On the 6th February 2009 at the Wicomico Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland two light heavyweight contenders will meet, the winner is likely to go on and compete for one of the major titles and the loser will be left by the wayside with the prospect of rebuilding a career in tatters. The two light heavyweights in question are Yusaf Mack and Chris Henry. Mack has already been in this position twice before when falling short against former IBF champion Alejandro Berrio and title contender Librado Andrade, he knows this could be his last chance to really make his mark..
Mack has turned things around since the loss to Andrade and has looked impressive in his last three fights with wins over Ernesto Zamora, Daniel Judah and Omar Pittman. He is confident and ready to take full advantage of the opportunity, and has been quoted in saying “I know I have made mistakes regarding my conditioning and preparation in the past, I relied on my ability alone and was killing myself to make weight, but things have changed, I am stronger and fitter than I have ever been in my career, I have changed everything in regards to my preparation for fights and now keep to a strict diet and take regular vitamins which I never did in the past, I am living and training how a true professional should. Not only that, I am fully focused on fulfilling a promise I made to my father on his death bed that I would win a world title for him, as far as I am concerned Henry is in my way of keeping that promise I will be putting him to sleep, I am suppose to be here and I will continue to prove that to all my doubters out there. I have the right team behind me and I have been with my trainer John Tandy for nearly a year and he has changed my life, I am a different person to the one that lost those fights, I will not be losing again.
Henry has also competed at the highest level when he faced WBC champion Adrian Diaconu at fairly late notice in the Romanian’s hometown, Henry pushed Diaconu all the way and at times looked like he may become the first man to beat him, he has recovered well from the points loss and won his last two fights against decent opposition, his record an impressive 23-1 with 18 wins inside the distance. He is the bigger man fighting his whole career at light heavyweight and cruiserweight and will be confident he is the stronger of the two.
Also an interesting addition to the undercard is hot young unbeaten middleweight prospect Fernando Guerrero who is currently 12-0 with 11 stoppages, his opponent is yet to be named. However he will be looking to impress in front of his home town fans, Guerrero had a busy 2008 with 11 fights and he is looking to move through the rankings quickly and establish himself as a top contender in the near future.
This fight will be shown live on ESPN2 and the main event of Mack v Henry will be for Mack’s NABA and Henry’s NABF titles over 12 rounds.
ANDRZEJ FONFARA RETURNS IN CICERO ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 23RD
“POLISH PRINCE” LOOKS TO GET BACK ON WINNING STREAK – ADVANCE TICKETS NOW ON SALE
CHICAGO, IL (January 5, 2009) Chicago based super middleweight prospect Andrzej “THE POLISH PRINCE” Fonfara will return to the ring on Friday, January 23rd at Cicero Stadium, it was announced today by Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions.
Fonfara, 10-2-0 (3KO’s), will square off in a six round bout at “NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION” against Fort Smith, Arkansas native Terrence “THE TRUTH” Wilson , 5-4-0 (3KO’s).
Advance tickets for “NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION”, starting at $30, can be obtained in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions office at 312-226-5800. Cicero Stadium is located at 1909 S. Laramie in Cicero . Doors on the evening of the event will open at 7pm with the first bell at 8pm.
Fonfara returns to the ring after a six month absence following a second round stoppage at the hands of Derrick Findley on July 11th at Chicago ’s Aragon Ballroom which was broadcast on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.
“Andrzej knows he made some mistakes and he’s anxious to get back in the ring and put on a great performance. He’s only 21 and we feel that he should be able to bounce back strongly from the defeat” said Pesoli. “ Wilson is a tough, strong kid from Arkansas but Andrzej knows how important it is to get back in the win column and has been training diligently for this fight.”
A favorite amongst the huge Chicago Polish population, Fonfara, a native of Warsaw , had won six in a row prior to the bout with Findley.
Headlining “NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION” is a six round junior welterweight bout between Chicago fan favorite Ivan Popoca, 8-0-1 (7KO’s) and the equally heavy handed Daniel Garcia, 9-5-1 (7KO’s) of Houston , TX .
Also seeing action will be 20 year super bantamweight sensation Eric Estrada, 6-0-0 (2KO’S) who will see action in a six round bout.
Rounding out the card in separate four round bouts are junior welterweight newcomer Ryan Smedick, 2-0 (1KO) and featherweight William Hernandez who will be making his professional debut.
“NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION” is presented along with Miller Lite, TCF Bank, Jack Daniels and EL Jimador Tequila.
TCF is a Wayzata, Minnesota-based national financial holding company with $16.4 billion in total assets. The company has 453 banking offices in Minnesota , Illinois , Michigan , Colorado , Wisconsin , Indiana and Arizona , providing retail and commercial banking services, and investments and insurance products. TCF also conducts leasing and equipment finance business in all 50 states.
8 Count Productions was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.
To view the seating chart and poster for this event or for more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit www.8countproductions.com and www.jabbboxing.com
Darwish Brothers Knockout Promotions to Hold Open Workout 1/12 in Hackensack, NJ
Hackensack, NJ – The Darwish Brothers Knockout Promotions will stage an open workout on January 12, 2009 at 1:00 PM EST at the Police Athletic League of Bergen County in Hackensack, NJ. The PAL is located at 284 Hackensack Avenue in Hackensack, NJ. The media event is in support of the January 22 boxing event entitled “Knockout Night” at the Meadowlands Sheraton Hotel in East Rutherford, NJ.
The workout is open to the public and all fans are encouraged to show up and interact with the fighters. The card is stacked from top to bottom with local standouts matched competitively. Below is a list of the boxers who will be appearing on the show and at the open workout.
Alex Perez of Newark, NJ, 9-0 (6 KO), is considered one of the rising prospects in this sport. At 6’1, Perez cuts an imposing figure over all of his opponents. Nicknamed “The Brick City Bullet”, Perez was a very accomplished amateur who compiled a record of 46-3 in the unpaid ranks. His amateur highlights include two NJ Golden Gloves titles, three Diamond Gloves titles and a NJ Amateur State championship. Perez competed in international tournaments in Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and England.
Perez, 26, has worked as a sparring partner for former welterweight and junior-welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, two-time middleweight champion Felix Sturm and top contender Joel Julio. Though he has been out of the ring for more than a year, Perez has been in the gym patiently waiting for a fight date. Perez says that providing a better life for his eight-year-old son and mother is what motivates him.
Archak Termeliksetian of Fairview, NJ, 16-7 (13 KO), has become a favorite among fight fans for his never-say-die attitude. Nicknamed “Shark Attack” for the bite on his punches, Archak was born in Yerevan, Armenia but relocated to Porto Alegre, Brazil when he was 12 after his father accepted a job to coach their Olympic Gymnastics team.
There, Archak compiled an amateur record of 98-8 (76 KO) and won four Brazilian National titles and four international titles. Win or lose, Archak has a reputation for being in exciting fights that leave the fans wanting more. Fans may remember him as the first person to knock down former The Contender and world junior middleweight champion Sergio Mora. Archak competes in the super-welterweight division.
Noriko Kariya of Jersey City, NJ, 9-3-1 (2 KO) is one of women’s boxing’s rising stars. Growing up in Toronto, Canada, Noriko initially wanted to follow in her brother Paul Kariya’s footsteps as a hockey player. While attending the University of Maine as a member of their field hockey team, Kariya picked up boxing to stay in shape. She discovered her true calling was the sweet science. Noriko competes in the bantamweight division.
Carlos “Mina” Zambrano of Paterson, NJ by way of Chincha, Peru has an unblemished record of 4-0 as a professional. Unanimously considered Peru’s greatest amateur fighter, Zambrano compiled an amazing 288-6 record, highlighted by three Pan American Games medals, 12 Peruvian National Amateur championships and 6 South American Amateur championships. Zambrano was also a quarter-finalist in the 2007 World Games.
Zambrano is the grandson of Peru’s greatest professional fighter Mauro Mina, who had a professional record of 52-3 (25 KO) and had once beaten Hall of Famer Bob Foster. Zambrano is trained by Angel De Jesus and Edgar Sanchez. His older brother Raul is also a professional fighter.
Rashad Bogar, 1-0 (1 KO), is a native of Newark, NJ. Competing in the light-welterweight division, Bogar made his pro debut a brief one against Juan Guaman on November 19. Bogar dropped Guaman in the first round and continued to pummel his opponent until his corner threw in the towel. Bogar was a decorated amateur, holding a record of 79-10 and winning NJ Golden Gloves and Ohio State Fair titles in the process. He is trained by Charlie “Dew Drop” Young at Dew Drop Boxing Club in his hometown of Newark.
Elvin Sanchez, 1-0 (1 KO), is a cruiserweight prospect from Paterson, NJ. Sanchez was a star wrestler at Manchester Regional High School but discovered that his true calling in life was the sweet science. Over a four year amateur career, Sanchez went 23-4 with 13 knockouts. Sanchez won the NJ Golden Gloves title in 2007 and went as far as the National Golden Gloves. Sanchez’s career is guided by two of the most experienced men in the business; his manager, Lou Duva, is an International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and his trainer is the venerable Joe Grier.
Victor “The Viper” Valenzuela of Passaic, NJ turned pro in February of 2008 and has so far racked up four wins without a defeat, with one win coming by way of knockout. As an amateur, Valenzuela achieved 275 wins with 150 knockouts with a total of ten national tournament titles. Victor has been boxing since the age of nine and trains at the Passaic PAL under the guidance of Mike Skowronski. Victor’s most impressive victory to date was in his third fight, when he shut out the then 3-0 Bryne Green over four rounds.
Also appearing on the card will be Jersey City-based heavyweight Tyyab Beale, and more.