DiBella Entertainment is proud to throw its support behind a truly noble joint venture between Haitian native, Andre Berto, and Everlast Worldwide, supporting the victims of last week’s catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. Berto and Everlast have created a limited edition t-shirt, on sale immediately, with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross and their relief effort in Haiti..
“When you see the human suffering in Haiti it truly puts things into perspective,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment and promoter of Berto. “I am proud to not only support Andre Berto as a fighter, but as a humanitarian. I hope everyone else joins me in supporting this necessary cause.”
Added DiBella, “This is yet another example of Everlast stepping up to the plate and doing the right thing. Everlast is not only one of the premiere brands in boxing, but a company consistent in their genuine concern for their fellow man.”
The shirts can be purchased through Everlast by visiting them on the web at www.everlast.com.
Jesse Brinkley – From TV ‘Contender’ to Top-ten Contender
Reno — On January 29th Jesse Brinkley (34-5, 22 KOs) will be in the national spotlight once again as he faces off against Curtis “Showtime” Stevens (21-2, 15 KOs) on ESPN II’s “Friday Night Fights”. The fight is for the IBF. #2 contender spot. The WBC-USNBC super-middleweight title, currently held by Brinkley, will also be on the line.
Like most athletes, the 33 year old Brinkley has experienced peaks and valleys throughout his career. As a promising young fighter, Brinkley was selected to be a part of the first season of ‘The Contender’ on NBC. He was known for his big personality and big punch. Under less than ideal circumstances, Brinkley became a semifinalist within that competition. In the time after ‘The Contender’, he had a few poor performances in the ring and was considering retirement. But that was not the end of the road.
In 2007, Jesse made the decision to work with trainer Peter Manfredo Sr. on a permanent basis. He also signed a long-term promotional agreement with Let’s Get It On Promotions in an effort to reinvigorate his career. The changes proved to exceed everyone’s expectations. Since then, Brinkley has ripped off eight straight wins. He has become wildly popular throughout Northern Nevada and is now ranked in the top 10 in the IBF and WBC. Now, he sees the opportunity to show the boxing world that he is back, better than ever, and ready for a world title shot.
“Everything has just been clicking lately.” Says Brinkley. “I have the right team behind me, I’ve been working by butt off the last three years, and it’s time to show the country that I am one of the best super-middleweights in the world.”
The card, billed as Reno Xtreme Fights II, is promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Let’s Get It On Promotions. ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” will begin live coverage of the event at 10PM ET. The bout will take place at the Grand Theatre inside the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino. Doors open at 6PM with the first bout scheduled for 7PM. Tickets are priced at $100, $75, or $40 and are available at www.GrandSierraResort.com or by calling 1(800) 648-3568. Tickets for a King’s Row Booth for four are priced at $1000. Included in your V.I.P. ringside booth are light appetizers and one bottle of premium alcohol.
ABOUT LET’S GET IT ON PROMOTIONS:
Reno, Nevada based “Let’s Get It On” Promotions was founded in 2000 by legendary boxing referee Mills Lane. In early 2005 he was joined by sons Terry and Tommy in the operations of the company. Along with super middleweight contender Jesse Brinkley, Let’s Get It On Promotions also promotes middleweight prospect Brandon Gonzales, lightweight contender Rustam Nugaev, sensational lightweight prospect Bayan Jargal and highly regarded brothers Tyler and Derek Hinkey. They have consistently promoted world class boxing events on a national basis.
WORLD BOXING COUNCIL NEWS
January 22, 2010 – Mexico City.
From the office of WBC President José Sulaiman:
WBC cruiserweight world champion Zsolt Erdei, the first Hungarian to win a WBC world championship, announced today that he has relinquished the cruiserweight title to move down to his traditional light heavyweight division.
Zsolt won the cruiserweight world title by defeating defending champion Giacobbe Fragomeni in one of the best fights of the year in November 2009 – it was Zsolt’s first fight at cruiserweight, and he weighed-in at only 178.75 pounds. Zsolt’s opponents at the 200-pound cruiserweight limit would have a significant advantage in size.
The WBC wishes the best of luck to Zsolt, who certainly is one of the best fighters of today.