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.

Combined Records Tell The Story Of April 19 ESPN Tripleheader

105 Wins. 2 Losses. 2 Draws. The combined records of the six combatants tell the story of what a great show it will be on Friday, April 19, 2013, at the ESPN-televised tripleheader entitled "Fortuna vs. Zamudio", presented by Sampson Boxing at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City. Scheduled to air live on ESPN Friday Night Fights that night are a 12-rounder featuring La Romana, Dominican Republic's 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); St. Thomas, Virgin Islands' once-beaten John "Dah Rock" Jackson (15-1, 14 KOs) taking on St. Paul, Minnesota's undefeated "Sir" Cerresso Fort (16-0-1, 11 KOs) in a six-round junior middleweight war; and Ghana's Emmanuel Lartei Lartey (14-0-1, 7 KOs) facing the Dominican Republic's Jonathan Batista (13-0, 6 KOs) in a six/eight-round welterweight battle of undefeateds. "You cannot set up easy fights on ESPN," said Sampson Boxing President, Sampson Lewkowicz. "(ESPN Boxing Chief) Doug Loughrey and the network have set strict quality standards for their air, so none of these fights are easy or certain victories for any of the fighters. This is going to be one of the best shows this year with three terrific match-ups for the fans." Tickets for the "Fortuna vs. Zamudio" ESPN-televised tripleheader start at $40 and 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.

Tickets on Sale Today for April 19 Friday Night Fights in Atlantic City

Tickets start at $40 and go on sale today (Tuesday, April 2) at 5 pm ET for the Friday, April 19, 2013, "Fortuna vs. Zamudio", a night of world-championship professional boxing being presented by Sampson Boxing at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City and live on ESPN Friday Night Fights. In the night's main event, La Romana, Dominican Republic's dynamic Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs) will defend his interim WBA World featherweight title against Sinaloa, Mexico's Miguel "Mikol" Zamudio (25-1-1, 13 KOs) in an intriguing 12-round clash. This will be the first title defense for the always exciting Fortuna, who won the crown last December against Ireland's Patrick Hyland via 12-round decision.   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. Sampson Boxing President, Sampson Lewkowicz, says he's excited to be bringing an event like this to the Tropicana. "This is going to be a great show. We have a world-championship fight in the main event between a Dominican and a Mexican, so that will be very exciting and the two supporting bouts are between top up-and-coming fighters. It's a terrific night of boxing and I'm very happy to be able to bring it to a world-class casino like the Tropicana." After 5 pm today, tickets for "Fortuna vs. Zamudio" will be 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 @ 6:30 pm and the first fight is at 7:00. The Tropicana Casino & Resort is located at 2831 Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

Bombs Away On Long Island

NEW YORK (April 30, 2012) -- Professional boxing returns May 17 to the Plattduetsche Park Restaurant in Franklin Square, New York as Bob Duffy's Ring Promotions, in association with Winner Take All Productions, presents "Bombs Away On Long Island," showcasing many of Long Island's most popular and promising prospects. Long Island-based boxers on the card include Joe "The Irish Bomber" Smith, Jr.(9-1, 9 KOs), Cletus "The Hebrew Hammer" Seldin (7-0, 5 KOs), Ronson Frank(16-0, 8 KOs), Tommy "The Razor" Rainone (17-4, 4 KOs) and Mike "Lefty" Brooks (6-0, 1 KO). "I am really looking forward to fighting on Long Island again," Brooks spoke on behalf of all the Long Island boxers.  "This group of fighters came up through the ranks together.  Fans are going to see the best boxing that The Island has to offer."  Former nationally ranked amateur boxer Brooks, fighting out of Oceanside, returns to the ring for the first time in two years against Ohio lightweight Calvin "The Gladiator" Pritchard in a six-round bout. "Bombs Away On Long Island," sponsored by Westbury Jeep and Westbury Fiat, marks the return of promoter Bob Duffy, who has been on a two-year hiatus from boxing as a promoter due to his work as president of Ring 8 and founding the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.  He is teaming up with Winner Take All Productions, owned and operated by David Schuster, who is the Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed off-Broadway play, "Kid Shamrock." "We look forward to bringing a highly entertaining, competitive card to Long Island," Duffy remarked.  "There is a rich boxing tradition here and some of these kids are going to be writing their own chapters in Long Island's boxing history.  I was going through a transition period the past few years and I'm very happy to be back promoting, especially working on this show with David Schuster and his staff.   I'm confident that this is the first of many shows in New York that we'll be working together on." The main event is an eight-round match featuring undefeated light welterweight Emmanuel Lartei "Bukom Joe" Lartey (12-01, 7 KOs), a former African and Ghanaian champion now living in New York City, against USA Mid-American welterweight title-holder Boyd Henley (9-1-1, 8 KOs), who fights out of Kansas City, Missouri. Guyana-native Frank (16-0, 8 KOs), who lives in Rosedale, is rated No. 7 by the North American Boxing Federation ("NABF") and No. 15 by the North American Boxing Organization ("NABO").  The younger brother of past world title challengers Steveand Raul Frank, undefeated light heavyweight prospect Ronson takes on former WBF US cruiserweight champion Chris Eppley (10-2, 9 KOs) in the six-round co-feature.  Former New York Golden Gloves champion Smith, a cruiserweight from Shirley, Brooklyn welterweight Seldin, and Plainview welterweight Rainone all face opponents to soon be determined in six-round fights Also fighting on the undercard in four-round bouts are former National amateur champion Adam Willet (2-1-1), of Willett, vs. New Jersey cruiserweight Elvin "KoKo" Sanchez (4-2, 3 KOs), New Hyde Park welterweight Rich "Kid Brazil" Neves (3-0-1, 2 KOs) vs. Jose Angel Ortiz (4-7-1, 1 KO), Hicksville welterweightAnthony Karparis makes his pro debut vs. welterweight Barrington Douse (0-3), and hard-hitting Bronx light middleweight Skender Halili (4-0, 4 KOs) vs. Brian Meadows (0-2-2).  All fights and fighters are subject to change. Tickets are priced at $150.00 (VIP pre-party and ringside), $75.00 (ringside) an $40.00 (general admission) and available to purchase at the Plattdeutsch Park Restaurant (1132 Hempstead Turnpike in Franklin Square) or by calling516.313.2477 or 516.354.3131.  Doors open for the VIP pre-party at 6:00 PM/ET, 7:00 PM/ET for the general public. The first bout is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM/ET.

RING PROMOTIONS:  President Bob Duffy, a retired NYPD member, served on the New York State Athletic Commission for 13 years.  His roles included Athletic Assistant, Inspector, Chief Inspector and Deputy Commissioner.  He and Tony Mazzarella founded Ring Promotions more than 15 years ago and Bob has been an active promoter ever since.  He is president of Ring 8 and the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame. WINNER TAKE ALL PRODUCTIONS:  Event Producer David Schuster has been a lifelong boxing fan who founded Winner Take All three years ago with the purpose of producing boxing-themed entertainment.  Schuster was the Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed off Broadway play, "Kid Shamrock" and Cuban boxing documentary, "A Fighting Chance."  Dave's next project is the feature length film on the life of holocaust survivor and heavyweight contender, Harry Haft.