Shelito Vincent captures first title‏

In a night of epic finishes, Providence’s Shelito Vincent left Twin River Casino with her first championship belt wrapped around her waist.

Fighting for a title for the first time in her career, Vincent (9-0) responded with her most impressive performance to date Friday night, dominating tough challenger Angel Gladney (8-8-1) in an 80-71, 79-72, 79-72 unanimous-decision victory to capture the vacant Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) International super bantamweight title in the main event of “The New Era,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports.

“Non-Stop” Gladney lived up to her nickname, trading blows with Vincent throughout the night, but Vincent landed the cleaner shots with more authority, eventually dropping Gladney in the opening seconds of the seventh round with a hard left hook. Gladney, a Columbia, S.C., native, looed sharp early, especially at the end of the opening round when she landed a clean, four-punch combo that stunned Vincent, but Vincent’s relentless pressure was the difference as she eventually wore down her opponent in the later rounds.

In the co-feature, “Mr. Providence” Vladine Biosse (15-2-1) returned to Twin River for the first time in a year with a strong win over Philadelphia super middleweight Latif Mundy (10-6). Working with new trainer Paul Andrade for the first time, Biosse picked up the pace in the second and third rounds, continuously backing Mundy against the ropes. Biosse scored most of his points by landing the power punches, specifically his left hook mixed with a series of uppercuts.

The work with Andrade, including a brief trip to Oakland to train at world champion Andre Ward’s gym, paid off as Biosse rebounded from his loss to Marcus Upshaw in January with an effective, methodical win over the tough Mundy.

Two of the most highly-anticipated undercard bouts lived up to expectations as Rich Gingras (13-3) won a close split decision against Joe Gardner (11-6-1) and star middleweight Thomas Falowo (10-1) impressed with a convincing 59-54, 59-54, 60-53 win over the hard-hitting Tylon Burris (5-1).

Gardner, of Woonsocket, R.I., started strong in his six-round super middleweight showdown as Gingras, the Attleboro, Mass., native, came out wild from the opening round, but Gingras eventually his strength to overpower and, at times, wear out Gardner in the middle rounds. Gingras also mixed in his jab, which peppered Gardner, and began to apply more pressure by backing Gardner into the corner. The result was a 58-56, 56-58, 58-56 win for Gingras, which snapped Gardner’s three-fight win streak.

Facing an unbeaten foe from nearby Hartford, Conn., Falowo turned in what may have been his most impressive performance. The Pawtucket, R.I., native shook off a few strong body blows by Burris and eventually dominated the pace with his typical output, peppering Burris with jabs and landing solid combinations in the later rounds that eventually forced Burris to clinch. With Burris being deducted a point for hitting in the back of the head, Falowo dominated the scorecards, 59-54, 59-54, 60-53, for his fourth consecutive win.

In what might’ve been the most thrilling fight of the night aside from the main event, Cranston, R.I., welterweight Nick DeLomba (1-0) won his professional debut against Portland, Maine’s Jimmy Smith (0-1) in a 59-53, 60-52, 60-52 unanimous decision. The action was much more tense than the scores indicated. Smith pushed the pace early, but DeLomba began landing at will in the middle rounds and eventually battered Smith’s right eye to the point where it swelled late in the fight. Still, Smith battled as the two took turns landing flurries in the center of the ring and exchanged clean hooks in the closing seconds of the sixth and final round to end the bout triumphantly.

Also on the undercard, Cranston welterweight Jon Smith (2-0, 1 KO) earned the first knockout win of his career, stopping Hartford’s Oscar Diaz (0-1) at the 1:24 mark of the opening round. Smith backed Diaz into a corner with a hard left and a follow-up right and finished the fight with a flurry, forcing referee Joey Lupino to stop the fight. Harwich, Mass., super middleweight Paul Gonsalves (5-3) bounced back from a loss in March with a hard-fought win over Roxbury, Mass., veteran Maceo Crowder (2-1), who returned to the ring for the first time in three years. Gonsalves controlled the pace early and won unanimously, 39-37, on all three scorecards 

Hyannis, Mass., heavyweight Jesse Barboza (6-1-1, 3 KOs) stopped New York’s Phil Triantafillo (2-3) at the 1:19 mark of the opening round and welterweight Zack Ramsey (4-0) of Springfield, Mass., outlasted veteran Bryan Abraham (6-17-2) of Schenectady, N.Y., in the toughest fight of his young career to earn a 38-36, 38-36, 37-37 majority decision. Ramsey dropped Abraham with a hard right early in the third round and then rebounded from a flash knockdown in the fourth in which Abraham hit him with a looping right

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Williams makes debut with heavy heart‏; Following his heart Four years after his mother’s murder, Williams embarks on new journey in boxing

Jimmy Williams knows he was born for this. His mother knew, too.

She won’t be there to watch him make his professional boxing debut Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 at Mohegan Sun Casino, but she’ll guide him every step of the way.

“I take her spirit with me every time I step in the ring,” Williams said. “I fear nothing.”

Williams’ mother, Belinda Jordan Williams, died in November of 2008, the victim of a homicide police in Williams’ hometown of Plainfield, N.J., have yet to solve. Her partially-clothed body was found strangled to death behind an abandoned building with signs of a struggle evident by the cuts and scratches on her face. The case remains unsolved. No leads. No motives. No answers.

Though the trail has gone cold, Williams remains in hot pursuit of the truth while chasing his dream of becoming a world champion, a dream his mother always knew he’d follow, even if he didn’t quite know it at the time.

“We were tight. She knew me well,” said Williams, a 26-year-old welterweight prospect now fighting out of New Haven, Conn., where he once starred as a defensive back for the Southern Connecticut State University football team.

“Even during my football days, she told me to never rule out boxing. She told me football was just a phase. We used to argue sometimes. I’d tell her, ‘I’m going to play football!’ but she always kept boxing in the back of my mind.”

Williams actually began boxing with his uncle when he was just 8 years old, but stopped during high school as he became more involved with football. After a standout career at Plainfield High in which he was named one of the nation’s Top 100 players as a senior, Williams was recruited by several Division I colleges, including Virginia Tech, Rutgers and Penn State. He fully committed to Western Michigan until the entire coaching staff that had originally recruited him was abruptly fired; by then, the only school still interested was Southern Connecticut State, leaving him with no options.

“I committed without even visiting,” Williams said.

As a three-year starter, Williams blossomed as one of the nation’s premier defensive backs in college, but everything changed in 2008 when he learned of his mother’s death during a team meeting.

“My sister kept blowing up my phone,” Williams said. “She never really called that much, so I knew something was wrong. I still remember the words she said to me – ‘Don’t stop doing what you’re doing. Keep working hard.’

“My whole life changed.”

After college, Williams entertained thoughts of playing in the NFL. He wasn’t drafted, but he was invited to several post-draft workouts, starting in Oakland with the Raiders. Similar workouts followed with the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts, but after tweaking a groin muscle while training with the Raiders, Williams wasn’t quite the same physically, and his dream of playing professional football came to a sudden end.

“A lot of teams told me to go play in Canada,” he said. “I couldn’t run as fast as I wanted to. I just lost my spirit. I got discouraged.”

Enter boxing, which was always Williams’ first love. Back in New Jersey, he resumed training with his uncle and competed in the state’s Diamond Gloves Tournament, but lost in the opening round, his nine-year layoff a contributing factor.

“I was too stiff,” Williams recalled. “I couldn’t move around the ring.”

Those who had watched Williams in the gym knew there was reason for optimism despite his performance. Underneath his football physique – he bulked up to 180 pounds as a college defensive back – he still had the body of a slick-punching, welterweight capable of out-boxing anyone in his class. Once he shed the extra pounds, he began turning heads in local gyms, including New Haven Boxing, where he made enough of an impression to earn a permanent spot on the roster.

“I used to spar one of their top guys, and they saw day in, day out how I used to bring it to him,” Williams recalled, “so they asked me to join their gym. That’s all she wrote.”

With a new team behind him, including promoter Jimmy Burchfield, who recently signed him to a promotional contract, Williams will make his highly-anticipated debut Jan. 19 on the undercard of NBC Sports’ nationally-televised Fight Night series, co-promoted by Main Events and Classic Entertainment & Sports.

“When I got back into the ring, I didn’t know it would come to this,” he said. “This is my goal. I want to become a world champion, and this is the first step.

“Signing with CES, I think they’ll give me my chance. I’m excited. I’m fired up. I’m ready to go. Words can’t express how I feel. Whoever they put in front of me, I’m willing to beat. I’ve made it this far and been through so much already. Nothing is going to stop me now."

Unbeaten Russian light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev (19-0, 17 KOs) will face Spanish southpaw Gabriel Campillo (21-4-1, 8 KOs) in the 10-round main event while New Haven middleweight Elvin Ayala (26-5-1, 12 KOs) will battle Curtis Stevens (22-3, 16 KOs) of Brownsville, N.Y., in the 10-round co-feature. The undercard includes an eight-round super middleweight showdown between Vladine Biosse (14-1-1, 7 KOs) of Providence, R.I., and Marcus Upshaw (14-8-2, 6 KOs) of Jacksonville, Fla., and a six-round female bantamweight bout between undefeated Shelito Vincent (6-0) of Providence (New London, Conn.) and Bronx native Nydia Feliciano (5-3-3).

Hartford, Conn., super featherweight Joseph “Chip” Perez (10-3, 1 KO) will face Jason Sosa (7-1-3, 3 KOs) of Camden, N.J., in a six-round bout; Brooklyn’s Ian James (2-4-1, 1 KO) will battle newcomer Edwin Cotto of Willimantic, Conn., in a four-round lightweight bout; and unbeaten heavyweight Jarrell Miller (4-0, 4 KOs) of New York will face Philadelphia’s Joey Dawejko (7-1-1, 3 KOs) in a four-round bout. 

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

High Voltage Double Header Tops Off NBSN Fight Night Season Opener Jan 19‏

High Voltage Double Header Tops Off NBSN Fight Night Season Opener Jan 19‏

NBC Sports Network's Fight Night boxing series kicks off its second season on Saturday, January 19th, with a high-voltage double header. The nationally televised event will be shown live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, beginning 9PM ET.

In the Internationally flavored main event, light heavyweights Gabriel Campillo, 21-4-1, 7 KOs, of Madrid, Spain, meets Sergey Kovalev, 18-0-1, 15 KOs, Chelyabinsk, Russia, in an compelling 10-rounder. The bout looks like a classic boxer-puncher match up, with Kovalev bringing the power while Campillo provides the finesse.

Campillo is a former WBA light heavyweight champion, who came within a whisker of winning the IBF crown against Tavoris Cloud last year. Cloud retained his title by controversial decision, but most believed slick southpaw Campillo deserved the victory. "The Handsome Man" will look to bounce back by schooling the hard-punching "Krusher", but this main event is a toss-up.

Kovalev has been on the rise, knocking out almost everyone put in his path. He hasn't been extended to the final bell in more than two years, and will certainly be looking to add another KO to his resume, especially one with a name as distinguished as Campillo's.

In the 10-round co-feature, Elvin Ayala, 26-5-1, 12 KOs, takes on Curtis Stevens, 22-3, 16 KOs, in a battle between two middleweights hungry for the spotlight. Their clash before a nationally televised audience should provide them with the perfect opportunity to shine.

Ayala, of New Haven, CT, is a well-travelled vet with six straight wins, three of them by KO. He stopped John Mackey at the Mohegan Sun in his last fight, and before that, pitched a near shutout on national TV against Eric Mitchell at Foxwoods, also in CT. Against Stevens, Ayala will again have the home-state advantage.

Curtis Stevens, of Brownsville, Brooklyn, is a rising star who's kayoed four of his last six opponents. His most recent foe, Romaro Johnson, didn't make it out of the first round. Another of his KO victims was then-undefeated Pitor Wilczewski, whom Stevens starched in three rounds.

Ayala and Stevens are both boxer-punchers with something to prove, and should provide each other with a serious test.

With these two excellent bouts on tap, and their likelihood to produce knockouts, boxing fans are certain to be the big winners on this busy night of televised boxing. With other cable boxing shows scheduled for later in the evening, these excellent Fight Night wars should be settled long before the other programs even begin.

Seven bouts are planned for the January 19 card to be held at Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard Uncasville, CT. Sergey Kovalev, 19-0-1, 17 KOs, takes on Gabriel Campillo, 21-4-1, 8 KOs, in an international 10-round light heavyweight main event. In the co-feature, Elvin Ayala, 26-5-1, 12 KO's, battles Curtis Stevens, 22-3, 16 KO's, in a 10-round middleweight contest. The card is promoted by Main Events and Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment Sports in association with Peltz Boxing, Sampson Boxing, and Dovolani Boxing.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Biosse preps for Canadien slugger‏; All in a day’s work, Biosse continues preparation for July 19th return despite last-minute opponent swap

The opponent has changed, but Vladine Biosse’s preparation for his highly-anticipated return to the ring next Thursday remains as diligent as ever.

Fresh off his dominant win over Joey Spina in May, Biosse (13-1-1, 6 KOs) will face Saskatchewan, Canada super middleweight Mike Walchuk (9-5, 2 KOs) on Thursday, July 19^th, 2012 in the eight-round main event of “Built To Last,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I.

“To me, being in the gym is like breathing, so if I’m not in the gym, I’m not breathing,” Biosse said. “I never stop training, whether I have a fight coming up or I’m just looking to get in the gym. That’s what I do. That’s what I love doing.

“I don’t believe in not training. Some guys take two or three weeks off after a fight. I don’t believe in that at all. I took a week off [after the win over Spina] to enjoy myself and my family, and then I got right back in the gym.”

After winning just one of his previous three fights, Biosse burst back onto the scene with a dynamic performance against Spina six weeks ago at Twin River. Now he’s looking to take another step forward against Walchuk, who has fought at various weights his entire career, ranging from middleweight (160 pounds) to as high as light heavyweight (175). Next Thursday’s clash against Biosse will be Walchuck’s first fight since October.

“Obviously, you want to have the right opponent at the right time, so the more time you have the more you learn about how to break him down so you can plan your strategy,” Biosse said, “but I’m a fighter, and that’s the name of the game.

“Sometimes, these things happen, and that’s what we’re dealing with right now. It is what it is. I’ll take this next step forward and do what I have to do. I’m a fighter; it’s my job to be prepared.”

Though he hasn’t had the luxury of preparing for the same opponent throughout the duration of his training camp as he did prior to the Spina fight, Biosse is treating next week’s fight the same way he treats all the rest. The goal, regardless of the opponent, is to win in dominant fashion and prepare for the next step.

“Every fight is a big fight. I don’t take any opponent lightly,” he said. “I made that mistake in the past and it cost me. Whether you’re losing a lot or you’re winning, you go to camp with the same mentality as if you were fighting for a world title.

“In my camp, I’m glad I have the right guys around me who really push me to be on that level, even on days when I just don’t feel right. From my manager, Quint Dow, to coach [Orlondo] Valles and Ray Oliveira, and all my teammates, they help me keep that edge. We don’t train as if we’re going into an easy fight. Every fight is a hard fight. That’s the way we train.”

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports is proud to announce the launch of its 2012 Thursday Night Fight Series

Thursday nights in Rhode Island just got a lot more exciting.

After successfully bringing professional boxing back to the Ocean State in 2011 following an 11-month drought, Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports is proud to announce the launch of its 2012 Thursday Night Fight Series, which begins Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., with “Home Invasion,” the first of four events this year.

“Home Invasion” features the long-awaited return of New Bedford, Mass., welterweight Jason “School Boy” Pires (22-4-1, 9 KOs), an active member of the New Bedford police force SWAT Team, along with Providence, R.I., super middleweight Vladine Biosse (11-1-1, 6 KOs), who’s in search of his first win since April.

Pires will face fan-favorite Eddie Soto (12-3, 4 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., in the six-round main event while Biosse will take on hard-hitting veteran George Armenta (14-7, 11 KOs) of Silver Spring, Md., in the six-round special attraction.

The series begins March 22nd and continues May 24th, July 19th, and Oct. 18th, and at the end of the year, the media will select – among other awards – the series’ Most Outstanding Fighter, Knockout of the Year, and Most Outstanding Prospect.

“No matter where our travels take us, Rhode Island will always remain our home, so it’s an honor to bring the finest up-and-coming talent in professional boxing back to the beautiful Twin River Event Center for this unique fight series,” Burchfield said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for both our fighters and our loyal fans.”

“I’ve been in the gaming industry for 33 years and I’ve never experienced a more professional boxing program than what Classic Entertainment & Sports produces regularly at Twin River,” added Phil Juliano, Vice President of Marketing at Twin River. “This new attempt at programming on Thursday nights should excite all of us as we get the chance to start the weekend early with a spectacular event presented by a first-class promoter in a first-class facility.”

Pires, 37, is looking to make one last run at championship glory as he begins his second comeback. In 2008, “School Boy” returned to the ring for the first time in five years with a unanimous-decision win over Frank Houghtaling at Twin River. Less than two years later, he challenged Michael Clark for the vacant North American Boxing Association (NABA) USA light welterweight title; Clark cruised to a unanimous-decision win, ending Pires’ first comeback attempt. The March 22nd bout against Soto will be his first in 22 months.

“It feels great to be back!” Pires said. “The rest has definitely worked wonders. My body has had more time to heal. I’m definitely motivated for this fight. This is a good comeback fight for me, and I’m looking forward to bringing all of my fans back to Rhode Island.”

Coming off a loss and a draw in his last two fights, Biosse will also lean on the support of his fans when he returns to the ring for the first time since October to face Armenta. In his last bout, Biosse pulled his left pectoral muscle in the opening round, which affected his performance in a majority draw against John Mackey.

“I’m really excited about the fact we’re coming back home,” Biosse said. “I like fighting in front of my hometown fans in my home state. Fighting here gives a lot of people who can’t get out to where we’re fighting a chance to come out and support us.

“The last time I fought, it didn’t go as I had planned, but I was thankful for the people that came out. We had a great turnout. It’s good to see that we still have boxing fans in Rhode Island who will come out and show their support.”

“Home Invasion” features seven dynamic undercard bouts, including the return of New Bedford welterweight Johnathan Vazquez (4-1-1, 3 KOs), who’s looking to bounce back from a knockout loss to Bryan Abraham in October, the first of his career. Vazquez will face New Jersey’s Rashard Bogar (3-3-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round bout.

Fan-favorites Alex Amparo (2-0, 1 KO) of Providence and Benny Costantino (7-0, 4 KOs) of West Warwick, R.I., will also return to Twin River following victories in October. Amparo, a middleweight, will face newcomer John Downey in a four-round bout while Costantino, 40, will continue his comeback in a four-round super middleweight bout against Yolexcy Leiva (4-2, 3 KOs) of Nashville, Tenn.; Costantino’s victory over Odias Dumezil in October was his first fight in 10 years.

Unbeaten middleweight prospect Thomas Falowo (5-0, 4 KOs) of Pawtucket will put his perfect record on the line against Ronald Reaves (2-2, 1 KO) of Atlanta, while light welterweight Carlos Hernandez (1-2) of Bridgeport, Conn., will face Robert Brando-Hunt (0-1) of Hyannis, Mass., who is searching for his first professional win. Female welterweight Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (5-1, 1 KO) of Quincy, Mass., ranked No. 13 in the World Boxing Council (WBC), will battle Denver’s Brittney Christian (3-1, 1 KO) in a four-round bout, and super middleweight Kevin Cobbs (2-0, 1 KO) of Burlington, Vt., will also be on the undercard in a four-round bout.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.