DREAM WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION MARIUS “WHITEMARE” ZAROMSKIS SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE
NEW YORK (Oct. 31, 2009) – DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Champion Marius “Whitemare” Zaromskis (13-3) of Lithuania has signed a multi-fight agreement with world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE.
Known for his explosive, highlight reel kicks, the 29-year-old, world-ranked Zaromskis has been his opponents’ worst “Whitemare” the last three years. The 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Champion has won five fights in a row and nine of his last 10.
Zaromskis is coming off an utter destruction of Myeon Ho Bae, winning by 0:19, first-round KO on Oct 25. The victory earned Zaromskis the 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix crown.
Remarkably, it was the third consecutive time Zaromskis won a fight with a head kick in the opening round. On July 20, 2009, he defeated both Jason High (2:22) and heavily favored Hayoto Sakurai (4:03) with head kicks to win DREAM’s 170-pound tournament.
Zaromskis turned pro on Feb. 4, 2000. He fought several times for UK-based Cage Rage before joining DREAM in early 2009.
Two of his three losses came against former Cage Rage British champion in Che Mills <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Mills> .
STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network, SHOWTIME. Next Saturday, November 7, STRIKEFORCE will make its live debut on CBS with its “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it is co-promoting with M-1 Global.
About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.
Perez dethrones Agbeko and takes IBF Bantam crown
By Marc Abrams
Yonnhy Perez scored a hard fought unanimous decision to win the IBF Bantamweight title from Joseph Agbeko and Treasure Island hotel and Resort in Las Vegas.
It was a terrific back and forth battle with both guys sitting in the pocket and firing short yet hard punches at each other for most of the fight. This fight had many ebbs and flows with many of the rounds were close where one fighter would seemingly take control only to see his opponent come back in an attempt to steal the round.
One such round was the tenth as Agbeko was dominating the round only to be sent to the canvas late in the round for the first time in his career. Replays showed that a head butt triggered Agbeko going to the canvas.
Each fighter threw a plethora of punches that put this fight on the list as a possible Fight of the Year.
Perez of Colombia won by scores of 117-110, 117-110 and 116-111 to raise his undefeated ledger to 20-0. Agbeko of Ghana is now 27-2.
Antonio DeMarco won the WBC Interim Lightweight crown with a tenth round stoppage over former WBA champ Jose Alfaro.
Demarco dominated the fight with his boxing ability as he built up a solid points lead as he was very effective with right hooks and uppercuts. Alfaro did get in a couple good right hands but they were few and far between. In round ten, DeMarco rocked Alfaro with a perfect right hook that sent the Nicaraguan into the ropes. Not scored a knockdown, Alfaro was given a repreive, be that a short one as Demarco jumped all over Alfaro with a barrage of punches that sent Alfaro to the canvas. DeMarco then scored a second knockdown as his right hand got in just before Alfaro landed a right of his own.. Sensing that Alfaro was in trouble, Demarco was on Alfaro quickly and Alfaro took a knee in the corner and referee Joe Cortez stopped the bout at 2:07 of round ten.
DeMarco, 134 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, Mexico is now 23-1-1 with seventeen knockouts. Alfaro, 134 1/2 lbs of Managua, Nicaragua is now 23-5.
FOLLOW AGBEKO/PEREZ; DEMARCO/ALFARO LIVE!!!
Follow all the action as IBF Bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko defends his title against the hard hitting Yonnhy Perez. The action will begin with a WBC “Interim” Lightweight tussle between Antonio DeMarco and former WBA champ Jose Alfaro. The action from Treasure Island in Las Vegas gets underway at 9pm eastern/6pm Pacific
Joseph Agbeko (27-1, 22 KO’s) vs Yonnhy Perez (19-0, 14 KO’s)–12 Rounds IBF Bantamweight Championship
Round 1: Quick pace early.. Nice left hook from Perez and another..3rd big left hook…10-9 Perez
Round 2: Hard exchange that Perez gets the better of..Left… Combo to the head that drives Agbeko back.. Left hook.. Right from Agbeko…Left hook to the head from Perez…Good straight from Agbeko…20-18 Perez
Round 3: Nice combination from Agbeko..left hook..right..left hook from Perez… Big long right..Big right from Agbeko..left from Perez..29-28 Perez
Round 4: Perez working to the body..combo to the head..body..good body work…39-37 Perez
Round 5: Agbeko body/head..Perez lands a right… straight right to the head… Straight right from Agbeko.. 49-47 Perez
Round 6: Perez jabbing…good left combination…3 punch combination… jab..good right..Nice uppercut on inside from Agbeko… 59-56 Perez…Little cut on forehead of Perez (accidental Headbutt)
Round 7: Agbeko lands a good right to the head…68-66 Perez
Round 8: Wide left from Agbeko… Big right from Perez..78-76 Perez
Round 9: Terriifc back and forth with both sitting in the pocket…88-86 Perez
Round 10: 2 good rights from Agbeko…good jab.. good right…body..Right from Perez… Good jab from Agbeko.. LEFT FROM PEREZ AND DOWN GOES AGBEKO…98-94 Perez..Replay showed the knockdown was caused by a headbutt
Round 11: Terrific toe to toe action…Left from Agbeko..Perez lands on the inside..Agbeko works the body..107-104 Perez
Round 12: perez lands with a right and left..left..uppercut from Agbeko.. going to waron the inside..117-113 Perez
116-111; 117-110; 117-110 FOR THE NEW IBF BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION…YONNHY PEREZ
Antonio DeMarco (22-1-1, 16 KO’s) vs Jose Alfaro (23-4, 20 KO’s) 12 rounds WBC Interim Lightweight title
Round 1: Alfaro lands a right…10-9 Alfaro
Round 2: DeMarco lands an upper cut and left..Straight left..left/body… Big combination in the corner..Big uppercut..Alfaro lands a left at he bell….19-19
Round 3: DeMarco lands a straight left..Alfaro lands a right uppercut to the body… Blood from left nostril of Alfaro… Left hook from Alfaro..29-28 DeMarco
Round 4: DeMarco countering nice…Right..Big left from Alfaro…39-37 DeMarco
Round 5: Swelling under left eye of Alfaro…Alfaro lands a left hook… Uppercut hurts Alfaro…Alfaro lands a counter left..Blood from nose of DeMarco…Nice right from Deamarco and a counter left..49-46 DeMarco
Round 6: Alfaro jabs…Demarco lands a right left combo to the head.. Alfaro lands an uppercut on the inside…Uppercut from DeMarco…59-55 DeMarco
Round 7: Good right from Alfaro… Right to the shoulder..Straight left from DeMarco pushes Alfaro back…Nice combination.. 69-64 DeMarco
Round 8: DeMarco lands a nice right..Right to the body hurts Alfaro…79-73 DeMarco
Round 9: DeMarco boxing and moving .. gets through with a jab…89-82 DeMarco
Round 10: Right hooks rocks Alfrai..Barrage AND DOWN GOES ALFARO…Back and forth action..LITTLE RIGHT DOWN GOES ALFARO..LONG LEFT AND ALFARO TAKES A KNEE AND THE FIGHT IS OVER
Campeón Azteca: Valle vs. Colin
By Mario Ortega Jr.
Last Saturday, the seventh episode of Campeón Azteca aired in the United States on Azteca America. The final first round bout of the lightweight tournament matched Ivan Valle (27-8-1, 23 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico against Enrique Colin (29-4-3, 24 KOs) of Guasave, Sinaloa over six scheduled rounds. Their bout was taped October October 20th at the Restaurante Arroyo in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
In the opening video montages, Colin was shown playing the guitar, while his brother sang. Colin was also shown doing mitt work with his father. Mexican boxing icons Antonio Margarito and Jackie Nava spoke of Colin’s abilities and strengths. Valle’s family life was depicted during most of his introduction. Valle seems very close to his parents, Rafael Valle and Rosa Maria Velazquez. Valle was also shown playing with his son and spending time with his wife, Vianey Vega.
After a feeling out process to open their bout, Valle hurt Colin with a stiff left hook late in the first round. Valle put pressure on the stunned Colin, eventually landing a left uppercut, followed by a combination to the body that downed Colin. On shaky legs, Colin managed to escape the first round.
Early in the second, Colin regained his composure and turned offensive again. From the middle of the round on, Colin seemed to be fighting his way back into the fight. Blood soon began to trickle from Colin’s right eyelid, which prompted referee Gabriel Peralta to take him over to the ringside doctor. After looking at the eye, the doctor advised the referee to stop the bout, unfortunately for Colin. Official time of the stoppage was 2:58 of the second round. Replays seemed to suggest a punch was the cause of the bleeding, although there was one headbutt in the round.
With the victory, Valle moves onto the semi-final round and will meet Reyes Sanchez (16-2-1, 10 KOs). Tonight’s episode with feature the final first round featherweight bout, as Miguel Roman (25-5, 17 KOs) will take on Andres Romero (14-1, 8 KOs) in a six-rounder. Their bout was also taped October 20th.
Notes & Observations
-Each fighter in the tournament is given a “padrino,” or godfather, which is an all-time great Mexican boxer who is supposed to give them inspiration. Colin’s padrino was former WBC Lightweight Champion Cesar Bazan. Valle’s padrino was former WBC/WBA Bantamweight Champion Chucho Castillo.
-TV Azteca’s unofficial scorer, commentator Eduardo Lamazon, had the fight scored 10-8 for Valle heading into the second round.
-Producers did an excellent job filling the one-hour timeslot prior to the short fight. Highlight packages were shown looking back at first-round action from the tournament, as well as all-time great fighters. Conceivably the older footage is from the WBC archives, which contains some great stuff that hopefully in time sees the light of day in a more extended form.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
Camacho Jr. Avenges Father’s Draw, Vargas May Be Next
By Mario Ortega Jr.
Hector Camacho Jr. defended the family name on Friday night, scoring a ten-round split decision over grizzled former champion Yory Boy Campas in the main event of a pay-per-view telecast emanating from the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. Campas had fought Hector Camacho Sr. to a disputed draw this past May.
Camacho (50-3-1, 27 KOs) of Orlando, Florida came out relaxed, keeping Campas (92-15-1, 74 KOs) of Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico out of range with just his jab for much of the first round. Both fighters appeared a bit tentative in the opening round, perhaps feeling each other out. The fight then quickly turned ugly.
After several warnings and a blatant low blow in the third, Camacho was deducted a point. Another point was deducted from Camacho’s score at the end of the fourth for a glancing blow that came after the bell. Just before the late hit, Camacho had thrown Campas to the canvas. A minute into the fifth round, a headbutt, ruled accidental by referee Laurence Cole, cut Campas above his left eyebrow.
As the fight progressed, Camacho, 159 ½, did not show the overwhelming advantage in speed and reflexes you might think he should have over Campas, 152, a 38-year-old with a lot of miles on his tires. Still, time has eroded enough of Campas’ speed and power that he posed no real threat to the young Camacho.
Camacho cruised through much of the fight, doing just enough to keep Campas out of rhythm and win rounds. Another point deduction from Camacho in the tenth, this time for holding, made room for some intrigue at the end of the bout as the crowd awaited the decision. In the end, Camacho, who dropped his WBC CABOFE Light Middleweight title on the scales when he was one of numerous fighters that did not make their contracted weight at Friday’s weigh-in, took two cards 95-92 and 96-91. The third judge found a way to score the fight for Campas, 95-92.
“I got the win. I feel good. I had fun in there,” said Camacho soon after the decision was announced. “It was a rough fight, but that is what you have to do. You had a bull and I am a matador. Now we move on to the next chapter.” Talk quickly shifted from Campas to what the next chapter may be.
Prior to the bout, both promoter Zeferino Ramirez and Fernando Vargas confirmed that a preliminary agreement had been reached to match “El Feroz” against Camacho. “I want the fight,” proclaimed Camacho. “There are a lot of fights out there to be made. I give Vargas his credit. He was a great fighter in his time, but he needs to lose some weight. Lose some weight then talk to me.”
Vargas, who is now a promoter as well, entered the ring and played the part of huckster for the potential bout. “We are going to see this fight. I feel bad for him, but if he wants it, I am going to give it to him.” The fight would likely have to take place at 168-pounds or higher to accommodate Vargas. While Camacho has carried that weight into the ring before, he has never looked great doing so.
WBA #1/WBO #2 ranked super bantamweight Antonio Escalante (22-2, 14 KOs) of El Paso stayed in line for eventual title shot, scoring a second-round knockout over Carlos Fulgencio (11-4-1, 7 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. After a give-and-take first round, Escalante, 128, landed a chopping right high on the head of Fulgencio, 126 ½, sending the Dominican to the mat. After getting to one knee, Fulgencio stumbled back to the seat of his shorts, which prompted the referee to stop the bout. Official time of the stoppage was 1:17 of round two. After the bout, Escalante said he would prefer to campaign at the 126-pound featherweight division, but would not turn down a title shot at 122-pounds if one were offered.
In a pairing of vastly differing styles, classy boxer Abel Perry (12-3, 4 KOs) of Colorado Springs, Colorado utilized his boxing skills to score a fifth-round knockout over the unrefined technique of Bobby Joe Valdez (9-7-2, 4 KOs) of El Paso. Perry, 149, landed a stiff right that wobbled Valdez, 151, early in the second round, but did not press for a knockdown. Perry’s passiveness carried into the third round, as he allowed the clumsy Valdez out hustle him for the three minutes. Perry regained control of the fight in the fourth, as he sat down on his right hand, staggering Valdez midway through the stanza. Just after the start of the fifth, Perry rocked Valdez with a sweeping left hook and followed up with two more blows before referee Rafael Ramos stepped in the stop the contest. Official time of the stoppage was 0:32 of the fifth round.
In the opening bout of the telecast, David Medina (21-2, 10 KOs) of Junction City, Kansas scored an eight-round unanimous decision over the lumbering Miguel Hernandez (20-10, 10 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois. Medina, 167, simply outworked Hernandez, 174 ½, over the course of the eight rounds, cruising to the decision win. Medina kept a fairly busy pace throughout, keeping Hernandez, who came in 4 ½ pounds overweight, on the defensive. Hernandez had his best round in the sixth, as he worked over an apparently winded Medina in the corner. Medina closed out the fight strong en route to the win by the scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74.
Photo by Emily Harney/Zeferino Entertainment
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS
Joseph Agbeko 118 – Yonnhy Perez 118
Jose Alfaro 134.5 – Antonio DeMarco 134.5
Ray Austin 242 – DaVarryl Williamson 219 1/2
James De La Rosa 150 – Lennin Arroyo 147 1/2
Bermane Stiverne 236 – Jerry Butler 276 1/2
Nelson Linares 159 – Archak Termeliksetian 157
Angelo Santana 137 – Miguel Gonzalez 138
Marvin Quintero 134 – Walter Estrada 131
WEIGHTS FROM MOHEGAN SUN
MAIN EVENT — 10 ROUNDS
JOEY SPINA (25-1-1, 17 KOs), Providence, RI 176 ½ LBS.
LOU DEL VALLE (36-6-1, 22 KOs), Long Island, NY 185 LBS.
CO-FEATURE 10 ROUNDS
HANK LUNDY (15-0-1, 9 KOs), Philadelphia, PA 136 ¾ LBS.
ALDO “El Pato” VALTIERRA (25-11, 13 KOs), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico 133 ¾ LBS.
4 ROUNDS
DAVID BAUZA (2-0, 2 KOs), Hartford, CT 157 ½ LBS.
VAUGHN ANDERSON (0-1), Philadelphia, PA 157 ¼ LBS.
4 ROUNDS
SADAM ALI (3-0, 2 KOs), Brooklyn, NY 145 ½ LBS.
OSVALDO RIVERA (2-1, 1 KO), Bronx, NY 146 LBS.
4 ROUNDS
RYAN KIELCZEWSKI (5-0, 2 KOs), Quincy, MA 131 ½ LBS.
ISRAEL SUAREZ (2-2, 0 KOs), Luquillo, Puerto Rico 132 LBS.
4 ROUNDS
JOE SMITH, JR. (Pro Debut), Long Island, NY 176 ¼ LBS.
DAVID BROWN (Pro Debut), Newark, NJ 174 ½ LBS.
4 ROUNDS
EDWIN SOTO (1-0, 1 KO), Hartford, CT 140 ¾ LBS.
DEROY BEATON (1-0, 0 KOs), Toms River, NJ 140 LBS.
(All bouts & fighters subject to change)
FACT SHEET
Name: “Fright Night At The Sun”
Date: Saturday night, October 31, 2009
Venue: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Promoter: Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. in association with Mohegan Sun Casino
Matchmaker: Ted Panagiotis
Tickets: $27.00, $50.00 and $80.00, are available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going online at www.cesboxing.com or at the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Ticketmaster customers may log on to www.ticketmaster.com, call Ticketmaster’s national toll-free charge by phone (1.800.745.3000) or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.
Information: Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or Mohegan Sun (www.mohegansun.com). Doors open at 6:30 PM/ET, first bout at 7:30 PM/ET.
Halloween Costume Contest: The winner of a Best Costume Contest at the fights will win a stay Thursday, Nov. 19 at Mohegan Sun and two tickets to the Lynard Skyner contest that night. All fight fans are encouraged to dress-up and are invited to a free showing of cult classic movie – The Rocky Horror Show – starting at midnight in The Cabaret Theatre.
FORMER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION RECALLS LAST WORLD TITLE FIGHT IN HARTFORD
Marlon ‘Magic Man’ Starling Still Resides in Hartford, site
Of the Saturday, November 7, Dawson-Johnson Rematch
at Hartford’s XL Center Live on HBO World Championship Boxing
————————————————————————————————————————
HARTFORD, CONN., (Oct. 30, 2009) – The memories come flooding back when Marlon “Magic Man” Starling sits back and recalls the last world title fight to take place in Hartford, Conn., more than 20 years ago.
The East Hartford resident who turned 50 years old in August can still remember specifics of the night he won a unanimous decision on Sept. 15, 1989, against Yung-Kil Chung to defend his WBC Welterweight World title at the Civic Center in Hartford now known as the XL Center, the site of the Nov. 7 rematch between another of Connecticut’s favorite sons as Chad Dawson battles Glen Johnson in a rematch for the WBC interim and IBO light heavyweight title.
The victory over Chung that night in Hartford was also one of Starling’s final fights and last victory as a professional boxer.
“What I remember about that night was that Marlon Starling put on a show,” said Starling, who routinely refers to himself in the third person. “I did everything I wanted to do but knock him out. The thing about me and this was true throughout my entire career was I never did anything great. I did everything good. I turned professional in 1979 and my first year in the Top 10 was 1980. I finished my career in the Top 10.”
The current president of the Connecticut Hall of Fame, Glenn Feldman, also has fond memories of the last world title fight in Hartford. “I just remember an electric atmosphere, a buzz around the city,” said Feldman. “The Civic Center used to be the hub of the city. Starling was huge in Hartford. He was the man. People loved him and when he fought it was the talk of the town.”
In 1989, Starling knocked out Lloyd Honeyghan to win the WBC World Welterweight Championship. After his first title defense against Chung, Starling challenged Michael Nunn for the IBF World Middleweight Championship, but lost by decision. In his next fight, Starling lost his welterweight title on a close decision to Maurice Blocker in what would be Starling’s last fight. He retired with a record of 45-6-1-1 (27 KOs). He was 32 years old.
“I never retired from boxing. I quit,” Starling said. “Every other boxer retires and then comes back for the all-mighty dollar. When Marlon Starling was the WBC Welterweight Champion of the world he wasn’t just the best welterweight fighter, he was one of the best fighters in the world, period. There were only one or two or three other fighters in the world who were better than me. There was Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez and Evander Holyfield.”
Starling said he knew he was finished with boxing after flying to Los Angeles to train five months after his final fight and sparring with a 20-year-old. “I slept for two days after that. I knew right then and there I was too old for this sport. I was 32. I thought maybe I could come back and still be a champion but Father Time caught up with me. You have to love this sport to do it and to do it well.
“I don’t ever regret quitting early. I don’t think it was early. Look at Sugar Ray Leonard and Larry Holmes. They all came back and they got beat by mediocre fighters and that tarnished their careers.”
Starling fought numerous times on network television and was a popular fighter, despite never using a promoter. He did train with a young Freddy Roach, who is now considered one of the best in the world and currently trains Manny Pacquiao. “Marlon was always business-like when it came to training and boxing,” Roach said recently.
“Freddy Roach trained me but you know who trained Marlon Starling better than anyone was Marlon Starling,” Starling said. “He worked with me but I’m tough. Ninety-five percent of boxing is conditioning and I was always the best conditioned fighter.”
Starling still lives in East Hartford and said that after 20 years of odds and ends jobs like driving a limo and serving as a host at a restaurant, he has finally found a job he loves. He currently works with people with special needs at Catholic Charities. “I was still trying to find what I wanted to do when I grew up,” he said. “About eight months ago I found it. I think I finally found a job that I can love more than I love boxing. You do this for the love of it. But what I really want to do is to train fighters. That’s what I know best. Training boxers is more of love of mine and a goal not or a dream. The dream for me was winning the world title.”
Starling will be in attendance Saturday night at the Dawson-Johnson fight and has worked with Dawson in the past. He has advice for him come Nov. 7. “He’s got to keep doing what he’s been doing. He cannot get into a fight. What’s the worst thing that can happen in a boxing match? You get into a fight. I think Chad Dawson has all the attributes to be a world champion. But you can’t fight the fighters and you can’t box the boxers. He has to mix it up. He has to not get into a fight with the tough guys. He has to keep them in the middle of the ring.”
Saturday night’s fight will be broadcast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT.
Remaining tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75, $50, and $35, (plus any applicable fees and surcharges), can be purchased at the XL Center box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 and online at www.xlcenter.com.
POWER PRODUCTIONS BOXING RINGSIDE PRESENTS “TURF WAR: THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE” ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 11TH AT THE ARENA IN SOUTH PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA (OCTOBER 30, 2009)—It will be a sensational night of boxing on Friday night December 11th as Greg Robinson’s Power Productions Boxing Ringside presents a night of boxing featuring some of the best local talent in the area that will be headlined by local return of one of the top heavyweights in the world in Chazz Witherspoon.
The nine bout card will take place at The Arena in South Philadelphia.
Witherspoon of Paulsboro, New Jersey brings in a record of 26-1 with eighteen knockouts and is riding a three fight knockout streak since his only blemish to former world title challenger Chris Arreola on June 21st, 2008.
Since then, Witherspoon has stopped Adam “The Swamp Donkey” Richards (22-1), Travis Fulton and Willie Perryman.
This will be Witherspoon’s first area appearance since February 15, 2008 when he stopped Jonathan Haggler in four rounds in Sewell, New Jersey.
Witherspoon’s opponent for the eight round main event will be announced shortly.
Fresh off of his emphatic victory over Tyric Robinson on October 16th, the popular Victor Vasquez will see action in a six round Lightweight bout.
Vasquez, 10-3 with five knockouts put on his most complete performance to date as he boxed well and showed improved defense in his first fight under new trainer Chris Rotella.
Vasquez will take on a opponent to be named.
Undefeated and popular are two words to describe light heavyweight Tony Ferrante and on December 11th he will be in the ring to risk that record in front of his hundreds of adoring fans.
Ferrante of Northeast Philadelphia has a record of 8-0 with half of those wins coming early. In his last bout, Ferrante scored a very tough and hard earned majority decision over tough Billy Bailey on July 10th at The Arena.
In a six round Light Heavyweight bout, it will be an all Philadelphia showdown as Tommie “Big Poppa” Speller battles Jameel “Black Gold” Wilson.
Speller of Philadelphia has a record of 4-3 with three knockouts and is desperate to get back in the win column as he has dropped three in a row that includes his last bout where he and Mario Mina engaged in a four round war before Speller dropped the four round unanimous decision on October 16th at The Legendary Blue Horizon.
Wilson of Philadelphia is even more desperate as he has dropped five in a row and is 0-12-1 in his last thirteen against top flight competition such as Tarvis Simms, Antuon Echols, LaJuan Simon, and Elvir Muriqi.
Wilson is now 13-16-3 with eight knockouts is coming off an eight round unanimous decision defeat to Willie Williams (11-2) last November 26 in Maryland.
“This fight is what Philly boxing is all about”, said Greg Robinson, CEO of Power Productions.
“This is a Philly turf war and there can be only one winner.”
South Philly’s John Mecurio (3-0, 3 KO’s) will take on an opponent to be named in a four round Heavyweight bout.
Impressive Super Featherweight, Coy Evans (5-0-1) will risk his undefeated mark in a four round bout.
Lou Rodriguez (1-0) of Philadelphia will take part in a four round Welterweight tussle.
Freakish 6’4” inch Middleweight, Derrick Webster (3-0, 2 KO’s) of Glassboro, NJ will make his third appearance at The Arena in a four round bout.
Rounding out the card will be Wahid Raheem (3-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia in a four round Super Featherweight bout. Raheem is the brother of Lightweight contender Zahir Raheem.
Tickets for this fantastic evening of boxing cost Ringside $125 for VIP 75, $65 for Box Seats and $40 for Floor seats and can be purchased by calling 215-240-9987 or 267-912-8747.
NEW OPPONENT FOR FORMER WORLD CHAMPION ZAB JUDAH ON ‘ROAD TO REDEMPION’ DOUBLE MAIN EVENT, FERNANDO VARGAS’ LAS VEGAS PROMOTIONAL DEBUT FRIDAY, NOV. 6, AT PALMS CASINO RESORT
A new opponent has been determined for former world champion Zab Judah on “Road to Redemption,” a nationally and internationally televised double main event Friday, Nov. 6, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Judah of Las Vegas now meets veteran Ubaldo Hernandez of Fort Myers, Fla., in a 10-round welterweight main event.
Former world champion Joel Casamayor of Las Vegas faces Jason Davis of Vancouver, Wash., in a 10-round super lightweight fight, the second main event on the card.
The card, presented by Vargas Entertainment and Promotion, Inc., of Camarillo, Calif., in association with AD & Co., of Las Vegas is the Las Vegas boxing promotional debut of former world champion Fernando Vargas.
In the special attraction Ron Johnson, the current World Boxing Council/United States National Boxing Championship light heavyweight title-holder of Las Vegas, takes on Dumont Welliver of Snoqualmie, Wash., in an eight-round bout.
Also on the card and making his Las Vegas debut is featherweight Salvador Sanchez, nephew of the legendary featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez.
The 31-year-old Judah, a southpaw who originally is from Brooklyn, N.Y., has a record of 37-6 with 25 knockouts and was the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation welterweight champion as well as the World Boxing Organization and IBF junior welterweight champ.
The 32-year-old Hernandez, originally from Mexico, has a record of 22-19-2 with 10 knockouts and has fought current WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto; current IBF junior welterweight champ Juan Urango; and former WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight king Juan Diaz.
The 38-year-old Casamayor, originally from Cuba, has a record of 36-4-1 with 22 knockouts and was the WBC lightweight champion as well as the WBA super featherweight champ.
Casamayor, a southpaw, also has fought numerous luminaries, including former world champions Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo and Juan Manuel Marquez.
The 27-year-old Davis has a record of 11-4-1 with three knockouts and has faced former IBF junior lightweight champion Steve Forbes.
Johnson, who turns 23 the day of his fight against Smith, has a record of 11-1 with three knockouts. Johnson, originally from Cleveland, won the WBC United States National Boxing Championships title in his most recent bout Aug, 29, taking a unanimous decision over Billy Bailey.
The 27-year-old Welliver has a record of 18-19-1 with six knockouts and is Johnson’s most experience opponent to date. Welliver has a win over former WBA champion Livingstone Bramble and also has faced current IBF light heavyweight champ Chad Dawson and former IBF junior welterweight king Vince Phillips.
Sanchez of Mexico goes against Jose Pacheco of Cudahy Calif., in a six-round bout.
Sanchez has a record of 16-3-2 with eight knockouts and is the spitting image of his late uncle, regarded as one of the best featherweights of all time.
After a somewhat rocky start to his career, Sanchez now is fighting more like his uncle as well, winning 14 of his past 15 bouts. This will be his first fight in Las Vegas.
The 25-year-old Pacheco has a record of 2-8-6 with no knockouts.
Six other Southern Nevadans also will be on the card: undefeated lightweight Sharif Bogere; welterweights Joseph Judah and Ryan Ellul; super lightweight Anthony Lenk; and super featherweights Dayel Sitiwatjana and Antonio Hernandez.
Bogere meets an opponent to be determined in an eight-round bout.
The 21-year-old Bogere, originally from Uganda but now a resident of Henderson, Nev., has a record of 12-0 with seven knockouts and is regarded as one of the best lightweight prospects in the world.
In four-round bouts Joseph Judah, Zab’s younger brother, and Ellul face opponents to be determined while Lenk meets Martin Vierra of Phoenix; and Sitiwatjana goes against Hernandez.
The 23-year-old Joseph Judah of Las Vegas has a record of 4-0 with one knockout.
The 24-year-old Ellul of Las Vegas has a record of 4-1 with one knockout.
The 21-year-old Lenk of Las Vegas has a record of 5-1 with three knockouts.
The 22-year-old Viera has a record of 5-2-1 with two knockouts.
The 18-year-old Sitiwatjana of Las Vegas, son of Muay Thai expert Master Toddy, is making his pro debut.
The 24-year-old Hernandez of North Las Vegas has a record of 1-1 with no knockouts.
Vargas held the WBA super welterweight and the IBF junior middleweight championships.
The card will be televised through MultiVision Media, Inc.
Tickets, priced at $75, $125 and $200, are available at the Pearl box office from noon to 7 p.m. daily; by calling the Pearl box office at 702-944-3200 during those hours; and through Ticketmaster outlets, calling Ticketmaster Southern Nevada at 474-4000, Ticketmaster national at 800-745-3000 or Ticketmaster Express at 888-448-7849 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com
The card starts at 6:30 p.m. in The Pearl Concert Theater with the pay-per-view portion of the card beginning shortly after 7. Doors open at 6.
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