Photos: Lawrence Lustig
Three-time world super middleweight champion Carl Froch performed the draw at Sky Sports studios as the eight contenders for Wednesday night’s Prizefighter International Heavyweights at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London met for the first time at the promo shoot.
“The Cobra” picked Poland’s Albert Sosnowski out of the hat first and pitted the former World title challenger against American Maurice Harris. There’s a potential all-USA semi-final number one as Kevin ‘Kingpin’ Johnson meets Moroccan Noureddine Meddoune in quarter-final two. Quarter-final three sees New Yorker Tor Hamer against Brazil’s Marcelo Luiz Nascimento with the winner facing the victor in the all-England clash between Tom Dallas and Tom Little in quarter-final four.
This Saturday night at the Prudential Center, undefeated Middleweight prospect John “ApolloKidd” Thompson will look to make it 9-0 when he takes on the toughest and most experience foe of his career in John Mackey
Thompson, twenty-three years old of Newark and Mackey will fight a six round bout at the Prudential Center as part of the undercard that will feature Tomasz Adamek and Eddie Chambers on NBC Sports Network.
Mackey of Montgomery, Alabama has a record of 13-6-3 with six knockouts has wins over the likes of Tim Leonard (3-0-1); Tony Cygan (12-1) Alexander Mancea (7-1) & Donald Orr (15-0) and has faced the likes of Anthony Greenidge (12-1); Cecil McCalla (6-0); Derek Ennis (17-2-1); James McGirt Jr. (21-2-1) and Tarvis Simms (26-1-1).
Mackey has draws with Jesse Nicklow (19-1-1) and his last bout on October 7th when he drew with Vladine Biosse (11-1) in Biosse’s home area of Providence.
Thompson is not worried about the experience that Mackey brings to the table.
“He is not much of a boxer, he is a brawler/puncher”, said Thompson
“I am going to work hard to prove that I am the better boxer.”
Thompson is looking forward to facing the veteran as it should be a coming out performance.
“This is a fight that should open doors. He is ranked twenty-two and I am at sixty-three”
It should be a great atmosphere on Saturday as usually tens of thousands pack the Prudential Center for an Adamek fight and Thompson is looking forward to putting on a show in his hometown.
“This is the biggest event I have been on and I consider the Prudential Center the MGM Grand of the East Coast. It is going to be a great experience and I will put on as great of a show as I can”
Thompson is promoted by Gabe Laconte’s First Round Promotions and is managed by Vito Mielnicki.
“My boxer is ready and focused on becoming a world champ in the near future and this is another step towards the top”, said Mielnicki
Former World Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz, former NABF Super Lightweight Champion Josesito Lopez, former Three-Division World Champion Humberto Soto and top-rated super lightweight contender Lucas Matthysse participated in an international media conference call on Wednesday to discuss their participation in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event on Saturday, June 23, to be broadcast live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) fromSTAPLES Center in Los Angeles.VICTOR ORTIZ:
“I just want to say that I don’t disrespect anyone. I’m fighting Josesito Lopez on June 23, who I’ve been training for and ignoring everyone else possible. There’s a dangerous fighter in front of me who is on the same path as I was a year ago before I fought (Andre) Berto, but the difference here is I’m too hungry to let my chance go. As far as I’m concerned I’m ready for June 23. If he wants to go to war, we’ll go to war. If he wants to box, then we’ll box. It doesn’t really matter. I’m there to take what is rightfully mine. At the end of the day, I know Josesito is ready to go and so am I, so that makes two of us.”
Did you have to adjust much in your training when it was announced you would be fighting Lopez and not Berto?
“Lopez is a good fighter. He and Berto go hand-in-hand. They’re both great fighters. I can’t think lightly of either of them.”
Is there any pressure on you going back to STAPLES Center, the site of your loss to Marcos Maidana?
“No, not at all. Right now the main focus is on Josesito Lopez because he’s no walk in the park. As far as Maidana goes, he owes me a thank you or a rematch because I gave him his name.”
JOSESITO LOPEZ:
“I’m really excited about this fight. I’ve been training really hard.’’
Did you think you won your last fight against Jessie Vargas?
“I do think I won that fight and nine out of 10 people who saw it thought I won. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t’ see it that way, but hey, that’s the way it goes. Our job as fighters is just to bring everything we can and hope for the best and hope that they see it the correct way.
“My only motivation right now is just June 23 and Victor Ortiz. I don’t even think one hour past June 23. That’s the only thing that drives me right now. I don’t care about any other dates or times right now. There’s nothing else that matters to me.”
HUMBERTO SOTO:
“There is no doubt Lucas is a strong opponent and a strong fighter. He comes forward and always looks for a fight. The difference in this fight is the experience. I have a lot of experience, and that’s what’s going to lead me to victory.
“Matthysse is a good fighter. He’s going to stay in there and he’s a smart fighter. We’re going to go toe-to-toe.”
LUCAS MATTHYSSE:
“We are here in Argentina finishing preparations and putting the final touches on. We are just very excited, happy and ready to go.”
Do you think Soto will stand and fight in front of you instead of backing up as you perceived was the case in your only losses to southpaws Zab Judah and Devon Alexander?
“Yes, those were both very difficult fights to have to adjust to them and change the way I fight. I know I won both those fights. Deep in my heart, I know it. It did hurt me, but we’ve got to come back stronger and I know we are ready for bigger and better things. With Humberto, we all know he’s going to come to fight. He wants to come to battle and that makes me very happy because we are ready to give him a war.”
Thursday is the final weigh-in and press conference for “Proving Grounds,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc., at the Twin River Event Center.
This event is open to the public. “Proving Grounds” is scheduled for Friday, June 15th, 2012 and features the highly-anticipated lightweight showdown between Abner Lloveras (14-6, 5 KOs) of Ludlow, Mass., and Ryan Quinn (8-3-1, 2 KOs) of New Fairfield, Conn., in the main event, in addition to a bantamweight battle between Andre Soukhamthath (1-1) of Woonsocket, R.I., and newcomer Vinny Tisconie of Shrewsbury, Mass., and a dynamic featherweight battle between Wai Kru veteran Calvin Kattar (12-2, 7 KOs) of Methuen, Mass., and Chris Foster (5-2, 4 KOs) of Meridan, Conn.
Featherweight Nate Andrews of Providence, R.I., will make his professional debut against Pedro da Silva (1-3, 1 KO) of Boston; newcomer Jay Bakanowski of Boston, Mass., will battle unbeaten welterweight Leon Davis (2-0) of Springfield, Mass., in his debut; and newcomer Billy Giovanella of Bellingham, Mass., will debut against Gilvan Santos (1-2) of Framingham, Mass., in a three-round bantamweight bout.
“Proving Grounds” also features a three-round welterweight battle between undefeated Nick Drummond (3-0, 1 KO) of Boston and newcomer Sergii Musiienko of Framingham; a middleweight showdown between Bob Burton (2-1) of Brockton, Mass., and Boulder, Colo., native Chandler Holderness (8-3, 3 KOs); and a welterweight matchup between Pawtucket’s Keith Jeffrey (7-2-1) and Harley Beekman (4-1, 2 KOs) of Amsterdam, N.Y. Lightweight Joe Pingitore (1-0, 1 KO) of Johnston, R.I., will face newcomer Alan Beeman of Newport, R.I.
On June 16, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, NBC Sports Network is continuing their Fight Night series with a clash of two heavyweights. Philadelphia’s own “Fast” Eddie Chambers is taking on polish star Tomasz Adamek, who is continuing his journey at heavyweight since moving up from cruiserweight.
