ABNER MARES vs. JOSEPH AGBEKO II
IBF & WBC SILVER BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
ANSELMO MORENO vs. VIC DARCHINYAN
WBA BANTAMWEIGHT SUPER CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, Dec. 3 At Honda Center In Anaheim, Calif. 
Live on SHOWTIME®

Tickets On Sale Now!
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LOS ANGELES (Oct. 17, 2011) - In a highly anticipated rematch of one of the year's most talked about and exciting fights, unbeaten rising star Abner Mares will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Bantamweight Championship titles against the boxer he dethroned, former two-time IBF 118-pound champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko, in the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on Saturday, Dec. 3, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

In the co-featured world championship bout, Anselmo "Chemito" Moreno will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Bantamweight Super Championship against Two-Division World Champion Vic "The Raging Bull'' Darchinyan.

Tickets for Mares vs. Agbeko II, priced at $150, $100, $50 and $25, are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.com and via charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000.  Tickets will be available for sale at the Honda Center Box Office beginning Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. PT.

Mares (22-0-1, 13 KO's) scored a hotly disputed 12-round majority decision over Agbeko (28-3, 22 KO's), to win the SHOWTIME Bantamweight Tournament and IBF title last Aug. 13 in Las Vegas.

The summer slugfest featured many two-way exchanges with numerous swings in momentum. Mares and Agbeko combined to throw 1,394 punches in the first fight. The fast-starting Mares connected on 318 of 732, while Agbeko landed on 231 of 662 and notably came on strong in the later rounds. Each fighter landed his share of big blows.

Their brave performances, however, were overshadowed by referee Russell Mora, who warned Mares several times for low blows throughout the fight yet never deducted a point. In the 11th round, the referee called a knockdown when Agbeko took a knee following a punch that appeared below the beltline.

When the final bell rang and the scores were totaled, Mares scored a majority decision victory by the scores of 115-111 twice and 113-113, however the controversy surrounding the fight was such that the IBF ordered an immediate rematch less than 24 hours after Team Agbeko had filed an official protest in the days following the fight.

Golden Boy Promotions' first homegrown world titlist, Mares showed no hesitation in giving Agbeko the rematch as he said he would immediately following their first fight. Mares said he relishes the opportunity to show that he is deserving of the championship he won this summer.

"I'm looking forward to December 3rd to clear the record and show that I deserve to be a world champion," said Mares.  "I beat him the first time and I'll beat him again, but this time it will be easier.  I'm going to make a statement in this fight."

Despite the Aug. 13 outcome, Agbeko's confidence has not wavered.

"As I said after our first fight, Abner Mares did not win my world title, the referee gave it to him," said Agbeko.  "This is not to say Mares cannot win. His undefeated record shows he has boxing abilities.  His challenge now is to prove he can beat me in a fair fight.  The world and a new referee will be watching this young man to see if he can keep his gloves above the beltline.  In a fair fight, I know I will prevail."

Mares, who turns 26 on Nov. 28, will be fighting for the fourth consecutive time on SHOWTIME; Agbeko, 32, will be appearing on the network for a fifth time in a row.

Moreno (31-1-1, 11 KO's), 26, of Panama City, Panama, will fight for the first time since he signed with Golden Boy Promotions last August. He will be making his United States and SHOWTIME debuts against Darchinyan (37-3-1, 27 KOs), 35, a Sydney, Australia-based Armenian who has appeared 13 times on the network.

Unbeaten since losing in his eighth professional fight in 2002, the 5-foot-8 Moreno captured the WBA title in May 2008 and was upgraded by that organization to Super Champion in November 2010. He's made a total of eight title defenses, including an eighth-round TKO over former World Champion Lorenzo Parra in his lone start this year on June 17 in Panama. All but six of Moreno's 33 professional fights took place in his homeland.

The aggressive-minded, crowd-pleasing Darchinyan, a former world champion at 112 and 115 pounds, is the current International Boxing Organization (IBO) 118-pound titleholder.

Darchinyan regained the IBO belt last April 23 with an impressive fifth-round technical decision over Yonnhy Perez on SHOWTIME. On Sept. 12, Darchinyan retained the strap by pitching a near-shutout in a lopsided 12-round decision over Evans Mbamba in Armenia.

The doubleheader is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don King Productions and Gary Shaw Productions and is sponsored by Tecate, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. A full undercard will be announced shortly.

Steve Albert (blow-by-blow), Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver (analysts) will call the action with Jim Gray reporting from ringside. The executive producer is David Dinkins Jr. with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

NEW YORK, NY (October 16, 2011) – Screenwriter Will Evan will be the special guest speaker Tuesday evening (Oct. 18) for RING 8’s monthly meeting (7 PM/ET start) at the historic Waterfront Crabhouse in Long Island City.

Evans, a RING 8 member, has written the late Arturo Gatti’s story – “Can You Hear The Thunder” – which is a major motion picture.  Will was an amateur boxer in Pittsburgh who once defeated future world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer.  “We were very young and Michael only weighted 147-pounds then,” Evan noted. “I’ve loved boxing since I was a little boy.  Arturo Gatti is a story everybody wants to see.”

Evans plans to speak about the movie, Gatti’s legendary trilogy with “Irish” Micky Ward, and Arturo’s controversial death.  He will bring a 350-page book regarding new findings into Gatti’s death for RING 8 members to review.

“Every real boxing fan loved Arturo,” RING 8 president Bob Duffy said. “We’re very fortunate to have Will Evans as our speaker.  He’ll give his unique view into the Gatti legend.  Our members anxiously await details of the new investigation into his death, as well as an opportunity to hear and remember stories about one of boxing’s all-time great warriors.  It’ll be an open forum with membersArturo and Micky were past RING 8 award recipients.  It should be another great evening of boxing.”

Formed in 1954 by an ex-prizefighter, Jack Grebelsky, RING 8 became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association -- hence, RING “8” -- and today the organization’s motto still remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.

RING 8 is fully committed to supporting the less fortunate people in the boxing community that may require assistance in terms of paying rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.

Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $25.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August.

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK CITY (October 14, 2011) - Unbeaten middleweight sensation Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin fought his way out of Grand Rapids hoping to get an opportunity to shine in the ring. The talented Cuban-American boxer gets that shot November 5, fighting for the first time HBO against Craig McEwan in Cancun, Mexico.

Quillin-McEwan is the co-feature on a Golden Boy Promotions card headlined by Alfredo Angulo vs. James Kirkland.

"This is my first time fighting on HBO," WBA # 7 rated Quillin said. "I fought on an HBO card but my fight was only on the International feed. I'm so motivated to fight November 5th on HBO that I'm putting in extra rounds in the gym to be fully ready."

A bi-coastal boxer who lives in New York City and Los Angeles, where he trains at Freddie Roach's famed Wild Card Gym, Quillin has won four in a row, all by knockout, since signing with Golden Boy against Jason LeHoullier (TKO5), Jesse Brinkley (TKO3), Dennis Sharpe (TKO4) and Martin Desjardins (KO1).

The 28-year-old Quillin has brought in a pair of southpaw sparring partners, former world title challenger Sechew Powell and undefeated Ronson Frank, to prepare him to face Scottish lefty McEwan (19-1, 10 KOs), who was leading in his last fight before being stopped by Andy Lee in the 10th round.

McEwan used to be trained by Roach at Wild Card Gym. "We had some workout sessions together," Quillin reported. "He wasn't as friendly as some of the other fighters there, but I understood because we're both in the same division. I had just started training in the gym and he seemed uncomfortable sparring with me. McEwan is a nice family man, but he's going around saying he's going to knock me out. He must be out of his mind. That stuff is uncalled for. Where did he get that from? He's only knocked out 10 guys. It's definitely going to be a good fight with both guys trying to make their mark and putting everything on the line.

"I'm looking to go some rounds. I've only fought 5 ½ rounds in the last 1 ½ years, including one against a world title challenger, Brinkley. I understand an impressive win will propel me closer to a world title fight and my dream of becoming world champion. I'm a fighter who is always training. I'm never over-weight and never overlook an opponent. I can't if I want to become world champion. I have everything that fight fans want to see - athleticism, charisma and an exciting style. I'm ready to take the boxing world by storm. I've fought on Telefutura, so I hope fans there in Cancun will get behind me. I'll be representing Latinos, so this is a real good situation for me."

Quillin passed on an opportunity to fight Sam Soliman in an IBF Box-Off to determine that organization's No. 2 contender. "It's all about rankings, money and exposure," Petey explained. "I would have had to go to Australia to fight Sam Soliman and it wouldn't have been on TV here (U.S.). My manager, John Seip, worked hard with my promoter to get me in the best possible situation. HBO is the biggest platform for boxing; every fighter wants to be on HBO. No disrespect to Soliman but, HBO against McEwan was a better fight for me. Maybe we can work on making a fight between us after November 5th."

Roach will be working with Quillin during training camp, but he will not be in Quillin's corner against WBO # 14-ranked McEwan, due to his commitment to Manny Pacquiao for his fight Nov. 12.

"I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with on November 5th," Quillin added. "Eric Brown is right there in the gym with me and Freddie and he's worked my corner before. Freddie will make the game plan. I'm a fighter who takes this job very seriously. I have a good promoter, manager and trainer, but I'm the one doing the fighting. I understand this business and I'm working hard to make a good living so I can be well off when I retire. This is what I love to do - box! My day is coming."

or follow him on Twitter @/Kid Chocolate.

North Bergen, NJ (October 13, 2011) - Four of Poland's rising boxing stars will be in action on November 5 when undefeated boxers Mariusz Wach, Patrick Majewski, Artur Szpilka and Kamil Laszczyk take over the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

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JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ, JR. and PETER MANFREDO, JR.

BATTLE FOR WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday, November 19 at Reliant Arena

Live on HBO Boxing After Dark

TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS FRIDAY!

HOUSTON (October 12, 2011) – Undefeated World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion and the Son of the Legend, JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ, JR., will make the first defense of his world championship crown, against Top-5 contender “The Pride of Providence” PETER MANFREDO, JR., Saturday, November 19, at Reliant Arena in Houston. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, tickets to Chávez Jr. vs. Manfredo Jr., priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, will go on sale This Friday! October 14 at 10 A.M. CT. Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Reliant Park box office (Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Fiesta, FYE, and select HEB stores, online at www.ticketmaster.com and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000.

"It is good to see the Pride of Mexico, Julio César Chávez Jr., return to the ring to defend his world middleweight championship that he won when he dethroned Sebastian Zbik in Los Angeles,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum."Houston has a rich and meaningful boxing tradition. We are delighted that Julio's first defense against Peter Manfredo, Jr. will take place at Reliant Arena."

“It was always my dream to win a world championship and I accomplished that in my last fight when I beat Zbik. Now I want to be more than just a world champion. I want to be a world champion for the rest of my career,” said Chávez. “I am taking my first title defense very seriously and I couldn’t be happier to be making it in front of the great boxing fans of Houston.”

“I am very excited about getting the opportunity to fight Chávez. He is a world champion and I followed his father growing up, so this fight is very special to me,” said Manfredo “I have a lot of respect for him as he is the world champion. This is a great opportunity for me and also great opportunity for the fans as this is going to be a great fight. I am going to be prepared 100% to win and bring this belt home to Rhode Island. Winning this fight for me is everything. If I lose this fight I am done with boxing. I see this as my last opportunity, and I don’t plan on letting it pass me by. I know I am in for a tough fight but it’s a winnable fight and I am very confident I will do just that.”

“Peter is a warrior and he is very strong at 160,” said Lou DiBella, Manfredo’s promoter. “He will propose a serious threat to Chavez Jr. in what we expect to be an exciting fight. Conceivably Peter could return to Providence with Chavez’ title belt."

"Julio César Chávez, Jr. had an exciting HBO debut last June and we're pleased to see him back on the network in a tough matchup with a formidable challenger in Peter Manfredo Jr.," said Kery Davis, senior vice president of programming HBO Sports.

Chávez Jr. (43-0-1, 30 KOs), of Culiacan, México, making his first appearance in Houston since 2004, is the son of Mexico’s greatest fighter Julio César Chávez. Chávez, 25, took up the “family business” in 2003, winning a four-round decision in his professional debut. Eight years later, the reigning WBC middleweight champion and superior gate attraction is poised to make his own mark in the boxing world. He took a major step toward that goal by enlisting legendary trainer Freddie Roach to take him to the next level. Their first fight together was a gigantic success, winning the vacant WBC silver middleweight with a dominant 12-round unanimous decision over top-10 contender John Duddy (29-1, 18 KOs), in June 2010 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. After successfully defending that title on January 29, winning a unanimous decision over Billy Lyell, Chávez Jr. became the second family member to win a world title, by dethroning undefeated WBC middleweight champion Sebastian Zbik via majority decision. The June 4 slugfest took place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles just a few blocks north of the Olympic Auditorium where the legendary Julio César Chávez won his first world title.

Manfredo (37-6, 20 KOs), of Providence, RI, first earned worldwide attention with his runner-up finish on NBC’s “The Contender” during the television show’s debut season in 2005. The son of former world kickboxing champion Peter Manfredo, Sr., Manfredo made his pro debut in 2000 after an outstanding amateur career. Before competing on “The Contender” Manfredo’s professional resume featured impressive victories over former world champion Frankie Randall, via a seventh-round knockout; top-10 contender Ian Gardner, tagging him with his first professional loss; Sherwin Davis for the vacant NABO junior middleweight title; and a lopsided decision over Anthony Bonsante in his first NABO title defense. Following his stint in “The Contender,” Manfredo went undefeated in 2006 and earned a shot at undefeated WBO super middleweight champion in 2007. Though unsuccessful in his challenge the experience was invaluable to Manfredo. He enters this fight riding a two-year-six-bout winning streak, which has included NABF and IBO middleweight title victories over Matt Vanda and Angel Hernandez, respectively. Manfredo, 30, is currently world-rated No. 4 by the WBC.

Holm vs. Mathis showdown Dec. 2 to

Determine No. 1 women's boxer in world

'World Dominance' at Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (October 11, 2011) - They may have taken different routes to get there, but four months after promoter Lenny Fresquez originally announced the December 2nd "World Dominance" showdown at Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, it's full steam ahead for Holly "The Preacher's Daughter" Holm andFrench superstar Anne Sophie Mathis to decide who is the best female boxer in the world.

"Holly and Anne Sophie are clearly the top two pound-for-pound women boxers in the world," Fresquez said. "There's nobody left for Holly to fight in North America and Ann Sophie has eliminated the leading contenders in Europe. This is a natural fight to crown the true Queen of Boxing. Between the two of these great fighters, they have won 15 world titles, and are 21-1-1 in fights against world champions. Holly's the No. 1 light welterweight; Anne Sophie's the No. 1 welterweight. It just doesn't get any better than this for fans of women's boxing anticipating this confrontation. ."

Nine-time world champion Holm (30-1-3, 9 KOs) will be seeking to regain her IBA Welterweight title and WBAN Championship Belt in the 10-round main event against six-time world titlist Mathis (25-1, 21 KOs), who is the reigning the WIBA, WIBF and WBF World Welterweight Champion.

"World Dominance," presented by Fresquez Productions, is a modern day match-up of contrasting female prizefighters, showcasing a consummate boxer (southpaw Holm) versus a knockout specialist (Mathis).

A world champion in three different divisions (light welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight), Holly has defeated virtually all of the significant names of the past decade in women's boxing from the 140 through 154-pound classes, including Christy Martin, Mary Jo Sanders, Mia St. John, Jane Couch, Duda Yankovich and Chevelle Hallback (twice). Holm is riding a 24-fight unbeaten streak, dating back to her only pro loss in 2004, when a serious cut under her eye prevented her from continuing to fight.

The 29-year-old Holm sports an amazing 20-0-1 (6 KOs) record in world title fights, in addition to a 14-0-1 mark versus world champions. Her last fight was in mixed martial arts this past September, when she remained unbeaten (2-0, 2 TKOs) by stopping Jan Finney with a devastating kick to the body.

Like Holm, Mathis is another all-around fighter, owning a kickboxing and savate background. She will be fighting outside of Europe for the first time and is currently riding a 24-fight, 16-year win streak since she suffered her only pro loss in her second fight. On Dec. 2nd, she will mark the fifth anniversary of her first world title victory, in which she stopped previously unbeaten Myriam Lamare (13-0) for the WBA crown and vacant EBU championship. Ann Sophie's victims also include world champions Couch, Yankovich, Ana Pascal and Nathalie Toro.

Since the original announcement of "World Dominance," Mathis has fought twice, both times in France. In June, she knocked out previously unbeaten Olivia Boudouma (8-0) in the fifth round, and then won all 10 rounds Oct. 1 against cagey veteran Cindy Serrano (15-3-2).

Fresquez announced the "World Dominance" undercard:

6 Rounds - Featherweights

Joel "Porata" Vargas (3-4-1, 3 KOs), Kansas City, KS

vs.

Josh "Pitbull" Torres (5-1-1, 3 KOs), Albuquerque, NM

4 Rounds - Lightweights

Eleazer Loya (pro debut), Albuquerque, NM

vs.

Christian Cabral (pro debut), Albuquerque, NM

Edgar Zubia (1-0), Hobbs, NM

vs.

Antonio "Tone" Martinez (1-0-1, 1 KO), Espanola, NM

Joel Gonzalez (pro debut), Albuquerque, NM

vs.

Antonio Garcia (1-0), Santa Fe, NM

4 Rounds - Featherweights

Matthew Baca (pro debut), Albuquerque, NM

vs.

Daniel Gonzalez (pro debut), El Paso, TX

4 Rounds - Bantamweights

Leonardo Sanchez (1-0, Albuquerque, NM

vs.

Devon Simmons (pro debut), Albuquerque, NM

4 Rounds - Flyweights

Brandi Montoya (0-2), Albuquerque, NM

vs.

Tonia Cravens (2-6-2, 2 KOs)

For more information about "World Dominance: Holm vs. Mathis" go on line to www.FresquezProductions.com.

LINCOLN, R.I. (Oct. 7, 2011) – Looking to avenge the first and only loss of his career, Vladine Biosse of Providence, R.I., fought to a majority draw against veteran John Mackey in the main event of Friday’s “Rhode Warriors” boxing show at the Twin River Event Center, presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports.

Biosse was one of three fighters attempting a comeback Friday night on various levels. Thirty-nine-year-old Richard Starnino of Providence, also known as “Bobo The Bull,” fought for the first time in two years, but suffered a knockout loss to Reynaldo Rodriguez of Woonsocket, while Benny “The Boss” Costantino ended a 10-year drought with a unanimous decision win over Odias Dumezil.

On May 6^th, Biosse (11-1-1) suffered his first career loss in knockout fashion to Denis Grachev. He entered Friday looking to get back on track, but the crafty Mackey (13-6-3) used superior defense and veteran footwork to limit the damage. While Biosse won on one of the judge’s scorecards by a 77-75 verdict, the remaining judges scored it 76-76 apiece, resulting in a majority draw. Despite his most valiant effort, Biosse couldn’t solve Mackey’s defense.

“The next thing I’ve go to do is work,” Biosse said. “That’s what I do. This is my job, so we’ll go back to work on Monday.”

Fighting for the first time since February of 2009, Starnino (9-6-2) was the aggressor from the opening bell, charging at Rodriguez (6-2-1) and backing him against the ropes early and often.

Through it all, Rodriguez took his time and waited for his moment, carefully picking his spots with effective counterpunches. Early in the fourth, Starnino lunged toward Rodriguez and missed wildly, prompting Rodriguez to land a clean left hook that sent his opponent staggering to the canvas. “Bobo” made it back to his feet, but stumbled on his way to the neutral corner, forcing referee Joey Lupino to stop the fight at the 1:04 mark. Rodriguez, who was 0-2-1 in his previous three fights, won for the first time since 2004.

The second highly-anticipated comeback ended on a much different note as Costantino (7-0, 4 KOs) outworked the stronger, younger Dumezil (3-7) to earn a 39-37, 39-37, 39-37 unanimous decision victory. Dumezil got off to a strong start with a decisive victory in the opening round and although he landed the more damaging shots, Costantino was the more active fighter, throwing combinations to the body and head while Dumezil seemed content with landing one punch and backing away.

Costantino, 40, hadn’t fought since beating Matt Hill by majority decision in November of 2001.

The fight of the night occurred between Providence’s Alex Amparo (2-0, 1 KO) and light heavyweight Nick Lavin (2-2) of Shelton, Conn., who exchanged blows over the course of four bloody rounds, ending with Amparo escaping with a 38-38, 38-37, 39-37 majority decision. Amparo had Lavin on the ropes twice in the second and fourth rounds, but Lavin stood his ground and landed a few damaging shots of his own to stem the tide. The two finished the fight with a bang, trading haymakers over the last minute and a half before the final bell sounded.

The biggest upset came when underrated veteran Bryan Abraham (5-7, 5 KOs) of Schenectady, N.Y., scored a vicious third-round knockout against welterweight Johnathan Vazquez (4-1-1) of New Bedford, Mass. Vazquez entered the bout undefeated, but recently fought to a draw against Agustine Maurus of Lawrence, Mass., in July.

For Abraham, Friday was his third win against an undefeated opponent in his last four tries; he knocked out Dominic DeSanto in April and scored another knockout against previously-unbeaten Scott Burelli in June. Early in the third round, Abraham took advantage of Vazquez’s sloppy defense and landed a hard overhand right that turned the momentum in his favor. Abraham knocked Vazquez to the canvas twice in the third, leaving his opponent dazed, and finished the bout with another series of clean right hooks with five seconds remaining.

Unbeaten middleweight Thomas Falowo (5-0, 4 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., and veteran Borngod Washington (2-9-1) of Queens, N.Y., battled toe-to-toe in a four-round slugfest that ended in a 40-36, 40-36, 40-36 unanimous decision victory for the red-hot Falowo.

As is often the case, Falowo was the aggressor from the opening bell, throwing a high volume of punches through the first two rounds, most of which Washington blocked with his forearms. As Washington’s defense faded, Falowo began to land cleaner, more accurate shots, forcing Washington against the ropes on several occasions. The cagey veteran hung in despite Falowo’s constant pressure, but Falowo never faced any serious danger outside of a few right hands from Washington and cruised to his fifth consecutive win.

Coming off a draw against Vazquez in his previous bout (July 29^th in Connecticut), Maurus (2-0-1, 2 KOs) kept his unbeaten record intact with a second-round TKO victory over newcomer Christian Rivera of nearby Gloucester. Maurus took control from the start and earned the stoppage at the 2:34 mark of the second round as Rivera eventually succumbed to the pressure against the ropes.

Making her professional debut in the female bantamweight division, Shelito Vincent (1-0) of Providence, R.I., held off a strong effort by veteran Karen Dulin (2-10) of Mystic, Conn., earning her first career victory by unanimous decision, 40-36, 39-37, 39-37. Dulin’s defense kept her in the fight through the first two rounds, but Vincent remained busy and worked the body consistently before landing a series of power shots down the stretch to secure a hard-earned win.

Nicknamed “The Vermont Bully,” Kevin Cobbs (2-0, 1 KO) of Burlington won a close majority decision, 38-38, 39-37, 39-37 against the durable Steven Chadwick (0-2) of Jacksonville, Fla. The fight stayed close throughout, but Cobbs began to work the body in the third round, utilizing his combinations and landing strong uppercuts to stall Chadwick’s progress. Trained by Libby Medeiros from New Bedford, Mass., Cobbs’ previous fight ended in a knockout win over Lavin.

Also on the undercard, San Diego’s Chris Chatman (10-1, 5 KOs) dominated Rahman Yusubov (11-5) from start to finish before referee Danny Schiavone stopped the bout at the end of the fifth round. For Chatman, it was his first win in Rhode Island in his second try; he lost a close, unanimous decision to former U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade in 2009.

TORONTO (September 30, 2011) - The World Boxing Council ("WBC") has announced today that Phil Lo Greco has been stripped of his WBC International Welterweight belt due to his refusal to defend against mandatory challenger Victor Lupo (19-1-2, 9KO's). The official announcement can be found below:


To Whom it may Concern

Taking into account what reported last night by Christian Cherchi, manager of Phil Lo Greco, about the current status of our WBC International Welterweight champion, this WBC International Championships Committee has no alternatives but to now rule the following :

•    Phil Lo Greco won the WBC International 147 Lbs title on 18th June 2010
•    Up to date, Lo Greco has never defended his title.
•    This Committee has always tried to do its best to support such a good champion and see if there were good reasons not to strip him of his title.
•    In the meantime, not to keep the division frozen, the Committee approved a WBC International "Silver Belt" Championship.
•    This "Silver belt" Championship regularly took place in Canada on 19th February 2011 .
•    Victor Puiu "Lupo" beat former WBC champion Junior Witter to win the WBC International "Silver Belt" 147 lbs title.
•    Several attemps have been made in order to have a Unification Bout in this division between the Full titlist and the Silver champion.
•    All attempts failed. No fault by this Committee.
•    A purse offers bid was held at the WBC Head Office in México and Hennessy Sports Canada won it on September 9th 2011.
•    Hennessy Sports Canada fixed October 22nd 2011 as the official date of the bout to be promoted in Ontario, Mississauga, and sent the official contracts to the two boxers within the regular deadline.
•    Victor Puiu "Lupo" signed his contract.
•    Phil Lo Greco did not and his manager sent an email last night to report that his fighter would not be ready to fight Puiu on the scheduled date.

As clearly shown above, in view of the fact that this Committee has always tried to make every possible effort to avoid coming to this conclusion, for all the facts clearly summarized in this email ;
much to our regret , we must now report the following decision:

THE WBC INTERNATIONAL WELTERweight title is hereby declared VACANT with immediate effect.

Victor Puiu "Lupo" is now to be considered the preferential challenger to the vacant title.

Hennessy Sports Canada, which has already paid the sanction fee for this WBC International title bout, will be given the chance to promote the vacant Championship between Puiu and TBA.

We hope that the same date will be confirmed .

Phil Lo Greco, if future circumstances are in favor, will be reconsidered as a possible challenger after we have crowned the new champion.

We are looking forward to reading from Hennessy Sports Canada in short terms.

Sincerely yours,
Mauro Betti
Chairman

TORONTO (September 29, 2011) – Romanian welterweight Victor Lupo has done everything possible to get undefeated World Boxing Council (“WBC”) International Welterweight Champion Phil “The Italian Sensation” Lo Greco into a fight.. The clock is ticking, however, Lo Greco has refused to sign a deal to fight mandatory challenger Lupo.

Lupo (19-102, 9 KOs), who lives in Toronto, defeated former world champion Junior Witter (37-3-2) by a 10-round decision last February for the vacant WBC International Silver title to become the mandatory challenger.Lupo’s promoter, Hennessey Sports, won a purse bid but Lo Greco (22-0, 12 KOs) has thus far been reluctant to accept the fight offer.

“Lo Greco doesn’t want any part of me,” WBC #21 rated Lupo said.“He’s a real tough guy, huh, talking trash on Twitter. I don’t know what his problem is but, maybe, he needs a heart transplant?I’m from Romania but I’m proud that Canada is my home.He’s from here but doesn’t respect Canadian boxing fans enough to even fight here.He only wants to fight in Italy

“I worked very hard to become the mandatory challenger.Hey, we even agreed to fight in his hometown.I’d rather fight him for the belt because I know I’ll beat him. But, I can’t make him fight me; it’s all on Lo Greco.”

Go on line at www.HennessySports.comfor more information about Victor Lupo or any of its boxers.