Shoulder injury temporarily sidelines Mesi; Mesi returns vs. Smith Olympian Estrada battles Whitaker ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, April 4

Shoulder injury temporarily sidelines Mesi; Mesi returns vs. Smith Olympian Estrada battles Whitaker ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, April 4 at Twin River Event Center, RI

PROVIDENCE– A shoulder muscle tear has forced “Baby” Joe Mesi to withdraw from his April 4th fight against Terry “Hurricane” Smith, headlining an ESPN2 Friday Night Fights pro boxing show, at Twin River Events Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Mesi is under doctor’s orders to rest his injured shoulder for three to four weeks.

Joe suffered a posterior and interior labral tear. The labrum is a cuff of cartilage, or thick tissue, in the shoulder joint that forms a cup for the end of the arm bone (humerus) to move within, allowing for a very wide range of movements. An injury like this restricts a boxer from throwing an effective punch with proper movement or without pain.

“Joe is terribly disappointed,” Mesi’s father/advisor Jack Mesi reported. “His promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, positioned Joe back on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, which is the plateau we hoped Joe would reach at this stage. This is just a temporary setback, that’s all. Joe will continue training to stay in good shape and keep his weight down, but he can’t do anything that involves using his shoulder. He’s still running and exercising. In three weeks he’ll be reevaluated and once the doctor clears him, Joe wants to get back in the ring as soon as possible.”

Buffalo sports icon Mesi (36-0, 29 KOs), former NABF heavyweight champion, currently rated No. 17 by the WBC and the WBC No. 1 contender in 2004, has beaten the likes of Vassiliy Jirov, Monte Barrett, DaVarryl Williamson, and David Izon.

“Joe’s shoulder injury isn’t too serious, but it’s a situation where he just couldn’t train because of it, and still be ready in time to fight April 4,” Burchfield, president of Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc., explained. “We’re thankful for the support and understanding at ESPN2 and Twin River. Next week, we’ll announce who’ll be fighting on the April 4th ESPN2 show. 2004 US Olympian Jason ‘Big Six’ Estrada is still fighting 6-foot, 8-inch ‘Mount’ Whitaker in a 10-round heavyweight bout. Joe’s worked so hard in his comeback and it’s a shame that he can’t fight April 4. His time will come, though. Joe Mesi is going to be heavyweight champion of the world.”



April 4 Mesi returns vs. Smith Olympian Estrada battles Whitaker ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, April 4 at Twin River Event Center, RI

PROVIDENCE– Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. president Jimmy Burchfield has formally announced unbeaten world heavyweight challenger “Baby” Joe Mesi’s returns to the ring on April 4 against Terry “Hurricane” Smith, headlining an ESPN2 Friday Night Fights pro boxing show in the 10-round main event, at Twin River Events Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Mesi will make his first defense of the WBC USNBC title belt he won last October with a first-round stoppage of Shannon Miller.

2004 U.S. Olympian and top heavyweight prospect, Jason “Big Six” Estrada, steps up in class to take on former world title challenger Lance “Mount” Whitaker in the 10-round co-feature.

“This is a major league show on ESPN2,” promoter Burchfield said. “These four heavyweights have a combined record of 109-9-2 with 76 knockouts. These are big men, real heavyweights, averaging 6’ 3” and 238-pounds. Joe is on a mission to fight for the world heavyweight title and Smith will be a solid test. Nobody has stopped him and he’s been in against a lot of top heavyweights like world heavyweight challengers Calvin Brock and Jameel McCline. Jason is going to make a lot of noise in 2008, starting with Whitaker, who fought (Luan) Krasniqi for the WBO belt, and knocked out world champion Oleg Maskaev. Mesi is going to be a force again in the heavyweight division very soon; Estrada’s a future world champion in the making.”

Buffalo sports icon Mesi (36-0, 29 KOs), former NABF heavyweight champion, currently rated No. 17 by the WBC, was the WBC No. 1 contender in 2004, before an injury and controversial suspension sidelined him for two years. Mesi’s 36 victims include Vassiliy Jirov, Monte Barrett, DaVarryl Williamson, and David Izon.

Unbeaten in his first 21 pro defeats, former NABO title challenger Smith (30-4-1, 18 KOs), fighting out of Little Rock (AR), defeated former world champion Kelvin Davis last May.

Estrada (11-1, 2 KOs), 27, completed his amateur career in the U.S. with a remarkable record of 261-14, going unbeaten in America four years after the 2000 Olympic Trials. The Providence-native became the first boxer to win both the U.S. Nationals and U.S.Challenge three years (2001-2003) in a row. In only his seventh pro fight, Jason went the full 10 rounds against veteran Robert Wiggin, winning a complete shutout (100-90 three times). Estrada won a unanimous 10-round decision versus former world title challenger Charles Shufford in his last fight on January 25.

In addition to his win against Maskaev, the 6’ 8” Whitaker (32-4-1, 27) has also beaten former world title-holder Al “Ice” Cole, previously unbeaten Robert Davis (22-0), and 2-time world title challenger Monte Barrett.

Tickets will go on sale March 15. Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or Twin River Events Center (877.82.RIVER/ www.twinriver.com) for more information.

CONTACT: Bob Trieger, Full Court Press
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