BOSTON (February 16, 2005) – NABA light heavyweight champion George Khalid Jones puts much more than his title belt on the line February 25 when he fights veteran Thomas Reid in the 12-round main event on “Championship Boxing Returns to Lowell” at Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The first pro show to be held in the home of “Irish” Micky Ward in more than a decade is the first of a series of shows promoted by NER Promotions.
Jones (20-2-1, 13 KOs), of Paterson (NJ), goes into his fight against Reid (33-14-1, 13 KOs), of Jackson (TN), as the World Boxing Association’s No. 4 rated contender. Jones, also ranked in the top 20 of all the other major organizations (No. 13 WBO & IBF, No. 15 WBC), has a potential WBA title shot on the horizon against Fabrice Tiozzo or possibly lucrative matches against Roy Jones, Jr., Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver.
“Jones is a fighter’s fighter and taking risks is part of the business for him,” NER Promotions president Rick Brutti said. “We’re excited about having a world-class fighter like Khalid headlining our first card. This is just the beginning for NER Promotions. We’ve assembled a team of experienced professional and plans are being made to promote fights on a regular basis for at least the next two years.”
Super featherweight Agnaldo Nunes (9-1-1, 5 KOs), the 2000 Brazilian Olympian, now fighting of out Revere (MA), takes on veteran Freddy “The Rabbitt” Castro (5-10-5, 2 KOs) in the eight-round co-feature.
Former NABA welterweight champion Luis Hernandez (11-2, 5 KOs), of Ecuador, faces Robert “Doctor” Kayma (12-4, 4 KOs), of West Palm Beach via Uganda, in an much-anticipated six-round match-up.
Also scheduled to fight on “Championship Boxing Returns to Lowell” in four round bouts are hometown hero Jose Abel Ayala (8-3, 2 KOs), the super featherweight from Lowell, matched against Wilmington’s unbeaten Castullo “El Pobeioso” Gonzalez (2-0); South Boston cruiserweight Chris Tillman (3-0, 3 KOs), the 2-time All-Marine, tangling with Cory Phelps (1-0, 1 KO), of Kentucky; Lawrence’s unbeaten featherweight Dennis “Mighty” Moses (3-0, 3 KOs) against Lisa “Blondie” Pederson, fighting out of Las Vegas; New York City super middleweight Rob Cuscher, former New York and Florida Golden Gloves champion, takes on Jose Sabino (1-0), of Kentucky. All matches and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets are priced at $100.00 for VIP (ringside or stage seating plus tickets to the pre and post-fight parties), $65.00 floor, $40.00 balcony and $25.00 general admission. Tickets go on sale Monday (Jan. 31) at Lowell Memorial Auditorium’s box office (978.454.2299). Doors open at 6 pm., first bout at 7:30 pm.
NER Promotions is a division of New England Ringside whose boxing interests also include a monthly magazine, weekly radio show (Thursday, 6-8 pm ET on WWZN 1510AM The Zone), and popular web site (www.newenglandringside.com). For more information about NER Promotions or New England Ringside visit its web site or call 617.835.9137. Call 617.566.1239 for advertising and sponsoring inquiries.
The New England Ringside Radio Show will broadcast live the night of the fight from 7-8 pm on The Zone (WWZN 1510AM) with hosts Anthony Pepe and Joe Bills.