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Tag Archives: Keenan Smith
Anthony “Juice” Young defeats Eduardo Flores in front of sold out crowd at The Claridge in Atlantic City
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LaManna stops Valenzuela in one Pasciolla, Carto, Meng, Zhilei. Johnson, Holden and Smith all gain victories in front of Sold Out Crowd
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ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (July 22, 2016)-Welterweight Anthony “Juice” Young won a six-round unanimous decision over veteran Eduardo Flores in the featured bout of a nine-bout card this past Friday night at the Claridge in Atlantic City.
The bout headlined a sold out night of boxing that was promoted by Rising Promotions. It was the fourth consecutive sold out event in the last eight months that Rising Promotions has staged.
The co-feature saw welterweight Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna tuned up for a major bout in the fall with a first round destruction of Engleberto Valenzuela in a super welterweight bout.
Young, of Atlantic City systematically took apart Flores, despite Flores trying to frustrate Young by coming in with wild shots for which some strayed behind the head.
In the end, It was Young, who was not headlining for the first time, but being spurred on by his hometown fans and he was able to get the victory to the tune of 60-54 & 59-55 twice.
Young of Atlantic City is now 13-2. Flores of Ecuador is 23-22-5.
LaManna of Millville, New Jersey took apart his Mexican opponent with a hard combination that sent Valenzuela into the corner. The popular New Jersey Product wasted no time in getting Valenzuela out of the fight by landing a thunderous body punch that sent him to the canvas. The fight was halted at 2:17 of round one.
LaManna will take on a highly-regarded opponent (To be announced this week) onSeptember 16th at Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
This was “Cornflake’s” fifth consecutive win and second consecutive inside the distance to raise his record to 21-1 with ten knockouts. Valenzuela is 10-8.
Heavyweight Dan Pasciolla avenged his only pro defeat by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Dante Selby.
Pasciolla was credited a knockdown in round two as he landed a flurry in the corner and it was ruled that only the ropes stopped Selby from hitting the canvas.
Pasciolla of Brick, New Jersey won by scores of 60-53 twice and 59-54 and is now 8-1-1. Selby of Philadelphia, was coming off a two and a half year layoff is 2-2-1. Exciting bantamweight prospect Christian Carto made it two consecutive stoppages by halting debuting Christopher Nelson in round three of their scheduled four-round bout. Carto of Deptford, NJ floored the Indiana native in each of the three rounds and the bout was stopped fifty-one seconds into the third frame.
Carto is now 2-0 with two knockouts.
Marvin Johnson scored a third-round knockdown en route to a four round unanimous decision over Lamont White in a lightweight bout. Scores were 40-35, 40-36 and 39-36 for Johnson of Atlantic City who is now 1-0-1. White of Washington, DC is 0-2.
Dallas Holden of Atlantic Cit won a four round unanimous decision over Kevin Asmat in a bantamweight bout featuring New Jersey based pro debuters.
It was a close fight with each fighter making a case for the victory.
In the end, all three cards read 39-37 in favor Holden of Atlantic City over the North Bergen native.
In a battle of pro debuters, Donald Smith of Philadelphia won his pro debut by winning a four-round unanimous decision over Cameron Cain of Indiana. in a junior lightweight bout.
Smith controlled the action and won by scores of 40-35 and 40-36 twice.
Chinese light heavyweight Fanlong Meng scored a knockdown and was ruled the winner via 5th round stoppage over former contender Daniel Judah in a scheduled eight round bout.
Meng sent Judah into the ropes with a left hand that was ruled a knockdown and Meng and the referee ruled that Judah could not continue at the bout was stopped at 2:08.
Meng is now 8-0 with 6 knockouts. Judah of Brooklyn, NY is 24-11-3.
Zhang Zhilei of China won a six round unanimous decision over Rodney Hernandez in a heavyweight bout.
Scores were 60-53 and 59-55 twice for Zhilei of China, who is now 11-0. Hernandez is 10-5-1.
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ADAM LOPEZ AND MARIO MUNOZ TO HEADLINE SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION QUADRUPLEHEADER FRIDAY, FEB. 19, FROM BOARDWALK HALL IN ATLANTIC CITY
Ronald Ellis vs. Jerry Odom, Keenan Smith vs. Wellington Arias Romero & Lavasis Williams-O’Shaquie Foster Also in Action
Friday, Feb. 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Live On SHOWTIME®
NEW YORK (Jan. 15, 2016) – ShoBox: The New Generation returnson Friday, Feb. 19, quadrupleheader live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from the Adrian Phillips Ballroom in Historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
With the same height, same age, and similar strong amateur backgrounds, Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez (14-0, 7 KOs) and Mario “Yayo” Munoz (16-0-1, 10 KOs) will face their toughest opponents to date when they touch gloves in the 10-round super bantamweight main event matchup.
In other televised bouts, all scheduled for eight rounds, Ronald “Akeem” Ellis (12-0, 10 KOs) takes on Jerry Odom (13-2, 12 KOs) in a clash of hard-hitting super middleweights, Keenan Smith (9-0, 3 KOs) faces fellow southpaw Wellington Romero (9-0-1, 4 KOs) in a battle of unbeaten welterweights and lefthander Lavisas “Red” Williams (8-0-1, 3 KOs) risks his undefeated record against O’Shaquie Foster (8-1, 5 KOs) in a super featherweight match.
The combined record of the eight up-and-coming competitors is 89-3-3 with 54 knockouts.
Lopez, of San Antonio, Texas, by way Phoenix, Ariz., Smith, of Philadelphia, and Foster, of Orange, Texas, will be making their secondShoBox starts; while Munoz, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Ellis, of Dorchester, Mass., Williams, of Rochester, N.Y. and Romero, of Hasburgh, N.Y., via Santiago, D.R., their first. Odom, of Washington, D.C, is making his third appearance.
Tickets for the GH3 Promotions event are priced at $25, $50, $75 and 100 and are available for purchase online at www.Ticketmaster.comand over the phone at 1 800 736 1420.
An excellent boxer-puncher and tactician that likes to counter, Lopez won his ShoBox debut in his outing before last with a close, hard-fought 10-round majority decision over previously undefeated, DominicanEliezer Aquino (17-0-1 going in). Lopez is coming off a second-round TKO over Eric Aiken last Dec. 12.
Lopez was born in Phoenix, raised in Los Angeles and moved to San Antonio when he was 15. He went 125-23 in the amateurs and won six national championships before turning pro in February 2012. He’s trained by former two-time world champion Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez.
Munoz will be making his United States debut and first start outside of Mexico. A pro since September 2010, he’s known for his come-forward style, first-rate overall skills and proficient punching power. He went 140-10 in the amateurs, winning three national Junior Olympic tournaments and coming away with bronze and silver medals in national championships.
Munoz, who hails from a fighting family, has an uncle who boxed professionally. He’s the one he credits for introducing him to boxing when he was 13. This will be his first fight since he scored a lopsided eight-round decision over Daniel Franco last May 2.
Ellis upset highly regarded Terrell Gausha to win the 2010 National Golden Gloves (Gausha would go on to represent the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games). Since going pro in February 2011, Ellis has fought in two countries (Puerto Rico, Mexico) and six U.S. cities (San Antonio, Carson, Calif., Winchester, Va., New York City, Tulsa and Inglewood, Calif.). The 26-year-old has faced mostly modest opposition and has seldom come close to putting in a full night’s work.
Ellis had had a series of delays and restarts since turning pro but feels he’s grown from his mistakes and that he’ll be stronger because of them. For sure, his power hasn’t been affected. All 10 of his knockouts have come inside two rounds (eight in the first). The older brother of boxer Rashidi Ellis has won four straight by knockout, including a second-round TKO over Jas Phipps in his last start last Aug. 29. But he seems to be taking a sizeable step-up in class here.
Odom is looking to turn it around after losing two of his last three, the most recent defeat coming via a shocking third-round TKO to Samuel Clarkson (14-3 going in) on ShoBox. The heavily favored, heavy-hitting Odom was dropped three times, once in the second and twice in the third, before the fight was halted at 1:15.
Odom, a top amateur and 2012 National Golden Gloves Champion at 178 pounds, had a 12-fight win streak end on Jan. 9, 2015, when he was disqualified against Andrew Hernandez. In the rematch the followingMarch 13 on ShoBox, Odom registered a 2:47, first-round TKO.
In his ShoBox debut, Odom, who makes for exciting scraps, dropped previously unbeaten Vilier Quinonez (8-0) twice before stopping him in the seventh round on July 25, 2014.
Smith won his ShoBox debut in his last start on a hard-fought, eight-round unanimous decision over Benjamin Whitaker last Nov. 6 in an outdoor fight in Las Vegas. Fighting in memory of his mother who died in late September and going eight rounds for the first time, the 5-foot-7Smith, overcame a nasty cut over the left eye from an unintentional headbutt in the sixth, rallied to score a knockdown in the seventh and triumphed by the scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice.
Before turning pro in April 2010, Smith was a 2008 National Golden Gloves Featherweight Champion and 2007 Junior Olympic National Champion. His 74-2 record in the amateurs included two victories overworld-ranked contender Amir Imam.
Romero had 268 amateur bouts and represented the Dominican Republic at the Olympics in 2012 (he lost to Vasyl Lomanchenko). Shortly thereafter he relocated to New York. He went pro in October 2013, fought four times in 2014 and five times last year.
A slick 5-foot-9 boxer who can punch and gives opponent issues because of his awkward style and movement, Romero, 24, has beat up on ordinary opposition and is coming off a first-round TKO over LuisMeroles last Dec. 5. This looks to be his most daunting assignment to date.
Williams, 24, is a boxer-puncher who’s won seven in a row since boxing a draw in his second start in March 2013. This will be his first fight outside of New York. Making his eight-round debut in his last start onOct. 8, he won a shutout decision over Czech Republic’s Michal Dufek.
Foster, 22, gets a quick-fix opportunity to redeem himself after losing hisShoBox debut on an eight-round unanimous decision to underdog Sam Teah (6-1) on the Nov. 6 card in Las Vegas.
A highly decorated amateur, the 5-foot-8½ inch Foster advanced to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Games Trials where he lost to unbeaten pro prospect, Joseph “Jo-Jo” Diaz. Before that, Foster was a 2011 Houston Golden Gloves and 2010 PAL National Champion, a five-time Ringside National Champion and two-time National Junior Golden Gloves Champion.
Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
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About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 65 fighters who have appeared onShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.
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
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“Time to Shine” Promotional video Friday, Nov. 6 From Downtown Las Vegas Event Center
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ANTOINE DOUGLAS PUTS UNBEATEN RECORD ON THE LINE AGAINST LES SHERRINGTON IN MAIN EVENT OFSHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION QUADRUPLEHEADER
Friday, Nov. 6 From Downtown Las Vegas Event Center
Live on SHOWTIME® At 10 p.m. ET/PT
NEW YORK (Oct. 22, 2015) – Unbeaten rising star Antoine “Action” Douglas will fight on ShoBox: The New Generation for a fifth time when he takes on Les “Lock N Load” Sherrington in a clash of world-ranked middleweights in the main event of aquadrupleheader live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) onFriday, Nov. 6, at Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC), across from the D Las Vegas in iconic Downtown Las Vegas.
The popular prospect-oriented boxing series premiered in July 2001 and has produced 63 world champions to date. Antoine’s fifth ShoBox appearance will tie him with eight other fighters for second place on the all-time list (the ShoBox appearance record is held by Chris Avalos with six appearances). All of the fighters with five or more ShoBox appearances went on to challenge for a world title, five triumphed –Andre Ward, Ishe Smith, Robert Guerrero, Kendall Holt and Badou Jack—and three fell short –Avalos, Mike Arnaoutis and Sechew Powell. A sixth five-time Shobox participant, Lateef Kayode, is scheduled to challenge WBA Cruiserweight World Champion Denis Lebedec on Nov. 4.
Douglas, of Burke, Va., is the WBA’s ninth-ranked contender. He will enter the 10-round bout for the WBA and WBO International 160-pound titles with a record of 18-0-1, 12 KOs. Australia’s Sherrington, the WBA’s No. 12th-rated contender, is 35-7, 30 KOs.
“Douglas has been consistently entertaining throughout his fights on ShoBox and is fighting another older, more-experienced opponent once again,’’ said ShoBox expert analyst Steve Farhood. “Part of the satisfaction of watching fighters develop on ShoBoxis seeing them graduate to contender status. Douglas is just about at that point; he is taking his final classes.’’
The 10-round ShoBox co-feature will match former international amateur standout and 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist, Ukrainian southpaw Taras “Real Deal” Shelestyuk (12-0, 8 KOs), of Los Angeles, Calif. against experienced Aslanbek Kozaev (26-1-1, 7 KOs), of Vladikavkaz, Russia, in a welterweight bout.
Two eight-rounders will round out the four-fight telecast: southpaw “Killa” Keenan Smith(8-0, 3 KOs) of Philadelphia battles Benjamin “Da Blaxican” Whitaker (10-1, 2 KOs) of San Antonio in a super lightweight scrap and O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster (8-0, 5 KOs) of Orange, Texas, confronts “Tsunami Sam” Teah (6-1, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia in a lightweight match.
All but Douglas will be making their ShoBox debuts in an event promoted by GH3 Promotions and Banner Promotions. 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 at www.ticketmaster.com.
Douglas, 23, has been impressive in four consecutive victories since he boxed a draw with former world title challenger Michel Soro in an eight-rounder that was part of the 200th ShoBox telecast on July 25, 2014. Douglas has won his last two starts by knockout: on July 17, a third-round TKO over Istvan Szili and on March 13, a sixth-round TKO overThomas LaManna.
“This is a very good matchup for me,’’ said Douglas. “I feel I’m in the right place on my career. I want to move up the ranks and earn a title shot.
“I have seen Sherrington and he is tall and long. He likes to fight on the inside. He has lost to Sam Soliman. I’ve been in camp with Soliman and he’s not a big puncher.
“This is my first fight in Las Vegas, I’m very excited. Las Vegas is the boxing mecca of the world. This is a huge step up for me.”
Douglas, a top amateur who made it to the 2011 U.S. Olympic Trials, has been extremely active since turning pro in October 2012. He fought twice in 2012, nine times in ’13, six times in ’14 and this would be his third start this year.
Sherrington of Burleigh, Gold Coast, Australia, will be fighting outside of his native land for the first time in this, his U.S. and 2015 debuts. He’s won two in a row and is 8-1 in his last nine fights, the loss coming to former IBF World Middleweight Champion Soliman in December 2013.
Since the bitter defeat to Soliman that knocked him out of the world rankings, Sherrington has been looking to redeem himself in a major matchup in a major stage. This is his opportunity.
“This fight is something I have been waiting my whole career for and I plan on giving it my best shot,’’ he said. “I can’t wait to get over to America and showcase my skills. Fighting top-tier fighters is all I’ve ever asked.’’
The well-conditioned 6-foot, 33-year-old Sherrington turned his career around after losing his pro debut in April 2002 and going 4-3 in his first seven starts. Since March 2006, he’s 25-3 while winning several minor titles. In his last start on Dec. 2014 he captured the WBA Oceania Middleweight Title with a shutout 10-round decision over Samir Santos Barbosa.
Taras Shelestyuk made his debut at the late age of 27. A prospect at 147 pounds, he was an amateur standout (195-15) in Ukraine with extensive international experience. He was the Gold Medalist at the 2011 World Championships and a Bronze Medalist at the 2012 Olympics, both at 152 pounds.
The 5-foot-10 29-year-old, who was born in Makeevka, Ukraine, is trained by International Boxing Hall of Famer, Freddie, Roach. Shelestyuk is a lefthander with solid skills, movement and punching power who has exclusively campaigned in the United States since turning pro in March 2013. He went 6-0 in 2013, 3-0 in 2014, and is 3-0 this year. He’s coming off a unanimous eight-round decision over Juan Rodriguez last April 3 in Ontario, Calif. He’s gone eight rounds twice.
Regarding his nickname, Shelestyuk said, “My nickname is ‘Real Deal,’ and it means that I prove what I say in the business that I do.”
Kozaev, 29, 5-foot-7, is making his 2015 debut and fifth U.S. start. He won his first two before losing his outing before last on a 12-round decision to prospect Ray Robinson in an NABO welterweight title fight on Feb. 21, 2014. He’s short for the welterweight class and is spotting Shelestyuk 3 ½ inches in height.
Smith, the 2008 National Golden Gloves Featherweight Champion and a 2007 Junior Olympic National Champion, turned pro in April 2010—at 130 pounds.
The 5-foot-7, 25-year-old will be making his fourth start of the year after fighting just one time in both 2012 and 2011. He’s won two of his three fights in 2015 by knockout, including any easy second-round knockout over Lavell Hadley last Aug. 15 in Atlantic City. This will be his second fight since signing with GH3 Promotions and his first since his mother died in late September.
“This has been a rough training camp as my mom passed away and we had the funeral on Sept. 29,’’ Smith said. “Going through that is extra motivating and I am dedicating this fight to her. I am excited to be in my first television bout. I can’t wait for Nov. 6.”
Smith went 72-4 in the amateurs. Two of the victories came against current world-ranked contender Amir Imam.
Whitaker, a 5-foot-9, 31-year-old, has fought in Texas in all but one of his fights. He’s been impressive in his three fights this year, winning them all by clear and convincing eight-round decisions.
Whitaker produced a career-best victory two outings ago when he soundly out-tallied previously undefeated knockout artist and local favorite, Skender Halili. Also, Whitaker captured the vacant WBC United States (USNBC) and U.S.A. Texas State Super Welterweight titles by outpointing Rodolfo Gomez on Jan. 16 in Laredo.
“Talk is cheap, this fight is going to be a war,’’ said Whitaker, a three-year pro who was victorious in his first seven pro fights and also owns a win over previously undefeatedFelipe Rivas. “He wants to keep his undefeated record but I am trying to get to where I want to be.”
Foster, 22, will be making his eight-round debut. A pro since August 2012, he’s made short work of his last two opponents, scoring opening-round knockouts over Darius Jackson (1:03) and Frank Jordan (1:26) on Sept. 26 and Aug. 22, respectively.
“It is going to be a great fight. I am glad for the opportunity,’’ said Foster, who’s been brought along carefully after a 100-plus amateur career in which he advanced to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Games Trials where he lost to unbeaten pro prospect, Joseph “Jo-Jo” Diaz.
“I have been training really hard. I have looked at Teah and he throws a lot of wide and wild punches. I am looking forward to fighting in Las Vegas.’’
The 2011 Houston Golden Gloves and 2010 PAL National Champion, Foster was a five-time Ringside National Champion and two-time National Junior Golden Gloves Champion.
Teah, 28, a lightweight, will also be making his eight-round debut. All seven of his previous starts have been scheduled for four rounds. Since suffering his lone setback on a majority four-round decision to undefeated Laviasas Williams on July 25, 2014, Teah has won two in a row, both on shutout four-round decisions, including a 40-36 whitewash againstRaymond Velez in his lone start this year on July 17.
Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
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About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series,ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBoxphilosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 63 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.
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.
GH3 Promotions developing into a promotional powerhouse
New Jersey based promotion to have 1st world title bout in October plus fighter’s to appear on national television
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nutley, NJ (September 21, 2015) – in just three years, Vito Mielnicki’s GH3 Promotions has become one of the top promoters in the United States.
In the next month, Mielnicki will see the fruits of his hard work as he will have his first fighter compete in a world title bout when WBO number-five ranked John Thompson (17-1, 6 KO’s) takes on Liam Smith on October 10 for the vacant WBO Jr. Middleweight title in Manchester, England.
“It is only fitting that it is John that gets the first opportunity because he was the first fighter I signed and I am ecstatic for him to be getting the chance at the world title,”said Mielnicki. “Camp is going terrific down in Virginia and John is eagerly waiting for October 10.”
Thompson will not be the only fighter under the GH3 banner to be seen in high profile bouts.
On October 23, Light Heavyweight, Lavarn Harvell (15-1, 10 KO’s) of Atlantic City will be taking on Samuel Clarkson as part of the televised ShoBox: The New Generation card.
Harvell has joined Thompson in Virginia for training camp.
On November 6, GH3 Promotions will stage a ShoBox card that will feature the popular and undefeated Middleweight WBA number-9 ranked Antoine Douglas (18-0-1, 12 KO’s) taking WBA number-12 ranked Les Sherrington (35-7, 19 KO’s) for the WBA Intercontinental title.
The fight will mark the fifth ShoBox appearance for Douglas, who is also ranked number-10 by the WBO, and number-15 by the IBF
Douglas is currently training in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
With a win over Sherrington, Douglas will be inching closer to a world title opportunity.
On the same ShoBox card, GH3 Promotions prospects O’Shanique Foster and Keenan Smith will make their national television debuts.
Foster (7-0, 4 KO’s) of Orange, Texas will take on Samuel Teah (7-1, 2 KO’s) in a Lightweight battle while Smith (8-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia battles Benjamin Whitaker (10-1, 2 KO’s) in a Welterweight clash.
Fighting off-tv that night will be undefeated Super Bantamweight, Adam Lopez (13-0, 6 KO’s) of San Antonio, Texas.
Lopez is currently ranked number-10 by the WBA on the strength of two exciting wins on ShoBox in 2015.
GH3 Promotions is closing the final quarter of 2015 very strong as it looks towards 2016 for all of it’s established talent to be fighting for regional belts that will move them up the rankings and in position for world title opportunities.
“I am very proud of what we have accomplished in a very short time. This could not have been done without people like Kay Koroma. Kay has helped us lock down all of the top talent in the country. He has deep roots behind the scenes. In the past year, Kay and I have added Ricardo Rizzo as an adviser to our company. Ricardo has over 40 years of experience in the industry and has been a great sounding board for advice to GH3 Promotions,” said Mielnicki.
Going forward, GH3 Promotions has resigned undefeated Bantamweight Glenn Dezurn Jr. (6-0, 4 KO’s) of Baltimore, Maryland
GH3 Promotions will be moving it’s operations as it is on the verge of closing in on a building in Belleville, New Jersey which will house both it’s offices and a state of the art gym for it’s local amateurs and professionals to work out.
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,undefeated Super lightweight Bienvenido Diaz, Heavyweight Natu Visinia, Light Heavyweight Lavarn Harvell, Jr. Lightweight O’Shanique Foster & Super Middleweight Andrew Hernandez to the GH3 Promotions stable.
GH3 Promotions Keenan Smith scores 2nd round stoppage over previously undefeated Lavelle Hadley in Atlantic City
Nutley, NJ (August 19, 2015) – This past Saturday night at the Playground in Atlantic City, Welterweight Keenan Smith (8-0, 3 KO’s) remained perfect by scoring a 2nd round stoppage over previously undefeated Lavelle Hadley in a bout scheduled for six-rounds.
Smith landed a flurry of body and head punches that sent Hadley down to a knee for which he did not beat the referee’s count at 1:56 of round two.
“He was tall but he he didin’t have much for me. It was an easy fight. I used my jab and I saw he was open for the left hand. I applied the pressure and I saw that he could not fight on the inside,” said Smith.
With the win, fans all over the country can expect to see more of Smith as he is penciled in to fight on September 18 on CBS Sports Network and November 6 on ShoBox.
“I am excited. I get to show the world my talent. This is what I have been waiting for. It is a blessing. I want to thank GH3 Promotions for the opportunity to be on television. I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve that I am ready to show everyone. I also want to thank my managers D & D Management and Hotty M & M Boxing Gym.”
Said GH3 Promotions Vito Mielnicki, “We are pleased with Keenan. He is always ready to fight. We are looking to move him at a nice pace and he is up for the two television fights that he will participate in the next three months. He has the talent to do big things.”
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 Jerrell Harris,undefeated Super Bantamweight Qa’id Muhammad, lightweight Bienvenido Diaz, Heavyweight Natu Visinia, Light Heavyweight Lavarn Harvell, Jr. Lightweight O’Shanique Foster & Super Middleweight Andrew Hernandez to the GH3 Promotions stable.
With big fights on the horizon, Witherspoon must get by Guivas this Saturday night at the Playground in Atlantic City
Plus undefeated Keenan Smith, Paris Chisholm, Sam Ellsworth, Dustin Fleisher, Wang Zhiman and Zhang Zhilei
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Atlantic City, NJ (August 14, 2015)–This Saturday night at The Playground in Atlantic City, Heavyweight contender Chazz Witherspoon (33-3, 25 KO’s) will look to further his pursuit at a championship opportunity when he takes on Nicholas Guivas (11-2-2, 9 KO’s) in a 10-round bout that will headline a 12-bout card.
The fight card is promoted by Silver Spoon Promotions in conjunction with the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.
Witherspoon of Paulsboro, New Jersey has been on the cusp of Heavyweight title opportunity knows that a big effort on Saturday will likely place him back in a significant fight that will put him in position to reach that lofty goal.
“Everything is great. I been working hard and had Eddie Chambers in camp. I feel good and healthy. I expect a big night,” said the 33 year-old Witherspoon.
It’s been a busy time for Witherspoon, who not only is the promoter for the event but just welcomed his 6th boy into the world with his wife Jennifer on August 6.
“We named him Lion. The pregnancy cut into my training a little but I am a focused guy and I have a good support team around us that I was able to get the proper training in and am very ready for Saturday.”
In Facing Guivas, Witherspoon is facing an upstart from Topeka, Kansas who has a respectable record of 11-2 and has 4 consecutive knockout victories to his credit.
“I really do not know much on him. He looks to be a strong guy. I saw that he has been boxing a while and has a good amateur pedigree. We have a strategy. I ran into him while taking fighters for medicals. He seems to be a nice guys but those are the guys who make the toughest fights. On Saturday, I know I have to be on my game to put on a great performance.”
Witherspoon is just biding his time until he gets the right call to face a top-10 guy and as he keeps racking up the wins, he knows that time is in the very near future.
“I have been getting those calls already. Obviously I have a good record and name. But so far the money has not been right but I believe we are getting close to taking one of those fights.”
Witherspoon is happy to be promoting and headlining the inaugural fight at the new venue, which is close to his home in Paulsboro, New Jersey.
“It’s always great to fight in Atlantic City. It’s a good venue, there is a large video screen. It has a real entertaining ambiance and it is a great show, so we are looking forward to a great night on Saturday. There will be a lot of boxers and dignitaries in attendance and it will be a great night with the announcement of the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.”
In 6-round bouts:
Keenan Smith (7-0, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia, PA will fight Lavelle Hadley (2-0, 2 KO’s) of Youngstown, OH.
Anthony Young (10-1, 5 KO’s) of Atlantic City, NJ will take Jonathan Garcia (4-14, 1 KO) in a Welterweight bout.
Wang Zhimin (3-0, 1 KO) of China will fight Carlos Nieves (0-7-1) of Bronx, NY in a Jr. Welterweight bout.
Zhang Zhilei (4-0, 2 KO’s) of Las Vegas, NV will battle Dennis Benson (2-6-1, 1 KO) of Norfolk, VA in a Heavyweight bout.
John Lennox (13-2, 5 KO’s) of Carteret, NJ will take on Dan Pasciolla (3-1) of Brick, NJ in a Heavyweight fight.
In 4-round bouts:
Scott Kelleher of Philadelphia will make his pro debut against Xzavier Ford (0-1) of Concord, NC in a Jr. Welterweight bout.
Jerome Conquest (2-1) of Philadelphia will battle pro debuting David Perez of Pittsburgh, PA Lightweight bout.
Parris Chisholm (2-0, 1 KO) of Washington, DC will fight Ronnie Jordan (1-5-1) of Cincinatti, Ohio in a Welterweight fight.
Dustin Fleischer (3-0, 3 KO’s) of Monmouth County, NJ will see action in a Welterweight bout against David Ratliff (0-1) of North Carolina.
Kashif Mohamed (0-1) of New York, NY will box Samuel Ellsworth (2-0, 2 KO’s) of Farmersville, LA in a Middleweight bout.
Eric Kitt (5-1, 2 KO’s) of Pensacola, FL will take on Gilbert Alex Sanchez (5-6-1, 2 KO’s) of Camden, NJ in a Middleweight bout.
The Playground is a brand-new, state of the art entertainment complex where the shops at the Pier used to be. The facility is 500,000 square feet.The Playground is located at One Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Tickets for this great night of boxing will range from $75, $100 and $150 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com
Doors open at 6:30 PM with 1st bell at 8 PM