Banner Promotions president Art Pelullo has re-signed former IBF featherweight world champion Eric “Mighty Mouse” Aiken to an exclusive promotional contract, and signed jr. middleweight contender Jason “The Hammer” Le Houllier and heavyweight prospect Shane “Shotgun” Andreesen to exclusive promotional contracts, as well..
Art said, “We’re very happy to continue working with Eric Aiken. We’ve seen him beat two top-level opponents in fights that he took on short notice, and we’re confident that he has the ability to become a world champion again.
“Jason Le Houllier and Shane Andreesen are both exciting and talented young fighters. I think they both have the potential to develop into world champions, and Banner is looking forward to working with both of them.”
27 year-old Aiken, 16-5-1 with 12 knockouts, of Washington, D.C., is currently ranked No. 12 by the IBF, but he was unknown and underrated when he exploded on the boxing scene last year. In April, 2006, he took a fight on short notice against former IBF bantamweight world champion Tim Austin. A huge underdog, Eric staggered Austin in the fifth round, then scored a devastating knockdown to stop him in the sixth.
Eric got the call for another fight on short notice six weeks later on May 13. IBF featherweight world champion Valdemir Pereira was scheduled to defend the title in the co-featured bout with the Ricky Hatton-Luis Collazo main event in Boston, but his original opponent was injured in training and withdrew from the fight. Eric took the fight on two weeks’ notice, but gave a tremendous performance to win the world title – he scored one knockdown in the fourth round and another in the fifth before Pereira was disqualified for repeated low blows in the eighth round.
Undefeated jr. middleweight Jason “The Hammer” Le Houllier, now 29 years old, is an aggressive slugger who always makes exciting fights. His manager-trainer, Bob Russo said, “His idol is Jake LaMotta. That should say it all.” A native of Dover, New Hampshire, now living in Portland, Maine, Jason is now 21-0 with 8 knockouts.
Only 24 years old, Shane “Shotgun” Andreeson, is a six-foot four-inch tall heavyweight prospect. A lifelong resident of Qualicum Beach, British Colombia, he made his pro debut in October, 2006, and is now 8-0 with 4 knockouts.