Former two-time world champion Byron “Slama from Bama” Mitchell has replaced Alejandro “Naco” Berrio as light heavyweight sensation Beibut Shumenov’s opponent, Saturday night in the main event on an all-star card, outdoors at Khadkimukan Stadium in Shumenov’s hometown of Chimkent, Kazakhstan. Berrio had visa issues in Colombia. Saturday’s show (May 9), presented by KZ Event Productions, owned by the Shumenov brothers, Beibut and Chingis, will be taped live for later broadcasts in North America..
2004 Kazakhstan Olympian Shumenov (7-0, 5 KOs), 2008 WBC Asian Boxing Council Organization’s Boxer of the Year, is already rated No. 8 by the WBA, No. 9 by the WBO and No. 16 by the WBC. His WBO Asia Pacific, WBC Asian Boxing Council and PABA Interim titles will all be on the line, as well as the vacant IBA world crown, against present NABA USA light heavyweight champion Mitchell (27-4-1, 20 KOs).
Reigning NABA USA title-holder Mitchell first captured the WBA super middleweight belt in 1999, stopping defending champion Frankie Liles in the 11th round. Byron, 1999 Ntional Golden Gloves middleweight champion, recaptured the WBA crown in 2001 via a 12th round knockout of Manny Siaca. Two successful title defenses followed against Siaca (DEC12) and Julio Cesar Green (TKO4). All four of Mitchell’s four career losses have been to world champions – Joe Calzaghe, Sven Ottke, Bruno Girard and Richard Hall.
“Although we’re disappointed Beibut won’t be fighting Berrio as planned,” Chingis Shumenov said, “we’re excited that Mitchell accepted our offer to fight him in the main event. We’ve been targeting Mitchell, who is a world-class fighter that’s fought some of the biggest names in boxing.”
Former IBF light middleweight Roman “Made In Hell” Karmazin will fight at home for the first time in seven years against Luis “Tyson” Augusto Dos Santos (24-15, 20 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Born in Russia, reigning NABF middleweight title-holder Karmazin (38-3-1, 24 KOs), rated No. 5 by the IBF and No. 10 by the WBC, was stationed in the military and later lived in Uralsk, Kazakhstan, where his son, Oleg, still resides and studies.
Also fighting on Saturday’s card 4-time Uzbekistan National amateur champion Gayrat Ahmedov (10-0-1, 6 KOs), making his KZ Event Productions debut, versus WBC Latino and Brazilian title-holder Luzimar “Tiger of Itacre” Gonzaga (25-4, 20 KOs), in an 8-round light heavyweight match.
Former WBO light welterweight champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley (33-11, 19 KOs) meets former Brazilian lightweight champion Sidney Siqueira (12-3-1, 7 KOs) in an 8-round bout
The undercard is loaded with undefeated Uzbekistan light middleweight Ravshan Hudoinazarov (7-0. 5 KOs) vs. former Brazilian lightweight title-holder Isak “Iza” Tavares (16-6, 4 KOs), plus Chimkent hometown favorites such as light middleweight Kanat Orakbaev (2-0, 0 KOs) vs. Umid Soliev (1-1, 0 KOs) and pro-debuting heavyweight Doszhan Ospanov. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Eric Estrada Returns at ¡®Windy City Fight Night 2¡ä
CHICAGO, IL (May 6, 2009) Sensational Chicago based bantamweight prospect Eric ¡°EL LOCO¡± Estrada will return to action against Laredo, Texas native Olvin Mejia in the co-main event at ¡°WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2¡±, an evening of world class professional boxing set for Friday, May 29th at the UIC Pavilion in downtown Chicago. ¡°WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2¡± is presented by Dominic Pesoli¡¯s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING.
The 21 year old Estrada has quickly become amongst the most talked about prospects in boxing with his aggressive all action style and fearless attitude in the ring. Since turning professional in September 2007, he has run his record to 7-0-0 with three knockouts.
Two bouts ago, on November 14th, Estrada battled the much more experienced Ivan Rodriguez to a six round decision win at Cicero Stadium. The back and forth battle had the huge crowd on their feet from start to finish.
Said Pesoli, ¡°Right from the start Eric has wanted to face other good fighters to test himself. He¡¯s always in great fights and that why the Chicago fight fans love him. Against Mejia, it¡¯s the same situation; he¡¯s facing a very tough, young kid from Laredo, Texas , who¡¯s going to bring the fight right to him.¡±
The Mexican born Mejia, brings a record of 3-2-2 (3KO¡¯s) into the scheduled six rounder against Estrada. In his last bout, on April 18th, Mejia valiantly fought the final two rounds with a swollen left eye against undefeated, highly regarded San Antonio prospect James DuBois, battling to a hard fought six round draw.
Prior to that fight, Mejia travelled to Houston and fought undefeated hometown prospect Eleazar Renteria to a four round draw at Toyota Center on September 6th.
¡°This is a very tough fight for Eric. Mejia has faced two undefeated prospects in his last two fights, both draws, and is a talented, very gutsy kid. This is just the type of fight our fans love. Estrada wants to stay undefeated and impress in front of the hometown fans and Mejia is coming here to win and spoil all of that¡± said Pesoli.
Headlining ¡°WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2¡± is an excellent rematch between Chicago¡¯s Jaime ¡°SUPERFLY¡± Sandoval and Juan Carlos ¡°EL PEZ¡± Martinez of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, for the World Boxing Foundation Americas Lightweight Championship, which will be contested over ten scheduled rounds.
On October 19, 2007, Sandoval and Martinez battled over eight epic, bruising rounds, with Martinez winning a hard fought unanimous decision at Cicero Stadium.
A full undercard and further details on this event will be announced shortly.
Advance tickets for ¡°WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2¡±, starting at $31, are on sale now through the 8 Count Productions office at 312-226-5800 and through Ticketmaster at 312-559-1212 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Doors on the evening of the event will open at 7pm with the first bell at 8pm. The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine , just one block south of the Eisenhower Expressway. For further information, please visit their website at www.uicpavilion..com
Carina Moreno to make appearance at Fight Night at the Tank in San Jose
May 6, 2009 (San Jose California) – This Thursday May 7, 2009 four-time world champion, Carina “La Reina” Moreno, has been invited by Roy Englebrecht Promotions to make an appearance at American Metal & Iron Fight Night at the Tank set to take place at the HP Pavilion at San Jose Ca. Moreno will sign autographs and meet and greet the fans in attendance.
American Metal & Iron Fight Night at the Tank Unveils New Format for May 7 Bouts
The best boxing in the Bay Area has a new name: ‘American Metal & Iron Fight Night at the Tank: The Next Chapter and returns on Thursday, May 7 for its eighth season at HP Pavilion at San Jose.
“The Next Chapter” has been added to American Metal & Iron Fight Night at the Tank to reflect the new team concept.
AM&I Fight Night at the Tank will now consist of seven four-round bouts with at least one women’s bout. All fighters will be included in the ‘You Be The Judge’ contest; a way for fans to show their support of their favorite fighter of the night. The crowd will judge the bouts and choose their favorite boxer by round of applause. The winning fighter will receive the AMI Cup with an extra $1,000 bonus. The crowd will have a chance to win money of their own as $100 cash will be given away between every bout.
Members of each team will have opportunities to add to their pocketbooks with team bonuses. Both teams will be competing for bonuses of $2,100 ($300 per fighter). The teams will be scored on a point system with one point awarded per bout ending with the best of seven. If there is a knockout, “The Quickest Knockout Award” will garner that special fighter another $500.
AM&I Fight Night at the Tank will bring back a familiar face as Roy Englebrecht returns to AM&I Fight Night at the Tank as the event matchmaker. Roy Englebrecht is owner and founder of Roy Englebrecht Promotions, California’s third largest Boxing Promotions Company. In December of 2001 Oscar De La Hoya purchased Roy Englebrecht Promotions creating Golden Boy Promotions, with Roy serving as COO for the first three years. At the end of 2004 Roy Englebrecht Promotions was again reestablished, with Oscar De La Hoya as a minority partner.
Individual tickets can be purchased at the HP Pavilion ticket office, at Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Bay Area, online at ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. For more information about season tickets or group discounts call (408) 999-6808 or go by clicking here..