LOS ANGELES (September 5, 2008) Eighteen year old amateur standout Ronny Rios has joined the professional ranks by signing a managerial contract today with the Espinoza Boxing Club, it was announced this afternoon by Frank Espinoza, President of the EBC. “I’m very happy to the join the Espinoza Boxing Club. They’ve done a great job with champions like Israel Vazquez and Martin Castillo and I’m confident that they can truly help me reach my dream of becoming a world champion,” said Rios. The Santa Ana resident will make his professional debut in November as a super bantamweight..
Said Espinoza, “This is a great addition to my team of fighters. I’ve been watching Ronny for quite a while and strongly feel he has the skills to become a world champion. We’ll start at super bantamweight but I believe as he continues to mature that he’ll move up to junior lightweight.”
“Ronny’s a terrific kid, not just a world class prospect. I’ve really gotten to know him well and am looking forward to seeing him prosper in the coming years,” continued Espinoza.
Rios’ illustrious amateur career included first place finishes at the United States Men’s Nationals (twice), National Golden Gloves, World Golden Gloves, Under 19 Nationals, National Silver Gloves and the National Junior Golden Gloves.
Continued Espinoza, “He’s been very active as an amateur and stays in outstanding shape. That’s a very important characteristic for a young man at this stage and really impresses me. I know that he’s serious about his career.”
Rios is trained by Hector Lopez who also trains highly regarded undefeated prospect Luis Ramos at the TKO Boxing Gym in Santa Ana . More information on Rios’ professional debut will be announced shortly.
The ESPINOZA BOXING CLUB was started in 1991 by Los Angeles area businessman Frank Espinoza. Espinoza has earned numerous accolades for his management skills from many boxing newspaper and internet writers. In the September 2008 issue of Ring Magazine, Espinoza is praised for his outstanding handling of the career of junior featherweight world champion and “Pound for Pound” superstar Israel “EL MAGNIFICO” Vazquez.
Espinoza also has managed retired former world champion Martin “EL GALLITO” Castillo and currently manages former world champion Julio “LA SOMBRA” Zarate along with world ranked Alex Valdez and Miguel “EL ANESTESISTA” Huerta in addition to undefeated prospects Manuel “SUAVECITO” Roman, Jesus “POLLO” Hernandez, Luis Ramos, Carlos Molina and Abraham Lopez.
For more information on The Espinoza Boxing Club, please visit their newly remodeled website at www.espinozaboxingclub.com
Quillin headlines first show 7th annual Fight To Educate: “The Maul In Manchester”
Sept. 17 at Verizon Center in New Hampshire
MANCHESTER, N.H. (September 5, 2008) – Undefeated middleweight prospect Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin headlines his first show on September 17, “The Maul In Manchester” in the 7th annual Fight To Educate charity event, featuring six professional boxing matches, at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Quillin (19-0, 14 KOs), born in Grand Rapids (MI) but living and fighting out of Brooklyn (NY), is a rising star in the Gotham Boxing stable, rated No. 4 by the NABO, No. 7 by the NABF, and No. 9 by the USBA. The 25-year-old Cuban-American middleweight, scheduled to fight in the 10-round main event, is coming off of an impressive 10-round win by decision on ESPN against Dionisio Mirnada (19-1-2).
The son of a Cuban father and African-American mother, Peter is a fan-friendly fighter who tosses small chocolates into the crowd after his fights. Quillin got his nickname, “Kid Chocolate,” from somebody who told Peter he looked like the original “Kid Chocolate,” Eligio Sardinias-Montalbo, a Cuban inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 2002, Peter moved to New York City by himself and he later started working with Colin Morgan, who trained former world champions Wayne Braithwaite and Andrew Lewis, as well as Larry Donald.
Special guests will include 6-time world champion boxing stars Tommy “Hit Man” Hearns, who’ll be supporting his son, undefeated junior middleweight Ronald “The Chosen One” Hearns, as well as International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran, and legendary trainer Angelo Dundee.
The 7th annual Fight To Educate, presented by Members First Union, in association with Cedric Kushner’s Gotham Boxing, will benefit the New Hampshire Union Leader Santa Fund for the Salvation Army, the Bobby Stephen Fund for Education and SEE Science Center.
Ronald Hearns (19-0, 15 KOs), rated No. 12 by the WBC and No. 13 by the WBA, is another hot prospect from Michigan who will be fighting in the 8-round co-feature.
Also on the card making his pro debut is 2008 U.S. Olympic Team alternate Danny O’Connor, who hails from Framingham, Massachusetts. The light welterweight prospect
O’Connor captured gold medals at this year’s U.S. Future Stars, in which, he was selected Outstanding Boxer of the tournament, as well as the National Golden Gloves Championships. Bronx (NY) super middleweight Hajro Sujak (1-0) rounds out the card.
Tickets are priced at $10 (seniors, veterans and students only), $25 and $50 and available to purchase at the Verizon Wireless Arena Box Office, any TicketMaster location, on line at www.ticketmaster.com, or call 603.868.7300 to charge. Call 603.669.4100) about VIP tables (8 seats) starting at $1000 (includes a gourmet dinner, unique auction items and access to autograph signings by Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran). For more information go to www.fight2educate.com. First bout will be at 8 PM/ET
USA Boxing National Director of Coaching Dan Campbell Retires
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – USA Boxing National Director of Coaching Dan Campbell announced today that he has chosen to retire. In addition to his position as National Director of Coaching, Campbell also served as the Head Coach for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
“Dan is a dedicated professional who has been totally committed to our U.S. National Team and its international performance,” commented USA Boxing CEO, Jim Millman. “We are extremely grateful to Dan for his service and his passion for amateur boxing, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. We all share the disappointment of our team’s performance in China, and look forward to establishing a fresh start for our coaching program in advance of London.”
Campbell has served as the National Director of Coaching for USA Boxing since August of 2005.
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).