Adams, Gatica, Kopylenko, & Monroe Jr. advance in Boxcino

HAMMOND, IND (March 3, 2014)--Middleweights Brandon Adams, Raymond Gatica and Vitalii Kopylenko scored  stoppages while while Willie Monroe Jr. scored a 6 round unanimous decision as all four advanced to the semi-finals of Boxcino 2014 that highlighted a great night of boxing at the Hammond Horseshoe Casino.   Monroe Jr. scored a 6 round unanimous decision over Donatas Bondas. Bondas pressed forward while Monroe tried to box and move.  Bondas 'oft injured nose started to bleed as early as the 1st frame.  In round three, Bondas began to up his pressure and Monroe was trying to move lateral while throwing jabs.  Monroe Jr. stayed in the pocket a little more in the 4th round and he began working the body.  His agression continued throughout the last half of the bout and Bondad had no answer for it.  Monroe was more versatile and won by scores of  59-55 twice and 58-56  twice and 58-56. Monroe, 160 lbs of Rochester, NY. is now 16-1.  Bondas, 160.2 lbs of Chicago, IL. is now 18-5-1.   Vitalii Kopylenko scored two knockdowns in just over three minutes and registered a 2nd round stopapge over Cerreeso Fort.round  Kopylenko buckled Fort with an over hand right in round one.  After the opening frame, Fort was already bleeding from his mouth. Seconds into the 2nd round, Kopylenko dropped Fort from a hard left hook.  Fort was clearly hurt and was dropped again from a series of punches.  The bout was stopped at 43 seconds of round two. "Fort was heavy handed and I was patient,"said Kopylenko. "I did not try to knock him out, it just came." Kopylenko, 160 lbs of Kiev, Ukraine is now 23-0 with 13 knockouts. Said Fort, "I got hit with a shot in the 1st round and was hurt.  I tied to bounce back but he hurt me again." Fort, 160.2 lbs of St. Paul, MN is now 17-3-1. Raymond Gatica scored a emphatic 4th round stoppage over previously undefeated knockout  artist Sena Agbeko. The two came out firing with Gatica getting the better of the exchanges.  Gatica was more efficient with his punches while Agbeko came in with wide-winging shots.  In round three,  Gatica landed several shots that snapped the head of Agebko back.  It looked like the referee  was close to stopping the bout but Agbeko did enough return punching to warrant his continuation.  He did mot last much longer as Gatica was all over Agbeko and continued to rock his head with power shots and the fight as stopped at 1:06 of round 4. "You always have to be ready," said Gatica.  "I knew in the 1st round I had the fight." Brandon Adams scored a stoppage after round four when Daniel Edouard did not come out for the 5th round. Adams found a home in the second round as he landed hard body shots with both hands. Adams continued to score and stay out of harms way.  In round four, Adams deposited  Edouard   on the canvas with a perfect left hook.  Edouard got to his feet and ate a few more punches on the ropes.  , After the 4th round, Edoaurd had enough and pulled the plug on the contest. "I had a long layoff and my timing wasn't right.  I am a professional and there was no reason to take anymore punishment,"said Edouard "Getting hit with that left hook discouraged me." Said Adams, "I hit him with a good left hook.  He was tough and I am happy with my performance.  I know I can do better." Adams, 160. Lbs of San Diego, CA is now 13-0 with 9 stoppages.  Edouard, 160 lbs of West Palm Beach, FL is 23-5-2 Gatica will face Adams while Kopylenko will take on Monroe Jr. on April 18th at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY. Boxcino will continue on March 28th at the 4 Bears Casino in New Town, North Dakota with the lightweight semi-finals that will put Chris Rudd taking on Petr Petrov while Miguel Gonzalez fights Fernando Carcamo in bouts scheduled for 8 rounds. In the opening bout, Banner Promotions Donovan Dennis scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Sam Commings in a scheduled 6 round heavyweight bout. Dennis landed a straight left that made Commings fall back and hit his head with a loud thud against the canvas and the bout was immediately stopped at 1:34 of round one. Dennis, 226 lbs of Davenport, Iowa is now 9-1 with 7 knockouts.  Commings, 264 lbs of West Palm Beach, FL.  is now 4-8. Simeon Hardy was successful in his Banner Promotions debut as he stopped Chad Greenleaf in round five of their scheduled six round middleweight bout. Hardy dominated the action and dropped Greenleaf twice in round five.  The foirst from a hard overhand right and the finisher was from a right that was followed by a booming left hook that knocked Greenleaf out for several moments and the bout was stopped at 2:50 of round five.   Hardy, 157.6 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 11-0 with 9 knockouts.  Greenleaf, 158.8 of Parkersburg, WV  is 13-20-1. Sergio Montes De Oca and Fidel Navarette battled to a spirited six round draw in a featherweight bout. Montes De Oca, 124 lbs of Chicago took a card 58-56 while two judges ruled the fight even at 57-57. De Oca is now 7-2-2.  Navarette, 127 lbs of Highland, IN is now 4-0-2. Mike Jimenez needed just 56 seconds to take care of Jimmy Campbell in their scheduled six round Light Heavyweight bout. Jimenez scored a knockdown from an uppercut and a follow up flurry ended the bout. Jimenez, 175 lbs of Chicago is now 13-0 with 10 knockouts.  Campbell, 173 lbs of Indianapolis, IN is now 11-7. Russell Fiore scored a 4 round unanimous decision over Tim Carrizales in a lightweight bout. Fiore dropped Carrizales twice in the final frame and cruised home with a victory by the scores of 40-34 on all cards. Fiore, 134.8 lbs of Chicago is 11-2-1.  Carrizales, 134.4 lbs of Waukesha, WI is now 4-9-1.

From Hammond, Indiana to San Antonio; Busy weekend for Banner Promotions

For Immediate Release Hammond, Ind. / San Antonio, TX (February 28, 2014)--This Weekend, Banner Promotions will be front and center in the boxing spotlight as the company will promote two major shows. First, Friday night in Hammond, Indiana it will be Boxcino 2014;  the middleweight quarter-finals that will be televised around the county on ESPN 2 as part of ESPNFriday Night Fights.   The fights will originate from the Horseshoe Hammond Casino at 9 pm Eastern.   The very next night, the scene will shift to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas where Banner's Bryan Vera meets Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a much anticipated super middleweight rematch that will be televised live on HBO Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 ET/PT. "This is a very busy weekend for us,"said Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo. "But as busy as it will be, we expect terrific action in the ring.  The middleweight fightson Friday night will be great contests.  The lightweights set the bar very high last week in Laughlin to kick off the Boxcino tournament, but we know the middleweights will put on a show that will be just as if not more exciting.  We also have two of our young prospects on the undercard.  We are looking forward to see our heavyweight Donovan Dennis and one of our newest signings in undefeated jr. middleweight Simeon Hardy in action as they continue to develop." Friday's show is co-promoted by Banner Promotions, Hitz Boxing and Round 3.  24 hours later, the action will continue south to the Lone Star State. "We saw what Bryan did in the 1st fight.  The media all saw him win that fight.Saturday he will be even better.  He knows what weight the fight will be at and he is completely focused in winning decisively.  Bryan knows he can beat Chavez and on Saturday night, he will go out there and do it again." Vera - Chavez is promoted by Top Rank, Banner Promotions, Foreman Boys Boxing and Zanfer. Banner Promotions Lineup: Friday, February 28, Hammond, Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, Indiana Boxcino 2014 ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN Daniel Edouard (23-4-2, 12 KO's) vs Brandon Adams (12-0, 8 KO's) Sena Agbeko (15-0, 15 KO's) vs Raymond Gatica (13-2, 7 KO's) Vitalii Kopylenko (22-0, 12 KO's) vs Cerresso Fort (17-2-1, 11 KO's) Willie Monroe Jr. (15-1, 6 KO's) vs Donatas Bondas (18-4-1, 6 KO's) 6 Rounds-Heavyweights Donovan Dennis (8-1, 6 KO's) vs Sam Commings (4-7, 3 KO's) 6 Rounds-Jr. Middleweights--Simeon Hardy (10-0, 8 KO's) vs Chad Greenleaf (13-19-1, 6 KO's Saturday, March 1, Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas HBO 12 Rounds-Super Middleweights--Bryan Vera (23-7, 14 KO's) vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (47-1, 32 KO's)

Meet Boxcino 2014 Middleweights

For Immediate Release Hammond, Indiana (February 27, 2014)--Below are video interviews of the fighters who will be participating this Friday night as part of the Boxcino 2014 middleweight tournament at the Horseshoe Hammond Casino. Media outlets may any or all of the videos by copy/paste the embedded link on their websites. (Note-Vitalii Kopylenko interview will be sent out today) Brandon Adams    Willie Monore Jr. Cerresso Fort Raymond Gatica Sena Agbeko Donatas Bondorovas  Daniel Edouard

Lewkowicz: Fortuna Would KO Any Featherweight in the World

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz would like to congratulate his fighter, Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna (22-0, 16 KOs) of the Dominican Republic for his sensational first-round KO over Mexico's Miguel Zamudio. Fighting in the main event last Friday (April 19) at the Tropicana Showroom in the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City (and televised live worldwide on ESPN Friday Night Fights), Fortuna came out like a human buzz saw and dropped Zamudio twice, the second time rendering him unconscious for several frightening minutes at 1:08 of the first round. Unfortunately, Fortuna was unable to made the 126-lb featherweight limit before the fight (he weighed in at 126.6 lbs) and lost his WBA Interim belt on the scale, but the performance against Zamudio was eye-catching enough to cement him as a major force in the division, title belt or not. Fortuna's promoter, however, says he's disappointed in criticisms from those who said Fortuna and Zamudio didn't belong in the same ring. "How can anyone make that determination?" said Sampson Lewkowicz. "What Fortuna did to Zamudio is what he did to Yuandale Evans, who was undefeated and many thought was going to beat Fortuna. It's the same thing he did to Cristobal Cruz, a former world champion. It's what he did to Victor Valenzuela, who was 8-0. He did the same thing to Zamudio that he did to two of his last three opponents and there was no questioning their quality as fighters. It's impossible to say based on what we saw if Miguel Zamudio belonged in there. Fortuna would do that to anyone in the division." Lewkowicz says Fortuna will continue to campaign at featherweight and he will be looking to help him regain his championship as quickly as possible in a high-profile fight. "Javier was only .6 overweight, and it's possible he could have lost the weight, but even though it cost me money I would not let him risk his health. My fighters are like my children. He will make the weight next time. I am putting a challenge out to the promoters of any world champ or any top featherweight to come and face Javier Fortuna. He is the best of the best at featherweight and he will do what he did to Zamudio to anyone. It really doesn't matter who I put in front of Javier. They're getting knocked out."

Lewkowicz Congratulates Jackson for Impressive Victory against Fort

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing congratulates Virgin Islands slugger John "Dah Rock" Jackson (16-1, 14 KOs) for his impressive nationally televised victory over formerly undefeated "Sir" Cerresso Fort. Fighting in the eight-round co-main event last Friday (April 19) at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, and live worldwide on ESPN Friday Night Fights, Jackson was stronger and faster than the well-regarded Fort and won by unanimous decision (77-75, 79-73 and 79-73). WBC #15 Jackson was expected to face a test against Fort (then 16-0-1, 11 KOs) but was simply a league above his game opponent. Jackson took Fort's power with ease while delivering world-class power shots in dazzling combination. It was an impressive win for the 24-year-old son of former world champion Julian Jackson. "John was sensational," said Lewkowicz. "He showed he is a class above even well-regarded prospects. Fort is a strong fighter and John was just too good for him. Even though he is a KO puncher, he took his time and picked Fort apart. That was a veteran move and it showed his true championship character." Lewkowicz says Jackson will be back soon in an even higher profile matchup. "The next fight will hopefully be an ESPN main event against a quality opponent that will showcase to the world that he is a future champion. And after that, I will be looking to the premium cable channels like HBO to put him in a world-title fight. I believe it's going to be a big year for John Jackson."

Fort: This Fight Will Be My Introduction

They call St. Paul, Minnesota, junior middleweight Cerresso Fort (16-0-1, 11 KOs) "Sir" because of his cordial nature. He's a very nice young man.

But heading into the biggest fight of his life tonight, Fort knows it is now time to earn the respect of the boxing world by being anything but polite against Virgin Islands slugger John "Dah Rock" Jackson (15-1, 14 KOs).

The two will meet tonight (Friday, April 19) at the Tropicana Showroom in the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City and live across the country on ESPN Friday Night Fights (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN and later televised Saturday April 20, at 2:30 a.m. on ESPNEWS).

The exciting eight-round match-up will serve as the main supporting bout to Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs) defending his interim WBA World featherweight title against Sinaloa, Mexico's Miguel "Mikol" Zamudio (25-1-1, 13 KOs) in the main event.

"I give a lot of respect, I was raised well by my grandmother, but I know it's time for me to go out and get my respect now. That's what this performance against Jackson will be about. It'll be my introduction to the boxing world."

Fort, a former accomplished amateur and cousin to highly touted prospect Gary Russell Jr., says he's got a surprise for Jackson, the hard-punching son of former champion Julian Jackson.

"I've got power too. He's going to feel it. I call myself a puncher/boxer. He's either going to have to throw in the towel or get knocked out because I'm here to show the world what I can do. I didn't have a famous father in boxing. I have a lot of will built in me. I used to run six miles a day to get to the gym. I made me who I am. I didn't have any help from anyone famous."

Fort spends his off-time working at the boxing gym he's partly owns called Element Boxing and Fitness in St. Paul, training children and adults.

"The dream is to be world champion someday. That's why I'm in it. And after this fight, all the fans will know who I am. People inside boxing have known who I am for years because of my amateur career, but now the fans around the world are going to see what I can do!"

###

This event is presented by Sampson Boxing.

In another featured bout Ghana's Emmanuel Lartei Lartey (14-0-1, 7 KOs) will take on the Dominican Republic's Jonathan Batista (13-0, 6 KOs) in a six/eight-round welterweight battle of undefeateds.

On the undercard, undefeated Anthony Young (7-0, 3 KOs) of Atlantic City will face St. Clair, Pennsylvania's Rafael Montalvo (2-3, 2 KOs) in a  four-round welterweight clash and Brooklyn, New York's Dean Burrell (6-1, 5 KOs) will face Durham, North Carolina's Vernon Alston (5-4, 5 Kos).

Tickets for "Fortuna vs. Zamudio" are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or at the Tropicana box office on fight night.

On fight night, doors open at 7:00 (approx.) and the action starts at 8:00. The Tropicana Casino & Resort is located at 2831 Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

Jackson Ready for 'Exciting War' Against Fort

"My dad gave me the name 'Dah Rock'. He said that when I hit it feels like a rock in my gloves. The island we're from, they call it the rock too. Plus, God is my rock. I heard him say that and I said 'yeah. I like it.'" Growing up the son of one of boxing's hardest hitters ever, you have some pretty big gloves to fill if you plan on becoming a fighter, but so far, Virgin Islands slugger John "Dah Rock" Jackson (15-1, 14 KOs), son of legendary champion Julian "The Hawk" Jackson, isn't doing so bad at it. 16 fights into his career, the elder Jackson was still fighting preliminaries. Going into his 17th fight, WBC #15 Jackson is set to face St. Paul, Minnesota's undefeated "Sir" Cerresso Fort (16-0-1, 11 KOs) in the televised six-round co-main event this Friday (April 19) at the Tropicana Showroom in the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City and live across the country on ESPN Friday Night Fights (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes andWatchESPN and later televised Saturday April 20, at 2:30 a.m. on ESPNEWS). Presented by Sampson Boxing, the spectacular tripleheader of world-class boxing will be topped by La Romana, Dominican Republic's dynamic Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs) defending his interim WBA World featherweight title against Sinaloa, Mexico's Miguel "Mikol" Zamudio (25-1-1, 13 KOs) and will also feature Ghana's Emmanuel Lartei Lartey (14-0-1, 7 KOs) taking on the Dominican Republic's Jonathan Batista (13-0, 6 KOs) in a six/eight-round welterweight battle of undefeateds. "A lot of people compare me to my dad because of the power I got from him, but my dad was something special," admitted Jackson of his father, who also serves as his assistant trainer (with head trainer David Rogers). "He had that one-punch power that puts guys to sleep. I'm glad I got some of what he had at least. And I'm glad to be his son and represent him." Jackson says he's ready for war against the formidable Fort, a match-up that could prove to be the runaway winner of Fight of the Night. "I know he's undefeated and a very strong fighter, and a hard hitter also. We're both heavy-handed. I'm going in there focused and ready for war. I know it'll be exciting. The people who tune in are going to love it. I'm not going out for a KO. I'm just going in to work and it if comes, it comes. Early or late I will take it, but I'll go in there and do what we worked and come out with the impressive win." Unlike his father at similar points in their careers, the younger Jackson has already suffered a career loss. Last September in Las Vegas, he dropped a close but unanimous decision to the streaking Willie Nelson in a battle for the NABF Championship. "I learned a lot," he admitted. "It was the best fight I've had to date, an exciting ten-rounder and I fought hard. It could have gone either way. I learned a lot about myself. I learned I can go ten and I can take a punch. It was a great experience." Jackson is one of a fistic trio with his brother, undefeated super middleweight contender Julius "The Chef" Jackson (15-0, 11 KOs) and cousin, undefeated super welterweight Samuel "Rock City Cobra" Rogers (13-0, 6 KOs), known as "The Hawk's Flock" a play on Julius Jackson's fighting nickname. "We mostly spar with each other. We go real hard at each other, but we don't try to see who is better. We train three times a week, so we can't be trying to win every day. Sometimes, we each get the best of each other and there are some wars, but there is no family rivalry." Jackson says that, like his father, the dream is to eventually strap a world-title belt around his waist for his beautiful homeland. "My dream is just to keep moving up, get to the top and be world champion. That's the ultimate goal: to hold a world title and defend it. That's the dream. I think I could get some more experience first. After a couple more fights, I'll be ready to go in there and capture my dreams." ### On the undercard, undefeated Anthony Young (7-0, 3 KOs) of Atlantic City will face St. Clair, Pennsylvania's Rafael Montalvo (2-3, 2 KOs) in a  four-round welterweight clash;  Brooklyn, New York's Dean Burrell (6-1, 5 KOs) will face Durham, North Carolina's Vernon Alston (5-4, 5 KOs) in a four-round lightweight bout; and in a pair of  four-round heavyweight battles, undefeated Charles Martin (6-0-1, 6 KOs) of St. Louis, Missouri, will face David Saulsberry (7-5, 7 KOs) of Greenville, Kentucky, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's Eric Newell (5-2-1, 3 KOs) will take on Virginia Beach, Virginia's Joe Cusomano (6-1, KOs). Tickets for "Fortuna vs. Zamudio" are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or at the Tropicana box office on fight night. On fight night, doors open at 7:00 (approx.) and the action starts at 8:00. The Tropicana Casino & Resort is located at 2831 Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

Friday's ESPN Tripleheader Undercard Announced

The complete card has been finalized for this Friday's (April 19) ESPN Friday Night Fights-televised (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN and later televised Saturday April 20, at 2:30 a.m. on ESPNEWS) tripleheader from the Tropicana Showroom in the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City. Presented by Sampson Boxing, the spectacular night of world-class boxing will be headlined by La Romana, Dominican Republic's dynamic Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs) defending his interim WBA World featherweight title against Sinaloa, Mexico's Miguel "Mikol" Zamudio (25-1-1, 13 KOs) in an intriguing 12-round clash. Also scheduled for televised battle are St. Thomas, Virgin Islands' promising, once-beaten John "Dah Rock" Jackson (15-1, 14 KOs) and St. Paul, Minnesota's undefeated "Sir" Cerresso Fort (16-0-1, 11 KOs), who will lock up in a six-round junior middleweight war. Completing the televised tripleheader will be Ghana's Emmanuel Lartei Lartey (14-0-1, 7 KOs) taking on the Dominican Republic's Jonathan Batista (13-0, 6 KOs) in a six/eight-round welterweight battle of undefeateds. On the undercard, undefeated Anthony Young (7-0, 3 KOs) of Atlantic City will face St. Clair, Pennsylvania's Rafael Montalvo (2-3, 2 KOs) in a  four-round welterweight clash;  Brooklyn, New York's Dean Burrel (6-1, 5 KOs) will face Durham, North Carolina's Vernon Alston (5-4, 5 KOs) in a four-round lightweight bout; and in a pair of  four-round heavyweight battles, undefeated Charles Martin (6-0-1, 6 KOs) of St. Louis, Missouri, will face David Saulsberry (7-5, 7 KOs) of Greenville, Kentucky, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's Eric Newell (5-2-1, 3 KOs) will take on Buffalo, New York's Excell Holmes (2-1-1, 1 KOs). Tickets for "Fortuna vs. Zamudio" are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or at the Tropicana box office on fight night. Four other bouts featuring local favorites are also scheduled and will be announced shortly. On fight night, doors open at 7:00 (approx.) and the action starts at 8:00. The Tropicana Casino & Resort is located at 2831 Boardwalk in Atlantic City.