HOUSTON, TX (October 5, 2009) Heavy hitting Dominican junior welterweight prospect Francisco “THE PHENOM” Contreras is headed to Houston, Texas for his battle against Washington D.C.’s Ron “TEFLON” Boyd in a special attraction six round bout at “HIGH STAKES”, an evening of world class professional boxing this Saturday night, October 10th at the Arena Theater. Presented by Chet Koerner’s TKO BOXING Promotions, tickets for “HIGH STAKES”, starting at $25, can be obtained through the Arena Theater Box Office (www.arenahouston.com, phone 713-772-5900). The Arena Theater is located at 7326 Southwest Freeway (between Bellaire and Fondren) in Houston . Doors on the evening of the event will open at 7pm with the first bell at 8pm..
Since turning professional in February 2007, the 25 year old Contreras has won all ten of his bouts by way of knockout. He made his debut in the United States this summer, brutally knocking out Gustavo Mejia in the first round on June 18th in Baltimore, MD. On August 27th, he followed that up with a punishing second round stoppage of Julian Rodriguez in Hagerstown , Maryland .
Said Koerner, “Fight fans in Maryland have just been stunned by the power that Francisco has. When the opportunity came to bring him to Houston, we jumped on it. Houston has a long history of great fights and outstanding fighters and we feel the fans here will be just as impressed as we are.”
Fighting as a professional for six years, Boyd, 6-8-0 (2KO’s), is a staple of the talent rich Baltimore/Washington D.C. boxing scene. In 2008, he participated in two outstanding battles against Tyrell Samuel in Baltimore , MD.
The second bout, a ten rounder for the Maryland State Lightweight Title, was a back and forth war that had the huge crowd at the renowned Michael’s Eighth Ave. Ballroom on their feet from start to finish. At the end of the ten round battle, Samuel was awarded the victory by unanimous decision.
Continued Koerner, “Ron Boyd is amongst the toughest fighters in the Baltimore/D.C. area. While Francisco has the punching power, Boyd has an immense wealth of experience in dealing with all types of fighters. Both of his fights against Tyrell Samuel were real throwback bouts with neither warrior taking a step back.”
Earlier this year, Boyd got back in the win column, taking a six round decision over West Virginia veteran Dean White on February 20th in Westminster, Maryland .
In addition to the Contreras/Boyd battle, “HIGH STAKES” features numerous world class contenders and prospects including local heavyweight knockout artist Eugene “MEAN GENE” Hill, 17-1-0 (14KO’s), all-action Vietnamese featherweight Dat “BE DAT” Nguyen, 16-1-0 (6KO’s), local middleweight prospect and MMA champion KJ Noons, 11-2-0 (5KO’s),. Sensational Houston based newcomer Gerardo “TIN TIN” Ibarra, 4-0-0 (3KO’s), world ranked flyweight Rayonta Whitfield, 22-1-0 (11KO’s) and undefeated lightweight Mickey Bey Jr., 13-0-0 (7KO’s).
UNBEATEN NUMBER ONE FEATHERWEIGHT CONTENDER JUAN CARLOS BURGOS RETURNS THIS FRIDAY
RISING STAR MAURICIO HERRERA ALSO IN ACTION IN TOUGHEST TEST TO DATE
Orange, CA (October 5, 2009) – Ranked number one in the world by the WBC, Tijuana’s Juan Carlos Burgos has soared up the featherweight ranks in less than five years as a pro, and at 21 years old, he’s closing in on a world title shot. Fresh from an impressive ten round win over Vyacheslav Gusev in June, the unbeaten Burgos will be put to the test once again on Friday, October 9th, by veteran Colombian Yogli Herrera (22-11, 15 KOs) in a battle for Burgos’ WBC CABOFE title that headlines Thompson Boxing Promotions’ NEW BLOOD VI at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California.
Said Burgos (22-0, 15 KOs) of the upcoming bout, “I feel blessed to be able to continue winning and having the WBC #1 spot. I have to take every possible step to achieve my dream to fight for the green belt, but in front of me I have (Yogli) Herrera, who has been in the ring with some of the toughest guys in the division. Everybody is dangerous at this level, I will try to knock him out of the way and keep my slate clean.”
Herrera, who has faced the likes of Victor Fonseca, Bernabe Concepcion and Luis Cruz, will not go away quietly though, and the 27-year old is eager to take Burgos into deep waters and pull off the upset this week.
“I’m not afraid of this undefeated kid,” said the native of San Onofre. “He has a great record but has a lot to learn and I am willing to teach him.”
Also in action this Friday will be one of the hottest prospects in the sport today, as “El Maestro”, Mauricio Herrera (12-0, 6 KOs), looks to continue on his road to the top of the junior welterweight division against his toughest test to date, Los Angeles southpaw Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis (9-1-2, 3 KOs), a crafty competitor who is unbeaten in six bouts since 2006. This eight round bout will undoubtedly prove whether the 29-year old Herrera is ready for prime time in boxing’s toughest weight class.
Tickets for “NEW BLOOD VI”, priced at $75, $45, and $30, are available now and may be purchased by calling 714-935-0900. The Doubletree Hotel – Ontario is located at 222 N. Vineyard Avenue.
Promising talent from the California fight scene will also step into the ring this Friday night, including Mauricio Herrera’s younger brother, junior middleweight Alberto Herrera (4-0, 3 KOs), who takes on San Diego’s Hedi Bouaziz (1-2); Ontario’s own Jonathan Arrellano (3-0, 1 KO), who will battle Indio’s Adrian Aleman (6-5-4, 3 KOs) in a four round bantamweight clash; Pacoima heavyweight Gabriel Silva (1-0, 1 KO) puts his unbeaten record on the line against William “Lil’ Tyson” Williams (2-2, 2 KOs); and unbeaten Oscar Chinchilla (1-0) battles debuting Manuel Delcid in a lightweight contest.
Thompson Boxing Promotions’ “NEW BLOOD VI” is presented in association with Fox Sports en Español and brought to the boxing audience by Lucas Oil – “it’s what drives you.”
Javontae Starks Signs With Midwest Sports Council
Twin Cities, MN-One of the most sought after boxing prospects in the region is off the market today as Javontae Starks has signed a deal with promotional firm Midwest Sports Council.
“I’m just happy to be a pro with a debut date set, and I’m ready to show fans what I can bring to boxing natiowide” Said Starks in regards to the signing.
Starks will be making his debut on November 13 under the much anticipated Phil Williams vs Matt Vanda showdown live on FSN North from Grand Casino Hinckley. No opponent is set thus far but the 20 year old Starks plans to debut at 154 lbs. and eventually drop to 147 lbs. and campaign as a welterweight.
“I’m extremely excited to get an opportunity to work with Javontae and his team. I have been working for the better part of the year to get him to be part of the Midwest Sports Council roster and I’m thrilled we came to a deal that worked for both sides.” Said Cory Rapacz of MSC.
Starks’ professional debut has been widely speculated and anticipated amongst Minnesota boxing fans for the last year or so, and now they have a date to mark on their calendars. Starks joins middleweight Cerresso Fort as another decorated amateur in MSC’s stable. Javontae Starks has tasted success at a regional and national level in the amateurs for some time now and will aim to duplicate his fortune in the professional game.
“I think he’s the most gifted fighter at 154 in this state, and that includes everyone at or talking about fighting at that weight. I think he’s ready for fighters like Tyler Hultin and Michael Faulk right now and I can see him being ready for Dave Peterson by the Spring. Javontae turning pro instantly rejuvenates the talent pool in Minnesota. The sky is the limit for this kid and I am happy to play a small part in helping him reach his potential.” Said Rapacz Starks’ potential on the local boxing scene in Minnesota.
Starks’ debut will be televised on FSN North along with three other fights following that night’s Minnesota Wild game. Tickets are available at grandcasinomn.com.