Matt Remillard (chaw) is prepared to make up for lost time

(photo by Emily Harney / Team Remillard)

Worcester, Pawg. (Lub peb hlis ntuj 20, 2017) – The long trip back begins April 1^st rau Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard, 12 years to the day from his professional debut, nyob rau hauv lub “New England’s Future 2” show at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Remillard (23-1, 13 Kos), fighting out of Manchester, Connecticut, hasn’t boxed for the six years, due to him serving a five-year prison sentence. He takes on Lawrence (MA) sib Augustine “Siab phem” Maura (6-1-3, 3 Kos) in the eight-round co-feature. If their tense, near volatile stare-down at a recent press conference is a true indication, Remillard vs. Mauras is not going the distance, to put things mildly.

New England’s Future 2″ is presented by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE), which is owned and operated by retired three-time, ob faib lub ntiaj teb champion Jose Antonio Rivera thiab nws tus tub, Anthonee (A.J.) Rivera.

“I am excited to have a boxer of Remillard’s caliber on our ‘New England’s Future 2’ boxing kev tshwm sim,” promoter Jose Antonio Rivera remarked. “He has a tough match against August time Mauras for his first fight back. Knowing Remillard, tab sis yog, he wouldn’t have it any other way. I want to thank Matt, Paul Cichon (lub taub hau tus kws qhia) and their team for trusting Rivera Promotions Entertainment for Matt’s first boxing match back from his long layoff.”

Remillard is a former World Boxing Council (Qhov) United States & Youth World, North American Boxing Federation (NABF) thiab lub ntiaj teb no Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion. His lone pro loss came in his last fight, Lub peb hlis ntuj 23, 2011 in Atlantic City to then rising star Mikey Garcia (24-0), when Remillard retired after 11 rounds. He won’t make excuses; Txawm li cas los, he never should have taken the fight with Garcia, facing the impending court case that sent him to prison and working with a new head trainer he’d only met two weeks prior to the fight.

“I’m confident I can get back to where I was in about a year,” the 30-year-old Remillard said. “A dream come true would be a rematch with Garcia, at any weight, but I have to earn that shot. Everybody wants a rematch with the guy who gave you the first loss. It seldom happens but, yog hais tias tsis, in time I believe there will be other big fights out there for me.

“I’m fighting an opponent who fought by buddy, Chip Perez, peb lub sij hawm (0-2-1), so I’m familiar with his style. He doesn’t back down. I don’t expect him to back down against me…until he feels my power. I’m going to take out those five years that I was away on him. I’ve been through so much the last six year but I’m most comfortable in the gym. The past is past and this is my last run. Paul and I have a lot of unfinished business to take care of.”

Seventeen years ago, Chicon first met Remillard at the Manchester PAL gym, but he made the 13-year-old aspiring boxer earn his opportunity to be trained. Paul made Matt clean the bathrooms, take care of spit buckets, thiab lwm yam. before he started training him.

“When he returned to the gym a few months back, I saw that his work ethic hadn’t faded,” Cichon commented. “I don’t believe he’s really that far away from where he was six years ago. He was idle five years but his first day back he sparred 12 rounds. He stayed in good physical shape and is hungrier than ever. He thinks he has something to prove after his last fight, but he really doesn’t have anything to prove to me or anybody else. He is fighting a tough kid but Matt’s going to be victorious. I think in four or five more fights he’ll be back where he was in boxing.”

Pembroke (MA) cruiserweight Vinnie “American Nightmare” Carita (15-1-1, 14 KOs will headline against Brazilian KO specialist Gilberto Matheus “El Magico” Domingos (22-6, 20 Kos), the former South American light heavyweight champion, in the eight-round main event.

Dorchester (MA) Heavyweight Donnie “Big Nasty” Palmer (8-1-1, 7 Kos) faces unbeaten Quian Davis (4-0-2, 2 Kos), of Mays Landing (NJ), in a four-round bout.

2016 Tshiab hais Golden hnab looj tes yeej Anthony Laureano (2-0, 1 KO), fighting out of East Hartford (I), meets Schenectady (NY) qub tub rog Bryan “The Brick” Abraham (6-23-1, 6 Kos) nyob rau hauv ib tug rau-round match.

Fighting on the undercard in four round bouts are Worcester cruiserweight Bryan Daniels (3-0, 1 KO) vs. Mexican invader Jose Humberto “Olympico” Corall (19-23, 12 Kos), Worcester featherweight Andino Ranse (1-0) vs. Mike Hellenfinger (0-2), ntawm Harrisburg (PA), three-time USA Boxing Nationals champion Elvis Figueroa, New Haven (I) makes his pro debut vs. Brazilian super middleweight Devision Robiero (0-3), Worcester welterweight Andy Gonzalez (5-1, 5 Kos) vs. Brockton’s Antonio Chavez Fernandes (7-30-4, 2 Kos), 2014 N.E. Golden hnab looj tes yeej, Lawrence junior welterweight Adrian Sosa (2-0, 1 KO) vs. TBA), Worcester’s pro-debuting super middleweights Neal Sullivan vs. Nathan Schulte, Springfield (MA) junior middleweight Derrick Whitley vs. Anthony Everett (104), ntawm Lawrence, pro-debuting Springfield featherweight Luis “Pancho” Santiago vs. Alex Montes (1-2), ntawm Lawrence, and unbeaten Manchester (I) junior welterweight “Zoo kawg nkaus” Mykqyan Williams (5-0, 3 K0s) vs. TBA..

Tag nrho cov sib ntaus thiab tua hluav taws yuav raug hloov.

Daim pib, luv nqi ntawm $65.00 (ringside) thiab $35.00 (general nkag), yog ntawm kev muag khoom thiab muaj nyob rau yuav ntawm www.ThePalladium.net los yog cov Palladium chaw ua hauj lwm (general nkag xwb), los yog los ntawm hu rau Jose Rivera (elgallojar@gmail.com/508.864.6954), AJ Rivera (anthoneerivera@gmail.com/774.272.2269) los yog ib yam ntawm cov fighters. A portion of the proceeds will go to Make A Change Inc.

Qhov rooj qhib rau ntawm 6 p.m. THIAB, thawj sib ntau sib tw 7 p.m. THIAB.

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