Given the number of world-class southpaws he’s been in with at the world-famous Kronk Gym in Detroit, undefeated Motown-based cruiserweight Demetrius Banks (6-0, 4 KOs) says he’s not at all concerned about facing Puerto Rican New Yorker Emilio Salas (5-1-1, 3 KOs).
The pair will meet on Dissabte, Maig 14, al temple maçònic al centre de Detroit, in the six-round main event of Salita Promotions’ “Detroit Brawl,” esdeveniment. In the six-round co-main event Detroit’s undefeated bantamweight James Gordon Smith (9-0, 6 KOs) i el mexicà Pablo Cupul (8-19, 5 KOs).
Les entrades per “Detroit Brawl” estan a la venda ara i tenen un preu de $28, $38, $63, $93, $100 i $123. Ells estan disponibles a tots els punts de venda de Ticketmaster, ticketmaster.com,
trucant 800-745-3000, o visitant la taquilla del temple maçònic.
“Because my experience, fighting a southpaw is not much of an adjustment,” said Banks during a break in training. “Being at Kronk, I’ve boxed world-class southpaws like (former WBO Middleweight Champion) Andy Lee and (current WBC Light Heavyweight Champion) Adonis Stevenson to name a few. It’s not a big deal for me. I fought so many southpaws, in the beginning of my career, it was more difficult to box a right hander.”
Bancs, a former football star and a committed mentor to Detroit’s youth, says that despite it being his first main event, he’s not feeling any extra pressure. “La manera com ho veig, it’s just another day. I don’t let the situation overwhelm me. I guess after the fight is over I’ll exhale and soak it all in. As of right now I’m ready to go to war. It doesn’t bother me what order we fight in.”
Of opponent Salas, Banks says he’s not expecting any surprises.
“Jo no’ need to see much of him to know what I’m getting. I probably watched part of a round and he’s what I would expect. I saw things in him I can exploit. I also know he’s on a five-fight win streak. He’s 6′ 3″ alt, out of the Bronx and he’s a southpaw. I guess he’s coming to win, but I can’t let this guy take food off my plate.”
Banks says he’s aware that at age 35, there is no time to waste and he is working hard at Kronk with head coach Javan Hill and assistant trainer Richard Phillips, knowing that this fight is critical if he is to ever rise to contender status.
“This fight presents a big opportunity for me, especially with Dmitriy doing so many big things in boxing. If I win this fight, it gives me the opportunity to sign with him. I feel like I need to hurry. Because of my age, I have a smaller window of opportunity and I understand it. This is an opportunity for me to step it up and get things going.”
So how does he see things going against Salas?
“I definitely see a fight in my mind before it happens. I always visualize them beforehand. I see the things I don’t want to happen, the things that can’t happen and things I want to do. He’s going to come out and try to show he’s tough and come to fight and win. He’s not me though. He’s not fleet-footed or as slick as me. I’ll trick him and touch him to his body. That will give me a lot of target. I will break him down from the body up.
On the Detroit Brawl undercard, Lansing junior middleweight Antonio Urista (7-1, 2 KOs) will face Greenwood, Indiana’s Pablo Sanchez (7-1, 5 KOs) en un combat de quatre rondes. Addicionalment, Russian cruiserweight Alexey Zubov (10-1, 6 KOs) buscarà recuperar-se de la seva primera derrota en la seva carrera enfrontant-se al capaç Ernest Reyna (8-3, 4 KOs) de Corpus Christi, Texas, en una ronda de sis. I en un combat de quatre rondes de pes welter entre lluitadors invictes, Turkmenistan, Serdar Khudayberdiyev del Turkmenistan (1-0, 1 KO) s'enfrontarà a Marco Russell (1-0-1) de Henderson, Nevada.
En una ferralla de pes súper mitjà de sis rondes, James Ballard, súper pes mitjà de Detroit (6-0, 3 KOs) s'enfrontarà a Edgar Pérez de Chicago (6-18, 3 KOs); Darrell Van Horn, pes mitjà de Detroit (8-0, 5 KOs) anirà contra el Torreó, Francisco Reza de Mèxic (13-17, 10 KOs) En un quatre rondes; East Pointe, Michigan, pes creuer Clarence Dubose (2-0, 2 KOs) will battle fellow Michigander Karinn Davis (2-6, 2 KOs) of Jackson in a four-round battle; i Brooklyn via Geòrgia superlleuger Giorgi Gelashvili (3-0, 2 KOs) s'enfrontarà a Jackson, Alfred Hall de Michigan (4-11-2, 2 KOs) en un combat de quatre rondes.
En la nit del combat, portes s'obren a les 6:30 pm and the first fight is at 7:15 pm. El temple maçònic es troba a 500 Temple Street a Detroit. Tots els combats estan subjectes a canvis.
