July to face unbeaten Graves April 12!

Baltimore, MD (March 10, 2014) – Cruiserweight up and comer Venroy “Hardwork” July will step up in competition when he faces unbeaten Quantis Graves Saturday, April 12 over eight rounds at the Patapsco Arena in Baltimore.

 

The card is promoted by Hardwork Promotions and tickets are available by going to Hardworkpromotions.com or calling 410-635-4754.

 

Born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, July has an outstanding professional record of 16-1-2 with 6 wins by knockout. Since his lone setback last February, July’s scored three straight victories, most recently outpointing Sevdail Sherifi in Atlantic City, NJ. Outside of the ring, the 31-year-old Suitland, MD resident is also extremely accomplished.

 

After getting his undergraduate from the University of North Carolina in 2004, July went onto earn a degree from Duke’s internationally ranked Law School. While many fighters moving up the rankings box full-time, July not only promotes himself under the Hardwork Promotions banner, he works 50-plus hours perk week as a corporate lawyer for Hogan Lovells.

 

Graves, who grew up in the fighting city New Orleans, LA and resides in Beaumont, TX, is 9-0-1 with 4 KO’s. The fellow 31-year-old is a three-time Golden Gloves champion and was an alternate on the 2008 US Olympic Team. Last September, Graves scored his best win to date, topping dangerous and hard hitting Joshua Harris.

 

“The whole point of this game is to challenge yourself,” July said of his willingness to face an unbeaten opponent. “I didn't have a huge amateur background so I have to fight my way to the top. I've been fighting in every sense of the sport, fighting to get fights and fighting in the ring. That’s the whole reason I started my own promotional company, I just couldn't get the chances I needed. This just gives me an opportunity to keep fighting."

 

In addition to the July-Graves main event, fans will also see 2013 “Beltway Rookie of the Year” runner-up Demond “Dbestatit” Nicholson, heavyweight Dwayne “Big Ticket” McRae, unbeaten middleweight knockout artist Jeremy Trussell, cruiserweight Travis Reeves and Romanian import Alexandru Marin in separate bouts.

Bellator Heavyweight World Title, 185-pound Tourney Final and Local Favorite Clemente Headline Bellator 70 at the New Orleans Convention Center on May 25

Harrah’s New Orleans presents the Bellator Season 6 finale on Friday, May 25



CHICAGO, Ill. (April 11, 2012) — The final chapter of Bellator Fighting Championships’ memorable sixth season, which is presented by Harrah’s New Orleans, will take place at the New Orleans Convention Center on May 25. Bellator 70 will feature the long-awaited Bellator Heavyweight World Title fight between explosive knockout artist Eric Prindle and reigning Bellator Heavyweight Champion Cole Konrad. Plus, it’s the Finals of Bellator’s best Middleweight Tournament to date as four fighters remain in this Season 6 race for the title with only one walking away with the $100,000 prize.

Tickets for Bellator 70 are now on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting New Orleans Convention Center Box Office. Tickets are priced from $30-$125. The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST. The official weigh-ins for Bellator 70 will be held at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 24 at Masquerade inside Harrah’s Casino.

The road to Konrad-Prindle has been a bumpy one, as injuries and weight issues have delayed the highly-anticipated matchup. With both fighters healthy and ready to fight, Prindle, the longtime Army Boxing Champion, is ready to battle the two-time NCAA National Wrestling Champion in Konrad.

“I’m really excited to get back into the cage,” Konrad said. “This fight has been a long time coming. Eric is a really good standup fighter, and I have a lot of respect for him. I know what he can do standing up, so I’m not going to deviate from anything that has made me successful in the past.”

“I’m just ready to get into the cage and end this,” Prindle said. “I want to become a champion, and this is my time to do that.”

The night will also feature Louisiana native Rich “No Love” Clementi returning to the Bellator cage after nearly two years. A long time veteran of the sport, Clementi holds notable victories over Melvin Guillard, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Sam Stout, and will be looking for another dominating win at Bellator 70. The remaining fight card, which will be announced shortly, will consist of a bevy of local talent featured in the preliminary fights, streaming LIVE and FREE on http://www.spike.com/.

“The state of Louisiana has been a tremendous host, so bringing Bellator back to New Orleans to close out what has already been an incredible season was an easy decision,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We’re excited to be working with the New Orleans Convention Center and to be hosting a great night of fights for these passionate and loyal Bellator fans.”

For more information, visit http://www.bellator.com/, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator