Lewiston, Maine (March 31, 2016) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF 22: ALL ROADS LEAD HERE” on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. The fight card will feature a mix of mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts. Earlier today, NEF announced the full fight card for the event. The fight card is scheduled to feature three professional boxing matches, six professional MMA bouts, and twelve exciting amateur MMA contests.
On the professional boxing side of the card, Northeast Junior Welterweight Champion, and the pride of West Forks, Maine, Brandon “The Cannon” Berry(11-1, 7 KOs) returns to the ring for a six-rounder with Detroit, Michigan’s James Lester (10-9, 4 KOs). Berry, one of the most popular boxers to ever come out of Maine, will look for his fourth consecutive victory since returning from a shoulder injury last year.
That will prove easier said than done with Lester standing in the opposite corner. Lester is a product of the world-famous Kronk Gym in Detroit where world champions like Thomas “Hitman” Hearns (61-5-1, 48 KOs), Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs), Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs) and Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs) have trained under the late Emmanuel Steward. Lester was ranked number-two nationally as an amateur. He presents a dangerous threat to Berry, one that could very well play the role of “spoiler” to “The Cannon” and his legion of fans.
After a bloody war of a professional boxing debut at “NEF 21” last month, NEF MMA regular Crowsneck Boutin (0-0-1) will once again step into the boxing ring, this time facing Brandon Montella (3-0, 2 KOs). Montella, now a resident of Massachusetts, grew up in Maine and served in the United States Marine Corps.
Headlining the professional MMA portion of the fight card will be Jesse “The Viking” Erickson (6-4) and Devin Powell (5-1) in a lightweight contest. Both fighters are currently on a three-fight win streak.
“I try to focus on what is right in front of me,” said Erickson during a recent interview on The MMA Report Podcast. “I never looked past my opponents but I like to think what the reward is going to be when I beat this guy.”
Neither athlete can afford to overlook the other, but a win for either could very well mean a call from one of the national promotions. Erickson has been there before with Bellator. Powell is an all-around talent with some slick finishes to his credit.
“This is the type of MMA fight we absolutely love,” said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “You have two guys who match up so well. They’ve both been racking up the wins. They’ve faced some of the same opponents. They’re both solid on the mat and on their feet. I expect this to be yet another crazy, wild NEF MMA main event!”
“Crazy” and “wild” do not even begin to describe the grudge that has developed between Josh “Hook On” Harvey (0-0) and Matt “Ken Doll” Denning (2-1). The bitter rivals will meet at a fight weight of 150-pounds at “NEF 22” in an MMA bout. The bout will be Harvey’s professional debut after a stellar 5-1 amateur career that saw him capture the NEF MMA Amateur Lightweight Title, as well as the northeast regions number-one ranking. The well-publicized personal issues between Harvey and Denning will be settled in the cage on April 23rd.
The professional portion of the MMA card will also feature the pro debut of Harvey’s Young’s MMA teammate Aaron “Relentless” Lacey (0-0) as he takes on veteran “Shatterproof 2.0” Derek Shorey (3-5) in a featherweight bout. Lacey vacated the NEF MMA Amateur Featherweight Title in order to turn professional.
That title will not stay vacant very long as Caleb Hall (6-3) and Erik Nelson (2-2) face off to determine a new champion at the top of the amateur MMA card. Hall is coming off a first-round submission win at “NEF XX” last fall, while Nelson recently picked up a unanimous decision victory at “NEF 21.”
The amateur MMA card will also feature a women’s fight between Angela Young(0-1) and “Hollywood” Hannah Sparrell (1-0). Young and Sparrell made their respective debuts last year at “NEF XIX.”
The full “NEF 22” fight card (subject to change and approval of the Combat Sports Authority of Maine):
PROFESSIONAL BOXING
175 Crowsneck Boutin 0-0-1 (Choi) vs Brandon Montella 3-0 (The Way)
140 Brandon Berry 11-1 (West Forks) vs James Lester 10-9 (Kronk)
140 Josh Parker 0-2-1 (Ruthless) vs Evincii Dixon 7-13-1 (Lancaster)
PROFESSIONAL MMA
205 Mike Hansen 3-3 (Berserkers) vs Jesse Baughman 0-1 (Link)
170 Jarod Lawton 4-2 (Lawton/NEU) vs Aaron Aschendorf 2-2 (ABCC)
155 Devin Powell 5-1 (Nostos) vs Jesse Erickson 6-4 (CMBJJ)
150 Josh Harvey 0-0 (Young’s) vs Matt Denning 2-1 (CMBJJ)
155 Zenon Herrera 0-3 (Independent) vs Tollison Lewis 0-5 (CMBJJ)
145 Aaron Lacey 0-0 (Young’s) vs Derek Shorey 3-5 (Shatterproof)
AMATEUR MMA
145 *TITLE Caleb Hall 6-3 (Choi) vs Erik Nelson 2-2 (CMBJJ)
265 Dave Smith 2-1 (Berserkers) vs Nick Gulliver 2-0 (First Class)
265 Matt Glover 1-0 (Berserkers) vs Ras Hylton 1-0 (First Class)
265 Joe Krech 0-1 (Berserkers) vs Bryce Bamford 1-0 (First Class)
185 Anthony Spires 0-1 (Independent) vs Mike Williams 1-1 (CMBJJ)
170 John Hansen 0-0 (Berserkers) vs Alex Payson 1-0 (First Class)
155 Ken Dunn 0-3 (W. ME Budo Arts) vs Frank Johanson 0-1 (CMBJJ)
150 Cory Trial 1-2 (Ruthless) vs Jeremy Tyler 4-3 (Team Irish)
145 Johnny Crafts 4-0 (NEU) vs Taylor Costantino 2-1 (Team Irish PTC)
145 Glenn Kasabian 0-0 (Choi) vs Matt Marshall 2-5 (MMA Athletix)
140 Angela Young 0-1 (Young’s) vs Hannah Sparrell 1-0 (First Class)
125 Jake Denham 1-0 (Lawton BJJ) vs Ryan Daley 0-2 (Team Irish)
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 22: ALL ROADS LEAD HERE,” takes place Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF 22” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”