On February 3, the pair will clash in the main event of CES Boxing’s Winter Brawl 2024 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.  On the line will be Booker’s WBC US Super Welterweight Championship.

Winter Brawl 2024 tickets, starting at $67, are on sale now at CESfights.com, Ticketmaster or the Mohegan Sun Box office.  Fans should act fast as tickets are quickly selling out.

“I hate when guys downplay me as a fighter,” asserted the Stamford native a few weeks out from the bout. “Vendetti said that I have a brittle spirit.  He can think that, but I’m still going to beat his ass one way or another on February 3rd.”

Booker is referring to ‘The Villain’ questioning his grit when it comes to winning a long, drawn-out fight.    

“I don’t understand that assessment,” insists Booker, who will be making the second defense of his title. “Sometimes, when you tell yourself something enough times, you start to believe it.  If Vendetti believes that, he’s coming into that fight to lose, because if you think you’re going to wait until the end of the fight to try to catch me, I’ll already have racked up 6 or 7 rounds.”

The war of words ignited Booker’s competitive spirit and gave him a little extra motivation to ensure that he leaves Mohegan Sun Arena and his hometown fans with an impressive victory and the WBC title still wrapped around his waist.

“I have respect for him as a fighter, but I’m a competitor,” elaborated Booker.  “As a competitor, I want to step on anybody who comes on the court with me, in the ring with me, the chess table, it doesn’t matter.  I’m going to make sure that I smoke you in anything that we do.” 

The 32-year-old, ranked 14 by the WBO and 33 by the WBC, has been in training since early December, weeks before the fight card was announced.  When asked how he expects this fight to go, The Gift seems to have envisioned its outcome several times over.

“Everybody who’s into boxing knows how this fight is going to go,” explains Booker.  “He’s going to put on a lot of pressure and come forward.  I’m going to stay on the outside, pop my jab, work angles, stay slick, be untouchable, and keep pot shotting.  I’m not going to stay in front of him too long.”

‘The Gift’ doesn’t just disagree with Vendetti’s assessment of his gas tank. Booker is actually counting on the fight going into the late rounds where he feels his boxing skills will take over.

“The harder he tries, the sloppier he’s going to get, and I’m going to pick my shots,” continued Booker. “I’m expecting him to be really game and work hard early, but eventually the pace is going to slow down and will favor my style.  He can think that he’s going to catch up to me late, but he’s going to be weakening. He gets hit every round, clean and right on the chin.  That’s going to break him down eventually.” 

If it sounds like Chordale is looking to make a statement on February 3rd, it’s as much to do with Vendetti’s opinions of him as it does with The Villain’s manager calling him out immediately after he won the WBC US title last April. 

“To be real, I don’t have to fight him,” admits Booker. “He’s not even in the rankings that I’m trying to work my way up, but his manager came up to me right after I won my title at Mohegan and said, ‘we’ll fight you now that you have something to fight for’. I replied, ‘well, it’s going to be your fault I beat his ass’.” 

Despite the trash talk, it is evident that Booker has carefully studied Vendetti and respects him as a fighter, particularly after The Villain challenged Erislandy Lara for the WBA Super Welterweight title in 2020.  Vendetti gave a good accounting of himself in that bout but was outboxed by the savvy Cuban over 12 rounds. 

“I’m very familiar with who he is as a pro,” agrees Booker.  “He does have a good name and he’s a tough, game guy.  He made it to the world title stage.  I never made it there.  Kudos to him for that, but he lost.  Just because you made it to that level, it doesn’t make you a world champion. He didn’t get the shot because he was a great fighter, he got the shot because he had the style to make Lara look good.”
 
This brings us to another criticism that irked Booker: the notion that Vendetti’s resume is better than his and that Chordale doesn’t have any quality wins.    

“He can take shots at my resume, but to be quite frank, our resumes are quite similar,” says Booker.  “I would say that Wale Omotoso was the most credible win on my record.  He acts like [Yoshihiro] Kamegai was Miguel Cotto.  I don’t even know if he would beat Omotoso, but I know that I’d box the shit out of Kamegai, because even Vendetti outboxed Kamegai. I watched that fight a few times, but it was ‘rock ‘em, sock ‘em’ robots.  I had to stop watching because I felt like I was losing brain cells seeing two guys just swing and hope for the best.” 

While the fighters may continue to trade words about their conditioning and credentials leading up to fight night, one thing is certain: the ring is a truth telling machine, and Booker believes that he’ll be able to show Vendetti the truth better than he can tell him.

“At the end of the day on February 3rd, he’ll see,” says Booker.  Indeed, we’ll all see. 

For more information, follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESBOXING.INFORMATIONCES Boxing is one of the top promotions on the East Coast.  Founded in 1992 by Jimmy Burchfield Sr., CES Boxing has promoted many world class fighters, including Jamaine Ortiz, Juiseppe Cusumano, Hank Lundy, Vinny Paz, Peter Manfredo, Mariusz Wach, Jason Estrada, Matt Godfrey, Chad Dawson and Ray Oliveira. CES Boxing has promoted such super fights as “The Thriller on Triller: Tyson v Jones Jr.”, “Mayweather vs. Gotti III” and “The Contender: Manfredo v Pemberton”.ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENAMohegan Sun Arena finished 2021 with its first “#1 Indoor Arena” ranking for its capacity in the world according to Pollstar and VenuesNow, ranked among the top 10 venues in the U.S. regardless of size based on ticket sales, and was named “2021 Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency.  In recent years, the “Most Beloved Venue in America” has also been the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Arena of the Year.”  For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.

It’s the perfect opportunity for the Stoneham, Massachusetts native to win a title, break into the WBC rankings and secure a more lucrative payday.

“My whole career, I’ve taken it one day at a time,” says Vendetti, reluctant to look too far passed his opponent.  “I focus on what’s in front of me and it’s worked out well so far.  But if I were to beat Booker and blast him out of there, I’m sure we’ll get a call for a big money fight.”

Despite Chordale Booker being on a four-fight winning streak, Vendetti likes his chances of upsetting the apple cart. In Booker, ‘The Villain’ sees a fair-weather fighter who does not deal well with adversity.

“From what I’ve seen of him, he seems to have a small gas tank and a brittle spirit,” says Vendetti. “When a fight’s going well, he looks good and feels good.  When the fight’s going bad, he starts to fall apart.”

The National Guardsman believes that pressure is the key to victory against Booker, which is ideal for him as a volume puncher. 

“I’m a pressure guy,” says Vendetti of his style.  “I have a big gas tank and big punch output.  I just have to be the best version of myself to get the win.  In the mid-to-late rounds, Booker starts to wilt against guys who put on half as much pressure as I’m gonna put on him.” 

If Vendetti sounds confident, it’s because he’s been on the big stage before.  ‘The Villain’ has wins over the likes of Japanese contender Yoshihiro Kamegai in 2018 and a competitive loss to two-division world champion Erislandy Lara in 2020.  Each experience has proven to Vendetti that he can hold his own against some of the best fighters in the world.    

Vendetti isn’t sure whether Booker fits into that category.  In fact, the 32-year-old does not believe that a win against Booker would be the best of his career. 

“I wouldn’t think it’s bigger than the Kamegai fight,” admits Vendetti.  “Kamegai had a stacked record, win or lose.  He had a fight of the year with Jesus Soto-Karass; he had been in there with Robert Guerrero and Miguel Cotto.  Chordale hasn’t really fought anybody that good.  He doesn’t have any great wins.  Even the guys on his record who seem good, you take a closer look at their records, and they maybe beat 3 guys with winning records.” 

When pressed as to why he believes a victory over Booker wouldn’t stack up with his win over Kamegai, Vendetti believes it comes down to grit.

“As far as being a combatant and having the opportunity to show what you have against another guy who is also willing to sacrifice his life in there, it becomes about glory,” says Vendetti.  “Kamegai was a samurai who was willing to die in there. I don’t feel like I’m going to get the same from Chordale Booker.  I don’t think I’ll have the same satisfying feeling from beating him.”

And with that, the war of words has begun. These questions will only be answered on February 3rd when the two combatants meet in the ring at Mohegan Sun Arena.

‘Winter Brawl 2024′ tickets, priced starting at $67, are on sale now at CESfights.com, ticketmaster, or the Mohegan Sun Box Office.  
For more information, follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESBOXING.

INFORMATION

CES Boxing is one of the top promotions on the East Coast.  Founded in 1992 by Jimmy Burchfield Sr., CES Boxing has promoted many world class fighters, including Jamaine Ortiz, Juiseppe Cusumano, Hank Lundy, Vinny Paz, Peter Manfredo, Mariusz Wach, Jason Estrada, Matt Godfrey, Chad Dawson and Ray Oliveira. CES Boxing has promoted such super fights as “The Thriller on Triller: Tyson v Jones Jr.”, “Mayweather vs. Gotti III” and “The Contender: Manfredo v Pemberton”.

ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA

Mohegan Sun Arena finished 2021 with its first “#1 Indoor Arena” ranking for its capacity in the world according to Pollstar and VenuesNow, ranked among the top 10 venues in the U.S. regardless of size based on ticket sales, and was named “2021 Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency.  In recent years, the “Most Beloved Venue in America” has also been the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Arena of the Year.”  For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.

Until now.

In what may be one of the most intriguing New England fights of the year, regional rivals Jimmy Williams (18-5-2, 6 KOs) of New Haven, CT, and Greg Vendetti (22-4-1, 12 KOs) of Stoneham, MA, collide Friday night, September 24, at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford in a 10-round bout for the vacant WBC USNBC Silver Super Welterweight Title live on UFC FIGHT PASS®.

Williams and Vendetti are two of New England’s most accomplished active fighters, making Friday’s championship showdown all the more important; in addition to the famed green and gold belt, bragging rights are also on the line.

Friday’s event also features the long-awaited Connecticut debut of Stamford’s own Chordale Booker (16-0, 7 KOs), a rising star in the middleweight division who faces tough veteran Silveiro Ortiz (37-27, 18 KOs) of Yucatan, Mexico in the eight-round co-main event. The preliminary card begins at 6:30 pm ET with the live FIGHT PASS stream kicking off at 7, featuring play-by play from Michael Parente alongside color commentators “Sucra” Ray Oliveira and Fun 107 radio host and veteran ringside correspondent Madelyn Grimaldi. Tickets are available at CESFights.com.

Williams and Vendetti have built strong followings in and out of New England through the years despite their careers traveling vastly different paths. Williams, 35, a former college football standout born and raised in Plainfield, NJ, began his career with 15 wins in his first 16 pro bouts, the only blemishes being a draw against Greg Jackson in 2013 and a controversial no contest against Issouf Kinda in 2017.

Along the way, the charismatic right-hander, who works as a truancy officer in West Haven, captured the WBC USNBC Welterweight Title, dominating CES stablemate and fellow New England boxer Nick DeLomba in 2017. Never one to back down from a challenge, Williams hit a rough patch between 2019 and 2020, punctuated by a devastating knockout loss to prospect Brandun Lee, but a solid performance in his comeback bout against Mexican challenger Esteban Villalba, albeit a loss, proved to be enough to lift Williams’ confidence and convince him to keep moving forward.

The decision to continue fighting was a wise one; in June, Williams scored one of the most – if not the most – impressive wins of his career, outworking former world champion and 38-fight vet Yuri Foreman to capture the UBO International Super Welterweight Title. The next challenge is Vendetti, 31, a hard-nosed, workman-like fighter whom Williams respects for his willingness to fight anyone, a characteristic both have shared throughout their careers.

“Greg is a true warrior and he comes to fight, just like myself,” Williams said. “This fight will bring out the best in me. It’s going to be a night to remember.”

Vendetti, a former plumber, is best described as a throwback fighter, one who charges his opponent from the opening bell and never lets up. In his first appearance with CES in 2017, Vendetti bullied the favored Khiary Gray to earn a majority decision win and capture the vacant New England Super Welterweight Title.

The win helped catapult Vendetti to the next level and the opportunities he kept coming. First, he cleaned up the 154-pound weight class in New England, toppling regional rivals Casey Streeter and Derek Silveira. A year later, he earned another big break on ESPN, upsetting favored Japanese standout Yoshihiro Kamegai. Vendetti continued to work hard, even after a loss to Michel Soro in 2018, and, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, got the call all fighters dream of – an offer to fight for a world title on national television.

In August of 2020, Vendetti faced one of the sport’s pound-for-pound top fighters, Erislandy Lara, for Lara’s WBA and IBO World Super Welterweight Titles. Vendetti lost the fight on the scorecards, but gained respect and notoriety for giving the highly-regarded Lara everything he could handle for 12 rounds, something few thought was possible. Even Vendetti himself said entering the fight, “When I hear the odds and I hear people’s opinions that I’m going to get killed … I would say the same thing if I were them.”

Furthermore, few could’ve predicted Vendetti would get the opportunity to face a fighter like Lara on that kind of stage when he finished a pedestrian 4-2-1 in his first seven fights, including a draw and a loss to journeyman Antonio Fernandes. To keep his composure, Vendetti continued to follow the advice of his longtime trainer Joe Ricciardi: “Work hard, and things can happen.” A lot has happened in the past eight years for Vendetti, and now he faces another New England rival on the road in his home state – just another day at the office. Simply put, Vendetti said, “My plan is to win.”

The undercard features seven more excited bouts, including the Nutmeg State debut of the 30-year-old southpaw Booker, who aims to improve his record to 17-0 following an impressive win in November against Sanny Duversonne. Booker has made a steady living on the road, upsetting Juan De Angel at the Barclays Center in 2019 live on FOX and four months later chopping down Wale Otomoso by a wide margin on FOX Sports 1.

Also on the card, undefeated super bantamweight Angel Gonzalez (5-0, 3 KOs) of Hartford, who now fights out of Florida, returns to New England in a tough six-round matchup against Dominican Republic-born challenger Juan Gabriel Medina (12-7, 11 KOs).

Featherweight Nathan Martinez (6-1, 2 KOs) of New Britain returns from a two-year layoff to face Mexican challenger Francisco Dominguez (7-11-1, 1 KO) in a six-round bout. Making his professional debut, Providence, RI, heavyweight and former college football standout Timothy Hatfield makes his professional debut in a four-round bout against Ohio’s Kaleb Slaughter (1-2-1).

Returning for the first time since 2019, New Haven super lightweight Carlos Perez (1-0) battles newcomer Tyriek Gainey of Paterson, NJ, in a four-round bout and Ramon Caraballo of New Britain makes his professional debut against Montreal’s Samuel Lajoie-Dery (1-0, 1 KO). Friday’s card also features the Connecticut debut of female welterweight Stevie Jane Coleman (0-1), a Columbia, CT, native, in a four-round bout against “Scary” Christina Barry (1-7) of Manitoba, Canada.

Visit CESFights.com for more information, or follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter at @CESBOXING. To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS, visit ufcfightpass.com, or download the UFC app.

–30–

CES Boxing is one of the top promotions in the northeast and one of the few to successfully promote both mixed martial arts and professional boxing. Launched in 1992 by longtime boxing judge Jimmy Burchfield Sr., the promotion is the only in professional boxing to boast two reigning WBC Youth world champions in lightweight Jamaine Ortiz and featherweight Irvin Gonzalez. CES Boxing recently teamed with UFC Fight Pass, the world’s No. 1 streaming platform for combat sports, to showcase its events to a worldwide audience.

UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. UFC 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. UFC 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, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV.

Opened in 2005, the Connecticut Convention Center is the Northeast’s most ideal location for trade shows, conventions, business meetings or any occasion demanding a dramatic riverfront setting. Overlooking the Connecticut River, the Center is situated in the heart of downtown Hartford’s Front Street District – a rapidly expanding entertainment hub teeming with new restaurants, bistros and entertainment venues. Limitlessly functional and endlessly customizable, the 540,000 square foot Connecticut Convention Center is the largest convention facility between New York and Boston. The Center combines ample meeting space – including 140,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 40,000 square foot ballroom and 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting space – with visually stunning touches, creating the ideal backdrop for any event.