint as he crushed 39 Ecuadorian journeyman Luis Hernandez 21-6(14KO) dropping him twice in the second round. Officially scored a TKO2 at 2:26

Local favorite Steve Geffrard got off the canvas in round one and put together a nice comeback in an entertaining and tough fight for the former amateur national champion and Boca Raton native. Travis Reeves 1-1-1 ripped a big left hook that dropped Geffrard in round one Round two was very close as Geffrard got a lead later in the round which made it very hard to score. Rounds three and four was in favor of the hard hitting Geffard who found comfort in a shelled inside affair with the Baltimore based Reeves who was happy to trade shot for shot with the taller Geffrard. Each fighter caught each other during inside pot-shotting action with very close rounds three and fourth that seemed to favor Geffrard. A deflated Geffard fell to the ground when the final decision was announced in favor of the underdog, Reeves. Two judges saw the fight 38-37 for Reeves and the other 38-37 for Geffrard

2012 United States Olympian Errol Spence 6-0(5KO) from Dallas TX made quick work of Guillermo Ibarra 11-4(7KO) fighting out of Mexico. Spence landed a nice left to the head that dispensed the Mexican to the floor and out at 1:33 of round one. Spence has gotten a nice start since he entered the pro ranks in November of last year.

Highly touted amateur and “dream team” fighter Justin DeLoach 3-0(2KO) made quick and almost comical work of shamefully licensed Jonathan Olivera who looked as if he had just started boxing this morning. Honestly one of, if not the most embarrassing fighters I have ever seen, next to “Worst Boxer in the History of the World …epic mullet!!!” who entertains on YouTube, and obviously used Mullets “Cat Technique” Which was embarrassingly ineffective. I am certain once this hits YouTube it will be a rival. Just a shameful performance by Olivera, and shame on the commission and his team and corner for putting this kid in the ring in the ring with a fighter who could have killed him. This kid didn’t even look like an amateur. I understand he was a late replacement and I truly believe he was literally a last minute replacement and traded his seat for a corner stool.

Fort Lauderdales Travis Castellon 1-0(1KO) kick started his professional career and the evening with an exciting round that got the rain soaked crowd off to an upbeat start. The southpaw Castellon met Orlando’s Will Fauth 0-1-1 mid ring a second after the opening bell meaning business. The two threw early heavy punch and a clash of heads midway through the first stanza caused an ugly bump on the head of Fauth who then pressured the former amatuer standout Castellon into a corner and caught the young pugilist with his first hard professional punches. In a show of true heart that corner worked seemed to ignite the young pro who then found his distance and landed some great shots including a perfect uppercut at the bell. Between rounds Dr. Allen Fields advised the Fauth corner to cease the action. As a result Castellon earns a TKO in his debut and the BB&T Center gets an awesome appetizer to kick the night off.

Chris “SugarBoy” Valez improved to 5-0-1(3KO) by prowling and landing clean shots almost at will on tough as nails Jose Segura in a bloody welterweight affair. Valez looked sharp throughout the bout picking his shots. The cards read 40-36 for Valez who remained undefeated.

The 2013 Florida State Golden Gloves tournament is set to take place this weekend with the help of this years host Lou Martinez, owner of Palm Beach Boxing. “I feel like a kid in a candy store,” Martinez said about given the opportunity to host the event. “I’ve had a number of my fighters participate and there have been so many greats that showcased their skills in this event before going to the pros. It’s always been a dream to run this great event. Luckily, I had the opportunity to take over the event this year and did so without hesitation.”

Palm Beach Boxing has made a strong name for itself in the world of professional boxing having held camps for world champions Lucian Bute, Devon Alexander, Cory Spinks and Nate Campbell as well as 2008 Olympian Matt Korobov. The gym’s also hosted Andre Dirrell, Kassim Ouma, Riddick Bowe, Jameel McCline and Oleg Maskaev amongst others.

This years tournament Martinez, with the help of Adam Bram of Florida Gold Coast Boxing association the LBC for South Florida, have put together a great show in conjunction with Palm Beach Music Festival 2day charity event, which will benefit Florida Golden Gloves this year. The show will be at City soccer and Event Fairgrounds, 1016 Clare Ave,, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Palm Beach Music Festival is a seasonal event celebrating the Music ,Culture and Local charities

Boxers from across the state from 16 years old to 34 will compete in Amateur boxing’s most famous tournament, the Golden Gloves. Boys, girls, men and women, from novice debut boxers, to the nations top rated Elite athletes, the tournament will feature a wide array of talent. “This tournament means my future” said Jonathan Scibica 22, from StrikeGym in Coconut Creek Florida. “I want to go pro and I know this is the path to get there, boxing is the biggest challenge I have ever faced and it shows me how far I can push myself, I love it.” This tournament will remain under the old rules with headgear and point scoring systems.

Since the 40 years Florida has participated in the Golden Gloves tournament, participants from all ages, gender and skill level has competed. From everyday white and blue collar folks to legends such as Roy Jones Jr. have been part of the Florida Golden Gloves. Other notables are Hall of Famer Mike McCallum, Former World Champion Randall Bailey, Andre Berto, Nate Campbell and Glenn Johnson. Upcoming prospects including Daquan Arnett and Steve Geffard.

Athletes and coaches may register now at Floridagoldengloves.net. Tournament dates are April 20-21, and April 22nd is reserved if needed for additional championship bouts. Weigh-ins start each day at 7 AM sharp on the and are located at the Ramada Inn at 1901 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd in West Palm Beach. All participants must bring their USA Boxing Passbook. The event will take place at City Soccer, located at 1016 Clare Ave in West Palm Beach, FL.

Since the first Golden Gloves tournament in 1923, the Golden Gloves of America, Inc. and its member franchises have provided an opportunity and environment for young athletes to develop lifetime skills. Hundreds of dedicated administrators, coaches, trainers and counselors have unselfishly spent countless times and effort to assist young people in the development of personal character and athletic skills.

Golden Gloves of America currently has thirty franchises spanning from New England States to Hawaii and represents every section of the country. More than 22,000 male and female athletes between the ages of 8 and 35 participated in amateur boxing programs in the United States last year! Many of these young people will be the future champions and community leaders of tomorrow.

Many former Golden Gloves® amateur boxing champions have gone on to become outstanding boxers and role models in our country. Former Heavyweight Champion of the World, Joe Louis was a Golden Gloves Champion in 1934. Many other champions including Muhammed Ali (1960); Sugar Ray Leonard (1973); “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler (1973); Michael Spinks (1974); Thomas “Hitman” Hearns (1977); Johnny Tapia (1984); Mike Tyson (1984); Evander Holyfield (1984); Oscar De La Hoya (1989) and Jermain Taylor (1998 and 1999) all got their start in the Golden Gloves tournaments.

Many ordinary Golden Glovers have parlayed their success in the ring into successful ventures in all areas of life outside of boxing. From Doctors to lawyers, Politicians to Preachers, Music Industry Executives to the Silver Screen, Ambassadors to Wall Street Wizards, their impact has truly been felt by society worldwide. Most never forget their career in the ring and are quick to relate a story or two about the time they stepped through the ropes and either out-boxed, out-punched, or outwitted their opponent. Here is a short list of Golden Glovers, most of whom are very familiar to you.

Motown Founder, Berry Gordy

Rhodes Scholar, Musician, Kris Kristofferson

Attorney Robert Shapiro

Actor/ comedian Martin Lawrence

Singer songwriter Billy Joel

Comedian, movie star Bob Hope

Televangelist, Presidential Candidate Pat Robertson

Cable Television pioneer, Bill Daniels

Comedian, Adam Carolla

Miami City Ballet Director Edward Villela

Lord of the Dance, Michael Flatley

Tae-Bo Inventor, Billy Blanks

Music legend, Jackie Wilson

Singer, Terence Trent D’Arby,

Blues legend Willie Dixon

Jazz Pianist, Gene Harris

Singer/ songwriter, Chris Isaak

Rock n Roll Legend, Bo Diddley

Clothing designer, Nellie Partow

Attorney general (Illinois), Jim Ryan

Mayor (Memphis) Willie Herenton

Governor (Alabama) George Wallace

Doctor, Skeeter McClure

Medal of honor recipient, Jack Davenport

Medal of honor recipient, Bill Crawford

House majority leader, Jim Wright

Air force pilot, Edward Dwight jr.

Author Spider Jones

NFL coach Les Steckel

The first installment of Golden Boy’s Boxing Series at the BB&T Center in Sunrise FL showcased Johan “El Terrible” Perez 16- 1-1, 12 KOs squeaking by with a majority decision win over former world champion Stevie “2Pounds” Forbes 35-12, 11 KOs in a Jr. Welterweight matchup. The Venezuelan Perez had problems with Forbes, letting the smaller faster fighter inside with hopes he can win the infighting with his powerful punches. The momentum slightly shifted throughout the fight with many close rounds. Forbes boxed great, had a great sixth round and fought hard until the final bell, but it was the bigger Perez who closely won the final four rounds including a decisive tenth round. The cards read 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95.

Cuban Olympian Yudel Jhonson 13-1 (8KO) won a hard earned unanimous decision victory over late replacement journeyman Dhason “Fly Boy” Johnson 13-10-3, (4KO). Fly Boy’s courageous attack throughout the bout was trumped by Jhonson’s excellent experience and counter punching from his southpaw stance.

Middleweight Terrell Gausha 2-0, 2 KOs, a 2012 US Olympian, make quick work of Kenneth Taylor Schmitz (2-6,1 KO) with a TKO in the first round. The Olympian overwhelmed Schmitz with skill and punches from the opening bell and right up to the 1:42 mark where Sam Burgos stepped in the wisely save the Saint Joseph, Missouri product Schmitz.

Rising light heavyweight prospect Thomas “Top Dog” Williams, Jr improved to 12-0, 9 KO’s with a TKO win over Jason Smith 8-2, 6 KO’s. Williams, a native of Fort Washington, MD cut him early in the fight dropped Smith twice and. The southpaw Williams was fluid and accurate with his punches and did a great job breaking body down of the game and tough, but underskilled Smith from Logan WV. Referee Frank Gentile stepped in to stop the fight at 1:56 of the third round.

Tracy Rollins, fighting out of Hollywood FL 4-0 (2KO) came out guns a blazing on the way to a quick first round stoppage over Jose Angel Sanchez, who was making his pro debut. Rollins who got wild at times with punches knocked Sanchez down three times in the first round. The stoppage came at 2:29 of round one.

Golden Boy has signed with the BB&T Center in Sunrise Florida for the Golden Boy Boxing Series will hold future live boxing events on June 1, 2013, Oct. 12, 2013 and Jan. 14, 2014.

A very controversial decision capped an exciting 12-round elimination bout for the IBF’s #2 position at super featherweight between Miami-based Cuban Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (18-0, 11 KOs) and previously undefeated Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs) season debut of ESPN Friday Night Fights, live from Stage 305 in the Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.

Afghani-Canadian Usmanee closed the show with an amazing eleventh and twelfth round where he stalked, punched and attacked the Cuban Barthelemy relentlessly applying pressure until the final bell. The fight was competitive but I and many ringside reporters had the fight unanimously in favor of Usmanee. I spoke to Teddy Atlas after the fight and he was very upset with the decision and had the fight 117-111 for Usmanee. Barthelmy had a good first few rounds but started squaring up and Usmanee used that to his advantage and closed the gap and scored with great inside punching. As the cards were read the crowd, who was Barthelemy’s home crowd were also shocked by the decision. I had the fight 115-113 to Usmanee, all three judges scored for the Cuban 115-113, 116-112…. in the words of Teddy Atlas… the system is corrupt…

Puerto Rican slugger Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez 16-0(13KO) won a ten round decision over Derek “Pooh” Ennis. Gonzalez fought great on the outside throughout the fight with great accurate punches at times where he seemed to hit Ennis at will. Gonzalez, the Former Puerto Rican Olympian, is trained by former world champion John David Jackson, kept his composure throughout the fight and kept busy. Philadelphia’s Ennis, who dropped to 23-4(13KO) was able to land a couple big shots per round and found success while infighting, which Gonzalez avoided at good measure. The cards read 95-95, 98-92, 97-93.

Bayamón, Puerto Rico’s Roberto J. Acevedo (7-0, 5 KOs) destroyed Francisco Rios Gil (17-18) 12 KOs of Sonora, Mexico. An obvious physical mismatched produced an obvious underskilled attempt from the Mexican to hang with the bigger and stronger Acevedo.

Miami based Cuban Hairon Socarras 6-0-1(5KO) knocked out Josh Bowels 6-1(1KO) in the third round of their featherweight matchup. Socarras who is just 19, boxed nicely keeping Bowels at the end of his punches landing straight right hands and left hooks on the shorter Harrisburg, PA fighter, Bowel. The end came with a fascinating two punch combination, a left hook and a thunderous overhand right that deposited Bowels to the canvas. Bowels got to his feet but, however unable to continue.

Skilled rising prospect Light Heavyweight Radivoje Kalajdzic 9-0(6KO) won a hard fought unanimous decision over Grover “The Cobra” Young 7-8(4KO). Kalajdic was blistering fast and showed excellent ring generalship commanding the bout from the opening bell. The Bosnian born Kalajdic overwhelmed Young with punches in the third round dropping him twice, once right at the bell. Where the southpaw Young finished strong after the knockdowns, it was far too little too late.

The opening bout of the evening showcased Jeremy Bryan 16-2(7KO) from Patterson New Jersey with a great upset unanimous decision with over Light Welterweight Belarusian Yuri Ramanau 22-3(14KO). Early on Ramanau applied constant pressure tracking Bryan down and keeping his range and touching his counterpart. But it was the former two time amateur national champion Bryan who had a great fight past round 3 doing some nice work fighting from the outside and picking Ramanau off with sharp punches and great be first boxing. A cut over Bryans left eye in round two did not deter the determined New Jersey native, who should be proud of his performance.

Entertaining Cruiserweight Keith “Machine Gun” Tapia 6-0(5KO) destroyed Rafael Valenzuela and put on a great show while doing so….. with his boxing and with his ring antics.. which were humble and fun… I hope this kid goes on to do great things, he has the personality. I spoke with him after the fight and he was determined to take his career to the top. I am a fan.

Khabib Allakhverdiev captured the WBA title by out punching former two division champion and previously undefeated Joan Guzman 33-1-1(20KO). The very entertaining main event ended with a knee injury to Guzman caused by an accidental foul. The atmosphere at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL. had the feel major world championship fight as Guzman made a crowd pleasing and energetic ring entrance that included an escort and live performance by rapper DMX, all part of a special evening, Beatdown 2012.

From the opening bell, the Russian Allakhverdiev did not back down and gained respect from Guzman with hard punches that was answered with an aggressive attack from the hard charging Dominican. After splitting the first two rounds Allakhverdiev floored Guzman in round three with a right and left hook. Guzman beat the count and although he was clearly affected by the punches, he went right back to center of the ring brawling with the tough Allakhverdiev. Rounds four and five saw the tough Russian slowly dismantle the Dominicans face with straight left hands, right hooks and uppercuts. The hard nosed Guzman kept coming and kept punching turning a fight into a brawl. Between rounds the ringside physician closely looked in on Guzman as the best cutman in the business, Rafael Garcia went to work on his mangled face. Guzman came out to round seven and let his hands go slowly turning the momentum in his favor, slowly adding to his bloody new handy work of a cut on the Russians face. Guzman won a good round seven but by my scorecard, was still down by two points with five rounds to go. Guzman went down from a clash of knees and was slow to get up. With the unintentional foul he was given time to recover. Once time was called in Allakhverdiev swarmed Guzman and unleashed a barrage of punches until Guzman went to the canvas again in what appeared to be as result of overwhelming punches. Referee Luis Pavon saw it as another result of the knee injury and called an official time out while they sorted it all out. Guzman was unable to continue so they went to the scorecards after 8 rounds. Officially the cards read 76-75 for Guzman and 76-75 twice for Allakhverdiev

The Co Main Event of the evening had the vacant WBA Fedlatin super welterweight title on the line. Tough and tested Colombian RIchard Gutierrez was looking to get his career back in line facing a student of the late and great Emanuel Steward in Domonique D3 Dolton. Dolton punched hard from the outside trying to control the pressure from the Colombian who as looking for his first win in seven bouts. D3 was able to put some nice combinations together in the fourth round and slowly starting to chop away at a game Gutierrez. Gutierrez stood in front of the Detriot product and made for a game opponent to the final bell. Consider this a passed test for D3 and a wake up call to the level of elevated competition that awaits him. The scorecards read 100-90 twice and 99-91.

In the opening bout of the evening Umberto Savigne10-1(7KO) retained his WBA Fedlatin light heavyweight title, but not after tasting the canvas in round three by result of a left hook. Dhafir “No Fear” Smith 26-5-7(22KO) gave a fair challenge to the title however neither boxer engaged and fought very cautiously. Smith often looked slow and was beat to the punch while the Cuban slowly started putting punches together was the fight wore on. Round eight was the most entertaining round in my opinion. Officially scored a unanimous decision win with the score cards reading. 98-91, and 96-93 twice. I had the fight 96-93.

Claudio Marrero 14-0 (11KO)retained his WBA Fedlatin featherwieght title with a dominating stoppage over Panamanian Mauricio “Nanara” Martinez 34-16(KO). It was clear that Marrero was the fast and stronger fighter every second of the fight. Marrero knocked Martinez down twice in the first round, the first a compliment of a great straight left hand and a second from a blistering fast right left from the rising southpaw star. The end came at !:38 of round four went referee Sam Burgos stepped in to stop the fight. I felt the stoppage was a bit premature, but it was obvious Martinez was not going to win the fight. Martinez was just taken the distance by Jorge Arce in September and Marrero was able to take him out in four.

Isiah “Black Mamba” Thomas is the new WBA Fedlatin Cruiserwieght champion after outpointing Richard “The Destroyer” Hall 30-11(28KO). Thomas used his commanding jab and combinations to keep the journeyman Hall at bay winning mostly every round. Thomas was deducted two questionable points for holding in rounds 4 and 5. Hall was given an eight count in round three after being overwhelmed by a host of punches from the Detroit fighter Thomas. There was not a clear knockdown rather Halls glove touched the canvas. The final cards read 98-89, 97-90 and 96-91.

Ed “The Lion” Parades 32-3-1(21KO) had his work cut out for him as he outpointed and outboxed iron chinned Hector “The Hurricane” Munoz 20-9-1(13KO) over ten rounds. Parades was forced to keep the hard charging at bay with a steady diet of straight punches. Where Munoz kept the rounds close with constant pressure pushing Parades to the ropes and trying to smother the Dominican to no avail as The Lion landed the more meaningful punches inside and did everything he could to take Munoz out. Munoz kept it coming until the final bell. Where his effort clearly was not enough to win the fight, his fight was very admirable from a courage and heart standpoint. The final cards read 100-89 and 99-90 twice.

Beatdown 2012 Promoter Aquinity Sports teamed up with bSaving.com and provided a unique event that combined live championship boxing and chart-topping musical talent, and produced a brilliant one-two combination that gave South Florida fans a chance to unite and enjoy a true mash up of talents. What started with competitive world class championship boxing and 18-0(8KO) capturing the WBA light welterweight belt, ending with powerful concerts from the likes of DMX Flo-RIda, Waka Flaka Flame, Fabulous, Travis Porter, Fat Joe.

In the main event of Friday’s SHOWTIME-televised ShoBox: The New Generation live from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, FL, undefeated lightweight contender Angelo “La Cobra” Santana (14-0, 11 KOs), devastated previously unbeaten Johnny Garcia (13-1,8 KOs) with a sensational knockout in the fifth round that left Garcia out cold on the canvas. Santana started a little slow while accepting a fair challenge from Garcia, who was able to touch the former two-time national Cuban champion very early. That changed in the second round when Santanas speed became a deciding factor, as he hurt and leveled the Holland, Mich. product with speed and power. Garcia was able to beat the count and made it through the next couple rounds, but was cut and slowly being broken down by big body shots and blistering fast counter punches. Santana delivered an incredible straight left hand from his southpaw stance in round 5 that knocked Garcia out cold before he hit the canvas. The fight was immediately called, no count necessary. “I was able to knock him [Johnny Garcia] out and that was my intention. He was a very strong opponent but I was able to stop him.” Santana quoted. “This performance says it all for me. This proves I am ready. “I felt nervous at the beginning as this was my first national TV appearance. I needed a round to gain my composure. But I was in front of my people and they supported me and that is something beautiful. “I was waiting for him to gain confidence and attack me because he was the taller fighter. Once he did that I was able to unload my left hand. I came looking for my fight and he was the one who hurried up.”

In the Co-Main Event super welterweights featuring world-ranked Miami favorite Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez (23-1-1, 13 KOs), an American-born Cuban, won a hard fought unanimous decision over James “Shotgun” Winchester (15-6, 5 KOs), from Greensboro, N.C. Hernandez, 28, has won seven consecutive fights and is currently ranked No. 12 by the World Boxing Council and the International Boxing Federation. He’s the No. 13 rated 154-pounder in the World Boxing Organization. Joey Hernandez said “He [James Winchester] was a little awkward. He led with his head a lot. I did what I had to do and now it’s on to bigger and better things. “He was a tough guy, gave me good rounds. I would have liked to have thrown more combinations but I was being mindful of being headbutted. James Winchester: “I think I won the fight. He [Joey Hernandez] stepped on my foot when I fell and kept hitting me behind the head. “But you know what? It’s cool. This is his hometown crowd and now this crowd respects me.”

In the opening bout of the evening Heavyweight Trevor “The American Dream” Bryan 5-0(4KO) made easy work with a third round TKO win over Hassan Lee 4-3. Bryan dropped Lee midway through the first round with a big left hook, where Lee was able to survive the round that it was obvious the end was near. Lee scored another knockdown in round two and the end came in round three after a huge right hand promoted referee Frank Gentile to step in and stop the fight at 1:45. After the fight Bryan said “I told everyone my jab is my strongest punch. I pumped it up with my double jab and I set my man up.” “I had him [Hassan Lee] in the first round but I need to listen to my corner more. I needed to pick up my punch count and improve my defense. I’m the ‘American Dream.’ I’m ready to go.”

Oleg Platov 30-1 (24KO) scored a knockout over Harold Sconiers 18-26 with a huge left hook at 1 minute 46 seconds of the second round. The Ukrainian Platov started fast against Hardroc landing a series of left hooks onto the durable chin of Sconiers. Sconiers caught Platov in the first round and opened a cut over the left eye of the Ukrainian. Just as the fight seemed as if it just may get interesting, Platove twisted into a left hook that sent Sconiers to the canvas for the ten count. Platov looked strong in his first fight in over two years. After the fight Platov said, “It was great to be back after two years. I had promotional problems but that is over now and I thank Don King for becoming my new promoter. It was beautiful to fight outdoors in Florida. Harold Sconiers was good tonight. We had an accidental clash of head that caused the gash outside my left eye. But he gave me good work. My coach told me between the first and second round that I should throw the uppercut. I was throwing too wide. I threw the uppercut in the second round and my opponent walked right into it. It was great to come back with a knockout. Tell everyone Oleg Platov is back.”

Light Welterweights Amir Iman 6-0(5KO) and Tony “Sugar Boy” Walker 5-2(3KO) engaged in a very entertaining and exciting brawl that lasted just two rounds. Walker gave Iman a tough fight while taking big shots from the young prospect. Walker was hurt midway through round number two and Iman pressured his weakened opponent until Sam Burgoes wisely stepped in and saved Walker from any further punishment. The official time was 2:50 of round 2. TKO. “He [Tony Walker] was a tough opponent, no sucker. I out-toughed him and out-skilled him. I got the stoppage and that’s all that matters. “I have superior skills and techniques that most other fighters don’t have. I’m old school. I study the old masters like Joe Gans from the 1800s. He was an old master and that’s why they call me the ‘Young Master.’

USA Boxing just received notification from AIBA, the international federation for boxing, that all amateur

boxing activities in the United States are immediately suspended. The suspension cancels all

sanctioned competitions; coach and official clinics; boxing club activities; membership registrations; and

insurance coverage.

USA Boxing and our insurance companies will not take any insurance claims until the AIBA suspension

is remedied and/or served until January 19, 2013.

The AIBA Disciplinary Commission levied this suspension against the organization for inappropriate

and improper statements made by Mr. Hal Adonis earlier this year. The AIBA Disciplinary Commission

Decision of October 19, 2012 states:

“By failing to remove Mr. Adonis from the USA Boxing Board of Directors when it had the chance

to do so, USA Boxing, in essence, endorsed Mr. Adonis’ statements and sent out a message that

such behavior was acceptable. The action (or lack thereof) and the very serious and harmful

nature of Mr. Adonis statements, has jeopardized boxing and the Panel finds it appropriate to

impose a suspension upon USA Boxing. This suspension must reflect the severity of the offence.”

The AIBA suspension terms are:

1. USA Boxing shall be fully suspended for a period of 3 months from October 19, 2012

2. Mr. Adonis shall pay a fine of CHF 2,000 and be suspended from all boxing activities at national

and international levels, for 2 years starting from October 19, 2012.

3. The costs of the proceedings, fixed at CHF 1,500, shall be borne equally between USA Boxing

and Mr. Adonis.

4. The decision will be communicated to USA Boxing, Mr. Adonis (via Hollie L Wieland of Karp

Neu Hanlon Attorneys) and to the Headquarters of AIBA.

This is the initial notification. It is unclear if further conditions or demands will follow. We are waiting on

further details from AIBA. Your President; Board of Directors; and Executive Director are working

diligently to determine any further demands of this suspension and to see if USA Boxing can offer any

remedies to shorten it. In the event that we are successful in shortening or lessening our penalties,

USA Boxing will notify you immediately to let you know your sanctioned event can take place. Please

assist in communicating this information to your constituents as soon as possible. We will continue to

update you on the status of this suspension as necessary. In the meantime, USA Boxing and the Board

of Directors are taking every measure available to ensure that amateur boxing is resumed as soon as

possible.

Johnny Schulz catches up with former WBC Caribbean Champ and current UBC Champion Jason Gavern, who speaks about his upcoming fight with Steve Cunningham September 8th in Newark NJ.

15rounds.com’s Johnny Schulz caught up with light welterweight Francisco “Gato” Figueroa by telephone, following his unanamous decision loss to hard hitting Briedis Presscot. Figueroa is following his montra of Cant Stop Wont Stop and still has plenty of fight left in him. Figueroa’s, recent battle with Presscot, his future and a move to lightweight is discussed.

Warriors Boxing Promotions presented Miami Warfare II at the Miami Airport Convention Center in Miami tonight and the crowd was treated to a delight of a card which was headlined by a very entertaining bout between hard hitting Colombian Breidis Prescott 26-4(18KO)and Bronx native Gato Figueroa 20-5-1(13KO).

Prescott is often noted for handing Amir Khan his first shocking knockout loss and has been since dubbed as the Khanqueror. However, the tall and lean Prescott had not followed up strong; he was 5-4 in his last 9 fights. Figueroa the former NABF Welterweight champion, recently faced tall and very tough opposition in dynamite fisted Randall Bailey and rangy brawler undefeated Alex Perez. The slick southpaw found himself with another taller strong fighter tonight.

Prescott started strong in the first round and was firing heavy shots where he knocked an off balanced Figueroa down twice. Gato returned the favor in round five with a straight left hand that deposited the Colombian to the canvas. Where the much taller rangier Prescott set the pace winning the early rounds it was a hard charging Figueroa who came on strong late to keep it competitive and interesting. The two tangled often with the bigger Colombian fighter leaning on and holding the Puerto Rican, Figueroa pushing him down trying to work his legs. A deep cut was caused to the back of Gatos head by some sort of an elbow while engaging the typical entanglement often seen in a southpaw orthodox skirmish. Figueroa came on strong at the end of the fight, he was catching the tiring taller fighter with straight lefts however Prescott used his feet to stay out of reach for follow up punches. The final judges’ cards were 79-71, 77-73, 78-71 all for Prescott.

In the Co-main event prospecting slowly turning contender super featherweight Rances Barthelemy 17-0(11KO) knocked Mexican Alejandro Rodriguez 14-7(7KO) down in the first round in what appeared to be an easy and quick night for the Cuban fighter. In turn, the iron chinned Rodriguez made him work for it over hard fought 8 rounds where Barthelemy earned a unanimous decision. Rodriguez showed a ton of heart as he was hit with everything often and kept coming with true Mexican pride. In the final two rounds Barthelemy toyed with Rodriguez with his hands down slipping punches, more impressively would have appreciated a stoppage. With his perfect record now growing I would assume Barthelemy will start stepping up the competition to get closer to the titles.

In the opening bout of the night Cuban fighter Leosvy Mayedo 3-0(2KO) made easy work of Altantas’ Joseph Benjamin 3-22-2(3KO). Mayedo dropped the over-matched Benjamin in the first and last round however was unable finish off his opponent. Mayedo was clearly looking for a knockout as he was reaching with big punched rarely throwing more than one or two and usually all power punches. More boxing to set up the power punches could have yielded the KO in this fight.

Malcom Stimthil 1-0 dissected Tampa based Cassius Clay throughout a four round entertaining welterweight bout and looked very composed for a debuting fighter. Stimthil rocked Clay often and cut him over his left eye in the second stanza. Stimthil who had 28 amateur bouts, fights out of Palm Beach Boxing in West Palm Beach and is trained by Adam Bram. All three cards read 40-36

Light Heavyweight Radivoje Kalajdzic 7-0(6KO) from Zenica Bosnia went right to work on Jerrod Caldwell 2-1-1(1KO) from Gainesville Florida and scored a blistering first round TKO. Kalajdzic landed a pair of laser fast straight right hands followed by an unanswered flurry that prompted Sam Burgeos to step in and call it a night at 1:49 of the first round.

Middleweight Roberto Acevedo from Puerto Rico improved to 6-0(4KO) with a convincing unanimous decision win over Pnesacolas’ Donald Clark who fell to 2-3(1KO). The card read 60-54 twice and 59-54.

Cuban Super Bantamweight Hairon Socarras, fighting out of Miami, scored a four round unanimous decision win over southpaw Socarras DeWane “The Pain” Wisdon from Indianapolis, IN. The Pain kept it competitive and was caught in the third round in which the tide turned slightly, however not overly impressive and Wisdom did a great job defensively to avoid the big punches from the Cuban fighter, who seemed to be loading up on hopeful punches one at a time, never really putting a meaningful combination together. The cards read 39-37 and 40-36 twice.

In the final bout of the night, Light heavyweight Yunieski Gonazlez improved to 9-0(5KO) with a long and hard fought ten round unanimous decision win over tough, tested and iron willed, Jermaine Mackey 18-6(14KO) fighting out of Nassau Bahamas. Gonzalez threw his heaviest punches at the feisty southpaw Mackey who refused to go away. The two brawled to the fans delight at the end of the fight, leaving this animated Miami crowd begging for more. All three judges saw the fight 100-89.

HOLLYWOOD,FL–Don King Productions did it again with another action packed night of professional boxing the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood Florida. A night full of excellent knockouts and a star studded crowd left the fans on their feet cheering for more Don King Boxing.

And the new NABF heavyweight champion is Tony “TNT” Grano 20-2-1(16KO) after a big knockout win over DaVarryl Williamson 27-7(23KO). Williamson landed a big right hand early in the fight but Grano did not let it disturb his gameplan. Grano landed a huge right hand and dropped Williamson in the third, however the heavy handed Williamson was able to get through the round. The fourth round started a bit slow and ended with a huge right hand that dropped DaVarryl and he was counted out at 2:27 of the fourth. After the fight Grano said “ “DaVarryl caught me with a good right hand in the second round. I didn’t want to get caught again, so I started moving to my right and resetting before he had a chance to try and tag me with those long arms. “I had him in big trouble and tried to take him out in the third round. To be honest, I expended a lot of energy, so I regained my composure in the fourth and caught him right on the button with a right hand for the knockout. “I think I showed everyone tonight that I have a knockout punch. I’d like a shot at Vitali Klitschko before he retires. Right now I can’t wait to get back to Connecticut to celebrate.”

Junior MIddleweight prospect Omar “Oh” Henry 12-0-1 (9 KOs) looked impressive while beating Tyrone “Solja Black” Selders 8-3(6KO) for 10 rounds and picking up his twelfth win as a pro. Henry hit him with everything, a number of times, and the iron chinned Selders kept coming and throwing punches. Henry showed great control and landed bombs all night on Selders iron chin unable to take the game Bayou Brawler out. This was the first time Henry went past four and he showed great conditioning. Selders, who slipped to 8-3(6KO) was fighting out of Baton Rouge, LA, and fought a very valiant fight having taken the fight on short notice. Omar was quoted at the post fight press conference, “I tried to knock him [Tyrone Selders] down but he was a tough guy. I was full of speed tonight. I was prepared well and felt great. I loved putting on a great performance for the fans. I turned it up at the end of each round because I wanted to finish strong for the judges. “I’d like to fight K9 Bundrage or Cory Spinks after they fight for a world title one week from tonight. I will fight anyone at 154 pounds. “I tweaked my right hand but I’m sure it will be alright.”

Local favorite American born Cuban Joe “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez 22-1-1(12KO) stopped tough Brandon “The Business” Baue at of the fourth round. Hernandez felt out Baue in the first three rounds landing an occasional straight left hand. A late round flurry exchange in round three set up an exciting fourth round in which Hernandez was fueld by some in-ring tactics by the Missouri fighter Baue. This was a nice TKO win for Hernandez officially stopped at 1:11 of the fourth. Don King said after the fight that Hernandez is ready for any junior middleweight out there and mentioned a potential match with the winner for the upcoming Cory Spinks and K9 Fight. “I was a little flat in the beginning but I found my groove quickly. “A lot of people tell me I look a lot like Victor Ortiz but I sure have bigger balls than he does. I heard he quit on his stool tonight in Los Angeles. Now Canelo Alvarez needs an opponent, so if he wants to fight a young lion, I’m here in Miami. I’m calling out all the junior middleweights”

Undefeated and emerging lightweight contender Angelo “La Cobra” Santana (13-0, 10 KOs), a Cuban fighting out of Miami, passed the toughest test of his career tonight when he stopped former WBC Silver featherweight champion Justin “Le Voodoo” Savi (26-2, 18 KOs), from Cotonou, Benin. There were a number of early round headbutts that quickly but and badly swollen the eye of Savi. Santana, a two-time Cuban national champion as an amateur, knocked down Savi in round two, while his own gloved touched the ground in what appeared to be a no call knockdown. Santana pressed early in round three landing a huge straight left hand that rocked the Benin Fighter. Savi went down from the pressure and was able to rise to beat the count however was assaulted by La Cobra immediately at which time Frank Gentile stepped in the call a halt to the fight a 1:51 of round three.

Thomas Snow 16-1, (9KO) won by knockout over Ernie Marquez 9-11-2, (3KO) in round 4 of a super flyweight bout.

Super Lightweight prospect Amir Iman (5-0, 4KO) remained perfect with an excellent knockout win over Kelvin Williams Williams (1-2, 1KO) The end came quickly at 2:59 of the first round.

Trevor Bryan 4-0(3KO) made quick work of Hector Hodge 1-1 with great first round knockout.

In the opening bout, Esaie ‘Slick’ Estimar won by a brutal 1st round knockout of Xavier Lugo in a bout of pro debuters.

The full show was broadcast live on Pursuit Channel, as part of a last minute deal reached between the network and King.

Notable Boxing figures in attendance were Larry Holmes, Francisco Palacios, Evander Holyfield, Guillermo Jones, Francisco Palacios, Andriy Kotelnik, Cory Spinks, BJ Flores, and Randall Bailey

HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—Fighters spoke in front of the press for the final time today before the “Viva Don King II” boxing card takes place on Saturday in Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Promoter Don King hosted the press conference, and all participants promised their best performance possible when they enter the ring.

Tickets priced at $154, $104, $79 & $54* are on sale now and are available for purchase at Hard Rock Live Box Office (open daily from noon until 7 p.m. ET), all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: Miami-Dade (305) 358-5885, Broward (954) 523-3309 and Palm Beach (561) 966-3309. *Additional fees and/or service charges may apply.

Tony Grano (NABF No. 1-ranked heavyweight): “We chose to fight DaVarryl Williamson because he has had a very successful career and we need to fight guys like him. I need to fight the best to move up in this sport. I look forward to winning the NABF title.”

DaVarryl Williamson (Former world No. 1 heavyweight): “I feel like I have enough gas left in my tank at age 43 for a final push towards another world heavyweight championship fight. I have been successful in South Florida in the past. I won the NABF heavyweight title by beating Eliecer Castillo in Tampa back in 2004. I look forward to winning it again on Saturday night.”

Joey Hernandez (WBC U.S. super welterweight champion and WBO & IBF No. 10/WBC No. 14, fighting Brandon Baue): “Getting away from Miami to the King Training Camp in Orwell, Ohio, was the best thing for me. I plan on putting on a great show. If I win on Saturday and Cory Spinks defeats Cornelius Bundrage next Saturday, I might be fighting him for a world title, which is my goal.”

Angelo Santana (Undefeated WBA No. 15 lightweight contender, fighting Justin Savi): “I am very prepared for this fight. I am undefeated and this is an important fight in my career. Justin Savi is the best fighter I have ever faced. I must be at my best as I move up in level of competition with each fight towards a world championship.”

Justin Savi (Former WBC Silver Champion): I come here to fight. I must say, I will fight my best. Young Angelo Santana is a good fighter with no losses, but my experience will be too big of an obstacle for him.”

Omar Henry (Undefeated junior middleweight): “I’ve had four opponents for this event. Most of my fights are won by knockout. I like to knock people out, and that’s what I plan to do on Saturday. It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me on Saturday, I will put them down.”

Thomas Snow (WBA No. 15 contender): I have fought down from 136 pounds to 115. I’m the biggest and best 115-pounder out there right now. Get your cameras ready—doesn’t matter what technology—you’ll want to be taking pictures. I’m the only American ranked by the WBA at 115 pounds, so I appreciate your support.”

Hollywood, Fla.—Hall of Fame boxing promoter Don King was joined by many of the principal fighters on Saturday’s “Viva Don King II” boxing card at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., for media workouts today inside Hard Rock Live, the same venue where the fights will be held.

Heavyweight fighters Tony “TNT” Grano (19-2-1, 15 KOs), from Hartford, Conn., and DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson (27-6, 23 KOs), from Denver, both participated in today’s workouts and will fight in the main event on Saturday. Grano is the No. 1-ranked NABF contender and Williamson is a former top-ranked heavyweight, and the winner will win the vacant NABF title.

“I’ve done over 50 rounds of sparring with five different professional heavyweights,” Grano said of his training camp. “I give special thanks to WBA cruiserweight champion Guillermo Jones who came and worked with me.

“This fight with Williamson means everything to me. It’s my time to shine.”

Williamson is looking forward to the challenge from Grano.

“I felt like a champion during training camp in Denver,” Williamson said. “I saw Grano on You Tube and checked on him with people in boxing. The good news I will not have to send out a search party looking for Grano. He’ll be right there in front of me. He comes to fight.”

WBC U.S. super welterweight champion Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez (21-1-1, 12 KOs), from Miami, will take on Brandon “The Business” Baue (12-6, 10 KOs), from Troy, Mo.

“I spent eight weeks training for this fight, the last three secluded at the King Training Camp just outside Cleveland,” Hernandez said. “I wanted to spar with the bigger guys.

“I know if I win my promoter Don King is going to put me in even bigger fights, so I am determined to win convincingly.”

Undefeated WBA No. 15-ranked lightweight Angelo “La Cobra” Santana (12-0, 9 KOs), a Cuban fighting out of Miami, will face the toughest test of his young career against former WBC Silver champion Justin “Le Voodoo” Savi (26-1, 18 KOs), from Cotonou, Benin.

“I have a new physical trainer,” Santana said. “I’m stepping up in competition, so I need to perfect all of my skills.

“It’s great to be trained by former Cuban Olympic coach Jorge Rubio. He splits his time between me and Guillermo Rigondeaux. He is a great coach and I feel I am improving every day.”

Also appearing on the card is undefeated junior middleweight Omar “Oh!” Henry (11-0-1, 9 KOs), from Chicago. He’ll be facing Walter “2 Guns” Wright (14-3, 7 KOs), from Seattle, Wash.

“This is my first 10-rounder, on a big Don King-promoted card,” Henry said after training in San Jose for this fight.

“I want to show everyone my skills. I feel real strong. My motivation is to look impressive.”

Tickets priced at $154, $104, $79 & $54* are on sale now and are available for purchase at Hard Rock Live Box Office (open daily from noon until 7 p.m. ET), all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: Miami-Dade (305) 358-5885, Broward (954) 523-3309 and Palm Beach (561) 966-3309. *Additional fees and/or service charges may apply.

Raw Quotes

Tony Grano (NABF No. 1-ranked heavyweight): “I feel great. My training camp has been great. I’ve done over 50 rounds of sparring with five different professional heavyweights. I give special thanks to WBA cruiserweight champion Guillermo Jones who came and worked with me.

This fight with Williamson means everything to me. It’s my time to shine.”

DaVarryl Williamson (Former world No. 1 heavyweight): “I felt like a champion during training camp in Denver. My preparation changed as I was supposed to fight in Switzerland on July 7, but this fight came up so I took it.

“I saw Grano on You Tube and checked on him with people in boxing. The good news I will not have to send out a search party looking for Grano. He’ll be right there in front of me. He comes to fight.”

Joey Hernandez (WBC U.S. super welterweight champion, fighting on Brandon Baue): “I spent eight weeks training for this fight, the last three secluded at the King Training Camp just outside Cleveland. I wanted to spar with the bigger guys.

“I know if I win my promoter Don King is going to put me in even bigger fights, so I am determined to win convincingly.”

Angelo Santana (Undefeated WBA No. 15 lightweight contender, fighting Justin Savi): “I have a new physical trainer. I’m stepping up in competition, so I need to perfect all of my skills. I have been training in the Xtreme Boxing Gym in Hialeah, Fla.

It’s great to be trained by former Cuban Olympic coach Jorge Rubio. He splits his time between me and Guillermo Rigondeaux. He is a great coach and I feel I am improving every day.”

Omar Henry (Undefeated junior middleweight fighting Walter Wright): “I trained in San Jose for this fight. I feel real strong. My motivation is to look impressive.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—Don King returns to Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., with a “Viva Don King II” boxing event on Saturday, June 23 that will feature three heavyweight fights and local Cuban favorites Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez and undefeated Angelo “La Cobra” Santana.

North American Boxing Federation No. 1-ranked heavyweight, and former U.S. amateur champion, Tony “TNT” Grano (19-2-2, 15 KOs), from Hartford, Conn., and former No. 1-ranked heavyweight and current NABF No. 11-ranked contender DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson (27-6, 23 KOs) will vie for the vacant NABF crown in the main event scheduled for 12 rounds. Both are known for their punching prowess, so fireworks will be on display in this match up between big men.

Two returnees from last year’s first “Viva Don King” card are back by popular demand. Undefeated and emerging lightweight contender Angelo “La Cobra” Santana (12-0, 9 KOs), a Cuban fighting out of Miami, will face the toughest test of his career against former WBC Silver featherweight champion Justin “Le Voodoo” Savi (26-1, 18 KOs), from Cotonou, Benin. Santana, a two-time Cuban national champion as an amateur, is now ranked No. 15 by the World Boxing Association and should have his hands full against the experienced Savi.

American-born Cuban Joey Hernandez (21-1-1, 12 KOs) will defend his WBC U.S. super welterweight title against Brandon “The Business” Baue (12-6, 10 KOs), from Troy, Mo. In his last outing, Hernandez took less than a round before scoring a technical knockout over the normally durable Shakir Ashanti.

Additional heavyweight attractions include the return to Hard Rock Live of former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter (34-5, 27 KOs), who won a unanimous decision over James “Lights Out” Toney at the venue in 2007, and highly touted WBA No. 14-ranked contender Oleg Platov (29-1, 23 KOs). Both will face opponents to be named.

King, 80, is delighted to be returning to the premier casino-resort in South Florida.

A Red Carpet event will take place on Friday, June 22 at Hard Rock Live in celebration of Don King’s 80th year. Lead singer Eddie Levert, of the legendary singing group The O’Jays, will be amongst the featured celebrities performing and paying tribute to King.

“November’s card at the Seminole Hard Rock was a sold-out success,” King said of Viva Don King I. “Now my friends at the Hard Rock say they want to pay tribute to my 80th year with another card, and I can’t think of a better venue than Hard Rock Live to do it in.”

Tickets priced at $54, $79, $104, and $154 are on sale now and are available for purchase at Hard Rock Live Box Office (open daily from noon until 7 p.m. ET), all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: Miami-Dade (305) 358-5885, Broward (954) 523-3309 and Palm Beach (561) 966-3309. *Additional fees and/or service charges may apply.

About Hard Rock Live
Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility, further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This 5,500-seat indoor arena regularly hosts South Florida’s greatest variety of musical acts and top comedians and is home to major sporting events. For more information, please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com or www.myhrl.com.

About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino invites you to PLAYHARD! Play, stay, dine, and shop at South Florida’s ultimate entertainment destination. Over 90 tables offer Blackjack, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker, Casino War and Let it Ride on a nearly three-acre casino floor. Additionally, 2,500 slots include the Native-American Casino linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Separate high-limit rooms for table games and slots, in addition to a non-smoking room, are available for guests to enjoy. Loyal Player’s Club members also have access to the exclusive VIP Plum Lounge and VIP Chef’s Table show kitchen. The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise hosts various games and tournaments of Limit and No Limit Texas Hold ‘em, 7-Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Located inside the casino is Hard Rock Cafe -Hollywood, part of Hard Rock’s 136 globally recognized rock ‘n’ roll themed restaurants. The Green Lodging Certified by the State of Florida, AAA Four Diamond-rated resort showcases 500 luxurious guest rooms, 17 restaurants and lounges, 40,000 square feet of meeting room space, the Body Rock Spa, 23 boutique shops, 13 nightclubs, the 400-seat Paradise Live theater and the 5,500–seat Hard Rock Live concert arena. Located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327-ROCK, 1 800-937-0010 or visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com or www.facebook.com/seminolehardrockhollywood .

About Don King Productions
Don King Productions has promoted over 600 world championship fights with nearly 100 individual boxers having been paid $1 million or more. DKP also holds the distinction of having promoted or co-promoted seven of the 10 largest pay-per-view events in history, as gauged by total buys, including three of the top five: Holyfield vs. Tyson II, 1.99 million buys, June 1997; Tyson vs. Holyfield I, 1.6 million buys, November 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, 1.58 million buys, August 1995.

DKP has promoted or co-promoted 11 of the top 25 highest-grossing live gates in the history of the state of Nevada including five of the top seven: Holyfield vs. Lewis II, paid attendance: 17,078, gross: $16,860,300 (NOTE: Also second-highest live-gate gross for any event in the history of the world.), date: Nov. 13, 1999; Holyfield vs. Tyson II, paid attendance: 16,279, gross: $14,277,200, date: June 28, 1997; Holyfield vs. Tyson I, paid attendance: 16,103, gross: $14,150,700, date: Nov. 9, 1996; Tyson vs. McNeeley, paid attendance: 16,113, gross: $13,965,600, date: Aug. 19, 1995; and Trinidad vs. De La Hoya, paid attendance: 11,184, gross: $12, 949, 500. Sept. 18, 1999.

Miami, FL–World Renown Boxing Promoter Don King did it again with another great card of excellent competitive boxing in Miami at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai. This was the first card at the newly renovated Casino Jai-Alai much to the delight of a ravenous crowd who was left begging for more. With numerous accolades, awards, lifetime achievements in the sport of boxing, and accomplishments during his career, King is often referred to the greatest promoter of all time and rightfully so.

For the main event, WBC US Super welterweight Champion Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez 21-1-1(12KO) was very impressive with a first round TKO win over tough veteran Shakir Ashanti 16-13. Ashanti, who I must note had a crazy outfit of what appeared to be skirt and pom poms attached to his legs, met Twinkle Fingers with a couple fast early punches and the two tied up in the middle of the ring. While tied up Hernandez did what all fighters should do and instead of waiting for the referee to break the action he kept punching with the free hand landing some hard punches that eventually floored the Ashanti. Ashanti was able to beat the count however it was Hernandez who then rushed across the ring and landed a number of clean unanswered shots during a fight ending flurry that ended the junior middleweight fight at 2:45 of just the first round. After the fight Hernandez was quick to grab the microphone from ring announcer Marc Lictenfield to call out Jr Middleweight contender and former 5 time world champion Cory Spinks for a fight. Spinks was not slow to climb into the ring and return fire on the microphone by telling Hernandez to “bring it on” and ”Imma stop this fool right here” which was not very well accepted by Hernandez’s hometown crowd in Miami. Spinks is looking to avenge a 2010 knockout loss to Cornelius Bundrage 31-4(18KO) on June 23rd at the Hard Rock in Hollywood Florida. The fight will be for the IBF title. Hernandez said after the fight, “I’m a bad dude when I want to be. I wiped out Shakir Ashanti like a plate of dishes in the first round—and he went 10 rounds with Cory Spinks!

The WBC #1 ranked heavyweight Bermane “B-Ware” Stiverne 22-1-1, (20 KOs) squeaked out a unanimous decision win over journeyman Willie Herring 13-11-3(4KO) from Orlando. Stiverne, a native of Haiti who grew up in Miami, controlled much of the first part of the fight with hard combinations and pressed the very tough and brave Herring. Herring had no problem standing in the pocket with the bigger Stiverne exchanging punching but was not a fan Stiverne mid-fight jaw jacking taunts and told him to “Shut up and fight”. Herring landed some nice shots at the end of round four that led to a very entertaining round 5 which it seemed the tide seemed to be turning and Herring appeared to be putting together a nice late fight rally. Stiverne hung on to take the decision however it was Herrings toughness that won the fans appreciation as was well noted after the fight. Stiverne mentioned after the fight he had injured his right hand, his money hand and he calls it, early in round two. The cards read, 79-73 twice and 77-75 on the final card, and was the same score I had. Stiverne said after the fight, “Willie Herring gave me just what I needed tonight, a chance to show all the things we’ve been working on in the gym like head movement, establishing my jab, body shots and throwing punches in bunches.” “I came to fight and so did Herring. I threw a lot of leather and he got most of it. “I took this fight and short notice but it was good to get some rust worked out. Herring is lighter and moves well so it wasn’t easy for me to land everything I threw, but he knew when I did. “It was great to be fighting where I grew up in Miami in front of friends and family.”

Former amateur standout and 2008 Haitian Olympian Azea “Haitian Hitman” Augustama 13-1(8KO) let his star shine bright with a win over Grover “The Cobra” Young, 6-7-1(3KO). The sharp Augustama often connected with blistering fast right hand left hook combos to the hard charging southpaw who himself found success early on with a couple straight left hands as well. A bizarre moment happened in the second round when Augustama landed a straight right hand and Young backed up holding his head as if he got head butted. The referee noted it as a clean punch and did not step in, so Augustama jumped on Young with a flurry of punches that prompted him to take a knee to recover still holding his head. I spoke to Augustama after the fight and he stated it was a clean punch. The end came at 55 seconds of the second round.

Marcus “Happy” Oliveira 23-1-1(23KO) was just that …’happy’ after a fast 1 punch knockout over Adam “Atom Bomb” Collins from Portsmouth, OH. The end came quickly at just :49 seconds of the first round when Oliveira landed a crushing left hook to the body which sent Collins to the canvas and unwilling to continue…………. After the fight Oliveira said ““I predicted I would win the fight with a body shot and I did. My body shot dropped him for good. The last time I saw a body shot like that was Tito Trinidad vs. Rafael Pineda. I’m a big Tito fan, so I have always wanted to land a body shot like that. “When I hit him in the face he covered up his head, so I took it to his body. “I’m ready to fight for a world championship this year. I’d fight Nathan Cleverly tomorrow.”

Tough Jr Welterweight prospect Amir Imam 4-0(3KO) from Albany, NY, now fighting out of Pompano Beach Florida, looked sharp with a convincing TKO win over rough and ready but awkward John “Big Money” Willoughby 3-12(2KO) from Selma AL. Imam landed a great straight right hand early in round one that put Willoughby against the ropes and set the tone for the rest of the fight which was of a pitbull versus a feline. Imam knocked Willoughby down twice in the first round once with a beautiful right hand and a second by way of a short left hook inside. The end came at 1:15 of the second round after a crushing right hand at which time referee Sam Burgos.

Undefeated Heavyweight prospect Trevor “The American Dream” Bryan 3-0(2KO) from Albany, NY, now fighting out of Pompano Beach Florida, kept his perfect record in tact with a hard fought unanimous decision win over young challenger Brandon Spencer, 1-3 (1KO) from Augusta GA. It took Bryan a couple rounds to get acclimated to his 283 pound southpaw counterpart’s style, but started to find a home for his double left hook and right hand combination that later proved to be the big difference in the fight. A game Spencer landed hard straight left hands and occasional desperate flurries, but was slowed by body shots of Bryan, and poor conditioning. All three cards read 40-36.

Boxing notables in the crowd included Francisco Palacios, Cory Spinks, Chad Dawson, Patricia Alcivar, and Guillermo Jones.

Weights from the Casino Miami Jai-Alai in support of Saturday’s boxing card featuring South Florida favorite Joey Hernandez (20-1-1, 11 KOs), taking on Shakir Ashanti (16-12, 4 KOs), from New Bern, N.C., and WBC No. 1-ranked heavyweight Bermane “B-Ware” Stiverne (21-1-1, 20 KOs), from Miami, taking on Willie Herring (13-10-3, 4 KOs), from Orlando, Fla.

Joey Hernandez 164 ¼ vs. Shakir Ashanti 158 ½, 10 rounds, junior middleweights;

Bermane Stivern 243 vs. Willie Herring 212 ¾ , 8 rounds, heavyweights;

Marcus Oliveira 182 ¼ vs. Adam Collins 178 ¾, 8 rounds, light heavyweights;

Azea Augustama 190 vs. Grover Young 194, 6 rounds, light heavyweights;

Amir Imam 140 ¾ vs. John Willoughby 137, 4 rounds, junior welterweights;

Trevor Bryan 224 ½ vs. Brandon Spencer 282, 4 rounds, heavyweights

HOLLYWOOD, FLA–ESPN Friday Night Fights was live from the Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, where Henry Rivaltas’ and Shannon Briggs’ Acqinity Sports presented the “D-Day: Dominican Domination” card.

“Acquinity Sports has the best fighter on the planet, Joan Baby Tyson” Guzman, proudly representing The Dominican Republic” is what promoter Henry Rivatla exclaimed about the his contender earlier this week. Joan Guzman 32-0-1, (19 Kos) lived up to some of that hype with a brutal knock out win over Puerto Rico’s Jesus Pabon 17-3, (11 KO’s). Guzman controlled the fight with vicous punches that knocked Jesus Pabon down a total of 4 times. The fight was cleary a mismatch of skill as Pabon had a ton of heart but very little of a challange for the tough Brooklyn based fighter Guzman. Guzman took his time where it seemed at times where he seemed to hold back from attacking.

Guzman dropped Pabon with an brutal left that put Pabon down and out at 1:23 of round eight. Acquinity promoter and former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs was vocal of the hard work Guzman has put in at the Miami gym of Brigg’s former trainer Herman Caicedo.

Previsouly Guzman has dealt with adversity, despite capturing belts in the junior-lightweight and lightweight divisions. The label was placed on Guzman after he failed to make weight for title fights against Nate Campbell and Ali Funeka. Moreover, the Nevada Athletic Commission suspended Guzman for eight months after he tested positive for a banned substance before another bout in December 2010. Guzman, 32, now feels rejuvenated. Free of his suspension he has begun his run for a third world title and to repair his reputation.

The opening on air bout showcased local Miami contender Welterweight Ed “The Lion” Paredes (30-3-1, 11 KOs) in impressive fashion over late replacement Manuel Leyva (21-5, 12 KOs). Paredes successfully defended his WBO an WBC Latino titles while representing the Dominican Republic. Paredes started the fight with sharp punches while his southpaw counterpart retreated trying to stay away from Paredes’ sharp hard right hands. Paredes found an early home for his right hands and hurt his Mexican oponent in the third round with blistering straight rights and uppercuts. Paredes had Leyva hurt in the third and applied steady pressure but seemed to let Leyva recover and survive the round. Paredes continued with the pressure and dropped the Mexican twice in the fifth both times with an excellent left hook right uppercut combination and again Leyva survived the round while punching on his feet quit admirabley. The brave Mexicans’ survival came to an end came at 1:29 of round seven when Paredes dug a deep left hook to the body and a right uppercut that crumbled Leyva ending the bout with Sam Burgos wisely calling a halt to the beating.

In a middleweight chess match of a bout Taureano Johnson 7-0(5KO) remained perfect while outpointing tough Brazilian Edvan Dos Santos Barros 13-13. Johnson commanded the fight with pressure while Barros fought cautiously seldom offering exchanges. Johnson swept all cards 60-54.

The opening bout of the night was an exciting brawl that left Anthony Castellon 0-0-1 and Tommy Bryant 2-4-1 to a majority draw. The two welterweights slugged however both seemed to have lost steam in just the four round bout. The final round saw both fighters slow and tired but punching. The cards read 39-37 for Bryant and two deadlocked at 38.

Light heavyweights Abdulah Dobey and Jerrod Caldwell had an opportunity of a lifetime when their bout was shown as the final bout of the live ESPN show. The bout was a rock’em sock’em robot affair that ended in a draw. The fight was ugly but entertaining while the two kept very busy. The cards read 39-37 40-36 and 38 38.

Super Middleweight Umberto Savigne improved to 8-1 with a crushing knockout win over Franck Paines 11-3.

Featherweight Claudio Marrero 11-0(9KO) captured the WBC FECARBOX title with a dominating unanimous decision win over Gerardo Zayas 18-19(11).

Undefeated Flyweight prospect Patricia “Patty Boom Boom” Alcivar 5-0 (3KO) is ready to make a big statement while showing the boxing world what she is made of. Alcivar will face Brooklyn’s Keisher McLeod 4-2(1KO), as a part of Lou Dibellas Broadway Boxing, at BB King Blues Club & Grill, New York, New York on Wednesday March 7th, 2012.

Alcivar, the former 2 time NYC Golden Gloves champion and National Amateur Champion is coming off of a convincing win over veteran Savanah Hill 7-10, last year and is very eager to face her Brooklyn counterpart. “I am always in top fight shape and ready to make a big statement to Dibella and the boxing world on March 7th. This is my biggest fight to date and I am stepping into the ring with one thing in mind… a convincing win. I understand this is going to be a tough fight for me but I am absolutely confident I will have my hand raised in the end, while giving my fans a great show.”

Alcivar who trains out of Trinity Boxing Gym in Manhattan with Martin Snow has recently enlisted proven successful trainer Angel Rivera as her technical boxing coach. “Alcivar has much improved her power to accompany her excellent ring generalship”.

Alcivar’s intriguing story will be featured on the YES Network leading up to the fight. An addition to her growing fan base will be certain as the YES Network is the most-watched regional sports network in the country, and has been for the past nine years.

Read more about Alcivar’s amazing story of survival, hope and fight at www.patriciaalcivar.com.

For Tickets please go to www.wix.com/jsizzle141/boomboomtickets

Tickets also available at: Trinity Boxing Gym, 110 Greenwich St, NYC (near the World Trade Center/Wall St area), (212) 374-9393. Tickets: General Admission: $55.00 & $75.00, Tables: $100, Ringside: $125,VIP Tables: $200

September 23, 2011 (Hollywood FL)–Tonight’s main event with former NABA lightweight champion Edner Cherry 28-6-2 and former IBF lightweight Champion Eric Aiken 16-8(12KO) ended in bizarre fashion at the end of round one. Seconds before the bell the two got into a mean exchange that lasted just beyond the bell. As Cherry kept punching Aiken relaxed at the bell and Cherry threw an extra punch, a beautiful left hook ala Mayweather sucker punch that floored the former champion and he was out on the canvas for a few minutes. Frank Gentile had no choice but call a stop to the fight as Aiken was clearly affected by the huge power shot after the bell. Clearly unintentional but a good call in the end. The fight was officially delcared a No Contest. On February 17 2007, Cherry lost a competitive decision to former Junior Welterweight world champion Paul Malignaggi in an HBO Boxing After Dark main event. In 2008 he dropped a decision to undefeated WBC and WBO Junior Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley and has come back with 4 KO wins since the most recent coming in January of this year.

In a very competitive welterweight match up Miami’s Damian “Devo” Frias 19-4 10KO) fought hard to a TKO victory win over Henry Crawford 22-2(9KO) fighting out of Patterson New Jersey. Frias, a southpaw, was the more accurate puncher in a chess match that brought boos from the crowd early on, however in my opinion did not deserve it as the two fighters fought hard and showed nice skill and great defense prowess. Frias was steady at chopping his opponent down through the 10 rounds slowing Crawford down making his punches land hard while closing the NJ based brawlers left eye with a steady right jab and hook. This was not the most pleasing fight for the casual fan, but very competitive and a bit of a true boxing fan’s delight of a fight. Going into the ninth round Frias was bloodied and Crawford was bruised and his left eye nearly swollen shut while having taking more of the punishment throughout the fight. Frias saw his chance and turned on the heat and overwhelmed Crawford with big shots as he could not see them coming with his eye swollen shut. Frias’s unleashed the fury in round nine prompting referee Frank Santore Jr to stopped the fight at :57 seconds of round nine, officially scored as a TKO.

Miami’s women’s flyweight Marisol Miranda improved her record to 5-4 (1KO)in a tough split decision win over Chantel “Gorgeous Babe” Cordova 8-3(3KO). The southpaw Miranda pushed the action throughout the fight leaving Cordova to counter punch and often switching her stance to try and slow down the pushing Miranda. Cordova caught the Hollywood Fl based Miranda in the fourth round with a straight right hand that knocked her down but more off balance than a power punch that put her down. The cards were very close and read 57-56 Cordova 57-56 Miranda 57- 56 Miranda.

Light Welterweight Juan Copado 2-0(1KO) fighting out of Richmond Texas, was in for a rough fight when he met Tommy “Gun” Bryant 2-3-1 from Naples Fl. Braynt was very aggressive from his southpaw stance consistently attacking but was clearly out skilled by the Texan Copado who was accurate and remained calm under the attack of Bryant. The judges score 40-36 and 39-37 all in favor of Copado.

In a very action packed Super Featherweight brawl, Arron Chavez 2-2-1 from Vero Beach battled a tough Larry Yanez 2-4-1, who has been very busy to the start of his career this being his fifth fight of ‘11. This was an excellent battle between two very determined pugilists laying it on the line for the love and honor of the sport. Watching these two fighters was a pure joy from a fans standpoint to press row where no one was disappointed in the effort by these two warriors. The cards read 39-37 for Yanez 38-38 twice for a majority draw.

In the fight of the night Junior Middleweight clash Clarence Booth 2-0(1KO) and Cletus Sledin 2-0(1KO) got DOWN! These two combatants went to war and put on a hell if a show for the crowd here in Hollywood Florida. The fight started out very steady with both fighters picking their shots and it all got heated up in round two when Sledin knocked out Booths mouthpiece and the two got into a rough grappling match that resulted in Sledin body slamming Booth in which he was deducted a point. A fierce battle then ensued following the deduction where the intensity greatly increased with a ton of pressure from both fighters and Booth showing his natural boxing skill counter punching and moving nicely defending Booths raw attack. However the skill was not enough as Sledins’ pressure and will outdid Booths skill and won a close unanimous decision despite the point deduction. All three cards read 38-37.

Light Middleweight Jamal “Hitman” Charlo 8-0(4KO) unloaded a spectacular one punch knockout over Eric Draper 4-6 at 1:32 of round 1. Charlos’ speed and superior skill was evident from the opening bell and he was ever impressive with a beautiful right uppercut that landed perfectly and laid Draper out flat on the canvas without movement for a couple minutes. Great knockout!

Welterweight Ed “The Lion” Paredes 27-3-3(16KO) fought off a very tough and ready Juliano Ramos 16-5(13KO) who came after Paredes the entire fight. Ramos started very strong pressuring the taller Paredes and landing some very nice inside shots while Paredes touched the Brazilian from the outside. Ramos stuck to his game plan nicely for the opening few rounds pushing Paredes back and making the rangy brawler fight going backwards.

Paredes adjusted and started to create distance landing cleaner punches midway during round three which slowed Ramos down and turned the early momentuem into his direction. Ramos slowed as the fight wore on and Paredes got stronger landing bigger shots wearing the tough and tested Ramos down. Regardless Ramos stalked The Lion down looking to get inside but the sharp punching Paredes did his damage breaking his Brazilian counterpart down until a big right hand in the eight dropped Ramos, who got up slowly and staggered just enough to have Telis Assimenios wisely wrap him up and wave him into safety at 2:07 of the eighth.

WBC’s #8 ranked lightweight Richard Abril 16-2(8KO) dropped and stopped Sergio Rivera 25-8(16KO) fighting out of Mexico, with a big right hand to the body in the fifth round. The punch was initially called low however Rivera refused to continue. The blow was very suspect as far as being low and it would look like Rivera took an early siesta on a good body shot. Abril set the pace early with a steady diet of jabs and straight right hands and outclassed the tough Mexican showing superior hand speed and landing at a high percentage. The fight was called a TKO 1:28 in the fifth round. Abril has his sights set on WBA Champion Brandon Rios and hopes to soon see him on the other side of the ring.

Heavyweight prospect Luis “El Mercedes” Ortiz 13-0 (11KO) took the TKO win over Arron Lyons 12-11(9KO) from Mississippi. Ortiz clobbered and bloodied Lyons throughout the fight with thunderous shots and impressive speed, all while quickly maturing in the professional ring. While taking a nasty beating, Lyons was able to land a few shots but none seemed to faze the former world amateur champion Ortiz who had 381 fights before entering the pro ranks. It will be interesting to see how Ortiz would do with the top of ranks which he should be ready for in a few fights of tougher opponents. Ortiz looked sharp but may need to work on turning his punches over a little more as many of his power shots were somewhat palming the inferior opponent. Ortiz, who is working at fast tracking his way to the top of the heavyweight ranks, holds both the WBA Federation and the WBC FECARBOX titles which were not on the line tonight. Lyons was cut badly early in the fight and by the end of the seventh the ringside physician had advised the fight to be stopped. In the end Ortiz did his job and disposed of the tough but outclassed Lyons.

In a 105 lb hotly contested bout among a raucous crowd Carlos “el Chocorritonito Buitrago 20-0 (15KO’s) squared up against a fiery Mexican fighter Felipe Riveras 9-9(4KO). The first round were “choc” full of good exchanges and jeers from the crowd with both men getting in some nice shots to oohs and ahhs of the Nicaraguan and Mexican fans. The second round was more of the same with both men getting off some great shots with an extra dose of showmanship from Rivas before the end of the round. Third round was more of Riva getting off the better and cleaner power shots. The 4th ended up with more of the same all Rivas. The 5th round there was a shift in the momentum with Buitrago starting to get off the cleaner shots with Rivas doing more of the Ali shuffle then boxing. The 6th round showed a clear shift in the action with the Nicaraguan starting to dictate the action and dominate the fight. The 7th and 8th rounds gave the crowd a little less action with Buitrago and Rivas going back and forth equally with not man winning the rounds in spectacular fashion. The ninth and tenth rounds gave us more back and forth leaving a nail biting decision for the crowd to wait on.

Lightweight Yoelvis Gamboa 7-0(3KO), the younger brother of WBA and IBF Featherweight World Champion Yorkies Gamboa was successful in stopping iron chinned and clearly out matched Larry Yanez 2-3. Referee Frank Gentile stepped in and saved Yanez at 1:54 of the fourth round. This fight could have easily been stopped a stanza earlier.

In a youth vs. age bout Super Bantamweight Cuban amateur star Yoandris Salinas 16-1(7KO) pressured veteran fighter Felipe Almanza 18-27(9KO) from the opening bell and controlled the entire fight with commanding ring generalship and aggression. Salinas was relentless and landing big shots on the Colombian Almanza and in the 3rd the Cuban landed a vicious left hook right hand the floored Almanza who was unable to reach his feet at the count of ten. The end came at 2:35.

June marks the beginning of hurricane season and graduation ceremonies in South Florida. Last night at The Seminole Hard Rock Live, a healthy crowd of vocal fans witnessed the pugilistic equivalent of both. The Heavyweight Factory promoted an 8-bout card titled: “Hollywood Fight Night” featuring a rising star, two veterans in search of an elusive world title and two former world champs seeking to regain former glory. The exceptionally-matched fights highlighted a herculean effort from under appreciated boxing matchmaker Johnny Bos. Bos, a member of the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame, worked tirelessly through Friday and into Saturday to secure the right fighters for the right fights.

Heavyweight veteran Cedric “The Boz” Boswell (35-1, 26 KOs) single-handedly defended his NABA and WBC Latino belts against Kertson “Warrior” Manswell (20-3, 15 KOs) in the 10-round main event. The 41-year old Boswell started strongly with chopping right hands to serve notice to his Trinidadian opponent, forcing Manswell to raise his guard and shoulder high in defense. Boswell followed up with a quick 3-punch combination as he started to dictate the pace. Manswell fired back a probing right hand to the body and hooked Boswell’s head in a clinch as the round ended.

The second round saw Boswell land a wicked 3-punch combination as Manswell unwisely turned to referee Frank Santore Jr. to complain of a prior right hand he felt strayed low. “The Boz” followed this up with a swift left hook upstairs. Santore stepped in to warn both men for hitting behind the head. The warning apparently wasn’t heeded as Boswell fired a long right hand that caught Manswell to the back of his head. It appeared Manswell may have turned away from the punch, which caused him to crumple to the canvas. Referee Santore Jr. started a standing-eight count but changed it into a 1-point deduction for Boswell. As action resumed, Boswell fired a stump of a jab to stun Manswell, followed by quick, short combinations to the head. Manswell responded with a clean right uppercut to close the round.

Boswell bid farewell to his right-hand punches in the third round after landing a short right hand to Manswell’s head. “The Boz” pelted Manswell with crisp jabs and meaningful left hooks throughout the stanza. By the fourth round, it became evident Manswell was fighting a one-armed man. Amazingly, Boswell continued to hold his own behind an active jab and left hook. By the seventh round, Manswell seemed to understand his tactical advantage and opened up with strong left hooks of his own. Undeterred, the Detroit native trash-talked the advancing Manswell in the 8th and 9th rounds while peppering him with every left-handed blow in his arsenal.

Boswell circled away to his left in the tenth and continued to give Manswell a verbal and physical lashing. Manswell switched to the southpaw stance to attempt an even greater tactical advantage. Boswell’s lead on the scorecards was too great however as judges awarded him the unanimous decision victory with identical scores of 98-90. After the fight, Boswell confirmed he injured his right shoulder: “Whooping him (Manswell) upside his head.” Having Boswell and fellow heavyweight Jameel McCline in the same room was apparently bad for Boswell’s shoulder, since the injury appeared to be the same rotator cuff tear suffered in his only career blemish: a 10th round TKO loss to McCline. (McCline sat at ringside during last night’s bout.)

The co-main event showcased Detroit native and top-rated light middleweight prospect Domonique “3D” Dolton (11-0, 6 KOs) attempting to move up to middleweight to “graduate” to his first professional career regional belts (The vacant NABA USA and WBC FECARBOX titles). Dolton needed every bit of his Kronk Gym boxing pedigree to hold off a relentless challenge from Lithuanian Donatas Bondorevas (12-3-1, 3KOs) to earn a majority decision victory in his first 10-round bout. Playing the role of matador to the bullish Bondorevas, Dolton dazzled with exceptional footwork and defense throughout the early rounds. Controlling the pace and the distance behind accurate combinations, Dolton opened a cut over the Lithuanian’s left eye in the first.

“3D” continued to stymie Bondorevas with fluid movement and crisp punches as action headed into the sixth round. Dolton fired a left hook to the body which prompted a low blow response from Bondorevas. The punch floored Dolton as he yelped in pain. Taking about forty seconds to recover, Dolton resumed his attack with a right hand/left hook combo to restart the blood flowing from Bondorevas’ cut.

Bondorevas found his range by the seventh behind solid right hands that tested Dolton’s chin and conditioning. The added weight and rounds started to favor the Lithuanian heading into the later rounds and both men slowed their attacks slightly from the furious pace. Bondorevas found an opening for his right uppercut in the eighth and started to stun Dolton before short-circuiting his own attack with another low blow. Again Dolton fell to the canvas and referee Sam Burgos issued Bondorevas his second warning. Dolton walked it off and a brawl started taking shape with the blood flowing from the Lithuanian’s left eye.

Bondorevas lost his head and a point in the ninth as he jumped into Dolton with an attempted flagrant head-butt on a break to force Burgos to administer the 1-point deduction. Dolton regained his earlier form in the tenth to keep the action in the center of the ring with refreshed footwork and defense. Bondorevas still had a surprise for Dolton as he forced him to the ropes behind a left hook to the body and a left uppercut to the head that floored him as the final bell rang. Dolton beat the standing-eight count and awaited the judge’s decision, which came with scores of 95-93 (twice) and 94-94. Dolton’s perfectionist nature came out as he explained: “Some guys have awkward styles. I had to learn how to adjust. I knew I was setting him up but I just had to throw more. Sometimes there are rough fights, but you have to deal with them.”

The action-packed undercard featured IBF #14-ranked super-featherweight Daniel “The Prophet” Attah (26-7-1, 9 KOs) against John “The Real Digg” Trigg (18-36, 6 KOs) in an 8-round contest. Fresh off a disappointing decision loss to Filipino Michael Farenas in California two weeks ago, Attah was determined to notch the win. The Nigerian-born southpaw opened up a cut to Trigg’s forehead in the opening round with blazing right hooks. The game Trigg found openings for left hooks and continued to advance towards Attah, eating combinations for his trouble. “The Prophet” poured on the punches to open a cut over Trigg’s right eye in the second round. Heads came together in the fourth; which exacerbated the cut over Trigg’s right eye, yet he continued to move forward.

Attah continued to hold the speed advantage but felt Trigg’s body shots and overhand rights. Trigg complained to referee Frank Santore about Attah’s clinches in the sixth round. Nothing seemed to slow the tough-as nails Trigg except Attah’s huge left hand leads which repeatedly landed on the increasingly bloody face of Trigg.

Trigg saved his best for last in the eighth, scoring a right hand as Attah backed to the ropes. Sensing an opportunity, Trigg fired another right to send Attah to the floor. Attah vehemently complained of a slip but Santore Jr. applied the standing eight-count as the bout came to a close. Judges scored it 79-73 and 78-73 (twice) for “The Prophet.”

The expected slugfest between former undisputed cruiserweight champion O’Neil “Give ‘Em Hell” Bell (26-4-1, 24 KOs) and WBA light heavyweight world champion Richard “The Destroyer” Hall (30-8, 28 KOs) got the crowd roaring in their 10-round cruiserweight battle. Bell, who recently changed his name to “El Yun El,” landed repeated right hands to Hall’s head in the first half of the opening round. Hall, tentatively measuring his fellow Jamaican opponent, fired a right hook that caught Yun El backing up. Pinning Yun El to the corner, Hall continued his assault and shook off a counter right to land a big left hand. The two men traded heavy shots throughout the second round with Hall scoring straight lefts and uppercuts and Yun El replying with powerful rights. Hall fired a devastating left that snapped Yun El’s head back along the ropes, followed by another that left the former cruiserweight champion defenseless and prompted referee Sam Burgos to jump in and stop the assault at 1:58.

Hall wasted no time calling out undefeated WBO NABO and NABF cruiserweight champion Lateef Kayode (16-0, 14 KOs) afterwards, proclaiming: “Every belt you have belongs to me. Everyone told me to be patient but the time has come for you to grow some balls and fight me. He’s African and I’m Jamaican. Everyone knows this will make a great fight. He needs to grow some balls and quit running from me.”

In a battle of the “Beasts,” local Haitian-American heavyweight Dieuly “The Untamed Beast” Aristilde (9-4, 2 KOs) stopped Darrick “The Beast” Allen (2-9, 2 KOs) by TKO at 1:24 in the second round.

Local crowd favorite Erik “The Viking” Leander (11-1, 8 KOs) notched the eighth first-round knockout of his career by crushing 300-lb David Saulsbury (6-3, 6 KOs) with a right hand, left hook combination at 2:06 of the round. Doctors attended to the prone Saulsbury for minutes after the end of the bout as a precaution. Cuban heavyweight Yasmay “Tiburon” Consuegra (5-0, 3 KOs) maintained his undefeated record with a 3rd round TKO stoppage over Ronny Hale (1-2, 1 KO) at 2:26 of the 3rd round. Super middleweight Tracy “T-Roc” Rollins (2-0, 1 KO) of Chicago earned a unanimous decision victory of southpaw Eddie Gates (2-2, 1 KO) from Detroit in the show’s opening bout. All 3 judges scored the bout 39-36 for Rollins.