Already a month into the New Year, most likely by now, most fans of the sweet science in the Philadelphia area would have had at least one local show they could have attended. Despite the slow start to the local pugilistic schedule, starting on February 8th fight fans will have seven shows to get excited about. The shows that will take place in the months of February and March have just about everything a fight fan could ask for.
Local promoters, who are always active in the area, will be joined by two of the major promotional outfits. This means that before the summer months hit, sports fans just getting over the disappointing end to the Eagles Super Bowl defense that await the start of the Sixers play-off run, will have something to be excited about. Along with the hopeful addition of a mega star to the Phillies starting lineup this summer, there will be plenty of fist fights to enjoy before heading “down the shore” starting Memorial Day.
Below is a look at all seven shows. (NOTE: As each show gets closer be sure to stay tuned for continued coverage of each event. Coverage will include fighter interviews, featured articles, and more.)
Local promoters, who are always active in the area, will be joined by two of the major promotional outfits. This means that before the summer months hit, sports fans just getting over the disappointing end to the Eagles Super Bowl defense that await the start of the Sixers play-off run, will have something to be excited about. Along with the hopeful addition of a mega star to the Phillies starting lineup this summer, there will be plenty of fist fights to enjoy before heading “down the shore” starting Memorial Day.
Below is a look at all seven shows. (NOTE: As each show gets closer be sure to stay tuned for continued coverage of each event. Coverage will include fighter interviews, featured articles, and more.)
February 8: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, PA (Raging Babe)
Christian Carto (17-0)(11) vs. Victor Ruiz (22-10)(15)
Marcel Rivers (6-0)(4) vs. Derrick Whitley Jr. (4-0-1)
Heavyweight prospects: Darmani Rock (13-0)(8) & Sonny
Conto (DEBUT)
The show that kicks-off the year is being dubbed the “Philly
Special” by its promoter Michelle Rosado, the head of Raging Babe. Rosado has been a main stay on the local
boxing scene for years now as the understudy of Hall-of-Fame promoter Russell
Peltz. This time, it is Rosado that is
the promoter in charge of the event. While this is her first show in Philadelphia, she is no stranger to
putting on successful shows in North Carolina and Arizona. From the looks of the lineup of fights
scheduled, “Philly Special” looks to be no different from her other successes
of providing fans with entertainment.
Bantamweight prospect and South Philadelphia native
Christian Carto begins to make the transition from highly touted prospect into
serious contender. This fight against
the veteran and always game Victor Ruiz is the perfect match up to begin that
transition. Carto continues to forge a
bond with his new trainer the respected Billy Briscoe, whom Carto has been with
already for a couple fights. It tends to
take a few training camps and in fight situations for a fighter and trainer to
click, so against Ruiz we will look to see if this relationship is indeed on
course to make the bright future for Carto a reality. Ruiz can fight and always likes to be in a
fight, don’t let his ten-loss record fool you. He is no easy fight for any prospect or contender and has been in with
some of the best in the world, even if that was three pounds south of
bantamweight at super flyweight.
Also, on the card will be the heavyweight prospects both
fighting out of Philadelphia, Darmani Rock and Sonny Conto. While they will both be fighting in separate
bouts, Rock, like Carto, is looking to turn the corner from prospect to
contender, while Conto will be taking part in his first professional
fight. Conto, like the headliner Carto,
hails from south Philly and when you couple his amateur success along with his
optional draw power at the box office, it’s clear why Top Rank signed him to their stable.
February 23: The Met,
Philadelphia, PA (Hard Hitting Promotions)
Jeremy Cuevas (11-0)(8) vs. Steve Ortiz (9-0)(3)
Samuel Teah (15-2-1)(7) vs. Tre’Sean Wiggins (10-4-1)(6)
Featuring: Brenden Pizzaro (13-1)(6) & Malik Hawkins
(13-0)(9)
In the tradition of Philadelphia vs. Philadelphia fights,
The Met Opera House will host its first boxing event for the first time since
1954. Of course, the Met recently reopened after $56 million was spent on
restoring the venue which opened over a hundred years ago. This card, presented
by local powerhouse Hard Hitting Promotions, looks to be the first in a series
of cards to be held at this historic venue.
Along with help from Live Nation, Hard Hitting may have found the right
partner to help take their young stable into new markets.
Cuevas taking on Ortiz tops the bill in a battle between two
lightweight prospects that regardless of the outcome of this fight are poised
to eventually become contenders. Kudos to each fighter for not waiting to fight
each other and deciding to take on the challenge the other presents at this
point in their young careers. These are the types of fights that once made Philadelphia
a great fight town and helped to propel each fighter’s career. From a stylistic
standpoint, Cuevas and Ortiz should not disappoint. Both fighters have boxing
skills but have the internal makeup of a warrior and don’t shy away from a
firefight. With the PA state lightweight
title on the line and bragging rights in the city at stake, this should be a
fun one, while it lasts.
Hard Hitting’s stable will also be featured on this card.
Super lightweights Teah and Wiggins will battle for the PA Super Lightweight Title,
and lightweight prospect Brenden Pizzaro continues to try and improve his
winning streak since his lone defeat. This time, Pizzaro will be in a better
match-up as the fights begin to increase in difficulty. Baltimore native Malik
Hawkins returns for the first time in close to a year. Since his victory over
former prospect and fringe contender Ray Serrano, Hawkins has been on the
shelf, but he looks to return with a statement victory.
March 1: 2300 Arena,
Philadelphia, PA (Kings Promotions)
Tyrone Brunson (27-7-2)(24) vs. Jamaal Davis (18-13-1)(7)
Tyrone Crawley (7-1-1)(1) vs. Victor Vazquez (10-5)(4)
Do not, I repeat, do not let the records of the fighters
mentioned above on this card give you pause. If there is one thing that the
always enjoyable Kings Promotions knows how to do, it’s match up their fighters
in exciting fights regardless of records. These two fights that headline this
show are no different. Brunson is coming
off his appearance on the Contender and is looking to make one last push
towards title contention. With the type of power he packs in his punches he
will always have a chance to win fights, and against Davis he looks to start
his path towards bigger fights at 154, which he hopes lands him in championship
opportunities. Vazquez was last seen in a brawl with Anthony Mercado late last
year. He has a fun style to watch and always presses the action, which should
blend well with Crawley, the constant moving boxer.
March 1: Parx Casino,
Bensalem, PA (Joe Hand Promotions)
Garrett Wilson (18-15-1)(9) vs. Brian Howard (13-2)(10)
Isiah Wise (7-2-1)(4) vs. Monreco Goldston (5-1-1)(3)
Return of Jerome Conquest (9-3)(1)
Two fights in the Philadelphia area on the same night can be
a tough thing, especially when fight fans must be split on which show to
purchase tickets for. This night will be no different, but at times that is one
of the setbacks when booking dates in advance. Promoters are forced to take
dates from certain venues they have relationships with, regardless of what other
promoters may be planning. With that said, Joe Hand Promotions will return to
the Xcite Center at Parx Casino on Street Road in Bensalem. Parx is located right outside of the
Northeast city limits and is a great venue to watch fights.
As for the fights, Wilson and Howard should produce excitement
while the fight lasts. Both fighters enjoy a good fight and taking a backward
step is not something they either plan on doing. If you’re looking for fighters
that like to exchange punches (sometimes to their detriment), this fight is one
you shouldn’t miss.
Isiah Wise is always looking for a good scrap in his own
right. He has improved on utilizing his jab to setup power punches more and has
improved on moving his head. This is of course until he gets hit and decides to
return power shots, which is always fun for the fans watching. Add the fact
that he always brings a good crowd out and its always a fun night out to watch
one of his fights. For the fan that enjoys a slick boxer that likes making his
opponents miss and counter, Jerome Conquest makes his long-awaited return to
the ring after suffering some foot and leg injuries that kept him on the shelf for
a large part of last year. Conquest looks to be more active this year as he
defends his WBF lightweight strap.
March 15: Liacouras
Center, Philadelphia, PA (Matchroom USA, DAZN)
Tevin Farmer (28-4-1)(6) vs. Jono Carroll (16-0)(3) (IBF Jr.
Lightweight Championship)
Katie Taylor (12-0)(5) vs. Rose Volante (14-0)(8)
(WBA/IBF/WBO Female Lightweight Championship)
Gabriel Rosado (24-11-1)(14) vs. Maciej Sulecki (27-1)(11)
Hank Lundy (29-7-1)(14) vs. Avery Sparrow (9-1)(3)
This is a huge fight card that will be coming to
Philadelphia’s Temple campus. Since Matchroom Boxing USA has burst onto the
scene last year with their streaming partners DAZN, they have provided
consistent content, while continuing to bolster their stable of world class
fighters. This St. Patrick’s Day weekend show just from the look of it, along
with the kick-off press conference this week, proved that this should be
nothing but a successful night of entertainment for fight fans.
Since joining Matchroom USA, Farmer has become the most active
fighter in recent memory. This will be his third title defense since winning the
championship back in August. Most current champions wouldn’t have had their
first defense at this point. To Farmers credit, he is not waiting around to
fight the bigger names in his division; instead he is properly focused on his
own career and is fighting top level contenders to stay sharp as he awaits the
bigger names. Carroll, as he showed at the presser, is game for this challenge
and since he hails from Ireland, looks to fulfill his dream.
Katie Taylor looks to unify the lightweight division in her
fight with Brazil native Rose Volante. Taylor like Farmer continues to be an
active champion and a victory to unify the division gets her one step closer to
undisputed status at lightweight. Also, with bigger names out there like Amanda
Serrano (Taylor beat Amanda Serrano’s sister Cindy) and Heather Hardy, a
victory for Taylor will continue her march towards the top of the pound-for-pound
list.
Philadelphia fighters will be the theme for the rest of this
card. Lundy vs. Sparrow is a classic fight between the seasoned veteran, Lundy,
and the upstart looking to make a name for himself, Sparrow. Both fighters love to talk and believe that
their opponent is a step towards bigger and better things in the future. Gabriel
Rosado, Philly’s real life Rocky, as always, is fighting a tough fighter in
Sulecki. Sulecki’s only loss came
against current IBF Middleweight Champion Daniel Jacobs. This will be a great
fight full of action. A victory for either man puts them a stone’s throw away
from the champions in the middleweight division, which are for the most part
fighters in the DAZN atmosphere and shouldn’t be hard fights to make.
March 29: Sugar House
Casino, Philadelphia, PA (Kings Promotions)
Anvar Yunusov (6-0)(3) vs. TBA
Anthony Mercado (12-4)(10) vs. Andres Navarro (11-7-1)(7)
Featuring Brendan Robinson (11-2)(8) & Erik Spring
(11-2-2)(1) in separate fights
Okay so like it was mentioned earlier, Kings Promotions will
deliver yet another solid local show in Philadelphia, this time it will take
place from the ballroom at Sugar House Casino. Yunusov is a former three-time
Olympian from Tajikistan that has proved so far that making the transition into
the paid ranks has not been an issue for him. He is a southpaw that has a
powerful straight left and fights in a similar style to another former
decorated Olympian also in the lightweight divisions. At the age of 31, Yunusov
will need to make a quick move from prospect to contender.
Mercado, Robinson, and Spring are all fighters that bring
out good fan support for their fights. Mercado holds a recent victory over
Victor Vazquez in a fight that was a pure war, while Robinson is coming back
from a war himself, in the fight of the year for Philadelphia, although he was
on the losing end of things. Spring is a solid boxer that likes to frustrate
his opponents with his jab and movement.
March 30: TBD,
Philadelphia, PA (Top Rank, ESPN)
Oleksandr Gvozdyk (16-0)(13) vs. TBA (WBC and Lineal Light
Heavyweight Championship)
While the site has yet to be officially determined or
announced by Top Rank, sources have told TWI that this card will land at the
2300 Arena. “The Nail” Gvozdyk will be the headliner of this card in his first
defense of the WBC and Lineal Light Heavyweight Championship that he won by
knocking out Adonis Stevenson last December. This will most likely be a
mandatory defense with the rest of the card featuring most of the local Top
Rank talent signed to their stable. Allentown natives the Adorno brothers,
super middleweight contender Jesse Hart could return, along with the Sonny
Conto.
*Tickets are available
for all these shows (except the Top Rank 3/30 Show). They can be purchased on the website of all
the venues that will be hosting the shows.
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