Tag Archives: Jack Delaney

Connecticut’s top all-time great fighters & Foxwoods’ best fights

PBC op ESPN & ESPN Deportes Doubleheader
Donderdag, Julie 21
From Foxwoods Resort Casino8 namiddag. EN/5 namiddag. PT
MASHANTUCKET, CT (Julie 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 Donderdag, Julie 21, as rising middleweight contender SergiyThe Technician” Derevyanchenko (8-0, 6 Uitklophoue) faces former world champion Is “King” Soliman (44-13, 18 Uitklophoue) in die 10-ronde belangrikste gebeurtenis van Premier Boxing Champions op ESPN & ESPN.
Televisie dekking begin by 8 namiddag. EN/5 namiddag. PT, and features a 10-round middleweight clash between powerful Ievgen Khytrov (13-0, 11 Uitklophoue) and California’s Paul Mendez (19-2-2, 9 Uitklophoue).
Connecticut’s all-time greatest boxer is the late Willie “Will ‘o the Wisp” Pep (229-11-1, 65 Uitklophoue), who was born in Middletown and lived in Rocky Hill. Pep, who fought professionally between 1940 en 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)GeneThe Fighting MarineTunney (65-1-1, 48 Uitklophoue), of Greenwich, who defeated the legendary Jack Dempsey twee keer; Ukrainian-born world featherweight (1925) titlist Louis “Kid” Kaplan (108-22-12, 72 Uitklophoue), from Meriden; world light heavyweight champion (1933) Slapsie” Maxie Rosenbloom (222-42-31, 2 NC, 19 Uitklophoue), of Leonard Bridge; world light heavyweight titleholder (1926-27) Jack “Bright EyesDelaney (73-11-2, 43 Uitklophoue), 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 Uitklophoue), 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 Uitklophoue), Norwalk’s WBA junior middleweight champion TremendousTravis Simms (28-1, 21 Uitklophoue), New Haven’s three-time world light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson (33-4, 18 Uitklophoue) and world welterweight contender Gaspar “Injun” Ortega (131-29-6, 69 Uitklophoue), Stamford’s world No. 1-ranked welterweight Chico Vejar (92-20-4, 43 Uitklophoue), and Bloomfield’s 1996 Olympic Team USA captain Lawrence Clay-Bey (21-3-1, 16 Uitklophoue).
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 Andre Berto (27-0) en uitdager Victor Ortiz (28-2-2) battled for 12 rondes, 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.
In 2004, New England favorite Scott “The SandmanPemberton, hailing from nearby New Bedford, MA, was involved in a great 12ste ronde, 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), veg uit Cranston, RI, and New Bedford’s all-action SucraRay Oliveira. Paz had a 13-3 record at Foxwoods, highlighted by his 1998 decision over Glenwood Brown and his 50stecareer win in his retirement fight against Tocker Pudwill in 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, in hul 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, verslaanZahir Raheem en Artur Grigorian en verlies aan Juan Diaz en 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 in die 10ste ronde van hul 2011 stryd, Carl Froch‘s dramatic late surge in 2009 to knock outJermain Taylor (who was well ahead on the scorecards) in die 12ste round for the WBC super middleweight championship, Pernell Whitaker taking a close decision fromAndrey Pestryaev (115-113, 115-112, en 114-113) in hul 1997 WBA eliminator (later ruled a No Decision due to Whitaker’s failed drug test), en Ike Quarteyovercoming two knockdowns to successfully defend his WBA welterweight title versusJose Luis Lopez in 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. en Roy Jones, Jr., both fought at Foxwoods in 1998. In sy 15ste pro stryd, Mayweather registered a third-round technical knockout of Miguel Melo, while Jones successfully defended his WBC/WBA light heavyweight titles with a 10ste-ronde TKO van 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 10ste ronde.
Kaartjies vir die lewende gebeurtenis, wat bevorder word deur DiBella Vermaak, word geprys teen $150, $75 en $45, nie, insluitend toepassing diensgelde en belasting, en is nou op die rakke. Kaartjies is beskikbaar by www.ticketmaster.com en www.foxwoods.com of deur die besoek van die Foxwoods’ Box Office. Te hef per telefoon, noem Ticket by (800) 745-3000.
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