LAS VEGAS, Nev.–Former world champion Clarence “Bones” Adams and title contender Almazbek “Kid Diamond” Raiymkulov headline a “Sterling Night of Fights” presented by Sterling Promotions of Las Vegas Friday, June 12, in The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort. Adams, from Las Vegas, meets Anthony Napunyi, from Pahokee, Fla., in a 10-round super featherweight co-main event and Raiymkulov, also from Las Vegas, faces Joshua Allotey from Washington, D.C. in the other co-main, a 10-round lightweight bout. Also on the six-bout card will be four other Las Vegans: heavyweight Charles Shufford, undefeated super lightweight Sharif Bogere, super lightweight Renell Griffin and super middleweight Thomas Rittenbaugh..
The card June 12 starts at 6:30 p.m. with doors to The Pearl opening at 5:30.
Tickets, priced at $25, $50 and $75, are available at The Pearl box office from noon to 7 p.m. daily; by calling The Pearl box office at 702-944-3200 during those hours; and through Ticketmaster outlets, calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or by visiting ticketmaster.com
Sterling Promotions is headed by Sterling McPherson, who, during his boxing career, was a world-ranked lightweight and super lightweight.
The 34-year-old Adams has a record of 43-6-4 with 19 knockouts and won the World Boxing Association super bantamweight champion during 2000. His last loss was during 2002, and with this win he well could crack the world rankings once again.
Napunyi, who is fighting outside of his native Kenya for the first time, has a record of
14-4 with seven knockouts and has seven straight wins.
The 32-year-old Raiymkulov, originally from Kyrgystan, has a record of 27-2-1 with 15 knockouts. His draw was against former WBA super featherweight and World Boxing Council lightweight champion Joel Casamayor. “Kid Diamond” also could break into the world rankings again with a win. His most recent bout, Feb. 2 in Anaheim, Calif., against Antonio DeMarco for the World Boxing Organization’s North American Boxing Organization lightweight championship, ended in a ninth-round technical decision loss.
While Raiymkulov is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, Allotey is one of the most aggressive and one of the hardest hitting lightweights. The 29-year-old Allotey, originally from Ghana, has a record of 16-7 with 14 knockouts.
The 35-year-old Shufford has a record of 20-8-1 with nine knockouts and is fighting in Las Vegas for only the second time in more than five years. He has been in with two current or former world champions, reigning International Boxing Federation and WBO champ Wladimir Klitschko and ex-WBO king Lamon Brewster.
The 20-year-old Bogere, originally from Uganda, has a record of 6-0 with three knockouts and his quickness and technique make him one of the most highly regarded young lightweights/super lightweights in the world. He’s co-managed by Las Vegas businessman Jimmy Alex.
The 26-year-old Griffin has record of 3-1 with one knockout.
The 28-year-old Rittenbaugh, a southpaw, has a record of 3-2-2 with no knockouts.
The card will be televised domestically and internationally on a tape delay basis.
The Pearl is home to Miller Lite Live, presented by Cricket Wireless and sponsored by Citi.
JOHN BRAY ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA BOXING HALL OF FAME
April 23, 2009 — Former amateur national champion, professional boxer and current manager and trainer John Bray is being elected into the California Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2009. John began his amateur boxing career in 1980 and eventually would win seven national titles with an outstanding record of 124-12. Bray had his most notable win as an amateur winning his second gold medal at the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival in Los Angeles against Melvin Foster. John would receive his gold medal alongside future world champions Oscar De la Hoya and Raul Marquez.
Bray turned professional in 1992 and ended his career with a final record of 15-3-2. John had the opportunity to be mentored by historic trainers such as Angelo Dundee, Lou Duva, George Benton, Tommy Brooks, Joe Goosen and Richie Giachetti. During his career John served as sparring partners for Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, and Mike McCallum. Bray then suffered a near fatal stroke in 1999 and walked away from boxing with the notion that he would never return.
John did return to boxing and started training fighters. He eventually led Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero to his first IBF world featherweight championship, Miguel Espino to the WBC CABOFE middleweight championship and Art Simonian to the USBA junior featherweight championship. Last year John was chosen to serve as a trainer for the “Contender TV Series” and also founded the John Bray Boxing Foundation, a non-profit organization steered towards keeping at-risk youth off the streets while creating a safe haven for them to pursue their dreams.
When asked about his feelings on the election, John stated that, “I’m very humbled to be in the position that I’m currently in. To be elected into the California Boxing Hall of Fame is truly an honor and the biggest achievement in my boxing career. I’m very surprised that I was elected because I’m only 38 years old. About ten years ago I had a stroke and never thought I would be training boxers let alone functioning at a normal level. I have been truly blessed by GOD and appreciate all the support throughout the years from everyone in the boxing community and my family. I also want to note that I’m being inducted alongside some very good friends of mine; Alex “the Bronx Bomber” Ramos and PJ Goosen along with my long-time friend and mentor Ken Greene who I’ve known for years. They all have contributed significantly to the boxing community.”
Bray also went on to note the following, “I want to thank Don Fraser and the California Boxing Hall of Fame, my family and friends, Jerry Gonzalez for all his hard work with public relations and helping me establish the Foundation, as well as the boxing community as a whole. Being inducted is truly an honor, but at the same time, I’m using it as a motivating factor to work harder and to continue producing champions.
The induction ceremony is scheduled to place on Saturday, September 26, 2009 in the Crystal Ballroom at Stevens Restaurant located in the City of Commerce. Tickets for the induction ceremony can be purchased by contacting Don Fraser with the California Boxing Hall of Fame at 818-761-4887
Englebrecht To Add Heavyweights To All 2009 Shows
Looking For Talent and Assistant Matchmaker
With more boxing shows scheduled in 2009 than any other promoter in California and Nevada, promoter Roy Englebrecht announced today that he will now place at least one heavyweight bout on every show he promotes.
“Boxing promoters need to be proactive and do everything they can to resurrect the heavyweight division for our sport, so I have decided to showcase a heavyweight bout on each and every show that we will promote in 2009,” said Englebrecht. “I want every young heavyweight out there to contact my matchmaker Arnold Berber so that we can start scheduling bouts, and with 20 shows in 2009 we can keep a lot of heavyweight boxers busy. With this added matchmaking of heavyweights I also want to add an assistant matchmaker who will report to Arnold, so I hope anyone interested in this position would contact me at boxing77@aol.com.”
Englebrecht is the promoter of the highly successful Battle In The Ballroom series at the Irvine Marriott, the Worlds Collide series at Buffalo Bill’s Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nevada, and the new boxing series at HP Pavilion in San Jose. All 2009 shows are available at www.battleintheballroom.com.