PROVIDENCE – The beginning of a new Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES) professional boxing series kicks-off May 22nd as world rated light heavyweight Joey “KO Kid” Spina headlines “Rage At The River” at Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island.“Rage At The River,” presented by CES in association with Twin River, launches a New England-based series at Twin River and Memorial Hall in Plymouth. Rehearsals were held earlier this year at both venues and the series goes into full swing May 22 in Lincoln and June 12 in Plymouth.
“This series will include some fighters positioning themselves for title fights and also provide valuable exposure for some of the best young talent in New England,” CES president Jimmy Burchfield explained. “What we are providing, though, is an evening of entertainment, not just competitive pro boxing, with singing, dancing and much more.”
Spina (24-1-1, 17 KOs), fighting out of Providence, is rated No. 12 in the WBA, as well as No. 13 by the WBC and WBO. He takes on veteran Tiwon Taylor (26-14-1, 19 KOs), former Carolina Boxing Association title-holder, who has been in against world champions Adrian Diaconu, Fabrice Tiozzo and Lou Del Valle, in the 8-round main event. “Joey Spina is one of the most exciting and hardest-hitting fighters in the world,” Burchfield noted. “He’s like Rocky Marciano in the sense he can be losing after six rounds and suddenly put his opponent to sleep with a single punch.”
Young middleweight James McGirt, Jr. 19-2-1, 9 KOs), from Vero Beach (FL), makes his CES debut in the 6-round co-feature against an opponent to be determined.. McGirt is trained by his father, former 2-time world champion and Trainer of the Year, James “Buddy” McGirt.
Also on the card in separate 6-round bouts are EBA super middleweight champion “Irish” Joe McCreedy (10-2-1, 5 KOs) against Victor Paz (9-7-1, 1 KO) and world featherweight title challenger Sandy “Lil’ Tyson” Tsagouris (9-1, 4 KOs) versus TBA.
Supporting the show in 4-round matches are cruiserweight Jay Holland (1-0, 1 KO) vs. TBA, lightweight Sean Eklund (6-3, 1 KO) – trained by his uncle, “Irish” Micky Ward – vs. Jose Guzman (3-4-1), light welterweight Diego Periera (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. Pablo Tejada (2-9-1, 0 KOs) and Omar Pena (1-0-1, 0 KOs), managed by former EBU lightweight champ Gary “Tiger” Balletto, vs. Ramon Santos (0-1). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
“We’re very excited about James McGirt, Jr. making his CES debut,” Burchfield commented. “Everybody involved with or part of Team CES is looking forward to watching James showcase his world-class talent and reload en route to a world title shot. McCreedy has proven he’s a straight- forward fighter that fans love to see in action. He wants to step-up his career and we’re going to give him that opportunity. Sandy is called, ‘Lil’ Tyson,’ because she looks up to and fights like Mike used to. I think she’s like a female Vinny Paz; she may get bloody but Sandy keeps punching. Sandy’s an exciting, marketable fighter who is risking a world title shot (WIBA) lined-up for her later this year in Bosnia. Sean Eklund lost his last fight but most people felt that he really won that fight. I don’t know what his uncle (Micky Ward) has been doing with him, but he showed tremendous improvement and looked the best we’ve seen in his last fight. Jay Holland has trouble finding sparring partners because he’s so tough. He also has a great following. Diego and Omar are two bright prospects from Rhode Island who both have a lot of upside.”
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