Warwick, RI (October 29, 2020) – On what felt like the coldest night of the year in Rhode Island, New England’s top fighters brought the heat Thursday in a short, but sweet, pro boxing showcase at “The Tent.”

Fan-favorite Toka Kahn-Clary of Providence scored a second-round knockout victory in the main event and highly-decorated welterweight James Perella won for the sixth time in as many fights as CES Boxing ended its eight-month layoff live from the Crowne Plaza Hotel on UFC FIGHT PASS®.

The event featured four bouts – a fifth, Khiry Todd versus Ryan Pino, was scratched earlier in the day with Todd suffering from a non-COVID illness – highlighted by Kahn’s triumphant return following 14 months away from boxing. The fighters braved the elements, working through bitter cold and a driving wind, with no fans in attendance as many of them returned to action for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early March. For CES, Thursday was the promotion’s first live event since late February, a layoff sparked by the cancelation of its March 12 show on the morning of fight night.

Kahn, now 28-2 with 19 knockouts, faced Colombian challenger Jonathan Perez (38-26), whom he defeated via knockout in California in 2015, in the eight-round main event. Nicknamed “Popeye,” Perez entered Thursday’s rematch with a chip on his shoulder and a loaded resume that featured 30 wins by knockout in addition to five bouts against undefeated opponents over the past three years.

After a slow opening round, Kahn picked up the pace and floored Perez with an uppercut midway through the second. Perez tried to beat the count, but fell face-first back into the canvas, forcing referee Danny Schiavone to wave it off at the 1:49 mark. Kahn has now won three in a row since suffering his second career defeat in 2018, a loss that prompted him to jump from featherweight to super featherweight.

The 28-year-old Perella (6-0) – a decorated amateur, aspiring law student, and part-time actor – received much-needed on-the-job training in a tough bout against “The Mexican Muscle” Antonio Castillo (1-2). Perella had stopped four of his previous five opponents, but Castillo – a three-time CES MMA veteran in addition to his acumen as a boxer – kept Perella off guard with slick head movement and effective footwork. Perella adjusted on the fly, using his reach to keep his distance and stepping back to create space to launch his effective left hook. Castillo kept charging, but Perella won by a score of 40-36 on all three scorecards.

Like Perella, up-and-coming middleweight prospect Francis Hogan (3-0, 3 KOs) of Weymouth, MA, made his CES and FIGHT PASS debut, stopping Washington’s Charon Spain (2-14-2) at the 2:39 mark of the fourth round of a scheduled six-round bout. Only 20 years of age, Hogan was originally supposed to face 14-2 veteran Jeyson Minda in an eight-round showdown, but Minda was not cleared medically, prompting Spain to step to the plate on short notice.

A veteran of 68 pro bouts between MMA and boxing, Spain was a worthy adversary through three rounds until Hogan began to let his hands go in the fourth, scoring a knockdown with a straight left hand midway through the round. Spain tried to survive the closing seconds, but Hogan poured it on, forcing Schiavone to step in and stop the bout at the 2:39 mark.

In the opening bout, rising prospect Elijah Peixoto (3-0, 2 KOs) of East Providence, RI, made quick work of Kris Berberich (0-2), earning the stoppage with lethal body work at 2:42 of the opening round. Fighting for the first time since August of 2019, Peixoto won 119 bouts as an amateur and has each of his last two fights since signing a long-term promotional agreement with CES.

Visit CESBoxing.com for more information, and follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESBOXING.

INFORMATION

CES Boxing promoted its first event in 1992 headlined by future Champion Sucra Ray Oliveira. Over the years, CES has earned the reputation as the Heart and Soul of boxing with a rich history that includes the development of former U.S. Olympian Jason Estrada, plus Vinny Paz and Rhode Island legends Gary Balletto and Peter Manfredo Jr., both of whom rose to fame on The Contender reality television series. Through the years, Jimmy Burchfield Sr has earned several noteworthy awards, among them the NABF Promoter of the Year, and 2011 inductee into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame.

UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 17,000 bouts from dozens of combat sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel Providence-Warwick is the first choice of those seeking the best in accommodations, convenience, service and sophistication in Rhode Island. A nine-time winner of the Intercontinental Hotel Group’s Torchbearer Award, one of the most prestigious accolades in the hotel industry, the Crowne Plaza Hotel has 266 guestrooms and 45,000 square feet of meeting space. Whether you’re a business traveler seeking respite from a long flight, a family on vacation visiting nearby Newport, a trade association holding its annual convention, or a young couple planning a wedding, the Crowne Plaza is ready to satisfy your every need. Located 10 minutes from downtown Providence and two miles from T.F. Green Airport on a spacious landscaped 17-acre site featuring abundant, free parking, the Crowne Plaza Hotel is prepared to treat you like royalty.

Lincoln, RI (Aug. 7, 2019) — He works full-time five days a week, sometimes six, installing insulation in homes, and can even do construction, everything from dry wall to stick framing.

When he’s done, he rides his bike to the Big Six Boxing Academy in Providence — seven and a half miles there, and seven and a half home — to work on the one craft you can’t learn in a classroom.

Elijah Peixoto (1-0, 1 KO) might be the best-kept secret in New England boxing if not for his extensive amateur background. The 24-year-old East Providence, RI, native’s resume dwarfs that of most who’ve come out of this region and puts him in elite company with some of the best in the northeast to lace up in the gloves.

A boxer since the age of 12, Peixoto finished 119-27 as an amateur, including four Southern New England Golden Gloves championships, multiple New England Regional titles, four additional Regional Junior Olympic championships and a trip the 2018 Olympic Trials Qualifiers. Two years before that, he won the Cape Verdean Olympic Trials, but the team did not compete due to financial reasons.

Arguably one of a handful of truly elite fighters to emerge from New England in this generation, Peixoto recently signed a long-term promotional agreement with CES Boxing and will make his Rhode Island debut Friday night at Twin River Casino Hotel in a four-round super lightweight bout against Tampa’s Carlos Otero (2-0).

Tickets start at $47 are available online at www.cesboxing.com or www.showclix.com or by phone at 401-724-2254. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET. Showtime is 7.

“I want to put on the best show I can,” Peixoto said. “I’ve been in with the best of the best. I’m not afraid to step in there with anyone, and if I have to step up early in my career to show everyone I’m ready, I’m with it.

“It’s going to be crazy. The energy is going to be wild.”

The work ethic that pushes Peixoto to work a full-time job — and not just a desk job, but a job that requires demanding, physical labor — and balance it with his boxing career was instilled at an early age. His grandfather, Charlie Babbitt, and father, Ricardo Crawford, introduced him to the sport as a child. He boxed in all circles, training and sparring as a youth alongside Rhode Island icons Jamie Clampitt, Gary Balletto and Jarrod Tillinghast, absorbing as much as he could along the way. He also met former pro Josh Beeman through his current trainer, Roland Estrada.

Upon launching his amateur career, Peixoto knew it’d only be a matter of time before he turned pro. To put his resume into perspective, Peixoto faced current unbeaten Worcester, MA, lightweight Jamaine Ortiz — who also appears on Friday’s show — seven times as an amateur. The two also fought alongside one another at the 2016 Trials, Ortiz at 141 pounds and Peixoto at 132.

“Every time was a war, and when I say a war, I mean a war,” Peixoto said. “There’s a mutual respect between us. That’s the kind of brotherhood you normally wouldn’t have with another sport.”

The two met up again at an amateur event in Rhode Island, where Ortiz urged Peixoto to turn pro.

“A year later we’re on the same card,” Peixoto said. “Life is crazy sometimes.”

Fighting everywhere as an amateur from Memphis to Spokane to Chattanooga prepared Peixoto for that long-awaited pro debut, and, as expected, he put on a show, stopping Carlos Galindo in the second round of their scheduled four-round fight in June.

“When I was younger, people always told me I had more of a pro style. That’s how my father taught me,” he said. “You could look at my style and say, ‘That kid is going to be great.’ It’s written all over the walls.”

Peixoto, who graduated from East Providence High School and went to vocational school to learn construction, expects to climb the ladder quickly. In his just his second fight, he faces Otero, also an accomplished amateur, who goes by the nickname “Slick Hands.” When Estrada fielded the offer for Peixoto to fight Otero, he never hesitated to accept, bluntly stating, “Elijah can take care of himself in the ring.”

The four-round fight between the two could steal the show on Friday’s stacked undercard, which would be a fitting scenario for the long-awaited homecoming of one of Rhode Island’s most accomplished amateurs. The hard work is starting to pay off, and as the accolades roll in, Peixoto will undoubtedly answer the bell by continuing to outwork everyone in his path.

“If you really want something, you have to work for it,” Peixoto said. “I hope that other person is training as hard as me, because when I step in that ring you know I’ll be working from Day 1.

“This sport makes me dig deep because I want to get to that level where I don’t have to work. I want to work hard now so I won’t have to work anymore. I want everyone to know my skill level and my passion.”

Next Friday’s main event features reigning NBA Heavyweight World Champion Juiseppe Cusumano (18-2, 16 KOs) of Sicily in the quest to add another belt to his collection when he battles “The Gentle Giant” Steve Vukosa (11-1, 4 KOs) of nearby Quincy, MA, in an eight-round bout for the vacant WBC USNBC crown.

In the co-main event, Ortiz (11-0, 6 KOs) the reigning WBC Youth World Lightweight Champion, puts his unbeaten record on the line in an eight-round showdown against French challenger Romain Couture (8-1-1, 4 KOs), who makes his United States debut.

The undercard features six undefeated prospects looking to keep their perfect records, including Pawtucket, RI, featherweight Ricky De Los Santos (8-0, 1 KO), who battles Reading, PA, vet and Dominican standout Yeuri Andujar (4-1, 3 KOs) in a six-round featured bout. Lightweight Michael Valentin (6-0, 1 KO) of Providence, RI, also steps up in his toughest test to date against Philadelphia’s Lonnie Jackson Jr. (4-1-1, 1 KO), in a six-round special attraction.

Another red-hot fighter, Marqus Bates (7-2, 5 KOs) of Taunton, MA, aims for his sixth consecutive win in an intriguing six-round welterweight bout against well-traveled Lancaster, PA, vet Evincii Dixon (8-23-2, 3 KOs), who fights for the 34th time in six years and returns to Rhode Island for the first time since 2013.

Also facing a tall order on the undercard, Big Six Boxing Academy super welterweights Victor Reynoso (4-0, 4 KOs) and Lamont Powell (4-0, 1 KO), both of Providence, put their identical records on the line in four-round featured bouts. Reynoso battles Canadian Kenny Chery (2-2, 1 KO), whom Powell faced in February, while Powell looks to build off his impressive win in April in a major step-up against Reading’s Ricardo Garcia (14-7-1, 9 KOs), a Dominican Republic native and veteran of 22 professional fights. Worcester, MA, welterweight Nicholas Briggs (4-0, 3 KOs), also unbeaten, returns to face Macon, GA, native Bryan Goldsby (5-13), a veteran of 18 professional bouts.

Visit www.cesboxing.com, www.twitter.com/cesboxing or www.facebook.com/cesboxing for more information, and follow CES Boxing on Instagram at @CESBOXING.