Card Set for Hard Hitting Promotions Event that will take place This Saturday, March 12th at Live! Event Center at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia

Press Release

Card Set for Hard Hitting Promotions Event That Takes Place This Saturday, March 12th at Live! Event Center at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia

Christian Tapia takes on Luis LeBron for WBC Continental Super Featherweight Title in Main Event

Branden Pizarro Takes on Vitor Jones Freitas in Co-Feature

Also Undefeated Dezmond Lucas, Brandon O'Callaghan & Deme Edmonds in Action

Philadelphia (March 8, 2022)--A full eight-bout lineup is set for a big night of action that will take place This Saturday night as Hard Hitting Promotions presents a night of championship boxing at Live! Event Center at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia.

In the mouth watering main event, undefeated Christian Tapia (13-0, 12 KOs) of Coamo, Puerto Rico takes on Luis Lebron (18-2-1, 11 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a 10-round showdown for the WBC Super Featherweight Title.

Tapia of Coamo, Puerto Rico, has an impressive record of 13-0 with 12 knockouts. The 27 year-old is a five year veteran who has stopped his last eight adversaries. On July 31, 2021, Tapia won the NABA Super Featherweight title with a 2nd round demolition over former world-ranked contender Mason Menard (36-5). In his last bout, Tapia took out previously undefeated and highly regarded Iron Alvarez (14-0) in the 10th and final round on December 4, 2021 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In that fight, Tapia dominated the previously undefeated Alvarez, as he was up on all cards with Alvarez barely winning a round, before Tapia ended the fight in the 10th.

Lebron of San Juan, Puerto Rico is 18-2-1 with 11 knockouts. The 28 year-old Lebron is a nine-year veteran has wins over Glenford Nickey (2-0-1), Pedro Marquez Medina (1-0), Joshua Santos (2-0-1), Manuel Botis (23-0-1), Alan Guzman (19-3), Luis Ruiz (9-1) and his last bout when he stopped Frank Diaz (9-0) in the 7th round to win the WBA Fedecento Super Featherweight title on November 20, 2021 in Miami, Florida.

In the eight-round welterweight co-feature, Branden Pizarro of Philadelphia takes on Vitor Jones Freitas.

Still just 22 years-old, Pizarro has a record of 16-1-1 with nine knockouts. Pizarro turned pro at age 17 and won his first eight-bouts and is unbeaten in his last nine and is coming off a first-round stoppage over DeWayne Wisdom on February 12, 2021 in Orlando, Florida.

Freitas of Salvador, Brazil, has a record 16-6 with 10 knockouts. The 28 year-old Freitas is a 10 year-professional, is the nephew of former two-division and four-time world champion, Acelino "Popo" Freitas. Vitor won his first 13 bout, and is coming off a loss to undefeated Nestor Bravo on December 4th in Atlantic City.

In six-round bouts:

Dezmond Lucas (5-0, 2 KOs) of Bronx, NY takes on Ryan Pino (10-7-2, 5 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a welterweight fight.

Jan Carlos Rivera (4-1, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia fights Michael Ogundo (16-13, 13 KOs) of Quincy, Massachusetts in a super lightweight contest.

In four-round bouts:

Jeffrey Villanueva of Allentown, PA makes his pro debut against Juan Gutierrez of Emallie, Nicaragua in a super flyweight bout.

Brandon O'Callaghan (2-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia squabbles with pro debuting Derrick Vann of Philadelphia in a middleweight fight.

Anthony Ramirez (0-1) of Philadelphia takes on Cesar Espinel Maldonado of Arecibo, Puerto Rico in a welterweight bout.

Demek Edmonds (4-0, 3 KOs) of Quincy, Massachusetts tangles with Rafael de Souza (0-1) of Salvador, Brazil in a cruiserweight battle.

Tickets are on sale for $150, $100, $75 and $60 and can be purchased at

https://www.axs.com/events/426183/hard-hitting-boxing-tickets?fbclid=IwAR1nYuwIbH0v0Wi4e_WUelHqjbRmK1FZ-nDJdcbRWCQNqji4_jp2F68FD6c&q=Boxing 

The show will be streamed on Facebook Pay-Per-View on the Hard Hitting Promotions Page.

For More Information, Contact:

Marc Abrams at phillyboxing@gmail.com or 856 287 7611

Carmen E. Gonzales: Executive Director, Communications, Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia at carmen.gonzales@livech.com

Branden Pizarro Returns to Action on Feb. 8th Edition of Christy Martin's Fight Night

By Matt Ward

Philadelphia's Branden Pizarro (14-1-1, 7 KOs) returns to action on February 8th in an eight round super lightweight bout against Argentina's Gonzalo Carlos Dallera (6-7, 4 KOs). The fight is scheduled to be the main event on a 15-fight card from the Hard Rock Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida. 

Pizarro is coming off a ten month break from boxing, after fighting to a draw with Tre'Sean Wiggins at The Met Philadelphia last April. This bout, which all three judges scored 76-76, was for Wiggins' Pennsylvania Super Lightweight Title. 

Dallera, who lost six of his seven fights in 2019, was last knocked out by former Irish amateur star Stephen McKenna in November. This will be Dallera's first fight scheduled for more than six round as a pro.

The card, promoted by 2020 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Christy Martin, will be the sophomore edition of Christy Martin's Fight Night at the Daytona Beach hotel. Christy Martin Promotions held their first card, a nine fight affair, there on November 1, 2019. 

The card also features a number of young fighters looking to remain undefeated in their professional campaigns, including 22-year-old Evan Holyfield (2-0, 2 KOs). Holyfield, the son of former World Heavyweight Champion Evander, will square off against Travis Nero (1-5, 1 KO) in a four round super welterweight matchup. 

For more information on Christy Martin's Fight Night at the Hard Rock Hotel in Daytona Beach, you can visit the official Christy Martin Promotions website. 

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

Philly Opera House

By Frank Bartolini

Saturday night fights at the opera house does not sound right. Especially when you are speaking about North Philly. That is exactly what happened when Hard Hitting Promotions displayed their wares at “The Met” on north Broad Street. Considered at one time to be in disrepair, the former Metropolitan Opera House has been restored down to the final detail of its original luster. Any one of the estimated 3,700 fans who entered the venue for the first time were awestruck by the forty five million dollar refurbishing.

Partners Manny Rivera and Will Ruiz of Hard Hitting Promotions staged the event with house promoter Live Nation. Trying to deliver a quality slate, Hard Hitting matched their charges Samuel Teah and Jeremy Cuevas in with tough opposition. Both of them lost eight round decisions by wide margins. Each of these forays were for Pennsylvania State Titles.

The Main Event saw Steve Ortiz, 134.2, drop Jeremy Cueves, 134.1, twice on his way to earning a unanimous eight round decision. This all Philly encounter pitted two young men with similar undefeated records. Ortiz showed more poise out finessing his hometown adversary. Throughout the bout, Cuevas utilized a in your face steam engine piston firing style. Why for his biggest fight did Cuevas come out imitating Mean Gene the Dance Machine was baffling. This approach diminished Cuevas' chances and Ortiz took full advantage of this by picking his spots, and settling down and teeing off.

Cuevas is now 11-1 (8 Ko’s), while Ortiz stays undefeated at 10-0 (3 Ko’s). By picking up this win, Ortiz's career continues to prosper as his stock rises. Cuevas did suffer a small setback and after a win or two he will return to hot prospect status.

Squaring off for the Pennsylvania Super Lightweight Championship, Samuel Teah, 139.1, was nearly shutout by Tre’Sean Wiggins,140, over eight heats. It looked like Teah may have underestimated Wiggins for he did not have a answer for anything thrown at him. Teah slides to 15-3 (7 Ko’s). Wiggins' record stands at 11-4-2 (6 Ko’s). Being a road warrior for most of his career, Wiggins has been on the wrong side of a couple bad decisions, with a couple of those losses and draws should be w’s.

As usual Baltimore based welterweight Malik Hawkins, 144.9, looked good battling Gledwin Ortiz of Bronx, NY. Hawkins won an eight round unanimous decision over Ortiz, 146.3. Always trying to obtain victory, Ortiz pushed Hawkins the entire way. Due to Ortiz's effort, Hawkins was able to showcase his talented repertoire.

Hawkins remains undefeated at 14-0 (9 Ko’s). Power punching Ortiz left the ring possessing a slate of 6-3 (5 Ko’s). 

When speaking of hot prospects out of the City of Brotherly Love, and there is a lot of them, Branden Pizarro's, 138.8, name is one of the last to be mentioned. As a young bad ass out of North Philly, Pizzaro may achieve more success than his contemporaries. Physically more mature than he was two years ago when he made his pro debut while still in high school, Pizarro exploded on poor Zack Ramsey of Springfield, Mass. Poor Ramsey, 140.1, took a sound thrashing before succumbing at 1:50 of round one.

Charismatic, exciting, with crunching power and fast hands, Pizarro is a real “Kid Blast” lifting his record to 14-1 (7 Ko’s). Getting to spend a weekend in Philadelphia, Ramsey goes home with some cash while he licks his wounds owning an 8-6 (4 Ko’s) mark.

Organically growing Hard Hitting Promotions, using their own hands, Rivera and Ruiz are now reaping a bountiful harvest with an estimated gross gate of almost a quarter million dollars that evening. Not only have these two young men helped maintain the Philly fight scene, they have made it thrive. Hard Hitting brings boxing back to The Met on April 26th.

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

Branden Pizarro Post Fight Interview

By Luis A. Cortes III, Ringside

Check out my interview with Philadelphia super lightweight boxing prospect, Brandon Pizarro (14-1, 7 KOs) following his first round TKO victory over Zack Ramsey (8-6, 4 KOs) on Saturday, February 23, 2019.

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

Hard Hitting Promotions Presents Boxing on Broad: The Successful Return of Prizefighting to the Met

By Matt Ward, Ringside

Professional boxing made its highly successful return to the Metropolitan Opera House (The Met) in Philadelphia last night. For the first time since 1954, Hard Hitting Promotions brought a ten fight card to the beloved and historic venue on North Broad Street.

The main event pitted two Philadelphia fan-favorites against one another for the Pennsylvania State Lightweight Title. Steven Ortiz (10-0, 3 KOs) and Jeremy Cuevas (11-1, 8 KOs) did not just suit up for their first state title shot as professionals, the two gladiators also put their undefeated records on the line in front of a capacity crowd in North Philly.

Both men put their speed on display in the opening round, as they felt one another out during this round. Following this round, Cuevas returned to his corner with blood trickling out of his nose and mouth. Ortiz rocked Cuevas with a nice left hook that slowed Cuevas down in the second round. Ortiz sent Cuevas crashing to the canvas in the second round with a right hand to the body, followed by a left hook to the head. The two fighters exchanged big shots in the third round, which were at time punch-for-punch. The pace of the fight slowed in the fourth and fifth rounds as both men appeared to tire. 

In the sixth round, Cuevas got caught with a left hand to the jaw that reminded him he was still in a fight. Ortiz scored a second knockdown with a right hand to the side of Cuevas' head as time expired in the seventh round. In the eighth round, Cuevas, knowing he was behind on the cards, desperately tried to apply pressure on his opponent. Half way through the eighth round, Cuevas cracked Ortiz with a big left hand to the head. Unfortunately for Cuevas, that was too little, too late as he lost on all three judges scorecards by scores of 78-72, twice, and 79-71. 

Welterweights, Malik Hawkins (14-0, 9 KOs), Baltimore, and Gledwin Ortiz (6-3, 5 KOs), the Bronx, fought in an eight round contest. Both men engaged in a nice opening frame in which they exchanged big shots in the center of the ring. Hawkins utilized his strong defense and body work in the second round to effectively control the tempo of the round. The pro-Hawkins' crowd were on their feet in the third round as Hawkins put pressure on Ortiz by moving forward, and letting his hands go on his game opponent. During this offensive onslaught, Hawkins snapped Ortiz's head back with a straight right. Ortiz responded to this attack with a big combination of his own that caught the attention of Hawkins. 

The fourth round was a real crowd-pleaser, filled with outstanding action. Ortiz connected with a solid left-right hand combo during this round. Hawkins, not wanting to be outdone by the Bronx native, responded with a series of hard body shots that pushed Ortiz into the ropes. The tempo of the fifth and sixth rounds slowed down, understandably so, after what both men had gone through in earlier frames. Heated exchanges in the seventh round led to both men wrapping one another up. The intensity of the battle could not be contained by this clinch, as both men went crashing to the canvas. Ortiz landed a big right hand to the head that pushed Hawkins into the neutral corner. Ortiz followed up on this shot with several hard shots to the head and body. This abuse continued until Hawkins was able to squirm out of the neutral corner. Ortiz again snapped Hawkins' head back with a straight left in the final round. Hawkins landed a big left hook to Ortiz's jaw as time expired. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Malik Hawkins, 77-75, 78-74, and 79-73. 

Philadelphia's Samuel Teah (15-3-1, 7 KOs) fought Tre'Sean Wiggins (11-4-1, 6 KOs) in an eight round contest for the Pennsylvania State Super Lightweight Title. The first two rounds of the contest were evenly matched, until Teah's head was snapped back as the final bell in the second round rang. Wiggins put his foot on the gas in round three as he landed several nice right and left straights to Teah's head and body. The crowd became energized in the fifth round as both men exchanged big, clean shots. Wiggins snapped Teah's head back in the seventh with a hard left hand. Teah entered round eight a man down on the cards. He fought valiantly, looking for a knockout, but in the end lost by unanimous decision by scores of 78-74, 79-73, and 80-72. 

Philadelphia super lightweight boxing prospect, Brandon Pizarro (14-1, 7 KOs) continued his return to his winning ways last night as he stopped Springfield, Massachusetts's Zack Ramsey (8-6, 4 KOs) in the opening frame of a scheduled six round contest. Pizarro's sole career blemish was on December 1, 2017 against Christian Rivera at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia. Pizarro dropped Ramsey with a left to the body in the first round. Ramsey pulled himself up from the canvas only to be finished off by a Pizarro left uppercut. The end came at the 1:15 mark of the first round. 

Gadwin Rosa (10-0, 8 KOs) won his fourth straight victory in front of a Philadelphia crowd over Jorge Luis Santos (5-3-1, 2 KOs). Rosa, the NBA Intercontinental Super Featherweight Champion, controlled the opening round of the contest by repeatedly backing Santos into the ropes with straight right and left hands to the head and body. Santos, looking to catch Rosa with a knockout punch in the first, missed his mark on several big shots. Rosa dropped Santos with a left hook to the body in the second round. Santos recovered from the knockdown only to be be beaten down with viscous shots to the head and body. Referee Eric Dali saw enough of the massacre at the 1:28 mark of the second round of a scheduled six, and waived off the fight. 

Christian Tapia (8-0, 7 KOs) continued his winning ways against David Veras Pena (0-2-1). Despite punching upwards at his taller opponent for a bulk of the first round, Tapia, a Puerto Rican super featherweight, pummeled his opponent with hard lefts and rights to the head and body. In the second round, Tapia punished Pena with multi-punch combos, highlighted by consecutive straight right hands to the head. Referee David Franciosi saw enough of the beat down in the second round of four when he stopped the fight at the 1:28 mark. 

In an all Philadelphia light heavyweight contest, Benny "The Jewish Bulldog" Sinakin (3-0, 2 KOs) made quick work of his opponent Ronald Lawrence (0-4). Both men answered the bell swinging for the fences. Sinakin landed crushing right and left hooks to the head and body in the opening frame. The end came at the 2:42 mark of the first round when Sinakin brutally beat his opponent into the ropes with a right-left hand combo.

Female featherweights, Karen Dulin (3-16-1, 1 KO) and Tamar Israeli (2-0-1, 2 KOs) competed in a four round bout. Israeli struggled to land clean punches on her 43-year-old opponent throughout the contest. Israeli, who became more and more frustrated as the bout went on, looked sloppy against Dulin, and allowed her to dodge clubbing right and left hands throughout the contest. The judges scored the bout 39-37 for Israeli, and 38-38, twice, a majority draw.

Philadelphia bantamweight, Josue Rosa (1-0, 1 KO), making his professional debut, fought and defeated his win less opponent, Willie Anderson (0-4). Anderson, who had a clear height and reach advantage over his opponent, cracked Rosa with a straight right hand to the head that sent his opponent stumbling backwards in the first round. Rosa, despite appearing to be hurt, stayed on his feet. Despite winning the first round, and not appearing to be hurt by his inexperienced and unpolished opponent, Anderson quit on the stool after the first round of a scheduled four rounds.

Emanuel Rodriguez (4-0), Newark, NJ, defeated Jose Lopez (0-1-1), New York, by unanimous decision in a four round, bantamweight contest. The judges scored the bout 38-37, 39-37, and 39-36.

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

Hard Hitting Promotions Fight Night Recap

Hard Hitting Promotions returned to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia with a nine fight card that featured a number of fighters who are no strangers to the Philly fight scene.

In the main event, South Jersey super middleweight, Derrick Webster (27-1, 14 KOs) defeated Australia's Les Sherrington (37-11, 21 KOs). The ten round bout for the vacant NBA Intercontinental Super Middleweight Title started off slow. Both fighters spent the better part of the first three rounds feeling each other out. Despite the lack of action, Webster did enough through the first five rounds to win them on the judges' scorecards. In the fifth round, Webster was far more active than in previous rounds. He attacked Sherrington with a nice multi-punch combo that sent his opponent backpedaling into the ropes. In the sixth round, Webster landed two clean right hand shots to the head of Sherrington that the Australian laughed off. Webster had an offensive outburst in the eighth round that led to the right hand to the head that sent Sherrington to the canvas. Sherrington recovered from this knockdown, but by this point Webster smelt blood in the water. He finished off Sherrington with a multi-punch combo that pinned his opponent up against the ropes. The punch that sent Sherrington to the canvas for the knockout was a right hand to the head. Referee Gary Rosato waived off the bout at the 1:32 mark of the eighth round.

Branden Pizarro (11-1, 5 KOs) fought Hector Marengo (7-13-4, 4 KOs) in a lightweight bout. Pizarro, a native of Philadelphia, knocked his Puerto Rican opponent down in the first round with a left hand to the jaw. Marengo was down again in the second round from a Pizarro right hand to the head. Marengo recovered from the knockdown but his corner appeared to throw in the towel when they saw the condition of their hurt fighter. The fight ended at the 1:32 mark of the second round of a scheduled six round bout for the winner by TKO, Branden Pizarro.

In lightweight action, Samuel Teah (14-2-1, 7 KOs) ensured that Zack Ramsey (8-4, 4 KOs) would not make it out of the first round of a scheduled six round fight. The Philadelphia fighter answered the bell looking for an early kayoe. The knockout came at the 2:49 mark of the opening frame when Teah connected on a multi-punch combo that was highlighted by a right uppercut. This shot sent Ramsey crashing to the canvas.

Jeremy Cuevas (10-0, 8 KOs) fought and defeated Deo Kizito (3-4, 2 KOs) in a lightweight bout that was scheduled for six rounds. Cuevas, who entered the ring to the roar of the crowd, hurt Kizito with a right hook to the head in the first round. Cuevas landed a right hook to the ribs of Kizito in the final minute of the first round that made Kizito cringe and backpedal away from the Philadelphian. In the second round, Cuevas staggered Kizito with a big right hook to the head, but he could not finish off his opponent. Cuevas ended the second round by nailing Kizito with a hard right hand that sent his opponent staggering back to his corner. Cuevas appeared to have Kizito finished off in the third round after landing a crushing multi-punch combo to the head and body of his opponent, but Cuevas backed off when he thought referee Steve Smoger was going to waive off the fight. Kizito managed to survive the onslaught, and later unleashed a barrage of quality punched to the head and body of Cuevas as the round came to an end.

In the fourth round, Kizito slipped while throwing a punch at his opponent. Cuevas, who thought he knocked his opponent down, began to celebrate by climbing up on the turnbuckle in the neutral corner. Referee Steve Smoger managed to get Cuevas down, and alerted him that the bout was still going on. Cuevas, clearly frustrated by not knocking his opponent out, threw a left hand at Kizito's head when he tried to touch gloves at the beginning of the fifth round. During this round, both men appeared to be exhausted from the hard fought bout. To Cuevas' relief, the contest came to an end in the sixth round, when he knocked out Kizito with a multi-punch combo at the 2:02 mark of the final round.

Super featherweights, Gadwin Rosa (7-0, 6 KOs) and Angel Albelo (4-10-3, 1 KO) squared off in a bout scheduled for six rounds. The Florida fighters had a slow first two rounds. Rosa, who came into the fight with a four fight kayoe streak, appeared to fight down to the competition through the first four rounds. Rosa scored a knockdown in the fifth round with a multi-punch combo, that was highlighted by a hard right to the Albelo's head. Referee Gary Rosato waived off the bout at 2:05 of the fifth round.

Romuel Cruz (2-0-1, 1 KO) and Jose Lopez (0-0-1) fought to a draw after four rounds of action. In the second round, both men beat the crap out of one another as they exchanged big shots. In the third round, Lopez landed two big right uppercuts to the head of Cruz. Cruz appeared hurt by these shots and spit out his mouthpiece. As the third round came to an end, Cruz was struck with big hooks to the head from his opponent. Cruz staggered his opponent in the fourth and final round with a big right hook to the head. He was unable to capitalize on this big shot because seconds later both men fell to the ground in a clinch. After the two men had gotten back up to their feet, time expired. Cruz threw his hands up in disgust just before he hugged the still hurt Lopez. The judges scored the bout 39-37 for Cruz and 38-38, twice.

Christian Tapia (5-0, 4 KOs) won a decisive unanimous decision victory over Israel Suarez (4-6-2, 1 KO) in a four round contest in the super featherweight division. In the opening round, Tapia landed big right hands to the body and head of his opponent. Tapia swung wildly at Suarez in the second round looking for a knockout. In the third round, Tapia, with a second wind, tried to bully his opponent. Suarez, seeking to slow down his opponent, began to excessively clinch Tapia. Tapia replied to his tactic by throwing more punches and fighting harder. Round four of the bout was more of the same as round three, as Suarez countered Tapia's aggressive style with clinch after clinch. Suarez took a beating in the final round, but managed to stay on his feet. The judges scored the bout 40-36 and 39-37, twice for Tapia.

The opening bout of the card featured a six round bout in the cruiserweight division between former contender and regional belt holder, Prince Badi Ajamu (29-5-1, 15 KOs) and Kenny Cruz  Carasquillo (3-2-1, 2 KOs). Carasquillo landed a big shot to the body of Ajamu in the opening round. Carasquillo hammered Ajamu later in the round with with a multi-punch combo that got the crowd on their feet. Ajamu, who is 46-years-old, looked overwhelmed by his younger opponent for much of the first round. Ajamu looked hurt from a Carasquillo body shot in the second round that forced him to clinch his opponent in the first minute of the round. Both men fought on the inside during the opening minute of the fourth round. Ajamu landed nice upper cuts from the guard during this round. Carasquillo, who appeared exhausted during this round, dropped his guard. Carasquillo managed to gather enough energy to land a big multi-punch combo on his opponent as the round neared its end. Ajamu's head was popped back with a left-right hand combo as the round ended. Carasquillo pushed Ajamu into the ropes with straight left and right hands as the fifth round neared its end. Carasquillo peppered the veteran fighter with shots throughout the sixth round. The judges scored the bout 59-55, twice and 58-56 for Carasquillo.

Eric Hunter's bout was cancelled because Hunter's opponent, Fatiou Fassinou, injured his shoulder. The bout scheduled between Benny Sinakin and Alex Lora was cancelled for undisclosed reasons.

MW

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

Branden Pizarro and Angel Pizarro Interview

Luis Cortes sat down with Philadelphia fighter Branden Pizarro (10-1, 4 KOs) and his father/trainer Angel Garcia. They discussed Branden's bout with Puerto Rico's Hector Marengo (7-12-4, 4 KOs) in a six round contest. This fight is part of a ten bout card promoted by Hard Hitting Promotions at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday, August 11th.

The ten bout card features a ten round main event match up in the super middleweight division between Derrick Webster (26-1, 13 KOs) and Les Sherrington (37-10, 21 KOs). South Jersey's Webster has won seven straight bouts since dropping his one and only bout as a professional to Arif Magomedov in 2015. Sherrington, a native of Australia, has won two straight bouts heading into this fight.

Check out Luis' interview on both SoundCloud and iTunes: 

Bonus Round - Branden Pizarro and Angel Pizarro Interview with Luis Cortes on SoundCloud 

Bonus Round - Branden Pizarro and Angel Pizarro Interview with Luis Cortes on iTunes

-Luis A. Cortes III

Hard Hitting Promotions Fight Night Preview

Hard Hitting Promotions returns to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday, August 11th. The ten bout card features a ten round main event match up in the super middleweight division between Derrick Webster (26-1, 13 KOs) and Les Sherrington (37-10, 21 KOs). South Jersey's Webster has won seven straight bouts since dropping his one and only bout as a professional to Arif Magomedov in 2015. Sherrington, a native of Australia, has won two straight bouts heading into this fight.

Philadelphia's Eric Hunter (21-4, 11 KOs) makes his return to the ring, after dropping a unanimous decision fight to Lee Selby in 2016, against Fatiou Fassinou (28-10-3, 15 KOs). Fassinou has lost his last four contests by unanimous decision, the most recent coming earlier this year in April. The two fighters will square off in a six round fight in the featherweight division.

The card also features two of Philadelphia's young lightweight prospects Branden Pizarro (10-1, 4 KOs) and Jeremy Cuevas (9-0, 7 KOs). Pizarro will face Puerto Rico's Hector Marengo (7-12-4, 4 KOs) in a six round contest. Cuevas is scheduled to fight Deo Kizito (3-3, 2 KOs) in a six round contest.

Lightweights Samuel Teah (13-2-1, 6 KOs) and Zack Ramsey (8-3, 4 KOs) will square off in a six round bout. Teah, who resides in Philadelphia, is looking to win his second straight fight. He last defeated Orlando Rizo in March of this year. Ramsey is looking to bounce back from two straight losses in 2017 and 2018.

Veteran cruiserweight and former light heavyweight champion, Prince Badi Ajamu (29-4-1, 15 KOs) makes his return to the ring against Kenny Cruz Carasquillo (2-2-1, 2 KOs). Ajamu had a busy 2017-2018, fighting three times, after returning to the ring after an eight year layoff. Carasquillo looks to win his third straight fight in the six round contest.

The card also features the following professional bouts:

Gadwin Rosa (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Angel Albelo (4-9-3, 1 KO) - six rounds, super featherweight

Romuel Cruz (2-0, 1 KO) vs. Jose Lopez (Debut) - four rounds, super bantamweight

Christian Tapia (4-0, 4 KOs) vs. Israel Suarez (4-5-2, 1 KO) - four rounds, super featherweight

Benjamin Sinakin (Debut) vs. Alex Lara (1-0, 1 KO) - four rounds, light heavyweight

Tickets for this exciting night of boxing can be purchased on the Hard Hitting Promotions official website.

MW

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

Fighter Stats provided by BoxStat.co

Hard Hitting Promotions Presents Friday Night Boxing - Friday, March 30th (Philadelphia, PA)

Hard Hitting Promotions returned to the Fillmore Philadelphia on Friday night for an action-packed night of professional boxing. The eight bout card featured a ten round, welterweight main event between Philadelphia's Raymond "Tito" Serrano (24-5, 10 KOs) and Baltimore's Malik Hawkins (13-0, 9 KOs). Serrano and Hawkins fought for the vacant WBA-NABA USA Welterweight Title.

Hawkins went on the attack early in the first round when he hurt Serrano with two right hands to the head. Serrano was in trouble again in the second round when Hawkins connected on a right upper cut to the jaw. Serrano remained behind on the cards through the first three rounds. As the end of the fourth round neared, Serrano attempted to rally by landing a multi-punch combo of punches to the head and body of Hawkins. In the seventh round, Hawkins controlled the tempo of the fight by landing a series of multi-punch combos that left Serrano dazed. In the eighth round, Serrano was in survival mode as he was stalked around the ring by his opponent. Despite appearing exhausted and hurt, Serrano demonstrated his toughness by staying on his feet. In the ninth round, Serrano landed two big left hands to Hawkin's head as the end of the round neared. These big shots allowed Serrano to win the round. At the outset of the tenth and final round, the two fighters exchanged body shots in the center of the ring. The two men brawled over the course of the round and fought aggressively all the way up to the final bell. The judges scored the bout 97-93, 96-94, and 98-92, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Malik Hawkins.

In the co-main event of the evening, heavyweight prospect, Darmani Rock (11-0, 7 KOs) defeated Ronny Hale (4-12, 4 KOs) in the second round of a scheduled six round contest. The stoppage came at the 1:07 mark of the second round, when Rock knocked down his opponent with crushing left and right hands to the body. He followed these blows up with a right hand to the head that ended Hale's night. That was the Philadelphian's second straight, and seventh overall, knockout of his professional career.

Philly fan favorite, Branden Pizarro (9-1, 4 KOs) defeated San Diego's Pablo Cupul (9-24, 5 KOs) in a four round, lightweight contest. Pizarro, who is coming off of his first professional defeat, outclassed his tough opponent through all four rounds of action by landing several big shots to Cupul's head and body. In the third round, Pizarro flirted with a knockout victory when he pinned Cupul up against the ropes with a series of big left and right hooks. Cupul survived the beating to lose the fight on the cards, with all three judges scoring the bout 40-36 for Pizarro.

Sammy Teah (13-2-1, 6 KOs) made quick work of Nicaragua's Orlando Rizo (19-13, 11 KOs) on Friday night. The bout, which was scheduled for six rounds, only lasted one with Teah bullying his opponent from the opening bell. Rizo was knocked down twice in the first round by Teah multi-punch combos, before being kayo'd with a left hook to the head. Referee Ronald Ali Bashir stopped the fight at the 2:33 mark of the first round of the lightweight contest.

Philadelphia's Jeremy Cuevas (8-0, 6 KOs) squared off against Efrain Cruz (4-5-1, 1 KO) of Florida in a six round, lightweight contest. After winning the first round of the bout, Cuevas, who maintained a low guard throughout the contest, was knocked down in the second round with a Cruz right hand to the head. Cuevas was hurt after recovering from this knockdown, but managed to finish the round. By the beginning of the third round, Cuevas appeared to be more settled into the fight, and went on to pick apart his opponent throughout the final three rounds. In the final round, Cuevas snapped Cruz's head back with straight left and right hands. All three judges scored the bout 59-55 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Jeremy Cuevas.

Super middleweights, Ronald Ellis (15-0-2, 10 KOs) and Taneal Goyco (9-11-1, 4 KOs) fought in a four round contest. Goyco was the far less active fighter, who applied a defense heavy strategy to the bout. This strategy "worked" until the fourth round when Ellis sent Goyco to the canvas with a right hand to his head. The judges scored the bout 59-54 and 60-53, twice, for Ellis.

Roc Nation's Tramaine Williams (15-0, 5 KOs) defeated veteran fighter, Antonio Rodriguez (12-21-1, 5 KOs) in a six round, featherweight bout. Williams ended the first round with a big multi-punch combo that sent him to his corner full of confidence. In the second round, Rodriguez was stumbled with a Williams' left hand to the head. Rodriguez went on the offensive at the end of the third round when he threw a series of punches that connected to the head and body of Williams. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, he was unable to land the "lucky punch". When Rodriguez attempted to come forward on Williams in the fourth round, he was pushed back on his heels with an overhand left to the head. Williams went on to win the fifth and sixth rounds over Rodriguez, who had a cut appear on the side of his right eye in the final round. The judges scored the bout 58-56, 59-55, and 60-53, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Tramaine Williams.

The opening bout of the card was a light middleweight fight between Joey Alday (7-0, 7 KOs) and Mike Crain (1-2). Crain was knocked down with a right-left hand combo in the second round. Crain was sent crashing to the canvas in the third round when Alday connected with a left hook to his jaw. Referee Shawn Clark stopped the bout at the 1:28 mark of the third round of a scheduled four round fight.

MW

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

Top Five Posts of 2017!

Here are the top five most viewed posts on The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports in 2017:

1. The Weigh-In Podcast #13 (Joe Hand, Jr. - President of Joe Hand Promotions, Inc.) by Matt Ward

2. Michelle Rosado and Marko Bailey Interview by Matt Ward

3. Pat Gordon of Notre Dame Men's Boxing Interview by Matt Ward 

4. Will the Real Boxing Fans Please Stand Up by Luis A. Cortes III

5. Branden Pizarro Interview by Luis A. Cortes III

We here at The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports are grateful for all of your support throughout 2017! Here's to a great 2018!

TWI Staff

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

December 1st, Philadelphia

Speaking of the future, on Friday, December 1st, two fight cards took place in Philadelphia at the same time, one at the 2300 Arena and the other at the SugarHouse Casino.  Both cards featured current, local talent pushing towards title contention level as well as young prospects. Honestly, there was some discussion that the shows may hurt each other. However, this was far from the truth since both cards played to sold out, standing room only crowds, a testament to the matchmaking and promotional skills of both Hard Hitting and King’s Promotions.

Philadelphia is rich with talent on both of the aforementioned levels. Fighters like Ray Serrano and Joey Dawejko, who train in Los Angeles at the Wild Card Gym, continue to try and reinsert their names among the welterweight and heavyweight contender discussion, a status that after Serrano's last victory in Atlantic City and Dawejko's win at the SugarHouse seems to be just around the corner.

Welterweight Jaron "Boots" Ennis continues as a super prospect that is as active as any young fighter in the world. It seems like we are getting closer to the types of fights that may ask real questions from this super talent. Christian Carto, who is also a supreme prospect at bantamweight, finished his busy 2017 with his second decision victory, after posting his first eleven wins by knockout. His opposition continues to increase in terms of quality as this boxer-puncher continues to mature.  Lightweights Steve Ortiz, T.J. Velasquez, and Damon Allen Jr. are another set of supreme talents.

Hard Hitting Promotions has a young stable of talent with exciting fighters like super lightweights Samuel Teah, Jeremy Cuevas, and Branden Pizarro. Pizarro suffered his first loss at the SugarHouse after a great fight against another prospect Christian Rivera who is signed to Cotto Promotions. Despite the loss, Pizarro has the sky as his limit in terms of talent and desire. It will be fun to watch his return and future.

Of course there is the level of fighters like Jason Sosa, welterweight Ray Robinson (most ignored boxer in the sport), and Tevin Farmer. Farmer challenges for the vacant IBF Super Lightweight Championship this Saturday on HBO. These are fighters who are at the level that all of the aforementioned names and I'm sure I missed a few who are trying to reach for stardom. Jesse Hart will also return soon and be back in discussions for another super middleweight title shot.  

It is going to be my pleasure to continue to follow all of these local fighters. Some as they continue their progression from local fan favorite into serious contender and eventual world champion. Others as they continue to try and break through the tough ceiling in the sport, and gain opportunities to display their talents in front of the world. For that I have to say thank you to Miguel Cotto for not just the memories, but for the opportunity to be part of the sport, which will allow me to follow these talents up close and personal.                                

-Luis A. Cortes III

Support your healthy lifestyle and The Weigh-In by shopping Bulletproof products! CLICK below for more information -

Branden Pizarro Interview

Luis Cortes recently caught up with lightweight boxing prospect, Branden Pizarro (8-0, 4 KOs). Pizarro is preparing for his ninth fight as a professional against Christian Rivera (6-0, 5 KOs) at the SugarHouse Casino in Pizarro's hometown of Philadelphia on December 1, 2017. This fight is part of action packed card brought to you by Hard Hitting Promotions, and also features Joey Dawejko (18-4, 11 KOs), Christian Carto (12-0, 11 KOs), Samuel Teah (11-1, 5 KOs), and Jeremy Cuevas (5-0, 4 KOs).

Bonus Round - Branden Pizarro Interview with Luis Cortes on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - Branden Pizarro Interview with Luis Cortes on iTunes

To learn more about Branden Pizarro and the December 1st Hard Hitting Promotions show, please visit the following links:

Branden Pizarro's BoxRec Page

Hard Hitting Promotions Official Website

Tickets

Twitter - @hardhitpromo

- Luis A. Cortes III

Support your healthy lifestyle and The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast by shopping Bulletproof products! CLICK below for more information - 

Hard Hitting Promotions Returns to the SugarHouse Casino on 9/22

Hard Hitting Promotions returns to the SugarHouse Casino on Friday, September 22nd. The eleven bout card features several popular Philly fighters including Joey Dawejko (17-4-4, 10 KOs), Samuel Teah (11-1-1, 5 KOs), and Branden Pizzaro (7-0, 3 KOs). The main event is an eight round, heavyweight matchup between Joey Dawejko and Demetrius Banks (9-1, 4 KOs). Dawejko is coming off of an April 14th split decision draw against Rodney Hernandez (10-6-2, 2 KOs), while Detroit's Banks is looking to rebound from his first professional loss to Alexey Zubov (15-1, 9 KOs) on June 16th.

Other notable fights on the card include Samuel Teah vs. Istvan Dernanecz (10-6, 7 KOs) and Branden Pizzaro vs. Tyrone Luckey (8-7-3, 6 KOs). Teah looks to continue a four fight winning streak, and three fight knockout streak against his Hungarian super lightweight opponent, who most recently lost two fights by TKO in 2017. Teah vs. Dernanecz is scheduled for six rounds. Super lightweight prospect Pizzaro, who is no stranger to boxing at the SugarHouse Casino, is coming off an August 12th unanimous decision victory over Israel Villela (6-6, 2 KOs) in Pittsburgh. Luckey, who fights out of Neptune, NJ, has not won a fight since beating Anthony Karperis (14-3, 5 KOs) in the fall of 2015. Pizarro vs. Luckey is scheduled for six rounds.

Tonight's card also features the following bouts:

Ray Serrano vs. Claudinei Lacerda, eight rounds, welterweights

Devin Haney vs. Luis Eduardo Florez, eight rounds, lightweights

David Murray vs. Attila Koros, six rounds, light heavyweights

Jeremy Cuevas vs. Donte Bryant, four rounds, junior welterweights

John Bauza vs. TBA, four rounds, junior welterweights

Gadwin Rosa vs. TBA, four rounds, junior lightweights

Angel Pizarro vs. Joseph Cole, four rounds, junior featherweights

Ernesto Almodover vs. TBA, four rounds, junior bantamweights

Doors open at 6:00 PM EST, with the first bout starting at 7:00 PM EST. The show is currently sold out.

For more information on this boxing card, please visit the following site:

Hard Hitting Promotions' Official Website

Hard Hitting Promotions' Facebook Page

MW

Support your healthy lifestyle and The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast by shopping Bulletproof products! CLICK below for more information - 

Hard Hitting Promotions’ “Friday Night Boxing” - Friday, February 3rd (Philadelphia, PA)

On Friday, February 3rd, I had the opportunity to cover live boxing ringside from the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia. The card was part of Hard Hitting Promotions’ “Friday Night Boxing” series, and featured seven professional bouts in the lighter weight classes of boxing.

The card opened up with a four round super flyweight bout between Harold Lopez of Philadelphia and Argenis Armando (aka Lugo Perez) of Puerto Rico. Both fighters were making their professional debuts. Lopez knocked out Armando/Perez with a left uppercut 57 seconds into the first round.

In the second bout, Victor Padilla (2-0, 2 KOs) of New Jersey squared off against Tony Wilson (0-2) of Virginia. Padilla finished off Wilson with a combo that sent him to the canvas in the first round of a scheduled four round lightweight matchup.

The third bout featured super featherweights Joseph Adorno (2-0, 2 KOs) of Allentown, PA and Jonathan Hernandez (0-4) of Puerto Rico. Eighteen seconds into the first round of a scheduled four rounds, Adorno made quick work of Hernandez by landing a right hand that sent him face first into the canvas. Paramedics were called to the ring to check on the fighter, who remained lying on the ground for about two minutes after the hard right hand. Hernandez later left the ring under his own power.

Super featherweights Hairon Socarras (15-0-2, 10 KOs) of Miami and veteran Mexican fighter German Meraz (55-41-1, 32 KOs) faced off against one another in the fourth bout of the evening. In a fight that many believed would end with a knockout victory for Socarras, this six round match ended up going to the cards. Socarras scored an early knock down in the first round, but was unable to score the knockout on the veteran in the next five rounds. All three judges scored the bout 60-53 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Socarras.

Branden Pizarro (3-0, 2 KOs), a 17-year-old Philadelphian, knocked out Abdiel Padilla (1-1, 1 KO) of Puerto Rico at the 2:42 mark of the first round of a scheduled four round fight. Pizarro landed a powerful body shot on Padilla that sent him to the canvas for the referee’s full ten count.

The co-main event of the evening featured Philadelphia’s Christian Carto (7-0, 6 KOs) and Tijuana, Mexico’s Sergio Najera (12-29-2, 6 KOs). The veteran Najera gave Carto a test through two rounds of action, by land several good shots. Carto effectively used his left jab throughout the fight, and in the third round landed a series good punches forcing the referee to put a halt to the match.

The main event featured popular Philadelphia fighter the New Ray Robinson (22-2, 11 KOs) and Nicaraguan fighter Edwin Palacio (12-5-1, 8 KOs). Palacio was knocked down in the first and second rounds, before being knocked out with a left hook to the head at 2:39 of the second round. Robinson has now won 11 straight fights.

Check out my post fight interviews with Philadelphia bantamweight boxing prospect Christian Carto and legendary Philadelphia cut man Joey Eye on SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round with Bantamweight Boxer Christian Carto and Cutman Joey Eye on SoundCloud

Bonus Round with Bantamweight Boxer Christian Carto and Cutman Joey Eye on iTunes

MW