Mashantucket, CT (Tháng bảy 19, 2016) — Connecticut may not have equal status with New York City or Las Vegas in terms of being a fight capital, but the Nutmeg State has produced five Hall-of-Famers with Foxwoods Resort Casino, located in Mashantucket, CT, hosting many of the sport’s greatest fighters and fights over the past two decades.

The tradition continues on Thứ năm, Tháng bảy 21, as rising middleweight contender Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (8-0, 6 Kos) faces former world champion Am “Vua” Soliman (44-13, 18 Kos) trong các sự kiện chính 10 vòng Premier Boxing Champions trên ESPN & ESPN.

Phủ sóng truyền hình bắt đầu vào lúc 8 giờ chiều. VÀ/5 giờ chiều. PT, and features a 10-round middleweight clash between powerful Ievgen Khytrov (13-0, 11 Kos) and California’s Paul Mendez (19-2-2, 9 Kos).

Connecticut’s all-time greatest boxer is the late Willie “Will ‘o the Wisp” Pep (229-11-1, 65 Kos), who was born in Middletown and lived in Rocky Hill. Pep, người đã chiến đấu chuyên nghiệp giữa 1940 và 1966, was a two-time world featherweight champion who had an epic rivalry with Sandy Saddler.

Other Hall-of-Famers from Connecticut are world heavyweight champion (1926-28)Gene “The Fighting Marine” Tunney (65-1-1, 48 Kos), of Greenwich, who defeated the legendary Jack Dempsey hai lần; Ukrainian-born world featherweight (1925) titlist Louis “Thằng bé” Kaplan (108-22-12, 72 Kos), from Meriden; world light heavyweight champion (1933) “Slapsie” Maxie Rosenbloom (222-42-31, 2 NC, 19 Kos), of Leonard Bridge; world light heavyweight titleholder (1926-27) Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney (73-11-2, 43 Kos), who was born in Canada but lived in Bridgeport.

Over the year, many other Connecticut fighters have made an impact on the sport including Hartford’s NBA featherweight champion Battling Battalino (57-26-3, 26 Kos), who was the first world champion to lose his title on the scale, Hartford’s two-time world welterweight titlist Marlon “Magic Man” Starling (45-6-12, 27 Kos), Norwalk’s WBA junior middleweight champion “Tremendous” Travis Simms (28-1, 21 Kos), New Haven’s three-time world light heavyweight champion “Xấu” Chad Dawson (33-4, 18 Kos) and world welterweight contender Gaspar “Người Ấn Độ” Ortega (131-29-6, 69 Kos), Stamford’s world No. 1-ranked welterweight Chico Vejar (92-20-4, 43 Kos), and Bloomfield’s 1996 Olympic Team USA captain Lawrence Clay-Bey (21-3-1, 16 Kos).

The No. 1 Foxwoods fight of all-time, held on April 16, 2011, was also promoted by DiBella Entertainment, and was selected as the 2011 Ring Magazine and BWAA Fight of the Year. Defending champion Berto khác (27-0) và thách thức Victor Ortiz (28-2-2) battled for 12 vòng, each getting dropped twice, with Ortiz winning a hard-fought decision (114-111, 114-112, 115-110) for the WBC welterweight title.

A close second place is the 2003 BWAA Fight of the Year, in which future Hall-of-FamerJames Toney (65-4-2) won a 12-round decision over reigning IBF cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov. The action started days earlier at the pre-fight press conference when a skirmish erupted as tables were overturned and glasses thrown. The animosity continued between the two fighters and their respective camps right up to the final bell. Previously undefeated, Jirov (31-0) started fast but faded, getting decked in the final round.

Trong 2004, New England favorite Scott “The Sandman” Pemberton, hailing from nearby New Bedford, MA, was involved in a great 12^th tròn, come-from-behind knockout of always-tough Omar Sheika in a rematch of a previous draw, for a regional super middleweight title.

Two other N.E. fan favorites who fought regularly at Foxwoods were multiple-time world champion Vinny Paz (Pazienza during his boxing career), fighting out of Cranston, RI, and New Bedford’s all-action “Sucra” Ray Oliveira. Paz had a 13-3 record at Foxwoods, highlighted by his 1998 decision over Glenwood Brown and his 50^thcareer win in his retirement fight against Tocker Pudwill trong 2004. Oliveira was only 6-7-1 fighting at Foxwoods, but he faced nothing but iron and he did defeat a world champion, Vince Phillips, trong họ 2000 non-title fight that produced the second-most total punches (2,989) recorded at that time.

Brazilian boxing fans always turned out in force when countryman Acelino “Butt” Freitas fought at Foxwoods, primarily because of the large Brazilian community in Connecticut. Freitas fought there four times, all in lightweight world title fights, đánh bạiZahir Raheem và Artur Grigorian và để thua Juan Diaz và Diego Corrales.

Other great fights at Foxwoods include future world middleweight champion Andy Leecoming back from the brink of possibly getting knocked out to stop Craig McEwan trong 10^th round of their 2011 cuộc chiến đấu, Carl Froch‘s dramatic late surge in 2009 to knock outJermain Taylor (who was well ahead on the scorecards) trong 12^th round for the WBC super middleweight championship, Pernell Whitaker taking a close decision fromAndrey Pestryaev (115-113, 115-112, và 114-113) trong họ 1997 WBA eliminator (later ruled a No Decision due to Whitaker’s failed drug test), và Ike Quarteyovercoming two knockdowns to successfully defend his WBA welterweight title versusJose Luis Lopez trong 1997 (Quartey was originally awarded a win by majority decision, but a scoring error was discovered and the fight was ruled a majority draw).

Two of the greatest boxers in modern boxing history, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. và Roy Jones, Jr., both fought at Foxwoods in 1998. Trong mình 15^th pro fight, Mayweather registered a third-round technical knockout of Miguel Melo, while Jones successfully defended his WBC/WBA light heavyweight titles with a 10^th-TKO vòng Otis Grant. In the Jones-Grant co-feature, IBF lightweight champion Shane Mosley successfully defended his title against Jesse James Leija, who was unable to answer the bell for the 10^th tròn.

Vé cho sự kiện trực tiếp, được khuyến khích bởi DIBELLA Entertainment, có giá $150, $75 và $45, không bao gồm phí dịch vụ và thuế áp dụng, và được bán ngay bây giờ. Vé có bán tại www.ticketmaster.com và www.foxwoods.com hoặc bằng cách truy cập Foxwoods’ Phòng vé. Để sạc bằng điện thoại, gọi Ticketmaster tại (800) 745-3000.

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