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.
The UFC returns to New Jersey for a showdown between lightweight contenders as Gray Maynard faces off against Clay Guida! Plus, Sam Stout and Spencer Fisher complete their trilogy in the Octagon in a rubber match between these two lightweight sluggers. UFC on FX - Friday, June 22 - Live at the Revel in Atlantic City, New Jersey - UFC Fight Club presale starts Wednesday, April 18 at 10am ET, join today for first access to tickets
Top-Five pound-for pound fighter and four-division world champion NONITO "The Filipino Flash" DONAIRE and undefeated former world lightweight champion BRANDON "Bam Bam" RIOS will headline a spectacular all-action doubleheader, Saturday, July 7, under the stars at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, Calif. Donaire, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion, will rumble with International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion JEFFREY "Marvelous Mongoose" MATHEBULA in a world title unification fight to determine the division's top dog. Rios, in search of more worlds to conquer, will battle steel-fisted Top-10 contender MAURICIO "El Maestro" HERRERA, in a 10-round junior welterweight bout for Southern California bragging rights. The fights will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
First it was Gary Jones, then it was David Adotey Alottey and now it will surely be once-beaten Aaron “Homicide” Mitchell that will take on Richard Pierson this Wednesday night at the Robert Treat Hotel.
The show is promoted by Gabe LaConte’s First Round Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions.
Mitchell, along with his twin brother Eric, are two of the toughest guys to come out of the boxing rich town of Philadelphia.
Mitchell has an impressive record of 27-1-1 with twenty one knockouts HAS NOT LOST IN NINETEEN YEARS and that defeat was to future world champion Keith Mullings.
Mitchell will be making his first start in four years when he took a twelve round unanimous decision from Delray Raines in 2008. Mitchell has wins over Anthony Joseph (5-1); Darryl Ruffin (3-0); Ron Johnson (8-0); Napoleon Pitt (10-2); Fidel Hernandez (14-1); Maurice Adams (15-2-1) and Miguel Julio (32-3-1).
Besides Pierson-Mitchell: the rest of the card is as follows:
Lavarn Baby Bowe Harvell (10-0, 5, KO’s) takes on Brian Donahue (2-2-1) in a six round Light Heavyweight bout.
In a six round Jr. Middleweight bout, Tommy Rainone (17-4,4 KO s) of New York takes on a Fitgerald Johnson.
John Lennox (10-1, 5 KO’s) takes on Rodricka Ray (3-5-1, 1 KO) of Jackson, TN in a six round Heavyweight bout.
Aaron Kinch (3-0-1, 1 KO) of Newark, NJ battles Khuzaymah Al Nubu (0-2) of Fostoria, OH in a Heavyweight bout scheduled for four rounds.
Anthony Young (4-0, 2 KO’s) of Atlantic City, NJ battles Christian Steele (2-3, 1 KO) of Staunton, VA in a four round Welterweight bout
Showtime Boxing - June 23: Victor Ortiz vs. Josesito Lopez, Soto vs. Matthysse, Chris Arreola
Gleason's Gym's own scholar and favorite female heavyweight Sonya Lamonakis (6-0-1) will be returning to Dibella Entertainment's Broadway Boxing in a rousing six-round rematch against Tiffany Woodard (4-6-2) on June 14, 2012 at the storied Roseland Ballroom.
Lamonakis and Woodard have met twice before. While Lamonakis has won both fights, their last outing also under the Broadway Boxing banner at Mechanic's Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts in August 2011 resulted in a split decision win.
Lamonakis and Woodard, August 2011
While Lamonakis has been hard at work prepping for this bout, she's also been finishing up the school year at the Family Academy school in Harlem. In between her busy schedule, Sonya agreed to do an interview with Girlboxing.
2. You are 6-0-1 now, that's quite an achievement. What are you looking to achieve with a win against Woodard?
Teaching school and guiding children is something I'm good at. I am positive role model for the children academically and personally. I attended colleges and received masters degrees and hold five different New York State Education Certifications in a variety of fields. I'm also an athlete and the students can relate to me. I love all my children and find the good in each of them. I do my best to instill values and morals in them that will lead to towards successful lives. I tell them that if they want to have choices when they are older they need to have an education. Without an education you have no choices to make. You have to take whatever job you can and do your best to survive. As an example, remember that episode on the Cosby's when Bill gave his son fake money and had him pay bills until he ran out quickly. At that point he wanted more things, but he had no money left. So without an education, your choices will be limited, but with an education you can go anywhere.
Undefeated Puerto Rican welterweight prospect Thomas Dulorme (14-0-0, 11ko) will face battle-tested Alberto Herrera (8-6-1, 5ko) in the co-main event of DiBella’s Entertainment Broadway Boxing card on June 14 at the Roseland Ballroom Theater in New York. Herrera, who’s fought as high as 154 pounds, has faced top competition such as Anthony Lenk and Olympian Demetrius Andrade. The ten-round fight will be contested at 147 pounds.
Junior middleweight contender Delvin "EL Peligro" Rodriguez came up short in his world title challenge on Saturday night, June 2nd against WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin Trout at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
Faced with an awkward, southpaw style, Rodriguez was unable to mount a consistent attack against the fleet of foot Trout and came out of on the short-end of the twelve round decision.
"As we anticipated, it was a very tough style matchup for Delvin" said longtime promoter Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing of the SHOWTIME broadcasted bout. 'It was an awkward fight, and very not like Delvin's preferred fights; 'slugfests'. Trout's movement prevented Delvin making this fight a war as the champion was able to effectively counter Delvin's aggression."
"We'll take a few days and meet with Delvin's team and formulate a game plan for his immediate future. Knowing Delvin, he'll want to face a highly ranked contender and get right back in the mix for a world title shot."
Rodriguez will be honored Wednesday June 6th, by the Boxing Writers Association of American for his memorable 2011 "Fight of the Year" against Pawel Wolak on July 15th at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. The sensational back and forth war was scored a draw, however Rodriguez dominated in the rematch onDecember 3rd in front of a sold out Madison Square Garden.
Said DeGuardia, "Promoting the "Fight of the Year" is a tremendous honor for Star Boxing. Delvin has always fought like a true warrior in the ring and his valor truly shined that night. I look forward to seeing him and the other honorees accept their awards."
