THE CONTENDERS' MACHO MIGUEL HERNANDEZ FIGHTS IN CHICAGO ON FRIDAY NIGHT‏

CHICAGO, IL Long time Chicago fan favorite, middleweight MACHO Miguel Hernandez returns to Chicago as he takes on SUPERMAN Derrick Findley in the main event at BATTLE FOR PRIDE, an outstanding evening of world class professional boxing set for this Friday night, May 9th at Cicero Stadium.

Presented by Dominic Pesoli’ 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, tickets for BATTLE FOR PRIDE may be purchased in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions box office at 312-226-5800.

“I’ve got the Kryptonite I’m bringing for SUPERMAN on Friday night, joked the Cicero Police Officer Hernandez. “Seriously, training has been terrific, working with Freddie Cuevas and San Colonna. My sparring has been great and I’m learning new things each day from both of them,” said the 33 year old Puerto Rican who sports a record of 20-7 (10KO’s).

“I’m no kid at this point, although I’ve only been a pro for six years, I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished. I started fighting as an amateur when I was 27 and only had 9 fights.”

“Findley, (10-2, 6KO’s) is a tough kid, he’s only 24. I know he’s going to be coming to fight and has a lot of heart. I’m sure he’s thinking it would be nice to have my name on his record with a W, but I intend to make that very difficult for him.”

“I know his style; we’ve both seen each other fight numerous times. Neither one of us will have to look for the other. We’ll both be in the pocket from the opening bell which should make it a great fight for the fans.”

About fighting in his hometown, Hernandez said, “It feels terrific to fight in Chicago; since I started the fans been very supportive of. I’ve had to leave home to fight the bigger names like former world champions Raul Marquez and Yory Boy Campas but there’s nothing like the rush of the Chicago fight fans as I walk to the ring with my team and my boys.”

Sons Josh, age 12, Jiovanni, 8 and Justin, 7 have been constant companions of Miguel’s during his career. Said the proud father, “Josh is a terrific amateur boxer and all three are Golden Honor Role students.”

About his experience on The Contender, Hernandez said, “It was an outstanding experience and it’s been great to watch the success some of the guys have had like Brian Vera in his win over Andy Lee. Vera was in great shape and took advantage of the opportunity.”

Discussing his working relationship with 8 Count Productions, Hernandez said, ‘Dominic has been great to me. His matchmaker Jerry Alfano and him put on terrific events with all action fights and top to bottom this is another very solid card."

The co-main event at BATTLE FOR PRIDE features Chicago bantamweight Francisco “EL NINO AZTECA” Rodriguez, 11-2 (7KO’s) as he takes on Columbian veteran Angel Priolo, 30-6 (20KO’s) in an eight round bout.

The 23 year old Rodriguez is looking to rebound after the second round stoppage loss of his most recent bout with Andre Wilson on February 15th at Cicero Stadium. Prior to that fight the Chicago fan favorite had won four in a row.

In a special feature attraction bout, hard hitting, Chicago based Irishman Henry “THE WESTERN WARRIOR” Coyle, 6-1 (6KO’s) will face veteran Ben Aragon, 7-9-2 (5KO’s) of Billings, Montana in an eight round junior middleweight scrap.

In his last Chicago fight, Coyle thrilled the packed Cicero Stadium with a first round knockout of Guy Packer on November 16, 2007. Since then “THE WESTERN WARRIOR” has been on the road knocking out two additional opponents.

The undercard will feature popular Chicago prospects as super bantamweight Eric Estrada, 3-0 (1KO) faces Ronnie Howell, 1-1 of Cincinnati and lightweight Gadiel Andaluz, 2-0 (KO’s) battles fellow undefeated prospect Jose Mandujano 2-0 (1KO) of Detroit, Michigan, each in four round bouts.

Cicero Stadium is located at 1909 S. Laramie, just minutes from the Eisenhower and Stevenson Expressways. Doors for this event will open at 7:00pm with the first bell at 8:00pm.

The weigh-in for the BATTLE FOR PRIDE event will take place on Thursday, May 8th at 7pm at Team Doctors Chiropractic Treatment and Training Center of Champions located at 6432 S. Pulaski on the South Side of Chicago. Further information can be obtained at www.teamdoctors.org.

Along with 8 Count Productions, BATTLE FOR PRIDE is presented by Octavius James’ One In A Million, Inc. of Merrillville, Indiana, along with Miller Lite, TCF Bank and AeroMexico, the premier travel source to Mexico.

8 Count Productions was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.

To view the seating chart or for more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit www.8countproductions.com and www.jabbboxinggym.com

CREATING CONTENDERS SINCE 1998

Bernie Bahrmasel
Publicist/8 Count Productions
www.8countproductions.com

NEW YORK WELCOMES ITALIAN EXHIBIT ABOUT ROCKY MARCIANO

Having already achieved great success in Italy, the exhibition “From Rocco Marchegiano to Rocky Marciano” will come to the United States beginning September 21, 2008. Promoted by Francesca Mancini, with the support of the Province of Chieti, the exhibit focuses on the life of the late undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, who hailed from Brockton, Massachusetts. Although he was born in the United States, Marciano’s father was from Ripa Teatina, a small town close to Chieti in Central Italy.



From April 20-27, Ms. Mancini was in New York scouting locations for the exhibit. She was joined by Umberto Aimola, the vice president of the Province of Chieti; Riccardo De Girolami, the general secretary of the Italian Boxing Commission; Claudio Certosini, the executive of the Italian Olympic Commission; businesswoman Valeria De Cecco; and renowned international journalist Luca De Franco whose connections with the New York boxing community were instrumental in making things happen.



Ms. Francesca signed a contract to rent the fabled Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York, beginning on September 21, which was the day of Marciano’s final fight. On September 23, a major press conference will be held at Gleason’s with a very special surprise guest.

“I cannot divulge his name now, but he is so famous that his presence will bring journalists from major newspapers, radios and TV networks,” said Ms. Francesca, who added that from September 24 to October 13 the full show will be hosted by a major art gallery. In addition, in August, the exhibit will join the Italian boxing team during the Olympic Games in Bejing, China.

Between April 2007 and March 2008, the exhibit has been promoted with great success in four Italian cities: Ripa Teatina (Abruzzi), Siena (Tuscany), Pescara (Abruzzi), and Roseto(Abruzzi).



Ms. Francesca expects the exhibit to be as successful in the United States as it was in Italy. “I’ve been in New York, Baltimore and Brockton, and I met some great people who will guarantee the success of the exhibit,” she said. “The Italian Consul in Baltimore was really enthusiastic and will welcome the show there. In Brockton, I met Marciano’s family lawyer, who was more than willing to cooperate. In New York, Luca De Franco introduced me to Mr. Steven Acunto who has an impressive amount of memorabilia about Rocky Marciano. I was also glad to meet promoter Joe De Guardia, who came up with many great ideas about how to promote the exhibit. Rocky is a very popular figure in the United States. I have no doubt that the exhibit will be well received, not only by boxing fans but also by those interested in their Italian heritage. Everywhere we went, the support was tremendous.”


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©®™ 2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Studios, for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

Ruiz on call and ready to rock

Ruiz on call and ready to rock

LAS VEGAS– Former two-time WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz has announced that he’s prepared to replace WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev to fight another former WBA title-holder, Nikolay Valuev, for the WBA belt.

Chagaev pulled out of his scheduled mandatory defense against Valuev in May, reportedly due to a cold that forced him to break training, but Ruslan hasn’t made his initial mandatory defense since capturing the WBA belt on April 14, 2007 via a 12-round majority decision versus Valuev. His only title defense was a voluntary fight this past January in a 12-round decision against Matt Skelton. WBA champions are required to make a mandatory defense within a year of winning the belt and/or last mandatory defense. Chagaev is officially over the deadline and seeking further delays.

“We have to respect mandatory defenses and if Chagaev isn’t willing or able to fulfill his obligation as champion,” WBA No. 2 rated Ruiz said, “he should step aside so the WBA can move forward instead of standing still. There’s so much speculation about Chagaev. First there was Hepatitis B and now another viral infection – it must have moved from his intestines to his throat – and nobody really knows when or if he’ll be able to fight again. We will be filing a letter of petition with the WBA to strip Chagaev and order a fight between me and Valuev for the WBA title.”

Ruiz is also rated No. 3 by the WBC, No. 6 by the IBF, No. 10 by The Ring magazine, and No. 12 by the WBO.

“The heavyweight division drives boxing,” Ruiz added. “Fans are waiting for things to explode, but it seems like the heavyweight champions are holding the title belts hostage. They’re all tied up and don’t want to fight the best heavyweights. No wonder fans criticize heavyweights. I’m ready to clean-up the division and willing to fight any of the world champs or top contenders. How long do I have to wait for my title shot?”

Ruiz is the first and only Latino heavyweight champion of the world. He has fought in 10 world championship fights and defeated three world heavyweight champions -- Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and Tony Tucker – as well as top contenders such as Andrew Golota, Fres Oquendo, Kirk Johnson and Jameel McCline during his 15-year pro career.

Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience The Video Channel Online http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

EL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com/

©®™ 2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Studios, for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved