Last year ESPN2 aired the inaugural ‘2014 Boxcino Championship’ tournament for the 135 lb Lightweight and 160 lb Middleweight divisions. In the lightweight finals, Petr Petrov (35-4-2, 17 KO) of Madrid, Spain defeated Fernando Carcamo (17-6, 13 KO’s) of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico by TKO in round 8. In the middleweight finals, Willie Monroe Jr. (19-1, 6 KO) of Rochester, NY defeated then undefeated Brandon Adams (15-1, 10 KO) of Los Angeles, CA via unanimous decision.
The tournament has been brought back for 2015, and this edition will feature the 154 lb Super Welterweight/Junior Middleweight and 200+ lb Heavyweight divisions.
Junior Middleweight Quarterfinals
February 13, Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT – 9:00 pm ET, ESPN2
Brandon Adams (15-1, 10 KO) vs. Alex Perez (18-1, 10 KO)
Brandon Adams – Los Angeles, CA
Age 25, orthodox
Last bout – 1/16/2015, defeated Lekan Byfield (6-6-2, 1 KO) by TKO in round 2
Alex Perez – Newark, NJ
Age 32, southpaw
Last bout – 5/31/2014, defeated Jeremiah Wiggins (10-3-1, 5 KO) by TKO in round 3
Cleotis Pendarvis (17-4-2, 6 KO) vs. Ricardo Pinell (10-1-1, 6 KO)
Cleotis Pendarvis – Los Angeles, CA
Age 28, southpaw
Last bout – 5/10/2013, lost to Dierry Jean (27-1, 19 KO) by TKO in round 4
Ricardo Pinell – San Francisco, CA
Age 29, southpaw
Last bout – 11/8/2014, defeated Rahman Mustafa Yusubov (11-19, 9 KO) by unanimous decision
Stanyslav Skorohod (8-0, 6 KO) vs. Michael Moore (13-0, 6 KO)
Stanyslav Skorohod – Slavutich, Ukraine
Age 25, orthodox
Last bout – 10/30/2014, defeated David Lopez (4-11-3, 1 KO) by TKO in round 2
Michael Moore – Cleveland, OH
Age 28, orthodox
Last bout – 5/10/2013, defeated Antonio Chaves Fernandez (5-21-2) by unanimous decision
Vito Gasparyan (14-3-5, 8 KO) vs Simeon Hardy (13-0, 10 KO)
Vito Gasparyan – Yerevan, Armenia
Age 28, orthodox
Last bout – 12/7/2012, lost to Jessie Vargas (26-0, 9 KO) by unanimous decision
Simeon Hardy – Brooklyn, NY
Age 27, orthodox
Last bout – 6/14/2014, defeated Malcolm Terry (6-5, 6 KO) by TKO in round 1
The must-see bout of this round is undoubtedly Adams vs Perez. These two will deliver an excellent display of boxing, with an action packed 6 rounds that will be a pleasure to watch. Both boxers are coming off early round TKO victories, so there is a chance that this one may not go the distance. Adams made it to the finals of the 2014 Boxcino tournament, and will be dropping down in weight to compete in this tournament. Perez has competed mostly in the 147 lb weight class, and will be moving up in weight to compete in this tournament. That change shouldn’t be an issue for the Newark, NJ native since his last opponent came in at 152 lbs, a bout that ended in a 3rd round knockout in favor of Perez. Keep an eye on the Skorohad vs Moore bout, which features two young up and coming boxers that have been perfect coming into the tournament.
Heavyweight Quarterfinals
February 20, Turning Stone Casino, Verona, NY – 9:00 pm ET, ESPN2
Donovon Dennis (10-1, 8 KO) vs. Steve Vukosa (10-0, 4 KO)
Donovon Dennis – Davenport, IA
Age 27, orthodox
Last bout – 8/2/2014, defeated Jamal Woods (6-15-3, 6 KO) by unanimous decision
Steve Vukosa – Quincy, MA
Age 37, orthodox
Last bout – 11/26/2014, defeated Soloman Maye (1-4, 1 KO) by unanimous decision
Razvan Cojanu (12-1, 7 KO) vs. Ed Fountain (10-0, 4 KO)
Razvan Cojanu – Las Vegas, NV
Age 27, orthodox
Last bout – 11/20/2014, defeated Darius Shorter (2-10, 2 KO) by TKO in round 1
Ed Fountain – Saint Louis, MO
Age 26, orthodox
Last bout – 12/20/2014, defeated Charles Ellis (9-3-1, 8 KO) by unanimous decision
Andrey Fedesov (25-3, 20 KO) vs. Nate Heaven (9-1, 7 KO)
Andrey Fedesov – Hollywood, CA
Age 28, orthodox
Last bout – 4/18/2014, defeated Maurice Harris (26-19-2, 11 KO) by KO in round 2
Nate Heaven – Ocala, FL
Age 29, orthodox
Last bout – 7/19/2014, lost to Stacy Frazier (16-16, 15 KO) by TKO in round 1
Mario Heredia (9-1, 7 KO) vs. Lenroy Thomas (18-3, 9 KO)
Mario Heredia – Distrito Federal, Mexicon
Age 22, orthodox
Last bout – 10/24/2014, defeated Roy McRary (3-2, 3 KO) by unanimous decision
Lenroy Thomas – Saint Petersburg, FL
Age 29, southpaw
Last bout – 5/3/2014, defeated Jason Pauley (5-9, 1 KO) by TKO in round 4
The most intriguing bout in this night of boxing would be Dennis vs Vukosa. Donovan Dennis is a 6’4 giant that has produced 8 stoppages in his 10 victories. The only defeat of his career was to Nat Heaven, who is also competing in this tournament, by a TKO in round 1. This could make for an interesting rematch should both fighters advance. Vukosa is an undefeated heavy hitter, coming into the tournament standing 6’5 at 37 years of age. Vukosa started his pro career with 8 straight victories, and was trained by Freddie Roach. In 2002 he blew out his knee, forcing a 12 year boxing layoff. The New England fan favorite made his comeback in 2014 against Jason Estrada, winning an 8 round majority decision that put Vukos back on the map.
The Boxcino 2015 quarterfinal bout winners will move on to the semifinals which will take place on April 3 & April 10.
Promoted by Banner Promotions and Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports (CES), remaining tickets to the February 13 edition of Boxcino 2015, priced at $125, $65, $40 and $30, including facility fee, can be purchased via www.ticketmaster,com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, all Ticketmaster outlets or in person at the Mohegan Sun Box Office.
Ticket information for The heavyweight quarterfinals will be announced shortly. If you can’t make the show, be sure to catch all the action on ESPN2.