Holm & Villasenor: fighters love story, Holm-Sanders headlines June 13 PPV show at Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE– Women’s professional boxing champion Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm and her boyfriend, MMA star Joey Villasenor, met in an Albuquerque gym, where today they train and spar with each other as they both prepare for upcoming career-defining fights.

Seven-time world champion Holm (21-1-2, 6 KOs), recognized as the No. 1 welterweight in the world, will headline the June 13th “Finally” pay-per-view event against the world’s No. 1 middleweight, Detroit icon Mary Jo Sanders (25-0, 8 KOs), squaring-off in the 10-round main event for the vacant IFBA junior middleweight crown and universal pound-for-pound supremacy.

Villasenor (25-6-0, 11 KOs and 10 submissions) takes on Phil Baroni this Saturday night (May 31) in the EliteXC show on national television from Newark, New Jersey.

Holm and Villasenor have the same trainer, Mike Winklejohn, believes Holly and Joey are made for each other. “It’s tough on Holly,” Mike explained why relationships have often been difficult for her to develop and maintain. “She’s physical, athletic and everybody recognizes here in Albuquerque. It’s not going to work for a boyfriend who doesn’t have a lot of self confidence. Joey is a successful fighter in his own right, a star athlete, and that’s why it works for them. They fight (workout) all the time even though there’s a big weight difference (Holly is a natural 147-pound welterweight and Joey weights 185 pounds). Holly spars with everybody including Keith Jardine. The way our team (Jackson-Winkleton MMA Team) is set-up is everybody helping each other. That’s why we’ve excelled. The big guys spar with smaller guys for power versus speed, speed versus power.

“Holly could do MMA, but why? She could pick-up the game, but she’s a pretty girl and there’s no reason, especially for her to get hit with elbows. There’s less trauma to the head (MMA vs. boxing), but there are a lot of elbows thrown on the ground. The biggest differences between boxing and MMA is distance and different techniques. Boxing is at a longer range. If you throw a punch from a boxer’s range in MMA, you leave yourself open for takedowns. Boxers go right to left, leaving themselves open to get kicked in the head. MMA is forward and backward, up and down, which you don’t see in boxing. Joey’s very explosive. He had a great knockout in his last fight (Ryan Jenson by a punch). His techniques are better and he’s cleverer than Baroni. Holly out thinks her opponents and that’s why she’s so successful. It’s like a chess game for her. She has the smarts to out-think her opponents two or three moves ahead.”

Holm-Sanders is one of four world title fights for five different belts on the “Finally” PPV card, featuring the greatest collection of women boxers on one show, including five No. 1 independently rated fighters (view at www.wban.com). The Fresquez Productions, Inc.-promoted “Finally” is being produced and distributed by Integrated Sports for live viewing in the United States and Canada (10 PM/ET) on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN DEMAND, TVN, Shaw Communications, DirecTV, Bell Expressvue and StarChoice for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.

In the 10-round co-feature for the vacant IFBA lightweight championship, WIBA & IBA junior lightweight champion Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback (26-5-2, 11 KOs), fighting out of Tampa (FL), squares off against WIBA featherweight title-holder Jeannine “G9” Garside (7-0-1, 3 KOs), of Ontario (Canada), in a potential female version of a Gatti-Ward showdown.

IBA junior flyweight champion Wendy “Little Thunder” Rodriguez (18-4, 3 KOs), of Los Angeles, will be seeking revenge against Hollie “Hot Stuff” Dunaway in their 10-round clash for the vacant IBA strawweight and IFBA mini-flyweight championships. Rodriguez, lost an eight-round decision March 15, 2007 to Dunaway (21-6, 10 KOs), the reigning WIBF-GBU/WIBC minimumweight title-holder and NABF flyweight champion, fighting out of Las Vegas by way of (Van Buren) Arkansas.

WBC 2007 Fighter of the Year, WBC mininumweight champ Carina “La Reina” Moreno (11-1, 5 KOs), of Watsonville (CA), meets WIBA flyweight title-holder Eileen “The Hawaiian Mongoose” Olszewski (5-0-1), fighting out of New York City by way of Honolulu, in a 10-round fight for the IFBA junior flyweight crown. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $50.00, $100.00, $150.00, $200.00, $350.00 and $500.00, are on sale at the Isleta Casino and Resort box office, www.tickets.com or at Fresquez Productions, Inc. (508.884.7484). For more information go to www.fresquezproductions.com or www.holmvssanders.com. Doors open at 5:30 PM/MT, first bout 7:00 PM/MT, first televised bout 8:00 PM/MT.

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Jeannine Garside vs Chevell Hallback co-feature June 13 on PPV‏; Holm-Sanders headlines “Finally” PPV card at Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE– The much touted Fight of the Night candidate on the June 13th “Finally” pay-per-view event, airing live (10 PM/ET-8 PM/MT) from Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, is the 10-round co-feature for the vacant International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) lightweight championship between WIBA featherweight champion Jeannine “G9” Garside (7-0-1, 3 KOs) and WIBA & IBA junior lightweight title-holder Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback (26-5-2, 11 KOs).



The Fresquez Productions, Inc.-promoted “Finally” will be produced and distributed by Integrated Sports for live viewing in the United States and Canada (10 PM/ET) on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN, Shaw Communications, DirecTV and StarChoice for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.

“‘Finally” features the greatest collection of women boxers on one show with all eight independently rated among the world’s top 3 by divisions, including five No. 1 rated females, battling in four world title bouts. The headliner matches the top two women boxers in the world today, Albuquerque favorite Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm (21-1-2, 6 KOs), recognized as the No. 1 welterweight in the world, against the world’s No. 1 middleweight, Detroit icon Mary Jo Sanders (25-0, 8 KOs), in the 10-round main event for the vacant IFBA junior middleweight crown as well as universal pound-for-pound supremacy in female boxing.

WIBA champion Garside, the world’s No. 1 rated featherweight from Ontario, agrees that hershowdown against the No. 1 ranked lightweight, WIBA and IBA title-holder Hallback, of Tampa, could very well steal the “Finally” PPV show. “I’ve heard that and it’s because of what both of us bring to the table,” Jeannie explained. “When things get slow in a fight, I pump-up the pace to get the crowd into it. That’s my style; I feel the crowd and love to hear them. I’m so grateful to be part of the best women’s boxing card ever. Every single bout is exciting with eight women coming to fight. The passion in us makes our fights so exciting, especially on a show of this level taking women’s boxing to another level. I’ve sparred with Mary Jo. We’re close and I’m excited to be fighting on the same card as her.

Jeannine Garside

Below and attached please find a Fresquez Productions media release about the
“I’ve known Chevelle since I turned pro and we both fought once on the same card. She is one of the best fighters out there. I believe I’ve been underestimated in the past, but she’s not going to underestimate me. We’re getting an opportunity to put a fire under the butts of everybody watching our fight. It has all of the makings of a great fight….the Fight of the Night!”

Garside was a highly-decorated Canadian amateur boxer who started boxing after watching Christy Martin fight on a Mike Tyson undercard in1996, quickly developing into the 1998 & 1999 British Columbia champion and 1998 British Columbia Fighter of the Year. She earned a spot on the Canadian National Women’s Boxing Team and won a gold medal in the 2000 Canadian National Championships.

Her boxing career suffered a set-back when she tore an ACL in her knee during a touch football game in 2000, which required reconstructive surgery, but a year later Jeannine reached the semifinals of the AIBA World Amateur Championships and she won her fourth straight national title in 2002. Garside finished her amateur career with a 40-5 record. She made her pro debut on December 4, 2004, taking a four-round decision from Heather Percival in Tacoma, Washington, captured the WIBA super bantamweight title in only her fourth pro fight, and the WIBA featherweight title in her seventh.

In her fourth pro fight, the aggressive southpaw Garside easily won a 10-round decision (99-90, 98-90, 98-91) against Lisa Brown (12-1-2) for her WIBA super bantamweight crown. Last November, Jeannine added the WIBA featherweight title belt to her collection, dominating an exciting 10-round decision (100-87, 99-89, 98-90) against Laura Serrano (16-2-2).

“When I won my first world title in only my fourth pro fight,” Garside remarked, “there were some naysayers. Now, though, I have credibility because they know I have the skill and talent of a true champion. My best experience was fighting Europeans in the amateurs, when I developed my ring generalship and mind set I need to fight. I’m proud of my amateur career, but most women don’t spend a lot of time as amateurs. Hopefully, women’s boxing will be added to the Olympics. and more women will get into amateur boxing.”

Also on PPV, IBA junior featherweight champion Wendy Rodriguez (18-4, 3 KOs), of Los Angeles, takes on WIBF-GBU/WIBC minimumweight title-holder Hollie “Hot Stuff” Dunaway (21-6, 10 KOs), fighting out of Las Vegas by way of (Van Buren) Arkansas, in a 10-round vacant IBA strawweight title fight; WBC 2007 Fighter of the Year, WBC mininumweight champ Carina “La Reina” Moreno (11-1, 5 KOs), of Watsonville (CA), faces WIBA flyweighttitle-holder Eileen “The Hawaiian Mongoose” Olszewski (5-0-1), fighting out of New York City by way of Honolulu, in a 10-round title fight for the IFBA junior flyweight crown. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $50.00, $100.00, $150.00, $200.00, $350.00 and $500.00, go on sale March 18 at the Isleta Casino and Resort box office, www.tickets.com or at Fresquez Productions, Inc. (508.884.7484). For more information go to www.fresquezproductions.com or www.holmvssanders.com. Doors open at 5:30 PM/MT, first bout 7:00 PM/MT, first televised bout 8:00 PM/MT.