GYM signs Canadian Olympian Custio Clayton To make pro debut Dec. 19 in Quebec City

MONTREAL (Nov. 28, 2014) -- The best amateur boxer in Canada for more than five years, Custio Clayton, has signed a long-term agreement with Groupe Yvon MichelInc. (GYM). The leader of the Canadian National Team in recent years, Clayton captured   six national titles. He represented Canada at many international tournaments including the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and 2014 in Glasgow, 2013 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan and 2011 in Baku, Azerbaijan, highlighted by his participation in the 2012 Olympics in London. Clayton is best remembered for becoming first Canadian boxer to win two Olympic matches since silver-medalist David Defiagbon at 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Afterdisposing of Oscar Molina, of Mexico, and Cameron Hammond, of Australia, Clayton lost a 14-14 tiebreaker to the eventual silver medalist, Welsh Fred Evans, depriving Clayton of an Olympic medal by the tiniest margin. In 2013, the AIBA ranked him the No. 6 welterweight (152 lbs., 69 kg.). Bernard Barré, head of recruitment at GYM, has only the highest praise for Clayton."Since the inception of our organization, he said, "we made a point to sign the greatest Canadian boxers. Clayton is part of this group that, before him, includes Adonis Stevenson, Jean Pascal and Andrew Kooner.  Custio Clayton developed into the star of the Canadian National Team during his amateur career at a small gym with limited Nova Scotia resources. In this context his amateur trainer, Gary Johnson, did miraculous works. We are convinced that, in his new framework, Clayton will develop his full potential and achieve great success."    Clayton, 27, is delighted to join GYM: "Signing with GYM, led by Yvon Michel, is what I've always wanted," Clayton commented. "I am very proud he has given me this opportunity. I had six concrete offers, including two from the US, but I am convincedthat my chances of success are best with GYM, one of the best and proven organizations in the world." Team Clayton also includes his manager, Douggy Berneche, and Canadian National Team coach Daniel Trépanier. They will provide Clayton with all of the required specialists for his professional career. He recently moved to Montreal and his family will join him there in early 2015. His first professional fight will take place December 19 at the Quebec City Coliseum.His opponent will be announced shortly. He will fight as super welterweight (154 lbs.) division. "Custio is already a very mature boxer who will quickly go through the steps and end up in the world elite of his division before long," Berneche added. "Making his prodebut on a program headlined by world champion Adonis "Superman" Stevenson defending his crown, also featuring future superstar Artur Beterbiev and Andre Dirrell on the same card being televised by the prestigious boxing network, Showtime, will be inspiring for Custio to start his pro career in style." The next GYM event will take place Dec. 19 at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City. Tickets are on sale at Pepsi Coliseum box office in Quebec (418-691-7211) or by calling1 (800) 900-7469, GYM at (514) 383-0666 and Champion Boxing Club (514)376-0980, and online at www.billetech.com, Ticket prices range from $25 to $ 250 onthe floor.

Fight Network Presents Cage Warriors 74 LIVE this Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. ET

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release TORONTO (Nov. 13, 2014) -- Fight Network, the world's premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents another live Cage Warriors Fighting Championship doubleheader this Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. ET, as Cage Warriors 74 emanates from the iconic Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park in London, England. Fight Network's live broadcast will air on Cablevision's Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In the main event, reigning champion Nicolas Dalby will defend his Cage Warriors welterweight title against Mohsen Bahari. In addition to Dalby's long awaited inaugural title defense, history will also be made on the night when undefeated Swede Pannie Kianzad battles once-beaten Finnish standout Eeva Siiskonen with the inaugural Cage Warrior's women's bantamweight title on the line. The doubleheader will feature a pair of two-hour main cards and also includes a showdown between Irish lightweight Joseph Duffy and France's Julien Boussuge, a lightweight tussle between English pair Saul Rogers and Mick Sinclair, the debut of undefeated British prospect Tom Breese against 22-year-old Frenchman Thibaud Larchet, a middleweight clash pitting London's own Bola Omoyeleagainst red-hot Estonian Andy Manzolo, plus a lightweight matchup featuring five-fight UFC veteranJohn Maguire versus surging countryman Brad Wheeler. The card for Cage Warriors 74 currently includes: Nicolas Dalby vs. Mohsen Bahari - CWFC welterweight title Pannie Kianzad vs. Eeva Siiskonen - inaugural CWFC women's bantamweight title Julien Boussuge vs. Joseph Duffy Saul Rogers vs. Mick Sinclair Tom Breese vs. Thibaud Larchet Andrei Manzolo vs. Bola Omoyele John Maguire vs. Brad Wheeler Sean Carter vs. Tim Wilde Pelu Adetola vs. Darren Stewart Paul Marin vs. Scott Pooley James Hurrell vs. Carl Kinslow Emma Delaney vs. Anna Elmose For a full listing of Fight Network's broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com and follow on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

Boxing's "Batman" ==> Super middleweight Schiller Hyppolite is Canada's next great fighter

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Schiller "Batman" Hyppolite (black trunks) lands a devastating right uppercut in this picture MONTREAL (October 29, 2014) - Boxing has its "Superman" -- World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson -- and from the same country, ironically, comes "Batman" -- world super middleweight contender Schiller Hyppolite (13-0-1, 9 KOs). The 28-year-old Hyppolite, like Stevenson, was born in Haiti and he also lives in Montreal. Hyppolite has won eight straight fights and is world rated by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) at No. 15, as well as No. 19 by the WBC. The multi-talented boxer-puncher headlines a show November 21, presented by his promoter Camille Estephan's company, Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM), streaming live in high definition on www.punchinggrace.com from Colisee Cardin in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. Hyppolite faces Alan Campa (10-1, 7 KOs) in the 12-round main event for the vacant IBF North American and WBC Continental Americas 168-pound titles. If not for a major attitude adjustment after suffering his lone loss as a professional in 2012, to then 7-0 Francy Ntetu by six-round split decision, Hyppolite would probably be a struggling journeyman instead of one of the hottest prospects in boxing, "Batman." "I was undisciplined when I lost that fight," Hyppolite explained. "I was not doing well at that time, but I had an opportunity to spar for a month with Tavoris Cloud and that changed my life. I started doing what I was supposed to be doing to accomplish my goals in the ring. That changed everything and now I work hard every day in the gym. I'm definitely 'The Next One' out of Canada. I work so hard that I can't see why I won't be the next great fighter from up here." Cloud was preparing to fight living legend Bernard Hopkins, who Hyppolite not only idolizes but is somewhat similar to, style-wise, in the squared circle. "I would love to spar with Bernard Hopkins," Schiller gushes. "He's so smart in the ring. I'm sneaky like him; I move around a lot and make adjustments, too. I'm a boxer but can go to war when I have to. My heart is with Bernard for his fight with (Sergey) Kovalev.   A native of Haiti, Hyppolite has closely followed his fellow countrymen in Canada: Stevenson and former world light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, as well as his EOTTM stable-mates, WBC heavyweight champion Bermane "BWare" Stiverne, and former world junior lightweight title challenger Dierry "Dough Style" Jean. "I'm glad to be with other Haitian fighters here who have done so well in boxing," Hyppolite noted. "Today, when people here about a Haitian boxer, they know he's a good fighter." "Someday, 'Batman' will out do 'Superman,'" Estephan commented. "He's always been a nice kid but he had a bad attitude. He was kicked off the Canadian National Team. His coach, 1996 Canadian Olympian and NABF heavyweight champion Jean Francois Bergeron, asked me about getting Hyppolite a fight. I saw him in the gym and liked what I saw. I got him a six-round fight. He clearly won five rounds but was showboating. The judges didn't like him and he lost a split decision. Schiller needed to and made an attitude adjustment after that fight and since then he's won eight fight with seven knockouts. He's also worked very hard on strength and conditioning for the past two years. "Schiller is more talented than (Lucian) Bute, Stevenson or Pascal at the same point in their careers. He's slick, dangerous and fast. Sparring with Cloud really changed things for him. His confidence improved after that training camp and another in which he sparred with (Gennady) Golovkin. He proved himself against those guys as being a very talented fighter capable of adjusting during a fight. Schiller is EOTTM's top prospect and I'm confidence that he will eventually surpass Bute, Stevenson and Pascal." Unlike these aforementioned Canadian fighters who graduated from super middleweights to light heavyweights, Hyppolite has no plans to move up from 168 to 175 pounds, at least in the immediate future. In 2015, hopefully, he'll get a world title shot. "I figure in a year, 1 ½ years, I will be fighting for a world title," Hyppolite concluded. "I know that Camille will get me a world title shot, as long as I keep winning and improving. I don't really care which world champion I fight but, if I had a choice, I'd want to fight Andre Ward because he's the best super middleweight in the world right now." For further information about EOTTM, Hyppolite or any of his stable-mates please visit www.eottm.comand follow on Twitter @eotmvd.

1st World Championship fight coming to Mississauga Interim WBA cruiserweight champ Youri Kalenga Defends title against undefeated Denton Daley Nov. 15 at Hershey Centre in Ontario, Canada

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release    MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Canada (September 3, 2014)) - Interim World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight champion Youri "El Toro" Kalenga (20-1, 13 KOs) will defend his title November 15 against undefeated, No. 4-rated "Dangerous" Denton Daley (12-0, 6 KOs) at Hersey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Kalenga-Daley will headline "World Championship Boxing," promoted by United Boxing Promotions (UBP). It will mark the first world title fight ever held in Mississauga, as well the first in the province of Ontario in 4 1/2 years, since Mississauga-native Steve "The Canadian Kid" Molitor defeated Takalani Ndlovu in Rama by 12-round decision for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight championship. Kalenga-Daley will also be the first major world championship fight held in the Toronto market since March 29, 1966, when hometown hero George Chuvalo lost a 15-round unanimous decision at Maple Leaf Gardens to world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. The Kalenga-Daley winner will become the mandatory challenger for the winner of a September 27th WBA World "regular" cruiserweight championship match in Moscow between defending champion Denis Lebedev (25-2, 19 KOs) and unbeaten challenger Pawel Kododziej (33-0, 18 KOs). "United Boxing Promotions is proud to present this fight at the Mississauga Hershey Centre," UBP promoter Don MacDonald commented. The 6,000 fight fans that will ram the facility will witness what will be a war between two great fighters.   "Youri is a true warrior! Instead of hiding and fighting bums in the cruiserweight division, he is willing to come to Canada and put his title on the line in his first defense. This in itself defines his character as a true champion."        Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the 26-year-old Kalenga fights out of  France, where 16 of his 20 professional fights have been held. His initial title defense against Daley will mark the African's first pro fight outside of Europe. Kalenga captured the Interim WBA crown in his last fight this past June 21 in Monte Carlo, winning a 12-round split decision (116-112, 115-113, 113-115) over Mateusz Masternak (32-1). "I am very excited to be defending my WBA interim world title for the first time in Canada against Denton Daley," Kalenga said. "Daley is a good technical fighter with some decent skills. He has never faced any opponent like me and once he feels my big punch power he will lose touch of all his skills." The 32-year-old Daley has lost only one round in his 12 professional fights to date. Under the guidance of his head trainer, two-time world title challenger Syd Vanderpool, Daley is a former college basketball player in Canada, as well as a college graduate with a degree in business, whose professional boxing career didn't start until 2010. After pitching a complete shutout against former world champion Richard Hall (30-11) in 2013, winning all 10 rounds on each of the three judges' scorecards, Daley faced Faisal Ibnel Arrami (15-4) on June 1, 2013 for the vacant North American Boxing Association (NABA) cruiserweight title. Daley won the title when Arrami was unable to continue after four rounds due to a shoulder injury. In a pair of NABA title defenses, Daley has won 10 and 12-round unanimous decisions, respectively, versus Jean Marc Monrose (26-6) and Andres Taylor (21-5-2). "I'm very excited that Kalenga accepted to take the fight in my hometown as it means a lot to me and, more importantly, my fans," Daley remarked. "Ontario has been waiting for something like this to happen for a while now and I'm the perfect person to deliver because I don't shy away from hard work. Getting this victory will be huge for me and the people of Ontario."   Tickets for the Nov. 15 event, starting at only $20.00, are on sale and available to purchase at the Hershey Centre box office (Gate A entrance), online atwww.ticketmaster.ca, or by calling TicketMaster at 1.85.985.5000. Go online at www.unitedpromotions.cafor additional information, friend Daley atwww.Facebook.com/UnitedBoxingPromotions. Follow UBP on twitter at @UnitedPromotions, Kalenga @YouriKalengaELT, and Daley @DentonDaley.

Arash Usmanee: Time for Barthelemy to Do the Right Thing and Face Me Again!

A True Champion Takes on His Best Challengers Afghani-Canadian super featherweight contender Arash Usmanee wishes to congratulate new IBF Super Featherweight Champion Rances "Kid Blast" Barthelemy for his title-winning decision over Argenis Mendez last Thursday (July 10) in Miami. "Barthelemy looked good taking it to Mendez and he deserves the belt," said Usmanee. But now that the dust has settled on the Barthelemy/Mendez rivalry, Usmanee (21-2-1, 10 KOs) says the new champion has only one thing he can do to prove he deserves his spot on top. "Barthelemy himself knows he didn't beat me when we fought. If that fight was anywhere but his backyard, he would have never even gotten the chance to fight for the title. If he's a true champion, he will face me in his first defense and try to erase what everyone but the three judges saw as a loss for him." Usmanee and Barthelemy faced off in January of last year in the Cuban Barthelemy's adopted hometown of Miami and, after 12 rounds, the nearly unanimous consensus was that Usmanee had come on in the second half of the fight to dominate and deserved a clear decision. Unfortunately, the three judges saw it another way and awarded Barthelemy the unanimous verdict. The fight was an IBF title eliminator for the #2 spot in their rankings. "If our fight was held anywhere but his backyard, he would have never gotten the chance to win the belt," continued Usmanee. "If he wants to be a true world champion, then he can't pretend that didn't happen. A true champion would want to try to erase that blemish on his record immediately and I hope that's what he chooses to do in his first defense." Usmanee's promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions, says he is waiting to hear from Barthelemy's promotional team. "They know how lucky their guy got in Florida against my guy. And I know they're all honorable people, so I expect they'll take a little time to enjoy the belt and then we can all get to work on establishing the true champion of the IBF at super featherweight. My guy isn't just going to go away. They need to make this fight to establish their own legitimacy as champion." In August of last year, Usmanee, established his performance against Barthelemy was no fluke by fighting to a draw with then-champion Mendez in his only world-title try. In April of this year, Usmanee took an over-the-weight and short-notice fight (less than one week) against a much bigger Rey Beltran and lost a decision after a valiant effort as the co-feature on the Pacquiao vs. Bradley II undercard. Since then, Usmanee won a decision June 13 over the durable Juan Ruiz and is laser focused on securing the much-deserved rematch with Barthelemy.  Cohen stated, "Usmanee vs. Barthelemy II is a fight that must be made to establish who the true king is at 130 lbs in the IBF. I'm eagerly awaiting hearing from Barthelemy's people to start negotiations."

Arash Usmanee Returns to Action Defeats Durable Veteran Juan Ruiz in Edmonton

Quest for 130-lb Championship Resumes Last Friday night (June 13) at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, one of the world's best super featherweights, Afghani-Canadian Arash Usmanee (21-2-1, 10 KOs) returned to action with an eight-round decision over California's Juan Ruiz (23-13, 7 KOs). In the ring for the first time since his brave showing against WBO #1 ranked lightweight Raymundo Beltran in April, Usmanee fought off frustration over Ruiz's veteran tactics to clearly win seven rounds. Usmanee's promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions, says he was happy to see the Ruiz fight serve its purpose. "Ruiz has gone the distance with a long list of top fighters and, true to form, he gave Arash eight rounds of work. One of the judges scored it a draw, but the other two were watching the fight and gave Arash a wide decision." The victory puts Usmanee back into contention at his natural weight of super feather. Against Beltran, Usmanee started out quite well, but fighting on short notice against a larger opponent, he eventually tired and dropped a unanimous decision. "Arash deserves another shot at the super featherweight championship and that's what we're after," continued Cohen. "He beat Rances Barthelemy everywhere but the scorecards and had a draw against the then-champion Argenis Mendez. Those are the top two guys in the IBF at 130 lbs. We're going to keep him busy and wait for the winner of the upcoming Barthelemy vs. Mendez rematch or a fight against any of the other top super featherweights in the world."

World Series of Fighting signs top prospect and Canada’s Undisputed #1 Heavyweight Smealinho “The Prince” Rama

 

For Immediate Release:

EDMONTON (June 6, 2014) - World Series of Fighting announced today that they have signed Canada’s top heavyweight mixed martial artist, Smealinho “The Prince” Rama.  A fighter of Albanian and Greek descent, Rama now resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, "The Prince” is less than two weeks removed from a knockout victory over Tim Hague. Just prior to that, he garnered a lot of attention for his victory over then-undefeated and highly touted Olympic wrestler, Steve Mocco. Rama walked into that fight a heavy underdog against the D-1 wrestling champion, but quickly showed that he was up to the task and used his striking and cardio to take the fight to Mocco, walking away with an impressive unanimous decision victory.

“I’ve been very impressed watching Rama’s career develop,” said WSOF Canada Executive Darren Owen. “He gets better every fight and he’s always looking to finish whether he is looking for the knockout or on his feet or a submission on the ground. I know that he wants to fight the best WSOF has to offer and soon he’ll be doing just that. At only 22 years old, he’s got a bright future ahead of him, and I’m looking forward to watching him fight under our banner.”

Rama said of the signing: “I’m very excited to sign with the World Series of Fighting. They are the biggest promotion in Canada and one of the best in the World. I want to fight for the WSOF Canada title and then the WSOF World title. I want to fight the best guys in the world and I know with WSOF I’ll get the opportunity to show what I’m capable of.”

The next installment of WSOF takes place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada June 7^th with “World Series of Fighting Canada 2: Loiseau vs. Lewis.” Tickets start at $50 and are available at Ticketmaster.ca.

About WSOF Canada

World Series of Fighting Canada is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups with the top Canadian fighters. For more information please visit WSOFCanada.com. Follow World Series of Fighting Canada on Twitter @WSOFCanada.

STEVE SMOGER'S POPULAR REFEREE CLINIC HEATING UP PANAMA MAY 26

Panama's former World WBA Champion Chanttall "La Fiera" Martinez is shown here at Rockers Gym with Steve Smoger TORONTO (April 24, 2014) -- Steve Smoger's popular and informational Referee Clinic, recently conducted in St. Maarten, Delaware and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, will next be held May 26 at the historic Colonial Hotel and Casino in the heart of Panama City, Panama. With respect to the Toronto clinic, Executive Director of Boxing Ontario, Matthew Kennedy, commented as follows: "What a pleasure it was for me and our team. Besides the boxers, no one is more scrutinized than the official and, more specifically, that third man in the ring. That position requires its own brand of poise, courage, confidence, integrity, and elegance. With two combatants in the ring, opinionated observers feel the referee is wrong at least half the time; but, with Steve Smoger, even the most hardened critic sees Steve being right all the time. With such pedigree and distinctive accomplishments at the highest level, it was our great pleasure and benefit to have him share that knowledge and experience." "It was truly my honor and pleasure," Smoger spoke about the Toronto clinic. "The enthusiasm shown by the group of Canadian officials was refreshing and stimulating. There was excellent participation by attendees and questions were on point and made for a stimulating and educational clinic for all of us. It also made my role as the presenter easier. I was very impressed with the great city of Toronto. I enjoyed everyone I met and look forward to having the opportunity to return in the near future. A special thanks goes to the host facility, the Marquis of Granby Pub & Restaurant/Banquet facility as the location host of the event, Boxing Ontario and Matthew Kennedy, of course, and the event coordinator, Jensen Strauss Agency Limitée, who helped put together a seamless and enjoyable visit. It was also a thrill to attend a post-event get together viewing party of Pacquiao vs. Bradley, hosted by Cornerstone Courier, in the presence of legendary George Chuvalo. "I look forward to returning to the beautiful country of Panama, where people have exhibited such warmth and hospitality to me in the past, and a country that is truly, in a boxing historical context, the Cradle of Champions." Recognized as one of boxing's most prolific referees, Smoger's 30-year career includes refereeing more than 850 bouts, averaging 27+ boxing matches refereed per year, and highlighted by more than 165 world title fights. A New Jersey and Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Smoger is also this year's Ring 10 Arthur Mercante Award winner as the referee who exemplifies honesty and integrity in the sport of boxing and who attempts to do the best of their ability to keep the sport safe and at the same time entertaining.

Referee Steve Smoger Conducting Clinic Apr. 12 in Toronto at Marquis of Granby Pub & Restaurant/Banquet Facility

(L-R) - Steve Smoger with living legend Roberto "Hands of Steel" Duran TORONTO, Canada (April 2, 2014) - Internationally respected official Steve Smoger will conduct an informational referee clinic April 12, 9:30 a. m. ET-12:30 p.m. ET, at the Marquis of Granby Pub/Restaurant Banquet Facility in Toronto, centrally located at 418 Church St. (416.599.0418), only minutes away from historic Maple Leaf Gardens. Recognized as one of boxing's most prolific referees, Steve Smoger's 30-year career includes refereeing more than 850 bouts, averaging 27+ boxing matches refereed per year, and highlighted by more than 165 world title fights.    (L-R) - Cabbagetown, Toronto's Champion, retired professional boxer and Canadian Olympian, Johnny Kalbhenn, with referee Steve Smoger A New Jersey and Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Smoger is also this year's Ring 10 Arthur Mercante Award winner as a referee who exemplifies honesty and integrity in the sport of boxing and who attempts to the best of their ability to keep the sport safe and at the same time entertaining. He has recently provided similar referee clinics in St. Maarten, and Delaware on behalf of an ABC clinic. "I am honored to address my fellow brother and sister officials of Canada by way of my referee clinic," Smoger said.  "I have found in the past that these clinics have been both beneficial to the attendees and myself.  I am delighted during the clinic, as part of the finishing question and answer part of the clinic, to discuss various aspects of officiating and refereeing with real life examples through some of the memorable title fights with boxers that I have had the privilege of sharing the ring with in my capacity as referee." The clinic is being held in conjunction with "Boxing Ontario," which is the only governing body for amateur boxing in Ontario, and is affiliated with the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association.  Founded in the fall of 1972, Boxing Ontario has seen a steady growth during the last 30 years, currently encompassing more than 80 boxing clubs in five regions with 900 competitors and approximately 12,000 recreational members.    The Marquis of Granby will be hosting a meet-and-greet with Mr. Smoger on Friday evening, Apr. 11 and the following night (Sat., Apr. 12), the Marquis of Granby will also be showing the Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley fight.    (L-R) -- Steve Smoger with knockout specialist, WBC World Champion Luis 'El Nica' Concepcion, and his trainer of multiple World Champions, Francisco Arroyo, at the 'Rockers' Gym Panama.