Adonis Stevenson survived a couple anxious moments but he retained the WBC Light Heavyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Andrzej Fonfara at the Bell Centre in Montreal

In round one Stevenson landed a hard left and sent Fonfara to the canvas. Stevenson was all over Fonfara and tried to end the fight in the opening frame. The shots opened up a cut around the right eye of Fonfara in round three. Fonfara settled down and had a decent round four. In round five, Steveson landed a hard left to the body that put Fonfara on the canvas. When Fonfara got to his feet, Stevenson continued to work the body and then landed a huge uppercut. Stevenson hurt Fonfara yet again in round six with a hard right to the body.

Fonfara hung in and tried to work behind the jab in round seven. The fight turned in round nine when a right hook sent Stevenson down to the canvas. Fonfara continued to pepper Stevenson with shots throughout the round. Round ten was a good bounce back round for Stevenson as he hurt Fonfara on a couple of occasions by mixing up head and body shots. Stevenson came out in round 11 by battering the body and then hurt Fonfara with an uppercut. The two battled to the end which was much to the delight of the crowd at the Bell Centre

Stevenson, 173 1/2 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 115-110 twice and 116-109 and is now 24-1. Fonfara, 174 1/2 lbs of Chicago is 24-3.

After the fight, Stevenson told SHOWTIME Sports® ringside reporter Jim Gray, “(It was a) good fight. I hurt my left hand in the second round. He did very well. I threw the punch but I caught the elbow and I hurt my hand.”

Stevenson was satisfied with his victory despite getting knocked down. “Everyone gets knocked down. But I came back strong. I showed the world because I’m a true champion.

“I told everybody (Fonfara) is strong. He’s been training since December. He is ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the world. He was ready for this fight. I never overlooked him because he’s a tough fighter.”

When asked by Gray about the prospect of fighting Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev, Stevenson said, “I accept any challenge. Bernard can be next. And I have no problem with Kovalev. If I fight him I fight him.”

Fonfara, despite the loss, made an emphatic statement. After the fight, he said, “I survived because I have the heart to fight. Every time he hit me I felt the punch. Tonight Stevenson is better. I’m still young. I’m only 26 years old. I’m training hard and one day I’ll be a world champion.”

Middleweight power puncher destroyed former world title challenger Fernando Guerrero in round three of a scheduled 12-round bout.

Guerrero had a good first two-minutes of the bout as he darted in and landed lead lefts. Lemieux finally caught Guerrero with a massive left hook that set up two hard rights that sent Guerrero to the canvas. In round two, Guerrero landed huge shots and opened up a cut from the right eye. Lemieux scored a second knockdown at the end of the round from a hard combination. Lemieux was relentless to start round three to the point Guerrero to a knee without a punch being thrown. With the blood streaming out of his eye, Guerrero went down from hard uppercuts and the fight was stopped at 1:56 of round three.

Lemieux, 159 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 32-2 with 30 knockouts. Guerrero, 159 lbs of Los Angeles is now 26-3.

“I knew Fernando Guerrero is a very strong fighter. Very tough,” said Lemieux. “He’s been down many times and always gets back up. Once I started to land my shots I could see it in his eyes that the game started to change.

“The results in the ring are from my dedication and my training. I want to tip my hat to Fernando Guerrero. He is a great fighter. I studied him for many months prior to the fight. So I am very happy with the outcome.”

“I’m determined to be a world champion. I would love to fight anyone in the world at 160.”

Jr. Middleweight Jermell Charlo remained undefeated with a 12-round unanimous decision over Charlie Ohta.

Charlo took charge with his boxing in the first 2 rounds. In round three, Ohta landed a right hand that sent Charlo to the canvas. Charlo was not hurt and boxed as if nothing happend and came back to land a hard upper cut the bell. Charlo continued to box and mix up his punches with right and left hooks. He jabbed well too. Ohta would get in an occasional nice counter.

In round nine, Charlo was deducted a point for low blows but was never threatened during the fight.

Charlo, 153 3/4 lbs of Houston won by scores of 115-111 and 118-109 twice and is now 24-0. Ohta, 153 lbs of Tokyo is now 24-2-1.

After the fight, Charlo said that he was not concerned with the knockdown. “To me, I slipped. I didn’t feel the solid shot. He hit me with the right hand. He just caught me off balance. But it is what it is.

“This was a rough one. I did what I had to do tonight.”
Good looking Jr. Middleweight prospect Julian Williams remained undefeated with a terrific 8th round stoppage in a 10-round bout.

Williams dominated with quick over hand rights in the 1st couple of rounds. He rocked Medina on several occasions through out the fight. In round six, he shook Medina with a beautiful 10 punch combination for which 6 of the punches landed flush. In round eight, Williams landed a perfect double right hand that sent Medina to the canvas and the fight was stopped upon Medina getting to his feet at the count of 10 at 1:59 of round 8.

Williams, 154 3/4 lbs of Philadelphia is now 16-0-1 with 10 knockouts. Medina, 154 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 26-5-2.

Light Heavyweight prospect Eleider Alvarez scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Alexander Johnson.

Alavarez dominated with a the right hand against the southpaw Johnson. In round five, Alavarez dropped Johnson with a combination. Johnson was able to get out of the round finished the fight as Alavarez seemed content to box from the outside.

Alvarez, 175 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 97-92 on all cards and is now 15-0. Johnson, 171 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC is now 15-2.

New York, NY (5/21/14) – DiBella Entertainment will have four members of the DBE stable all looking to pick up victories this week across the border in Canada. Top-rated contender Ionut “Jo Jo” Dan Ion (32-2, 17KO’s) and Francy Ntetu (11-0, 3KO’s) will both step into the ring tomorrow night in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, while fellow top-rated contender Charlie Ohta (24-1-1, 16KO’s) and Michael Medina (26-4-2, 19KO’s) box in separate bouts on Saturday night.

Dan will compete against Lukasz Janik (11-5-1, 5KO’s) in an eight-round welterweight matchup, while the undefeated super middleweight Ntetu faces Bartlomiej Grafka over six scheduled rounds.

On Saturday night, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, on the undercard of the eagerly anticipated light heavyweight championship bout between Adonis Stevenson and Andrzej Fonfara, Ohta will square off against highly regarded, undefeated junior middleweight contender Jermell Charlo (23-0, 11KO’s), while Medina meets fast-rising undefeated prospect Julian Williams (15-0-1, 9KO’s). The Ohta-Charlo contest is scheduled for 10 rounds and will be one of the featured undercard bouts shown live on SHOWTIME®, while Medina-Williams is scheduled for eight rounds and will air on Showtime Extreme.

The Harlem-native Ohta, who now lives and trains in Japan after moving overseas following the time he spent stationed there with the U.S. Navy, is ranked as the WBO #6, WBC #9 and IBF #9-rated junior middleweight in the world. Ohta made a name for himself fighting in Japan, picking up the OPBF and Japanese light middleweight titles, and becoming one of the most popular fighters in the entire country. Then in early 2012, Ohta, who is promoted by Teiken Boxing Promotions, signed a co-promotional contract with DBE and returned home to his native New York, making his U.S. debut in March 2012, at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of Sergio Martinez’ middleweight title defense against Matthew Macklin. Ohta is 18-0-1 in his last 19 fights, dating all the way back to 2007 and he knows that a win over the highly regarded Charlo on the nationally televised Showtime network will move him a major step closer to challenging for a world championship.

The IBF #2, WBC #6 and WBA #8-rated Dan is coming off his most impressive showing to date, a grueling 12-round decision over previously undefeated Kevin Bizier back in November of last year. The bout was an absolute war from start to finish. Dan, the former two-time world title challenger, pulled out the highly impressive victory in the championship rounds. He is looking for another shot at a world championship in 2014 and has offered up his services to all of the respective welterweight titleholders, but has yet to hear his name called out. Dan is hoping to land a shot against IBF champion Shawn Porter, but he must first take care of business against the upset-minded Janik tomorrow night.

NEW YORK, NY (February 27, 2013) – Former North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion Michael “El Magnifico” Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) challenges present NABF titleholder Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) tomorrow in the 10-round co-feature on ESPN Friday Night Fights, airing live from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

“I wasn’t active,” Medina explained, regarding why he was stripped by the NABF. “Now, I’m getting my belt back. I feel that it’s really still my belt. He’s the NABF champion but he didn’t take my belt from me. I’m looking forward to this fight. He’s a strong, young fighter and it’ll be awesome to add his name to my resume. A win will take me from this level to a higher one with bigger fights. I’m confident that, after this fight, I’ll be getting more fights on television networks.”

The ESPN Friday Night Fights card, co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, will air live at 9 p.m. ET. The Nelson-Medina bout is promoted in association with Rumble Time Promotions. The event is sponsored by SMS Audio.

The 12-round main event on ESPN Friday Night Fights features International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight Champion Billy “The Kid” Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21 KOs), who is promoted by 50 Cent, defending his title against undefeated Russian challenger Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs), who is rated No. 11 by the IBF.

WBC No. 17-ranked Medina captured the NABF belt on December 22, 2011, winning a 10-round decision over veteran Grady Brewer. However, Medina was later stripped of his belt because he failed to defend his title due to him being unable to land fights, not because he turned down opponents.

“He didn’t have a promoter and Mike just got caught in the middle of things,” his manager Steve Feder noted. “I wasn’t with him until his last fight which, ironically, was on the same card (Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. PPV, September 15, 2012, in Las Vegas) that Willie Nelson last fought. So, Mike will be fighting for the same belt that he didn’t lose in the ring. He signed with Lou (DiBella) and now he’s in a fight to get his belt back. He’s always wanted to be in these kinds of fights. This is a good fight for both guys.

“Mike’s a good boxer who adapts well depending on who he’s fighting. He gets a lot of different looks sparring at Wild Card Gym. Eric Brown (Medina’s trainer) has done a good job with him. Mike likes to mix it up. He’s hoping that the two of them stand there and go at it. He’s not looking to box and move, which should make for a lot of action.”

Nelson won the vacant 154-pound title stripped from Medina by way of a 10-round decision in his aforementioned title fight against World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth champion and Virgin Islands Olympian, John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs).

Standing 6’4″ with an imposing 84-inch reach, WBC No. 5-rated Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) is a freakishly built super welterweight, against whom Medina will be giving away three-and-a-half inches in height, as well as a nine-inch reach advantage.

“It’s unusual,” Medina spoke about fighting such a tall opponent. “I haven’t fought guys that tall but I have been sparring with taller guys, middleweights and super middleweights, and I’ve also been working with good technical boxers like (Nobuhiro) Ishida. He’s a good teacher and I’m comfortable that I’ll benefit from that.

“He’s (Nelson) tall but I’ve watched some tapes of his fights and he likes to fight on the inside. If he does, that will help me because I’m aggressive. His height and reach can only be a factor if he jabs and moves, but we’ve been working on different strategies for whatever way he fights.”

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40 may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office.

ST. LOUIS (February 24, 2013) – Veteran boxing trainer Jack Loew has been to the top of the boxing mountain with former world champion Kelly Pavlik and now he’s heading back there with rising star Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs), North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion, who makes his first title defense against Michael “El Magnifico” Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature on this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights, airing live (9 p.m. ET) from MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions are co-promoting this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights show. Nelson vs. Medina NABF title fight is being promoted in association with Steve Smith’s Rumble Time Promotions, also Nelson’s co-promoter with DiBella Entertainment.

Nelson(19-1-1, 11 KOs), who is the top-ranked American in the World Boxing Council (WBC) ratings at No. 5, is coming off impressive back-to-back wins by 10-round decisions over a pair of previously unbeaten Olympians – two-time Cuban National champion Yudel Jhonson (12-1), on ShoBox, and previously unbeaten Virgin Islands-native and WBC Youth champion, John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs), for the vacant NABF super welterweight title.

Back in 2007, Pavlik got his first big break by stopping Edison Miranda in the seventh-round of an HBO Championship Boxing card in Memphis, headlined by Jermain Taylor and his decision victory over Cory Spinks. The nationally televised win positioned Pavlik for his next fight, in which he captured the World Boxing Council (WBA) and WBC middleweight titles by knocking out defending champion Taylor in the seventh round, propelling Kelly into stardom.

Loew, respectfully, believes that Medina could be a stepping-stone for Nelson like Miranda was for Pavlik. “I know it’s a waiting game, Loew said. “I’ve been there with Kelly. We waited until he got Miranda. Willie knows I’ve been there before and he trusts me in his corner. Medina is a tough, dangerous kid who has a golden opportunity fighting Willie. Medina is coming to fight but he’s wide open, fighting a taller opponent (Nelson is 6′ 4″) who has a long reach (84″). If he does what he’s told and follows our game plan, Willie wins hands down, probably by knockout.”

Medina, ranked No. 17 by the WBC, has been stopped only once, by Saul Roman. He now has a hot trainer, Eric Brown, working his corner as chief second. Brown, who is a top trainer at Freddie Roach’s famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood (CA), gained international attention last year for his work with world champions Peter Quillin and Paulie Malignaggi.

“Jack can hold his own with any trainer in boxing,” Smith commented. “In Willie Nelson, he has the best pure boxer he’s ever worked with and Willie, a highly-decorated amateur boxer, in Jack, has a trainer who has proven his ability to develop a world champion. Jack has Willie sitting down on his punches and using his monstrous reach, working everything off his jab and throwing lethal body punches. Jack has Willie using every bit of his many God-given gifts. When I say Jack has turned Willie into a frightening, imposing fighter, I really mean it, because Jack has built Willie into a complete fighter. Willie’s going to look like a million bucks too thanks Rival Boxing for designing Willie’s new custom trunks. Team Nelson wants to thank Anthony and Russ for doing that.”

Gatorade Media Lab video link: http://vimeo.com/60297175

Nelson had nearly 250 amateur matches, losing only 22, highlighted by gold medal performances in the PAL National Championships twice and U.S. Under-19 Tournament. He has dramatically improved since he moved from his Cleveland home to train with Loew in the fighting town of Youngstown, Ohio, known for producing outstanding prize-fighters such as Pavlik, Ray Mancini, Tony Janiro, Jeff Lampkin, Greg Richardson and Craig Snyder.

“Willie is like Bernard Hopkins in terms of always being in the gym and in top condition,” Loew noted. “He makes my job easier by being that way. This is a big fight for Willie because the WBC dropped Vane Martirosyan from No. 2 in the ratings (for refusing to fight No. 1 contender Erislandy Lara in a rematch of their box-off that ended in a draw to become the mandatory challenger to champion Saul Alvarez) and Willie moved up to No. 5. Maybe a big win against Medina gets us up to No. 3. It’s just a matter of time for Willie; I’ve been telling him no slip-ups, no mistakes at this stage.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40 may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office.

Go online to www.RumbleTimePromotions.com for more information about Nelson or any of his Rumble Time Promotions stable-mates.

NEW YORK, NY (February 14, 2013) – North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) plans to make a major statement on March 1, against Michael “El Magnifico” Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature on ESPN Friday Night Fights, airing live from Foxwoods Resort Casino’s MGM Grand Theater, in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

The ESPN Friday Night Fights card, co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, will air live at 9 p.m. ET. The Nelson-Medina bout is promoted in association with Rumble Time Promotions.

The 12-round main event on ESPN Friday Night Fights features International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight Champion Billy “The Kid” Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21 KOs), who is promoted by 50 Cent, and fighting in the United States for the first time in four-and-a-half years. The Australian boxer defends his title against undefeated Russian challenger Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs), rated No. 11 by the IBF.

Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) is coming off consecutive victories by impressive 10-round decisions over a pair of previously unbeaten Olympians – two-time Cuban National champion Yudel Jhonson (12-1), on ShoBox, and World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth champion John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs) for the vacant NABF super welterweight title.

Another impressive win for Nelson, who is the top-ranked American in the World Boxing Council (WBC) ratings at No. 5, should move him up the ladder and closer to a world title shot.

“This fight is very important for my career because I’ll be showcasing my talent on ESPN and so many people will see me fight,” Nelson said. “This fight is going to get me closer to the top of my division in the WBC. Personally, though, it’s just another fight that won’t affect me in the ring.

“Medina comes straight forward and throws a lot of punches, but he has poor defense, throws looping punches, and doesn’t move his head. He likes to throw a lot of body punches. I’ve fought a lot of guys like him in the amateurs and a few as a pro.”

WBC No. 17-ranked Medina will be giving away three-and-a-half inches in height, as well as a nine-inch reach advantage, to the 6’4″ Nelson, who has an 84″ reach. Medina, whose most notable win to date is a 10-round decision in 2011 over Grady Brewer, has been stopped only once, by Saul Roman, and his only other losses as a professional have been to the undefeated Vanes Martirosyan and John Duddy.

Nelson is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Steve Smith’s Rumble Time Promotions.

The undercard, featuring some of New England’s most promising prospects, will soon be announced.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40, may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office.

ST. LOUIS (January 28, 2013) – North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Super Welterweight champion Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) makes his first title defense March 1 against tough challenger Michael “El Magnifico” Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature on ESPN Friday Night Fights, live from MGM Grand at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

SMS Promotions, owned and operated by 50-Cent, has partnered with Rumble Time Promotions and DiBella Entertainment to present the Mar. 1 ESPN Friday Night Fights show.

Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs), who is the top-ranked American in the World Boxing Council (WBC) ratings at No. 6, has been favorably compared to a right-handed Paul Williams and young Tommy Hearns because of his freakish size (6′ 4″ & 81″ reach) for a 154-pounder.

Coming off consecutive victories by impressive 10-round decisions over a pair of previously unbeaten prospects – two-time Cuban National champion Yudel Jhonson (12-1), on ShoBox, and World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth champion John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs), for the vacant NABF super welterweight title – Nelson is on the verge of a world title fight.

Rumble Time Promotions president Steve Smith, who co-promotes Nelson with Lou DiBella (DiBella Entertainment), can’t wait to watch Nelson showcase his talent on ESPN FNF. “Willie is really looking forward to this fight,” Smith said. “He’s fully focused and ready to go. Willie is now a complete fighter working with head trainer Jack Lowe and his nutritionist and strength-and-conditioning coach, Mike Bartos. Willie is patient in the ring. He has learned how to use his height and long jab to be more of an advantage for him in the ring. Boxing fans will get to see the scariest 154-pounder in the world, standing 6′ 4″ and hitting his opponent from across the ring with his tremendous reach. I can’t wait for boxing fans all over the world to see the complete package known as Willie ‘The Great” Nelson.”

Willie “The Great” Nelson

(photo by Bob Barton)

Cleveland-native Nelson, who trains in Youngstown, Ohio with Loew, has a rich amateur pedigree having had nearly 250 matches, including title-winning performances in the PAL National Championships twice and U.S. Under-19 Tournament, and only 22 losses.

WBC No. 16-ranked Medina will be giving away 3 ½ inches in height, as well as a 9-inch reach, when he challenges Nelson. The Los Angeles-based fighter’s most notable win is by 10-round decision in 2011 to Grady Brewer. A former NABF and FECOMBOX light middleweight champion, Medina has been stopped only once, by Saul Roman, and his only other losses as a professional have been to undefeated WBC No. 2-rated Vanes Martirosyan and John Duddy.

Go online to www.RumbleTimePromotions.com for more information about Nelson or any of his Rumble Time Promotions stable-mates.