Tag Archives: Benjamin Whitaker

Texas Knockout Artist James Kirkland Returns Saturday, November 9 Against Jas Phipps on Alamo City Fight Night at the Alamodome in San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas – Professional championship boxing returns to the Alamodome on November 9th with Alamo City Fight Night! Davies Entertainment presents an incredible boxing event in the heart of San Antonio, Showcasing seven prize fighters fighting under the Davies Entertainment banner.


Texas knockout artist James Kirkland (33-2, 29 KO) returns to the ring after making quick work of his last opponent in the first round. Kirkland has been one of boxing’s most explosive fighters with knockout wins over Brian Vera, Joel Julio, Alfredo Angulo, and Glen Tapia. Kirkland looks to make another run toward a championship taking on the “New Orleans Nightmare” Jas Phipps (10-7, 5 KO) in a six round Middleweight bout.


Alamo City Fight Night will also feature San Antonio’s Eddie Ortiz (9-0-2, 4KO) defending his World Boxing Council USNBC Silver Middleweight Title against hard hitting veteran Alexis Camacho (22-6, 20 KO) in an eight round Middleweight contest.


The fight card has an incredible lineup of up and coming talent including San Antonio’s Benjamin Whitaker (12-3, 3 KO), a crafty ring technician who brutally knocked out his last opponent, San Antonio’s Daniel Baiz (13-2, 5KO), Eduardo Garza (14-2, 7 KO),Carlos Villa (14-3 6 KO) And the pro debut of Jeffrey Stern. Also featured on the card, Selina “The Aztec Queen” Barrios (sister of world champ Mario Barrios) , and Brown Nevarez.


The event will also showcase Davies Entertainment Music artists Vi$ion, Daniel Leon, and Bankreaux performing during ring introductions. Additional Information is available atwww.daviesentertainment.com

GRADUATION DAY FOR ANTOINE DOUGLAS: UNBEATEN MIDDLEWEIGHT DROPS LES SHERRINGTON FIVE TIMES  EN ROUTE TO FOURTH-ROUND TKO IN MAIN EVENT  OF SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION QUADRUPLEHEADER  

 

 

 

Unbeaten Taras Shelestyuk Outpoints Aslanbek Kozaev,

Undefeated Keenan Smith Takes Close Decision over Benjamin Whitaker,

Sam Teah Deals O’Shaquie Foster His First Defeat

 

Catch Replay Monday, Nov. 9, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO EXTREME®

 

Click HERE To Download Photos

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME®

 

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 7, 2015) – It was cold outside, the temperature dipping into the low 50s, but the elements did not affect unbeaten Antoine “Action” Douglas, however, as the talented world-ranked middleweight turned up the heat and impressively knocked out Les Sherrington in the fourth round in the main event of a ShoBox: The New Generation quadrupleheader Friday live on SHOWTIME.

 

Douglas (19-0-1, 13 KOs), of Burke, Va., dropped Sherrington (35-8, 19 KOs), of Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia, five times before the one-sided fight for the WBO International 160-pound title was stopped at 1:02 of the fourth. The quick, hard-hitting Douglas dropped Sherrington one time in the first and second rounds, two times in the third and once in the fourth.

In the co-feature from the specially-constructed ring outside the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC) across from the D Las Vegas, Ukrainian southpaw Taras “Real Deal” Shelestyuk (13-0, 8 KOs), of Los Angeles, Calif., pitched a near-10-round shutout over Aslanbek Kozaev (26-2-1, 7 KOs), of Vladikavkaz, Russia, to capture the WBO-NABO Regional Welterweight title. A former amateur standout and 2012 Olympic Games Bronze Medalist, Shelestyuk, won by the scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91.

In other results on a card promoted by GH3 Promotions and Banner Promotions, “Killa” Keenan Smith (9-0, 3 KOs), of Philadelphia, won a unanimous eight-round decision overBenjamin “Da Blaxican” Whitaker (10-2, 2 KOs), of San Antonio, Texas, in a competitive welterweight scrap and “Tsunami Sam” Teah (7-1, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia scored a unanimous decision over previously undefeated O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster (8-1, 5 KOs) of Orange, Texas, in a lightweight match. It was the 135th time a boxer suffered his first loss on ShoBox.

For Douglas, it was his fifth consecutive victory on ShoBox and likely may have earned him a spot on a future SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® card. The 10 fighters who’ve appeared five or more times on ShoBox have all gone on to challenge for a world title.

 

“Antoine Douglas is the perfect example of what we do in the ShoBox series. We build fighters. We develop them from prospect to contenders,” said Gordon Hall, Executive Producer of ShoBox: The New Generation and Senior Vice President of Production, SHOWTIME Sports. “We’ve seen Antoine grow. He started as a promising prospect, and we matched him really tough and each and every time he stepped up to the task. Tonight, he graduated from ShoBox with a spectacular performance; there are no doubts he is now a contender.”

 

“We got what Antoine Douglas needed: The type of utterly dominant performance that makes you want to see him against the best middleweights. Tonight was Antoine’s graduation from ShoBox. Now he’ll move up to bigger and better things,” said ShoBoxexpert analyst Steve Farhood afterward:

 

Douglas went 10 rounds for the second time and upped his winning streak to five since boxing a draw in July 2014.

 

“They said this was my graduation day, time for a cap and gown, so this was definitely a big win,’’ said Douglas, a top amateur who made it to the 2011 U.S. Olympic Trials and was the WBA’s ninth-ranked contender going in. “It was a great experience fighting onShoBox and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me getting me ready to go to the next level. Now, it’s time for me to take the next step.

 

“I expected to win, probably by knockout, but I didn’t expect it to be this way. I expected Sherrington to be tougher, more prepared. I think my jab was the key. It set him up for all the big shots I landed with my right hand and left hook.

 

“I knew I’d be faster than him. I was very prepared. One good thing I’m happy about is how I kept my composure.’’

 

Sherrington, who was fighting outside of Australia and making his U.S. and 2015 debuts, came in having won eight of his last nine fights, including his last pair. But the WBA’s No. 12 contender was no match for Douglas.

 

“Antoine Douglas is very good and he will go on to really big things in this sport,’’ Sherrington said.

 

“I’m not making excuses, but I was freezing and could never really warm up. And then he caught me cold. I came here to reach a lifelong dream of mine but it was not meant to be. I got welcomed into the big leagues in a big hurry and in the worst way. All credit goes to Douglas for that.’’

 

Farhood was impressed with Shelestyuk, a former amateur standout. “[Taras] Shelestyuk looked like the most mature fighter on the card,’’ Farhood said. “He has a wonderful amateur pedigree, he was an Olympic Bronze Medalist. He fought a fighter that made him fight and throw a lot of punches — he averaged 85 punches a round. He dominated the fight from the first round on and he looked like the world-class fighter that he was developed to be.”

 

Shelestyuk utilized his 3½-inch height advantage to dominate the game but outclassed Kozaev. “This was a good fight for me. I’m so happy. I won my first pro title, went 10 rounds for the first time and won all the rounds,’’ Shelestyuk said.

 

“The guy was a super tough opponent. I thought I was going to knock him out in a few of the rounds but he took all my hard punches. He was a warrior and had a lot more experience than me.’’

 

Kozaev, making his first start in 18 months, started fast but got outhustled and outworked from the second round on. “He’s a good fighter and I gave my best, but having not fought for such a long time was a big factor,’’ he said.

 

Smith overcame a nasty cut over the left eye from an unintentional headbutt in the sixth but came back to score a knockdown in the seventh. He triumphed by the scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice.

 

“Keenan Smith overcame a very bad cut to win this fight,’’ Farhood said. “He scored a knockdown that was unexpected late in the fight. I thought that it was a very close fight, but Smith did enough in the early rounds to win. He’s definitely a prospect that will get better.”

 

Smith was fighting for the fourth time this year after a three-year hiatus. He was less than enthusiastic afterward. “This was a rough camp for me. My mother died. I dedicated this fight to her and really wanted to get the knockout,’’ said Smith who wore all-pink trunks in her honor.

 

“I’m not all that happy because I felt I could have finished him even though my left shoulder was hurting and I was not 100 percent. I also couldn’t see much at all out of my eye after the cut.

 

“But tonight, it was like a welterweight fighting a junior welterweight. I weighed in at 141 and he was at 147. But going eight rounds for the first time was definitely a good thing. I just feel like I should have finished much stronger. The weather was not a problem.’’

 

Whitaker had a three-fight winning streak end. “The scoring was way off. It was a much closer fight than that,’’ he said. “I don’t understand how he could get warned the whole fight for holding, but never get a point taken away. The knockdown wasn’t even a knockdown. It was more of a trip. The ref asked me if I could continue and I was like, ‘I wasn’t even hurt, not even wobbled a little bit.’

 

“I would love to fight him again.’’

 

Teah won the opening bout of the telecast by the scores of 79-73 and 77-75 twice. “This was an upset,’’ Farhood said. “Teah beat a fighter who had been a tough amateur. The problem for O’Shaquie Foster is that he looked like an amateur. He didn’t adjust to the pro game. He didn’t show enough strength and enough determination. He was a disappointment and [Sam] Teah took advantage of that.”

 

Teah, making his eight-round debut, won his third in a row. “I’m ecstatic and couldn’t ask for anything better,’’ he said. “This is definitely my biggest win and I definitely felt I won. I could have done more, but I did enough. This was a great win for my team. Working 10 hours a day paid off for me.

 

“This was my first time going eight rounds and I felt strong. To beat an unbeaten fighter was huge. The first six rounds I coasted. The last two rounds fatigue set in and I started to feel the weather, but I feel great now.’’

 

If anyone of the eight boxers froze under the bright lights it was Foster. “For some reason I just wasn’t myself in there,’’ a visibly disappointed Foster said. “I could have done so much more but I just didn’t throw enough punches. It’s time for me to regroup and get it together for the next time.’’

All but Douglas were making their ShoBox debuts.

The ShoBox quadrupleheader will re-air this week as follows:

 

DAY                                                                 CHANNEL

Monday, Nov. 9, 10 p.m. ET/PT                    SHOWTIME EXTREME

 

Friday’s four-fight telecast will be available at SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® beginning today/Saturday, Nov. 7.

 

Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer wasGordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

GH3 Promotions quintet on display this Friday night in Las Vegas

Las Vegas (November 3, 2015)This Friday night at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center (DLVEC) across from The D Hotel, five members of the GH3 Promotions stable will be in action, with three being featured in nationally televised fights as part of a ShoBox: The New Generation card. (10 PM ET/PT).
In the main event, undefeated Middleweight, Antoine Douglas (18-0-1, 12 KO’s) will risk his world rankings that stand at number-nine by the WBA, number-fifteen by the IBF and number-11 by the WBO when he takes on Australian Les Sherrington (35-7, 19 KO’s) in a fight for the WBA International and WBO International Middleweight titles.  Sherrington is ranked number-twelve by the WBA.
In an 8-round Welterweight bout,Keenan Smith (8-0, 3 KO’s) battles Benjamin Whitaker (10-1, 2 KO’s).
In an 8-round Lightweight fight, O’Shanique Foster (8-0, 5 KO’s) will fight Samuel Teah (6-1, 2 KO’s).
In off-television bouts, Adam Lopez (13-0, 6 KO’s) will take on an opponent to be named in a Featherweight scheduled for 8-rounds.
Cuban amateur star, Hector Frormeta will make his pro debut against Abraham Calderon in a Welterweight bout scheduled for 4-rounds.
“This is a great opportunity for Douglas, Smith and Foster to shine on national television,”said GH3 Promotions Vito Mielnicki.
“Antoine is on the cusp of a major fight and I think the fans will really enjoy seeing the national television debuts of Keenan Smith and O’Shanique Foster.  Off-TV we will be showcasing Adam Lopez and Hector Frometa.  Adam has had a couple of great fights on ShoBox and we expect him in a big fight in his next outing as he is already ranked number-seven by the WBA.  Frometa is our next fighter who we believe will be that a star.”
Tickets are priced at $100.50, $75.50, $40.50, $25.50 and $20.50 and are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com
GH3 Promotions will be presenting another strong card on December 11th in at the Parsippany PAL in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Details and bouts will be announced next Monday.
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’s Jerrell Harris & Keenan Smith, Light Heavyweight Lavarn Harvell, Jr. Lightweight O’Shanique Foster, Super Middleweight Andrew Hernandez & Welterweight Hector Frometa to the GH3 Promotions stable.

“Time to Shine” Promotional video Friday, Nov. 6 From Downtown Las Vegas Event Center

Las Vegas (November 2, 2015) – Below is the promotional video for this Fridays GH3 and Banner Promotions “Time to Shine”  card at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center (DLVEC) across from the iconic D Hotel in downtown Las Vegas.
In the main event, Antoine Douglas (18-0-1. 8 KOs), a world-ranked rising middleweight prospect, will put his undefeated record on the line against veteran Les Sherrington (35-7, 20 KOs) in a 10-round bout for the WBA and WBO International titles.  In the co-feature, 2012 Olympyan Taras Shelestyuk (12-0, 8 KOs) taking on Aslanbek Kozaev (26-1-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round bout for NABO and WBA Intercontinental Welterweight Titles.  Keenan Smith (8-0, 3 KOs) will be battling Benjamin Whitaker (10-1, 2 KOs) in an eight round welterweight matchup. O’Shaquie Foster (8-0, 5 KOs) will be taking on Samuel Teah (6-1, 2 KOs) in an eight round lightweight bout.
November 6 ShoBox promotional video
November 6 “Time to Shine” promotional video

All eight boxers will be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time. Tickets are priced at $100.50, $75.50, $40.50, $25.50 and $20.50 and are available for purchase atwww.ticketmaster.com.

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About Downtown Las Vegas Events Center
Located at the corner of Third St. and Carson Ave. across from the D Las Vegas, the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center can accommodate up to 11,000 guests and features state-of-the-art stage, sound and lighting. The open-air design is inviting to both tourists and locals and offers the perfect spot for concerts, conventions and other large-scale events. Embracing the uninhibited spirit of Downtown Las Vegas, the new venue plays host to a line-up of curated events including premier concerts, food festivals and more. The venue is also the first entertainment arena in Las Vegas to accept Bitcoin as currency. For more information, visit www.dlvec.com or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @DLVEC.