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After winning the Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) vacant Las Americas title last December, Wilfredo ‘Bimbito’ Méndez (9-0, 4 KO’s) from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, will seek a top ranking spot in the World Boxing Association (WBA ) when he faces Nicaraguan Leyman Benavides (13-6-1, 2 KO’s) for the vacant WBA Minimumweight Fedelatin title.
The Méndez-Benavides duel will take place on Saturday, March 17 at the Fiesta Hall of the Jaragua Hotel in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
“The Fedelatin title is of upmost importance because it places the boxer in the top 15 of the WBA rankings and in a matter of two or three additional fights, the opportunity to go for the world title is very possible. We trust in ‘Bimbito’s’ skills so that on March 17, Puerto Rico will have another boxer close to a world title opportunity” said Raúl Pastrana, President of management company ‘Spartan Boxing Club’.
The undefeated Mendez, who was part of the Puerto Rican National Amateur Boxing Team said:
“I have seen boxers that have won the Fedelatin title, and in the blink of an eye, they are already fighting for a world title, and for that great moment is that I have worked all my life since childhood. With Trujillo Alto and Puerto Rico in my heart, I hope to be able to take another step on March 17 to become world champion in the near future”.
In his last fight in Santo Domingo, DR last December, Méndez defeated Dominican Republic’s Juan Guzmán (22-10, 12 KO) by TKO in the second round to capture the UBF belt.
‘Spartan Boxing Club’ has in its squad of professional boxers: WBO/WBC ranked at 122 lbs., Yenifel ‘El Rayo’ Vicente (31-3-2, 23 KO’s) of the Dominican Republic, former members of the Puerto Rican Amateur Boxing Team, Bernard ‘Bimbo’ Lebrón (9-0, 4KO’s), John ‘The Beast’ Correa (3-0, 3KO’s) and Wilfredo ‘Bimbito’ Méndez, light heavyweight and former Olympian, Lenin Castillo (17-1- 1, 12 KO’s) of the Dominican Republic, among others.
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Deerfield Beach, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2018) – Boxing promoter Don King has been trying to finalize a fight with WBA super featherweight champion Alberto “El Explosivo” Machado for more than two months with his number two contender, Rafael Mensah.
“I’ve been dealing with Robert Diaz of Golden Boy Promotions and he seems to be a forthright person,” said King. “Since the beginning of December they have been telling me we would have an agreement to fight on January 27th after they arranged a meeting with HBO’s Peter Nelson. It has been one story after another story.”
King continued: “I had the one call with Robert Diaz and he never called me back. We kept calling him. We were supposed to go in together to meet with Peter Nelson and they said we would have a 50-50 deal, and I’ve never heard from him. Mensah has been waiting three years for a title opportunity.
“My fighter was set to fight on Jan. 27, which is what we agreed upon. But I never heard back from anyone. They are playing the con game in trying to avoid this fight with Mensah. They are trying to get under the rules and not fight my future champion. The making of the Machado-Mensah fight has become convoluted and full of intrigue and machination. This whole thing has been mysterious. We are ready to fight!”
Mensah, who hails from Ghana, is 31-0 with 23 KOs.
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Portland, Maine (February 9, 2018) – New England Fights (NEF) returns to Aura in Portland onApril 14, 2018 with the fight promotion’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 33: Riptide.” Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the card. Bill Jones (12-10) is scheduled to meet Matt Denning (5-7) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.
Having begun competing in MMA back in 2007, Bill Jones is one of the longest-active fighters on the New England regional scene. His list of opponents over the years reads like a “who’s who” of local featherweights and lightweights. He holds wins over some of the best the region has to offer like UFC veteran Tateki Matsuda (13-8) and current UFC competitor Matt Bessette (22-8). Most recently, Jones competed on the national stage at World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 35 last spring in New York. Jones is currently a member of Nostos MMA based in Somersworth, New Hampshire. “NEF 33″ will be Jones’ long-awaited first appearance in the NEF cage.
“I’m excited to finally make my NEF debut and face Matt Denning, a fight I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” said Jones. “My health is at a new level since I stopped smoking. I feel refreshed and ready to put on my best performance to date against an opponent that I’m looking to dismantle in impressive fashion. Everyone knows not to sleep on me. I made my mark in the regional scene a long time age – and April 14th will be the next chapter in that story. Let’s get after it!”
Including his amateur career, Matt “Ken Doll” Denning is a fifteen-fight veteran of the NEF cage. He is on a two-fight win-streak in that cage with first-round submission victories over Josh Parker (6-10) at “NEF 28” and Dom Jones (1-1) at “NEF 29.” Like Jones, Denning is a veteran of the WSOF cage, having competed for the national promotion at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Most recently, Denning fought for national promotion Bellator in Connecticut. He is a member of Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) based in Lewiston, Maine.
“I’m excited to fight for NEF again,” said Denning. “The last two times I fought for them, I had first round submission wins. Bill is a veteran and someone that I’ve tried to fight for a while. After this fight, I don’t expect to be as active as I have been in the past. I want to focus on my job, Hollie and Becca. I look forward to a great showing and seeing all my fans.”
NEF returns to Portland, Maine, at Aura on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Tickets are on sale now at www.AuraMaine.com. For more information on the event, please visit www.NewEnglandFights.com.