All posts by FNU47
Texas Twins Jordan & Josh Jenkins on special Mission to Write American Boxing History
2020 USA National Boxing ChampionshipsMar. 25-Apr. 4, in Shreveport, Louisiana
Undefeated RayJay Bermudez: Super lightweight prospect flying under the radar
BOSTON (February 25, 2020) – Undefeated RayJay “The Destroyer” Bermudez (12-0, 9 KOs) has tried to stay busy and progress, developmental-wise, fighting three times during the pandemic, including a recent title-winning performance south of the border.
The 22-year-old Bermudez, fighting out of Albany (NY), stopped journeyman Rynell Griffin in five rounds last November in New Hampshire, and he followed that up in December with a third-round technical knockout of Ever Ceballos in Mexico to capture the vacant American Boxing Federation’s (ABF) Americas West super lightweight championship.
“Mexico was a humbling experience,” Bermudez said after his ABF title-winning performance. “I’m honored to have had the opportunity to go to another country and fight for a professional title. I fought a tough, scrappy Mexican veteran, who was game from the beginning, but my plan was to stay composed and break him down. And that’s exactly want I did to score a third-round TKO and advance my record to 11-0 with 8 knockouts. Thank you to everybody who tuned on the FITE.app. This is only the beginning of something special!”
In his most recent fight earlier this month, Bermudez returned to Mexico for a stay busy fight, stopping Mario Israel Vera round four.
Despite his unbeaten run, Bermudez is still fighting under the radar, at least on a national basis, but 2021 promises to be a breakout year for him, of course, pending pandemic restrictions in 2021.
Bermudez, who is managed by Ryan Roach’s Fighter Locker, is trained by his uncle, Hector Bermudez, who has trained five world champions including TJ Doheny and Javier Fortuna.
RayJay looked great in his last fight,” Roach commented. “He stuck to the game plan and broke his opponent down. We as a team are really happy where he is at right now. We will start stepping up the competition this year. Our goal will be to get him a regional title and get him ranked. This will be an exciting year to be a part of RayJay’s team.
Fighter Locker’s growing stable of gifted boxers includes California super flyweight Rocco “So Cal Kid” Santomauro (20-1, 6 KOs), West Haven, CT super welterweight Jimmy “Quiet Storm” Williams (16-5-2, 5 KOs), super middleweight “The Amazing” Shawn McCalman (6-0, 4 KOs), U.S. Army super bantamweight Daniel Bailey, Jr. (2-0, 1 KO), lightweight Leonel de los Santos (2-0, 2 KOs), a 2-time Dominican Republic Olympian, pro-debuting Boston featherweight Troy Anderson, Jr., pro-debuting Dominican Republic welterweight Juan Solano, and Salt Lake City, Utah brothers, super lightweight Ignacio Chairez (7-0-1, 4 KOs) and lightweight Gabriel Chairez (3-0, 2 KOs).
INFORMATION:
WEBSITE: fighterlocker.com, punch4parkinsons.com
FACEBOOK: /fighterlocker
TWITTER: @RoachRyan
INSTAGRAM: @RyanRoach82
20-1 California super flyweight Rocco Santomauro signs with Ryan Roach’s Fighter Locker
BOSTON (February 23, 2021) – Ryan Roach’s Fighter Locker has announced it has signed California super flyweight Rocco “So Cal Kid” Santomauro (20-1, 6 KOs) to an exclusive managerial contract.
The 33-year-old Santomauro, fighting out of Apple Valley, CA, is riding a 7-fight win streak since suffering his only loss as a professional to then 14-0 Diego De La Hoya nearly five years ago.
“I’m 33,” Santomauro said, but I definitely feel I’m in my prime. My skill level is at its best and I’m always improving. When it comes to getting in there with top guys, I’ve been in the ring with many world champions, outside of fights, and I’ve more than held my own. It’s all a matter of timing and I feel mine is here. I believe I’m very close to a major fight right now at super flyweight. It’s all a matter of getting myself in the right position and I feel like, right now, I have the right team to do so with Ryan Roach and Fighter Locker backing me.
“I signed a managerial contract with Ryan and his Fighter Locker because I knew it was a good move. After managing myself the last year and a half, I knew I needed trustworthy help to get to the next level. Ryan and I were friends on social media. I was aware he was signing fighters with Fighter Locker, so I began to watch and study him to see how he was with his fighters. Having liked what I saw – Ryan being there for his fighters and building a good relationship with him talking from time to time — we were able to come to an agreement to take me to that next level and get a major fight.”
“I’m excited to add such a veteran fight to our stable,” Roach commented. “Rocco checks all the boxes in terms of what a manager looks for in a fighter. He has great ring IQ. He’s fast with great defense, and Rocco a very energetic fighter. He is close to a world title shot; one or two more fights and we will be fighting top super flyweights. Rocco has what it takes to beat those guys.”
The son of an Italian father who wanted his son to be an “animal,” Rocco was born with a fighting spirt, aggressive in nature as a child, and inspired by Rocky Marciano. Rocco got into boxing, in large part, due to following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a decorated amateur boxer. He first boxed because of his brother, then through a local boxing club in Hesperia (CA), in addition to practicing at home as he watched his favorite fighters on ESPN Classic.
Santomauro’s amateur career never really took off. He lived in an area with very little boxing, and needed to travel to box, which resulted in him deciding when he was older to take control of his boxing career by moving to Las Vegas. He developed his skills there and decided in 2009 to turn pro after suffering what he felt was a bad decision at the USA Nationals.
An energetic boxer who is a smart, aggressive counter puncher, Santomauro also checks in on the body, and brings excitement into the ring. His best fight to date was his most recent (Nov. 7, 2020), when he stopped Christian Omar Henriques (10-4-2) in the sixth round of their fight in Tijuana.
“I was backed by Fighter Locker and my team,” Rocco noted. “I went in focused and mentally trained properly to do what I had to do against a game, younger opponent with a winning record. I knocked him out! We did it intelligently and were able to hit all the marks performance-wise.”
Training and fighting during a pandemic have been challenging, to say the least, and being a super flyweight only compounds the problem.
“It’s been very difficult getting fights as an American super flyweight,” Santomauro added, “especially coming down in weight from featherweight and then junior featherweight. Nobody was willing to give me the opportunity, nor did they think I could fight at that weight class having debuted as a junior lightweight. I was basically put on the shelf, turned down left and right as a free agent with 14-1 record at that time. I reached a 1 ½ year layoff, getting only lowball offers against short notice opponents. My trainer, Julian Chua, and I decided it would be smart to start fighting in Mexico, where there were super flyweights to fight.
“Training during the pandemic has been absolute hell for me, closed out of almost all gyms but grateful for being able to visit, from time to time, the Wild Card Boxing Gym and Churchill Boxing Club. But that wasn’t what I was used to. I had to do a lot of what I call ‘Rocky 4’ training on my own to stay fit. I was also lucky enough to build good relationships in Mexico with my promoter, so I was blessed to always have the option of staying busy in Tijuana. And I did.”
Now, Roach and Fighter Locker have Santomauro’s back, and his future is promising.
Fighter Locker’s growing stable of gifted boxers includes, Troy, NY ABF American West super lightweight Ray Jay “The Destroyer” Bermudez (12-0, 9 KOs), Toronto, Canada welterweight West Haven, CT super welterweight Jimmy “Quiet Storm” Williams (16-5-2, 5 KOs), super middleweight “The Amazing” Shawn McCalman (6-0, 4 KOs), U.S. Army super bantamweight Daniel Bailey, Jr. (2-0, 1 KO), lightweight Leonel de los Santos (2-0, 2 KOs),, a 2-time Dominican Republic Olympian, pro-debuting Boston featherweight Troy Anderson, Jr., pro-debuting Dominican Republic welterweight Juan Solano, and Salt Lake City, Utah brothers, super lightweight Ignacio Chairez (7-0-1, 4 KOs) and lightweight Gabriel Chairez (3-0, 2 KOs).
INFORMATION:
WEBSITE: fighterlocker.com, punch4parkinsons.com
FACEBOOK: /fighterlocker, /roccosantomauro
TWITTER: @RoachRyan, @RoccoSantomauro
INSTAGRAM: @RyanRoach82, @RoccoSantomauro
ABOUT FIGHTER LOCKER: Established in 2019, Fighter Locker is a comprehensive sports agency that manages professional boxers. Fighter Locker also helps to brand boxers by finding their voice with a 100-percent customized service. Fighter Locker does not really believe in working models. It believes in partnership optimization models in motion.
Fighter Locker uses four creative steps because it believes in “the foundation is everything”: 1. wisely conceived, 2. creatively restrained, 3. Proudly judged, 4. sharply targeted.
ADRIEN BRONER vs. JOVANIE SANTIAGO FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS
Richard Brewart Jr. Training Camp Quotes
BELLATOR MMA™ LAUNCHES OFFICIAL FIGHTER RANKINGS
MEDIA MEMBERS TO VOTE ON TOP 10 COMPETITORS IN NINE WEIGHT CLASSES, AS WELL AS MEN’S & WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND LISTS
INITIAL RANKINGS SET TO BE RELEASED IN ADVANCE OF BELLATOR’S APRIL DEBUT ON SHOWTIME®
LOS ANGELES – Bellator MMA™ is pleased to announce the organization will implement an official fighter rankings system for each of its weight classes, in addition to a pound-for-pound list for both the men’s and women’s divisions, in the coming weeks. The official Bellator MMA Fighter Rankings will be determined by a 15-person voting panel, comprised exclusively of members of the MMA media.
“This is the greatest roster in the history of Bellator,” said Bellator MMA President Scott Coker. “As we continue to sign the top free agents in the sport and see the success of young prospects inside the Bellator cage, we felt that the time was right to introduce official fighter rankings. We are always looking at ways to improve our product and this adds a new and exciting aspect to the organization that will have a significant impact on how fans watch Bellator. Every division is competitive, every matchup is important, and we are set for several potential blockbusters as we begin a new year on Showtime.”
Votes will be cast for eligible fighters following each Bellator live event and final results will be made public. To ensure transparency, the tabulation of votes will be overseen solely by a third-party company, Combat Registry.
The initial rankings will be released in the days leading up to Bellator’s return to action and debut on SHOWTIME® Friday, April 2 with Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 at 9 p.m. ET.
Information detailing fighter eligibility, as well as additional voting criteria, is listed below:
Divisional Rankings:
- Top 10 fighter rankings will be voted on in nine Bellator MMA weight classes, in addition to two pound-for-pound lists.
- Champions of each division will be automatically assigned to the Champions slot atop the rankings.
- Fighters in seven men’s divisions will be ranked, including:
- Heavyweight
- Light Heavyweight
- Middleweight
- Welterweight
- Lightweight
- Featherweight
- Bantamweight
- Fighters in two women’s divisions will be ranked, including:
- Featherweight
- Flyweight
- Two pound-for-pound lists will be voted on, including:
- Men’s
- Women’s
New Fighter Eligibility:
- A fighter must have competed once inside the Bellator cage on a current term with the company to be eligible.
Inactivity:
- A fighter is eligible to be ranked for up to 15-months without competing.
Retirement
- A fighter remains eligible for 60 days after an indication of retirement, with the organization ultimately determining if the fighter remains active and eligible.
Multiple Weight Classes:
- A fighter is allowed to be actively ranked in two different weight classes and is eligible to be ranked in an additional weight class once they have competed at least once in that division.
- A fighter must actively compete in each weight class – a period of inactivity longer than 15 months in a given weight class will result in the removal from that specific weight class, but not necessarily from another division or the overall rankings pool.
- With the exception being that a fighter is actively participating in a World Grand Prix tournament in a different weight class.
Removal/Ineligibility:
- A fighter serving a non-medical suspension from an overseeing regulatory body and/or the organization for longer than six months will be removed from rankings eligibility. A fighter will remain eligible with a suspension of six months or fewer.
Fighter Rankings Pool:
- The final list of eligible fighters, and the weight classes in which they are eligible to be ranked, will ultimately be determined by the organization.
Voting Frequency:
- New Bellator rankings will only be voted on after every event, regardless of frequency.
- Votes will be due the Monday following a Bellator live event.
First-Place Votes:
- Each rankings period will reveal how many number one contender votes each fighter received.
Voting Tabulation:
- Tabulation of votes will be handled exclusively by Combat Registry, a third-party independent of Bellator MMA.
Voting Panel:
- Bellator fighter rankings will be voted on exclusively by media members within the MMA industry.
- In no capacity, will Bellator staff, athletes, talent or other organization personnel participate in voting.
The inaugural voting panel will include the following members of the media:
- Jeff Cain – MMA Weekly
- Brian Campbell – CBS Sports
- Rodrigo Del Campo – Claro Sports
- Rob DeMello – KHON Hawaii
- Jason Floyd – The MMA Report
- George Garcia – MMA Junkie
- Amy Kaplan – FanSided
- Nolan King – MMA Junkie
- John Hyon Ko – South China Morning Post
- Mark LaMonica – Newsday
- Igor Lazarin – TASS Russia
- Shakiel Mahjouri – Fightful MMA
- Joe McDonagh – Cageside Press
- John Morgan – MMA Junkie
- Ken Pishna – MMA Weekly
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.
Jason “The Kid” Knight to headline iKON 5
iKON 5 STREAMING LIVE & EXCLUSIVELY ON UFC FIGHT PASS®
MARCH 5th FROM BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI
LAS VEGAS (February 18, 2021) – Mississippi featherweight Jason “The Kid” Knight will headline iKON 5, streaming live and exclusively March 5th on UFC FIGHT PASS®, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, from Biloxi Civic Center in Biloxi, Mississippi.
To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, please visit www.ufcfightpass.comor download the UFC app.
iKON 5 is presented by iKON Fighting Federation in association with Roy Jones Jr. Boxing.
“We’re thrilled to return to where iKON Fighting Federation started last September,” iKON president Keith Veltre said. “We’ve improved each show from then and are prepared for a breakout year in 2021. We were able to successfully launch a new MMA company during a pandemic, despite all of the challenging restrictions, and we’re moving forward full force this year as we continue growing.”
The 28-year-old Knight (20-6-0), fighting out of Lucedale (MS), is coming off an impressive bare knuckle fighting victory last November, when he stopped former UFC fighter Artem Lebov in the fifth round. A Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai specialist, Knight fought in the UFC between 2015 and 2018. He is matched against Taurean Boggues (15-11-0) in the main event.
Undefeated Louisiana welterweight “The Ghost” AJ Fletcher (6-0-0) will face an opponent to be determined in the co-featured event.
Tallahassee (FL) welterweight Socrates “The Sounds of Kaos” Pierre (11-6-0), who is matched against local favorite Harris “Sandman” Stephenson (6-2-0), another fighter with a bare-knuckle fighting background.
Also slated to be in action is Charlie Decca (2-0-0), of Miami, who will throw-down with Alabama’s Kyle McDonough (0-1-0) at a catchweight.
Three female strawweight matches are scheduled: California’s Valerie “The Violator” Wong (0-1-0), who made her pro debut in Invicta, vs. Denver’s Kathryn Paprocki (2-1-0)), Louisiana’s pro-debuting Macy Breaux vs. Orlando’s (FL) Shawna “Bam Bam” Ormsby (2-2-0), and West Palm Beach’s (FL) Kayla “K-Rock” Hracho (3-2-0, iKON: 2-0-0) vs. Knoxville’s (TN) Emilee King (4-4-0). There is another female fight on tap between pro-debuting Alabama flyweight Griffin Fisk vs. Connecticut’s Alexandra Ballou (1-0-0), who won her pro-debut in Bellator competition.
Card subject to change.
INFORMATION:
Websites: http://www.RoyJonesJrBoxing.com, www.ufcfightpass.com
Facebook: /UFCFightPass, /KeithVeltre
Twitter: @iKONFightingFederation, @UFCFightPass, @Keith_Veltre, @RoyjonesJRfa @RoyJonesJrOfficial
Instagram: @iKONFightingFederation, @UFCFightPass, @KeithVeltre, @RoyJonesJrBoxing
ABOUT ROY JONES JR, BOXING PROMOTIONS: Co-founded in 2013 by 10-time world champion Roy Jones, Jr. and Keith Veltre, Roy Jones, Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions is on its way to reinventing boxing. RJJ has already made a huge impact in the boxing community in a few short years. Creating exhilarating content for UFC Fight Pass, CBS Sports, Showtime, ESPN and beIN Sports in some of the finest venues across the country, RJJ has proven it is conquering the sweet science of the sport.
Based in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, NV, Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions is climbing to the top at a fast pace, adding young talent to its growing stable: NABF super flyweight champion, IBF #8 and WBC # 15 Jade “Hurricane” Bornea (15-0, 10 KOs); two-time world title challenger, WBO #11 bantamweight “Mighty” Aston Palicte (26-4-1, 22 KOs); NABF welterweight champion, WBC #14 and Santiago “Somer” Dominguez (24-0, 18 KOs); former NABA welterweight champion Kendo “Tremendo” Castaneda (17-2, 8 KOs), former Interim World middleweight title challenger John “The Phenom” Vera (19-1, 11 KO), unbeaten super middleweight prospect Juan “Just Business” Barajas (11-0-1, 7 KOs), and former WBC World Youth heavyweight titlist Alexander “The Great” Flores (18-3-1, 16 KOs).
ABOUT UFC FIGHT PASS®: UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. UFC FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com.
Boston featherweight Troy Anderson, Jr. Benefited from sparring with undisputed world lightweight champion Katie Taylor
BOSTON (February 17, 2021) – Boston featherweight Troy Anderson, Jr. hasn’t made his pro debut yet, but he did get the opportunity to recently spar with undisputed world lightweight champion Katie Taylor (17-0, 6 KOs), the 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Ireland, who was a 5-time AIBA world champion as an amateur.
The 28-year-old Anderson, who is managed by Ryan Roach’s Fighter Locker, was supposed to make his pro debut earlier this year in Mexico. He showed up but his opponent tested positive for COVID-19 and their fight was canceled.
Taylor frequently travels from Ireland to Connecticut, where she prepares for fights with her trainer, Ross Enamait.
Anderson, a union Sheetmetal worker in local 17, was a decorated amateur who won a gold medal at the 2016 Rocky Marciano Tournament, as well as The New England’s Tournament twice in 2018-2019, and won Central Division of the New England Golden Gloves Tournament twice and runner-up twice during his four-year (2016-2019) run. He also competed in three national tournaments.
Anderson benefitted from being a southpaw when his trainer, Marc Gargaro, was contacted by Enamait about needing a lefthanded sparring partner for Taylor. “I’ve only sparred with her once,” Anderson said, “but I believe I will be getting more work with Katie at her training camp in the near future. I’ve already been asked back for more sparring.
“In the ring, Katie is patient, sharp, and quick with her combinations. She also doesn’t waste any movements all all. She is very tough and aggressive. Outside the ring, she is very nice, always smiling when talking, and a generous, decent human being.”
There’s nothing better for a young boxer than to train and spar with a world-class athlete, even if it’s a female against a male, the experience in invaluable.
I believe getting experience with a world champion helped me build up my confidence. It definitely opened my mind and eyes to trying new things like different movements and combinations, as well as make sure my defense and foot work was on point. Learning to become better at changing the tempo of combinations I was throwing. Also, realizing the things Katie did during and after sparring, understanding her mentality, and letting me know and see what it takes to be the best in the world, will help me grow big-time as a boxer.
“It is a little different sparring a woman but, honestly, it helped me work on my craft in areas I’ve been trying to improve on. I am still available to give and get good, solid work and effort. It’s expanding my mind, I was still able to pick and choose when to dig hard shots to make sure I was still solidly sparring for her, unlike with guys’ majority of punches are thrown hard.
Ortiz’ manager Ryan Roach commented: “This is a great opportunity for Troy. Anytime you share the ring with a world champion, even sparring, is a great way to elevate your level of confidence. As many know there are a lot of levels to this sport and these opportunities are crucial in building a fighter. I am really proud of Troy. His debut got pushed back, but he’s stayed in the gym and remains positive waiting for his shot. He has a great coach and team at Nonantum Boxing.”
Sparring Taylor may not have erased the disappointment of Anderson’s pro debut being canceled; however, the experience will surely make him a better fighter.
“Sparring a world champion was unbelievable,” Anderson concluded. “Just having the opportunity to step foot in the ring with world champion Katie Taylor was amazing. Literally, leading up to the day of sparring, that’s all I could focus on and think about. I was extremely locked in, because I wanted to give Katie Taylor good work and show her that reaching out to my coach Marc was not a mistake, and his words about me were solid. Seeing how Katie is when moving, throwing combinations, and on defense picking and choosing when to be aggressive and not, is unexplainable. It was truly a blessing and I will forever be grateful and thankful for the experience and opportunity to be able to spar with a world champion, Katie Taylor”
INFORMATION:
WEBSITE: fighterlocker.com, punch4parkinsons.com
FACEBOOK: /fighterlocker
TWITTER: @RoachRyan, @_troyandersonjr
INSTAGRAM: @RyanRoach82
ABOUT FIGHTER LOCKER: Established in 2019, Fighter Locker is a comprehensive sports agency that manages professional boxers. Fighter Locker also helps to brand boxers by finding their voice with a 100-percent customized service. Fighter Locker does not really believe in working models. It believes in partnership optimization models in motion.
Fighter Locker uses four creative steps because it believes in “the foundation is everything”: 1. wisely conceived, 2. creatively restrained, 3. Proudly judged, 4. sharply targeted.
BIG DOMAIN SALE! ROIDCAGE.COM IS AVAILABLE
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