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WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING RE-SIGNS REIGNING CHAMPIONS DAVID BRANCH, JUSTIN GAETHJE AND MARLON MORAES TO NEW MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENTS
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Derrick Webster – Arif Magomedov for NABO Middleweight title on ShoBox , July 17 at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem
Antoine Douglas – Istavan Szili in 10-round Middleweight main event; Adam Lopez – Eliecer Aquino for WBA FEDELATIN and WBC Interim Latino Super Bantamweight title and Jerry Odom to battle Samuel Clarkson in opening bout of televised quadruple-header
Bethlehem, PA (June 29, 2015)–On Friday, July 17 at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Derrick Webster (19-0, 10KO’s) of Glassboro, New Jersey will take on Arif Magomedov for the NABO Middleweight title which will serve as the co-feature of a big quadruple-header that will be televised live on SHOWTIME’s award winning ShoBox: The New Generation.
The fight is scheduled for 10-rounds.
The bout is promoted by GH3 Promotions, Greg Cohen Promotions and Main Events and will support the 10-round Middleweight main event event between undefeated fighter’s Antoine Douglas (17-0-1, 11 KO’s) of Burke, VA and Istavan Szili (18-0-2, 8 KO’s) of Frenkendorf, Switzerland. In another title clash, Adam Lopez (12-0, 6 KO’s) of San Antonio, Texas will take on Eliecer Aquino (17-0-1, 11 KO’s) of Higuey, Dominican Republic in a 10-round Super Bantamweight bout for the WBA FEDELATIN and WBC Interim Latino titles. The opening bout will pit Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom (13-1, 11 KO’s) of Washington, DC and Samuel Clarkson (14-3, 8 KO’s) of Ceder Hill, TX in a bout scheduled for 8-rounds.
Some of the best talent in the country will be on display on the non-televised undercard as scheduled to appear will be Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight champion John Thompson (17-1, 6 KO’s) of Newark, NJ; Light Heavyweight Lavarn Harvell (14-1, 7 KO’s) of Atlantic City, NJ; Super Middleweight Christopher Brooker (3-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia, PA; Super Bantamweight Manny Folly (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia, PA; Lightweight Samuel Teah (5-1, 3 KO’s).
Lightweight Bienvenidio Diaz (2-0, 2 KO’s) of Paterson, NJ will fight Oscar Bonilla (3-1-2, 2 KO’s) of New Haven, Connecticut in a bout scheduled for four rounds.
Also on the card will be a 4-round Jr. Middleweight bout between Ricky Nuno (1-0) of Bethlehem, PA taking on Tim Kunkel.
Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $50 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster and www.ticketmaster.com
GH3 Promotions features undefeated Middleweight Antoine Douglas, Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom & Derrick Webster, undefeated Super Bantamweight Adam Lopez as well as Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight Champion John Thompson, Jr., undefeated Welterweight Jerrell Harris,undefeated Super Bantamweight Qa’id Muhammad, lightweight Oscar Bonilla, Heavyweight Natu Visinia and Light Heavyweight Lavarn Harvell to the GH3 Promotions stable.
PRO LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT ANNOUNCED FOR NEF XIX
Lewiston, Maine (June 29, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its nineteenth mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF XIX,” on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. Earlier today, the promotion announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the fight card. Jesse “The Viking” Erickson (5-4) is scheduled to meet Ricky “Savage” Sylvester (2-1) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.
Erickson, after challenging unsuccessfully twice for the NEF MMA Professional Lightweight Championship last fall, is undefeated in 2015. Erickson downed Mark DeFord (0-4) in April in under two minutes with an impressive knockout. He followed up that performance with yet another first-round victory over Zenon Herrera (0-1). Erickson will look to make it three victories in a row on September 12 in Lewiston. He is a coach at Lewiston’s Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ).
“I’m looking forward to the challenges Ricky presents,” said Erickson of his opponent Ricky Sylvester. “He is a talented athlete with power behind his strikes. I have worked hard to develop my striking game and look forward to putting it on display against him in September. Bring your A-game Ricky because I’ll be ready for a war!”
Ricky Sylvester last appeared in the NEF cage in September 2014. That night, he shocked the NEF universe with an arm bar submission win over promotion regular Tollison Lewis (0-4). A native of Lowell, Massachusetts, Sylvester relocated to Orlando, Florida where he put in time training with the world renown American Top Team (ATT). Back home in New England, Sylvester seeks to bounce back after a loss last November in New Hampshire in his previous bout.
“I’m with Team Flo now and training in the same facility as the Doughboy Wrestling Club,” Sylvester stated. “They’re taking good care of my ground game. Not to say I’m ignoring my striking, I just know that’s what I’m known for, but I want to mix it up and put some emphasis on what others might think I’m lacking and really show the double threat. Jesse Erickson is a great grappler—I would be shocked to see him just trying to stand up with me and battle hands. That being said, I know what to expect. As always, expect a great show and a hard fought fight from a savage. Live fast, die young, take chances and live reckless.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XIX,” takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF XIX” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at207.783.2009 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.”
About New England Fights
New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.
WORLD CHAMPION KEITH THURMAN READY FOR JULY 11 PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON ESPN FIGHT
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Team Fight to Walk’s Briefing with Congress a major knockout!
New York, NY (June 28, 2015) – When Dr. Patricia Morton, Dr. Wise Young and Captain Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson presented their case to Congress at a briefing in Washington, DC they had one goal in mind. The goal, which has been the focal point of Melson’s life since meeting Christan Zaccagnino 13 years ago, is to see her walk again. Zaccagnino suffered a diving accident as a child that left her paralyzed from the waist down and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.
A major step for Zaccagnino being able to potentially walk again would be congress approving a clinical trial to take place in the United States focusing on non embryonic stem cell research. The trial, which samples random patients, includes surgery and rehabilitation with the end result hopefully being that person walking again. In China, this trial produced great results under the lead of Dr. Young and a number of the patients were able to walk again following surgery and three months therapy.
On June 22, Morton, Young and Melson emphatically presented their case at the Rayburn House OfficeBuilding in our nation’s capital.
With a packed room filled with interested parties, Dr. Morton, Director of Planning and Development for the Spinal Cord Injury Project, served as the moderator. Dr. Young, widely considered the best in the world for Spinal Cord Care, presented scientific data to support why the trial would be successful in America. Melson moved members of the audience and congress by detailing how he’s risked his life as a professional boxer to raise funds to cure Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries. Ms. Ida Cahill, CEO of Conqueor Paralysis now, and Dr. Balpreet Grewal-Virk, whose father was paralyzed during Hurricane Sandy, also gave heartfelt speeches.
Overall, each speaker played a key role by presenting different reasons why they believe the trial needs to take place and can be the reason hundreds of thousands of paralyzed Americans are able to walk again.
“Everything went perfectly,” said an ecstatic Melson. “Congressman Fattah really had our back too and I owe everybody who was there special thanks. Tuesday was one of the most important days of my entire life and even though we may be waiting a little bit for the word if this trial officially gets the green light, my confidence is at an all-time high. Members of congress understood the importance of these trials and the results fromChina presented by Dr. Young can’t be denied. If this briefing were a fight, it definitely would’ve been a knockout in our favor!”
For more information and updates, please visit Teamfighttowalk.com.
Introducing undefeated Featherweight Antonio DuBose
Bethlehem, PA (June 27 2015)–Tonight at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Kings Promotions will present 10 bout card that will be headlined by undefeated welterweight Jamal James taking on Mike Balasi in a bout scheduled for 8 rounds.
In one of the featured undercard bout, undefeated Philadelphia Featherweight Antonio DuBose (7-0, 2 KO’s) will take on tough veteran Jesus Lule (7-12-1, 1 KO) of Fort Myers, Florida.
This will be the most experienced for of DuBose’s career and the fighter from Shulers Gym in West Philadelphia is eager to put himself on the map.
Click the video to hear what DuBose has to say. Media outlets may use the video on their websites by copy/paste the embedded link:
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| Antonio DuBose–June 27, 2015 |
Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $50 and can purchased at ticketmaster and www.ticketmaster.com
The 1st bout will start at 6:45 PM with the doors opening at 6 PM.
The show will be streamed live on www.gfl.tv
DOMINIC WADE TAKES A 10-ROUND SPLIT DECISION OVER FORMER WORLD CHAMPION SAM SOLIMAN TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED IN MAIN EVENT OF SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION TRIPLEHEADER
Unbeatens Erickson Lubin, Oscar Rivas, Win by First-Round Knockout
Over Ayi Bruce, Jason Pettaway, Respectively, in Televised Co-Features
Watch The Replay Of The ShoBox: The New Generation Tripleheader
Monday, June 29, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO
Click HERE To Download Photos
Credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME®
SHELTON, Wash, (June 26, 2015) – In an extremely close fight to score, undefeated middleweight Dominic “Lights Out” Wade (18-0, 12 KOs), of Washington, D.C., escaped with a split 10-round decision over former world champion Sam “King” Soliman (44-13, 1 NC, 18 KOs), of Melbourne, Australia, in the main event Friday on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME from Little Creek Casino.
Wade, who scored a disputed knockdown in the fourth round, won by the scores of 97-93, 95-94 and 93-96.
“This was by far my toughest fight, and my best win as a pro,’’ Wade said afterward. “I knew there was going to be a problem fighting an experienced, totally awkward guy like that. Really, it’s impossible to prepare for a fight like this. But I kept my poise throughout and that was a key.
“Soliman was physically fit, but not one thing he did surprised me. His punches weren’t anything. I thought it was a close fight, but I knew I landed the harder, cleaner shots. I wasn’t worried at all about the decision.
“I have more respect for Soliman now that I’ve fought him. He sure doesn’t fight like somebody that is 41-years-old. But I did what I had to do to get the win and take the next step up me.’’
Soliman, making his first start since suffering a knee injury last Oct. 14in an IBF title defense decision loss to Jermain Taylor, fought his fight. An energetic, herky-jerky veteran, who constantly moves, feints, charges in with punches, holds, grabs, hugs and sometimes even tackles.
His mauling unconventional style makes it almost impossible to look good against, but many, including Soliman, felt he landed enough clean punches to deserve the decision.
“I definitely felt I won, and I think Wade knows I won, too,’’ Soliman said. “He never hurt me once. My knee held up 100 percent. The knockdown that he got credit for wasn’t even a knockdown. It didn’t come from a punch. He literally pushed me down.
“That everyone after the fight came up to me and said I won takes some of the sting out of not getting the decision. These kinds of decisions can bring some fighters down, but this will only make me stronger. I don’t agree with the decision at all, but this is boxing and I have to accept it.
“I really want to thank SHOWTIME for giving me the opportunity to fight on ShoBox. I think I showed the world tonight that I have a lot left.’’
Boxing historian and ShoBox expert analyst Steve Farhood afterward: “It was a very difficult fight to score. It was very close. It turns out the difference was somehow controversial: Unofficial knockdown in round four. If you scored that round 10-8 for Wade, that was the margin of victory, one extra point that he got for round four.
“A good win for [Dominic] Wade, not a pretty win. He’s a legitimate Top 10 contender now because he beat a legitimate top 10 contender. And for [Sam] Soliman, he’s 41-years-old and he’s going to keep going. He’s not going to stop. Overall, it was a good learning experience for Wade and a very very difficult ugly fight that could have gone either way.”
There was much less drama in the two other televised fights presented by TGB Promotions.
In the co-feature, 19-year-old former amateur standout and talented unbeaten super welterweight Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (11-0, 8 KOs), of Orlando Fla., scored two knockdowns en route to a 2:49, first-round knockout over Ayi Bruce (23-10, 15 KO’s) of Albany, N.Y., who was fighting for the first time in 16 months.
“I expected to take him out, maybe in a couple of rounds, but not that fast,’’ said the up-and-coming southpaw who is one of the youngest boxers to appear on ShoBox. “I took my time and was pacing myself. I don’t think he hit me once.
“I want to keep moving up and fighting better competition so I can become a true contender. I’m ready to fight again tomorrow. Tonight, actually.’’
In the ShoBox opener, former international amateur star Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas (17-0, 12 KOs), a Montreal-based Colombian who represented Colombia in the 2008 Olympic Games, remained undefeated with a devastating 2:25 first-round TKO over outclassedJason Pettaway (17-3, 10 KOs), of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
A brutal, vicious puncher, Rivas was impressive in his United States andShoBox debut. He overwhelmed Rivas from the outset, scoring three knockdowns. He had two points taken away for hitting Pettaway late and while he was down after the first knockdown, but it hardly mattered.
While delighted with his performance, Rivas felt the points’ deduction was unwarranted. “I didn’t think he was on the floor,’’ he said. “I didn’t think his knee was down and he was holding on to the ropes. So he wasn’t down and I kept punching.
“I feel very happy about my fight tonight. This was the opportunity I’ve been waiting for, fighting on a great network like SHOWTIME. I’m ready for bigger challenges now. I don’t care against who. I’m ready to take on the world.’’
Said Pettaway: “I definitely felt I was down and that it was a late shot. It definitely affected me. I never got a chance to show anything.’’
Rivas, looking to become the first boxer from Colombia to win a heavyweight world title, may have had something to do with that.
Unbeaten lightweight and former Marine and 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Captain Jamel Herring (12-0, 7 KOs), of Cincinnati, Ohio, whose scheduled ShoBox fight against Mexico’s Oscar Cortes was cancelledThursday when Cortes came in overweight, fought on the non-televised portion of the event and won a lopsided eight-round decision over Tijuana’s Hector Velasquez (56-26-3, 38 KOs).
Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox blow by blow at ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquezserving as ringside analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hallwith Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
The ShoBox:The New Generation tripleheader will re-air this week as follows:
DAY CHANNEL
Monday, June 29, 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIMEEXTREME®
Friday’s three-fight telecast will be available at SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® beginning tomorrow, Saturday, June 27.
OFFICIAL ‘BELLATOR MMA: KONGO VS. VOLKOV’ RESULTS & PHOTOS
ALSO: BELLATOR MMA SIGNS JOSH “KOS” KOSCHECK TO MULTI-FIGHT DEAL
CLICK HERE FOR BELLATOR 139 PHOTOS
Mulvane, Kan. (June 26, 2015) – Cheick Kongo (23-10-2) utilized a vast array of elbow strikes to defeat Alexander Volkov (24-6) via unanimous decision in the main event of Bellator MMA: “Kongo vs. Volkov” from Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan., on Friday.
The Frenchman was relentless with his takedown attempts and “Drago” was unable to use his length to ward them off, spending a good duration of the heavyweight encounter on his back.
With the victory, Kongo improves to 4-2 under the Bellator MMA umbrella, while Volkov has now dropped two consecutive decisions.
In the co-main event, Dave Rickels (16-3, 1 NC) was seemingly en route to a spectacular stoppage of John Alessio (35-17, 1 NC) but an ill-advised knee to the head of a downed Alessio resulted in a no contest.
The 26-year-old Derby, Kan. native had the former World Extreme Cagefighting competitor wobbled against the cage, but the roar of the hometown fans may have clouded his decision making, as Rickels threw the knee and as a result referee Rob Hinds waved off the fight.
“Kansas, I’m so sorry,” Rickels said. “The fight was going exactly as I expected. You will see me do this again, except next time, I’m going to legally finish my opponent. I kneed him in the head, I screwed up, I could’ve stopped at any second but I just wanted to finish it.”
In what will undoubtedly end up as a “knockout of the year” candidate, Hisaki Kato (5-1) finished Joe Schilling (2-5) with a second-round Superman punch to impress in his Bellator MMA debut.
“I believed in myself. I know I have really heavy hands and it took just one big shot to knock him out,” Kato said after the fight. “I feel I did a great job of representing Japanese MMA. It’s not only about grappling, we are also strikers as well.”
Kato showcased his grappling the first round, nullifying the world-class muay Thai of Schilling on the ground. But after a few even exchanges to open the second slate, Kato struck with a perfectly placed punch that sent those in attendance into a frenzy. It’s worth noting that the Japanese international has won all five of his fights by KO or TKO.
In the opening main card bout of the evening, Pat Curran (21-7) got back on the winning track with a unanimous (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) decision over a game Emmanuel Sanchez (10-2).
Curran was originally slated to face Goiti Yamauchi, but an injury created the opportunity for Sanchez to fill-in on short notice. The two featherweights maintained a torrid pace over the course of 15 minutes, but the three judges appointed by the Kansas commission all ruled in favor of the former 145-pound champion.
After the fight, “Paddy Mike” promised to continue improving on his craft.
“I really needed this win,” Curran said. “I want to thank him for stepping up on three weeks notice and taking the fight. I’m going to keep coming, I have a lot to improve and keep working on. I’m going to head back to the gym and keep getting better.”
Josh Koscheck Signing:
Bellator MMA also announced the signing of Josh “Kos” Koscheck (17-10) to a multi-fight deal. The welterweight comes to the Scott Coker-led promotion from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he amassed his record fighting some of the most notable names in the welterweight division, including Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes.
Koscheck, is a former Division I wrestling champion who now joins an ultra-competitive welterweight division, where a rematch against Paul Daley could possibly come to fruition.
Preliminary Results:
Frederick Brown (3-1) stopped Derek Bohi (6-4) with punches in the Bellator 139 dark main event. The technical knockout came :29 seconds into the first round.
Aaron Ely (5-2) utilized his slick grappling skills to submit Jeimeson Saudino (8-5) with a standing guillotine choke at 1:05 of round two. “The Cyborg” has earned all of his five victories by way of submission.
The lone women’s fight on the Bellator 139 card did not disappoint, as Bryanna Fissori (2-0) earned a unanimous 29-28 decision win against Iony Razafiarison (2-1). The difference was the third and final frame, where “The Pink Ranger” secured a full mount and rained down punches, seeking the finish and receiving the benefit of the doubt from the judges.
Alex Huddleston (6-1) is making a habit of finishing scraps early, finishing his opponent Javy Ayala (8-4) via rear-naked choke a mere 72-seconds after the opening bell sounded. With the win, “The Shaved Gorilla” has two first-round finishes in his two fights under the Bellator MMA banner.
Before Augusto Sakai (10-0) and Daniel Gallemore (4-3) could get off their stools for a third round, Gallemore’s corner stopped the fight. Somewhere along the way, “Big Kansas” began having trouble seeing, giving Sakai the win via TKO and keeping the Brazilian fighter’s record unblemished to begin his professional career.
Bubba Jenkins (9-2) got back to his winning way against Joe Wilk (19-10) on Friday night, finishing the Kansas-native with punches at 1:00 of round one. “The Highlight Kid” improved to 6-2 inside the Bellator MMA cage.
It took 15 tightly contested minutes to find a winner between lightweights Pablo Villaseca (9-1) and Bobby Cooper (12-5). In the end, two judges scored the fight in favor of the man they call “Super Duper,” giving him the split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) victory.
In the opening bout of the evening, Gaston Reyno (4-0, 2 NC) made quick work of Greg Scott (3-4), picking up the submission win after only 1:17 of featherweight action.
Global Proving Ground Update
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