Unbeaten Heavyweights Step Up to the Challenge

on NBC Sports Network Inaugural Fight Night Broadcast

In a classic match-up of boxer vs. puncher, two  talented, undefeated Philadelphia heavyweights have agreed to move up into the spotlight and put their perfect records on the line this coming Saturday, January 21st  at Philadelphia's legendary Asylum Arena on the inaugural broadcast of the NBC Sports Network's "Fight Night" boxing series. Coverage on the NBC Sports Network begins Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
 
The spectacular cross-town match-up of equally talented rivals will pit Maurice "Freight Train" Byarm and Bryant "Bye Bye" Jennings in the ten-round co-main event.  Byarm and Jennings will risk their undefeated records and their neighborhood pride as each takes on the role of a real life "Rocky"  and steps into the ring on short notice.  The originally scheduled main event, featuring heavyweights Eddie Chambers and Sergei Liakhovich, was scrapped  when Chambers revealed on Friday that he had suffered two broken ribs in training.
 
"This series is about giving the fans exciting, action-packed fights where the outcome is in doubt," said promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events.  "It is truly a shame that Chambers and Liakhovich cannot fight on Saturday, but athletes get injured.  We tried all weekend to find a suitable replacement to face Liakhovich, but truly competitive opposition could not be found on such short notice.  Last night we decided that it would be in the best interests of the fans and the series to go in another direction and present a fight that will live up to the standards that we have set for this project.  We are thrilled to have come up with such a compelling bout.  The fans in Philadelphia and those watching on TV will have plenty to cheer about on Saturday night."
 
In addition, the televised card also will feature a battle between two exciting young undefeated light heavyweight prospects, Damar Singleton and Sullivan Barrera.
 
"I often hear people say that there are no American Heavyweights,"  said Russell Peltz of Peltz Boxing, matchmaker for the NBC Sports Network "Fight Night" Series.  "We are presenting a terrific fight on Saturday night at the Asylum between two promising American heavyweights who are willing to test themselves sooner rather than later."
 
The prototypical Philly fighter, Jennings is a boxer-puncher who rarely misses a day at the gym.  A mechanic at the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia, Jennings was an all-around athlete who played football and basketball, ran the 200 meters and participated in the shot put at Ben Franklin High.  The 27-year old father of 4-year old Mason played basketball at North Philly recreation centers for years before he decided to try boxing. In 2009, he reached the finals of the PAL Nationals and the US Golden Gloves Tournament.  In his most recent outing in November, Jennings (11-0, 5 KO's) KO'd Kevin Franklin in just one round.

Jennings

A heavy handed southpaw who is known for scoring spectacular knockouts, Byarm (13-0-1, 9 KO's) is a Philly native who currently resides in Washington, D.C. where he trains with Barry Hunter.  "They call Byarm "Freight Train" for a reason,"  Peltz said.   "He will be coming forward all night."  According to Byarm's promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions, "Maurice has the tools and the personality to become a major force in the heavyweight division. His style is reminiscent of a young Mike Tyson and with a little more seasoning, I expect Maurice to be a future Heavyweight Champion!" 

Byarm

The son of Lionel Byarm, who was best known for making Evander Holyfield's pro debut the best fight of the night when they faced off in Madison Square Garden in 1984, the younger Byarm became interested in boxing after watching Vitali Klitschko fight Chris Byrd in 2000 because he was certain that he could beat both of them. Byarm's only loss as an amateur came to Tyson Fury in a USA vs. Ireland International Amateur Tournament in Philadelphia in 2005.  He turned pro in 2009.
 
"I am really excited to get the chance to show what I can do on national television," Jennings said about the sudden turn of events. "I've wanted to fight Byarm for a long time.  I'm not worried about dealing with a southpaw. This is a perfect match for me." 

In the 10-round co-main event, Philadelphia's Gabriel Rosado (18-5, 10 KO's) will take on tough Jesus Soto Karass (24-6-2, 16 KO's) of Los Mochis, Mexico in what promises to be an all action bout.  Singleton (7-0, 3 KO's) will face the explosive Barrera (8-0, 6 KO's) in a six-round match.
 

Derek Ennis says using 2008 U.S. Olympian

 Demetrius Andrade as springboard

NABO Junior Middleweight Title Fight Feb. 10 on ESPN FNF live from Mohegan Sun

BRONX, NY (January 17, 2012) - Philadelphia junior middleweight Derek "Pooh" Ennis plans to use unbeaten 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius "Boo Boo" Andrade as a springboard February 10 in their main event fight for the vacant North American Boxing Organization ("NABO") title.

Andrade-Ennis headlines the Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing show on ESPN Friday Night Fights show at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The 10-round bout has future world title belt implications for the winner.

Andrade (15-0, 10 KOs), fighting out of nearby Providence, in addition to being an Olympians also was the 2007 World Amateur Championships gold-medal winner, the first American to do so since 1999. Fighting Feb. 10 on ESPN for the ninth time in his three-year professional career, the 23-year-old Andrade has been so dominating he has won 55 of 59 rounds on the judges' scorecards

Andrade is rapidly climbing the ratings ladder, currently ranked in the top 15 of all four major governing bodies: No. 9 by the World Boxing Organization ("WBO"), No. 13 by the International Boxing Federation ("IBF") and World Boxing Council ("WBC") and No. 15 by the World Boxing Association ("WBA"). He is co-promoted by Star Boxing and Banner Promotions.

The confident 5' 8" Ennis (23-3-1, 13 KOs), a former USBA title-holder who is rated No. 9 by the IBF, believes a victory against Andrade will put him right back into the junior middleweight picture. "I'm just looking at this as another fight," Ennis said. "But, as soon as I beat him, I'm right back on top. I really don't know too much about him other than he's tall (6' 1") and a southpaw.

"Coming from Philly, I have a good name or persona, so everybody knows I'm coming to fight. People are going to see a lot of speed and pressure put on by me in a world-class fight."

Ennis' most significant victory to date was against another relatively tall Olympian, 6' 1" world title challenger Ermosele Albert (22-3-1), of Nigeria, by way of a12-round decisions in 2009 for the vacant USBA championship.

"This fight is a great opportunity for us," Ennis' co-manager Moe Gonzalez (E & M Management) noted. "We know he's in tough against this kid, but Derek is tough, too. They better not think they have a cakewalk, Derek is coming to fight. He doesn't have problems with southpaws or taller guys. Derek really gets up for fights like this and he'll be ready."

Tickets are $75.00, $40.00 and $30.00 (plus $5.00 facility fee for all tickets) and are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com; call Ticketmaster's national toll free Charge By Phone number 1.800.745.3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets are also available at the Mohegan Sun Box Office, subject to availability, or by calling Star Boxing at 1.718.823.2000 and online via www.StarBoxing.com.

The Feb. 10 co-feature and undercard bouts are being finalized and will soon be announced.

TORONTO (January 16, 2012) - Old-time boxing returns Saturday night, February 11 to the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario as unbeaten welterweight Samuel Vargas and dangerous Manolis Plaitis headline a competitive, entertaining card presented by United Promotions in association with Hennessy Sports.

The Feb. 11 show kicks-off the third season of boxing at Hershey Centre for United Promotions, which is comprised of three Ontario boxing promoters - Don MacDonald, Adam Harris (Hennessy Sports) and Tyler Buxton (Buxton Promotions).

"We are promoting boxing in Mississauga, only a 10-minute drive from Toronto, as a united team rather than individuals and it's been a perfect business relationship," MacDonald explained. "We have more professional boxers and fans than ever before in Ontario. What we've accomplished in two years, well, give us two more and Ontario will exceed boxing in Montreal. We're changing attitudes and building a new fan base. We're building our product by real promoting. You'll never see an 8-0 guy fighting somebody 5-10.

"We're also building an awareness of our fighters and shows in the community. Kids are coming to our shows and leaving saying they want to fight. That's how Logan Cotton McGuinness got interested. Our last show had 5260 people including 78 tables of corporations, groups and individuals, 10 to a table, who paid anywhere from $2000 to $8000. We've been grinding it out and now ticket sales offset our costs. We have four more shows scheduled there this year. The Ontario boxing scene is exploding."

Vargas (8-0-1, 2 KOs), a native of Colombia living in Mississauga, is coming off of the 2011 Canadian Fight of the Year, in which he battled last October at home with Quebec arch-rival Ahmad Cheikho, who was unable to continue fighting after five of the scheduled 10 rounds. Samuel's opponent Feb. 11 in the 10-round main event will be Quebec welterweight Manolis Plaitis (17-1-1, 8 KOs), a former Canadian light welterweight champion, extending the Ontario-Quebec provincial boxing rivalry.

"Vargas got our respect in his last fight," Plaitis' manager Camille Estephan admitted, "but we're very confident of spoiling the party. The atmosphere there the last show was incredible and it was a real war. I expect nothing less this time except the Quebec fighter is going to win. Plaitis has a heart of a lion."

The six-round co-feature will showcase fan favorite Brandon "Bad Boy" Cook (4-0, 2 KOs), a dangerous middleweight from Ajax, Ontario, against upset specialist Chris Aucoin (4-5-1). "This is a step up for Brandon because two years ago Aucoin beat (former IBO Inter-Continental champion) Ian MacKillop (25-11-3)," noted Buxton who co-promotes Cook with Hennessy Sports. "Both of these fighters come forward and it's going to be an absolute war right in the center of the ring."

Undefeated Kitchener, Ontario cruiserweight prospect Denton Daley (4-0, 2 KOs) meets former Mexican National Boxing Team invader Benito "El Asesino" Quiroz (6-1, 6 KOs) in a six-round bout. Denton graduated from Sheridan College as a business major. "Daley is a knockout artist with power in both hands," MacDonald remarked. "He's very well put together at 198 pounds. He loves to fight and is capable of making devastating knockouts. He regularly spars with world cruiserweight contender Troy Ross. Fighting Quiroz is a huge step up for Denton. Quiroz is no slouch. He's a tough Mexican fighter whose real record is 13-1 but seven of his fights weren't officially reported."

Making his pro debut is 21-year-old Steve Wilcox, a lightweight from Hamilton, Ontario who is the oldest of five fighting Wilcox brothers and the first to turn pro. All of the boys are trained by their father at his gym in Hamilton, Steeltown Boxing Club. Steve will take on an opponent to be determined in a four-rounder.

Also fighting on the undercard in a pair of six-round bouts are Whitby super middleweight Phil "The Assassin" Rose (3-1-1, 3 KOs) vs. Coteau-du-Lac's cagey Francis Lafreniere (1-2-1, 1 KOs), along with undefeated Toronto prospect Ibrahim "Firearm" Kamal (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Danish lightweight Tommi Schmidt (6-4, 3 KOs).

Tickets, priced at $30.00 and $50.00, are available at the Hersey Centre Box Office, or through Ticketmaster at 855.985.5000 or ticketmaster.ca.

Go on line at www.UnitedPromotions.ca for more information about the Feb. 11 show.

CHRIS ALGIERI HEADLINES JANUARY 28TH AT THE PARAMOUNT THEATER IN HUNTINGTON, NY

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (January 9, 2012) Fan favorite Chris Algieri will return to battle in his hometown of Huntington, New York at the Paramount Theater on Saturday, January 28th to face Curtis Smith of Atlanta, Georgia in a junior welterweight bout.

Presented by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, the Algieri/Smith bout headlines ROCKIN FIGHTS, an action packed evening of world-class professional boxing.

The 27-year-old Algieri, sporting an undefeated record of 12-0 (6KO’s), is coming off his finest performance, a dominant ten round unanimous decision over the heavy hitting Bayan Jargal on November 19th at the Paramount Theatre.

“It’s always terrific to fight at home, we had a packed house for my fight against Bayan Jargal at the Paramount and I’m truly looking forward to the continued support on January 28th” said Algieri.

Said Joe DeGuardia, President of Star Boxing, “The atmosphere for Chris’ first fight at the Paramount against Jargal was outstanding. Chris showed a great deal against a world class fighter and we’re looking forward to a terrific New Year from him.”

The upset minded and heavy handed Smith, 10-5-0 (5KO’s), will be making his first appearance in the New York City area with the southpaw having won three of his last four starts.

In addition to focusing on his rise in the rankings, Algieri is a 2007 graduate with honors of Stony Brook University. He also earned a master’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology as he heads towards medical school.

Further details on ROCKIN FIGHTS including a terrific undercard will be announced shortly.

Advance tickets, priced at $35, $50 and $100 can be purchased by calling Star Boxing at (718) 823-2000, or by visiting the Star Boxing website, www.StarBoxing.com. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com, Phone 1-800-745-3000) and The Paramount Theater Box Office by calling (631) 673-7300.

The Paramount Theater is located at 370 New York Avenue, Huntington, New York, 11743. For directions and more information, please visit their website at www.paramountny.com

NABF President’s Report – January 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hoping that 2012 will be a Banner Year for the NABF

The recent WBC Convention in Las Vegas had to be, in my opinion, the best yet, over 90 present and former Champions in attendance as well as over 1,100 guests. A great time was had by all. A tremendous job by the WBC Office staff.

NABF Convention - 2012

We are looking into holding our Convention in conjunction with the WBC in Cancun, Mexico, in November. It would mean less expense to our members who generally attend both conventions. As this will be the 50^th anniversary of the WBC, it is sure to be a great gathering of champions as well as boxing friends.

Fight Results

On 22 December in Oklahoma City, Michael Medina defeated champion Grady Brewer by unanimous decision to gain the NABF super welterweight title.

Upcoming Bouts:

6 January in Key West, Florida: Dyah Davis meets Alphonso Lopez for the vacant super middleweight title.

21 January at Roseland Ballroom, NYC: Gabriel Bracero defends his super lightweight title against Michael Clark.

28 January at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York: Brian Minto takes on Tony Grano in a heavyweight elimination bout.

18 February in Munich, Germany: Johnathon Banks defends his heavyweight title against DaVarryl Williamson.

To date since our June Convention, 27 NABF Title bouts.

On 18 December, Ring 8 awarded it's Humanitarian Award to our own Jill Diamond. A well deserved honor.

I

CORK, Ireland (January 5, 2012) - Irish boxing manager Gary Hyde announced today that he has come to an agreement with "Irish" Micky Ward to train his hot prospect, light welterweight sensation Levan "The Wolf" Ghvamichava.

Ghvamichava (6-0, 5 KOs), who is a native of Georgia living in Belfast, will relocate in February to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he will train under the guidance of three-time Fight of the Year participant, Ward, whose life was portrayed in the Academy Award winning movie, The Fighter.

"I am delighted we have Micky Ward on board," Hyde said. "He has a lot of valuable experience to share with Levan, whose style of fighting is very similar to Micky's. 'The Wolf' is a throwback fighter who loves nothing more than going into the trenches, just like his new coach, and fighting toe-to-toe. Micky has been approached by a lot of fighters who wanted the benefit of his coaching and experience, so I am very happy that Micky has chosen to work with us.

"Levan is a six-time Georgian Senior champion, European silver medalist, and one of the leading 140-pound division amateur fighters in the world the past few years. I have been in talks with some of the leading promoters in the United States who are very keen on signing Levan. When he makes his US debut, sometime fairly soon, he could be fighting on a major undercard."

In 2011, Ghvamichava won all six of his pro fights and he is already fighting in scheduled eight-round bouts. Levan is one of the highest ranking fighters in the world for a fighter with relatively so little pro fights. In his last fight this past October in Scotland, he knocked out former European and Italian champion Guiuseppe Lauri (51-8, 32 KOs) in the second round.

"I'm looking forward to working with Levan and Gary," the popular Ward commented. "Levan looks like a talented fighter with a very, very bright future. We'll get him good sparring at my gym (Chelmsford, MA), as well as the West End Gym in Lowell, and also take him to some gyms in Boston. There are a lot of young fighters around here who will be good sparring partners for Levan. I can't wait to get started."

Hyde, president of Nowhere To Hyde, also manages a stable of other undefeated fighters such as WBA Interim Super Bantamweight Champion Guillermo "The Jackal" Rigondeaux (8-0, 6 KOs), undefeated British welterweight prospect Mark Heffron (5-0, 4 KOs) and light middleweight Dee "Wealthy" Walsh (1-0). Hyde plans to sign more fighters in 2012 and make Lowell his U.S. base.

January 21st Undercard Line Up

Promoted by Main Events, Peltz Boxing Promotions and Goossen Tutor, the non-televised undercard fights will begin at 7 p.m. Televised fights will begin at 9 p.m.Tickets are priced at $45 and $65 can be purchased by calling Peltz Boxing, (215) 765-0922 or online at www.peltzboxing.com