Team Yunieski Gonzalez Not Playing Games

Mike Luzbet, manager of former Cuban amateur star and now undefeated professional Yunieski Gonzalez (8-0, 5 KOs) of Havana, Cuba, says it's no use wasting time when your fighter is the real thing. And that's why Gonzalez will take a big step up in class when he takes on Nassau, Bahamas veteran Jermaine Mackey (18-5, 14 KOs) on the undercard of Warriors Boxing Promotions' Saturday, August 18, boxing event entitled "Miami Warfare II" at the MACC at the Doubletree Hotel in Miami, Florida. The explosive night of professional boxing will also feature a junior-welterweight main event between Miami, Florida's (via Colombia) Breidis Prescott (25-4, 18 KOs) and Francisco "Gato" Figueroa (20-4-1, 13 KOs) of Bronx, New York and a super featherweight co-main event between Miami (via Cuba) power puncher Rances "Kid Blast" Barthelemy (16-0, 11 KOs) and Guadalajara, Mexico's Alejandro "Soma" Rodriguez (14-6, 7 KOs). Prescott vs. Figueroa and Barthelemy vs. Rodriguez will be broadcast live on Telefutura's Solo Boxeo Tecate. Luzbet, an MMA fighter and Karate world champion himself, says he's well aware of what his fighter is up against after just eight fights. "This guy fought Jean Pascal for 12 rounds and lost by decision. He fought Adonis Stevenson. He's got a lot more fights. It's a huge step up for Yunieski." So why now? "We don't want to play games with Yunieski. Why have 20 fights against nobody? We're looking to make a difference in this business. I don't think that makes sense to take too much time to fight somebody with experience. Yunieski had a good amateur background on the Cuban team. He had more than 270 amateur fights. He's happy to fight a guy like this. That's why we're taking this after eight fights." Should things work out as hoped, Luzbet says the next step will be to start collecting some pro hardware. "Next we'll be looking to fight for a regional belt like an Intercontinental or Latin title, a North American title - any light heavyweight title by the end of the year or beginning of next year. And by the end of 2013, we're looking for world champions. Yunieski doesn't want to waste time." ### Also scheduled for action that night will be a host of local and international prospects and contenders including super middleweight Roberto J. Acevedo 5-0 (3 KOs) of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, in a four-rounder vs. Pensacola, Florida's Donald Clark (2-2, 1 KO); and middleweight Leosvy Mayedo (2-0, 2 KOs) of Miami, who will fight a four-rounder vs. Atlanta's Victor Pacheco (1-0-1, 1 KO).   Tickets are priced at $75 ringside/$30 general admission. A limited number of VIP tables are also available. Please call (954) 985-1155 or (786) 553-3895 to purchase tickets. On fight night, doors open 6:30 and the action starts 7:30. The MACC at the Doubletree Hotel is located at 711 NW 72nd Avenue in Miami.

Aalan Martinez punishes Ramon Valadez, extends KO streak

Photo By Art Gallegos Jr. / STANDNFIGHT.COM

June 25, 2012 - This past Friday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif., Mexico born super featherweight prospect, Aalan Martinez (13-1-1, 9 KOs), extended his knockout streak, scoring a 7th round TKO against hometown hero, Ramon Valadez (11-2, 6 KOs). This was the 4th knockout in a row for the Boxing 360 promoted fighter, who now looks to fight for a regional title before the end of the year.

"I knew I wasn't going to get a decision against Valadez fighting him in his backyard with his promoter as the lead, Martinez said, "I was determined to get him out of there and that's exactly what I did.  I started to break him down early with hard punches and when I dropped him in the 7th round, I knew he was hurt and wouldn't continue.  They made the right decision by not letting Valadez carry on, because he was only going to take more punishment."

"This was a huge win for Martinez," said Boxing 360 promoter Mario Yagobi. "With this victory, Aalan puts himself in a great position to challenge anyone with a regional title.  I've been in communication with some of the sanctioning organizations and it seems likely that we'll be able to get him a shot before the end of the year."

"I've been working extremely hard in the gym since I suffered my first loss," Martinez continued. "The adjustments my trainer and I have made are making a difference and it's shown in my last four fights, all of which have come by knockout.  My promoter Boxing 360 is telling me to be ready for a big fight.  Hopefully I can reschedule a fight Rances Barthelemy (16-0, 11 KOs), who I was supposed to fight on Shobox last month, but had to pull out because I hurt my hand.  Now that I'm a 100% healthy, I'm ready for anyone."

NEW FACES LOOK TO MAKE A NAME ON SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION

Five Fighters Will Debut On ShoBox Tripleheader;

Yudel Jhonson Meets Freddy Hernandez; Badou Jack Takes On Alexander Brand;

Rances Barthelemy Battles Aalan Martinez in Telecast’s Opening Bout

Friday, May 11, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME^®

From Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas

NEW YORK (April 25, 2012) –- Five promising boxers, four of whom are unbeaten, make their debuts on ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday, May 11, live on SHOWTIME^® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) at Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas.

Former Cuban amateur standout and 2004 Olympian, junior middleweight Yudel Jhonson (12-0, 8 KOs), and six-time Swedish national champion and 2008 Olympian, super middleweight Badou Jack(10-0, 8 KOs), head up a strong contingent of talented, undefeated newcomers on a telecast that also includes power-punching super middleweight Alexander Brand (17-0, 15 KOs) and skilled lightweight Rances Barthelemy (15-0, 11 KOs).

The southpaw Jhonson, of Miami, Fla., faces former world title challenger Freddy “El Riel’’ Hernandez (30-2, 20 KOs), of Mexico City, in the 10-round junior middleweight main event. Hernandez, who is coming off a unanimous 10-round decision over ex-world champion Luis Collazo, will be making his fourth start on ShoBox.  

Unbeaten super middleweights Jack and Brand clash in the eight-round co-feature. Jack, of Las Vegas, by way of Stockholm, Sweden, is a former sparring partner of Floyd Mayweather and Andre Dirrell. Brand, of Bogota, Colombia, is the longest tenured boxer in the history of the Colombian Olympic team with 437 fights as an amateur.

In the opener of a televised tripleheader, Barthelemy, of Havana, Cuba, meets southpaw Aalan Martinez (10-1-1, 6 KOs), of East Los Angeles, via Michoacán, Mexico, in an eight-round lightweight bout.

Jhonson was the Pan American Junior Champion at light fly in 1998 and the Cuban National Champion at welterweight in 2002 before capturing a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Overall, he went 379-16 in the amateurs while winning numerous titles. He turned pro on May 22, 2009, shortly after he’d defected to the United States with fellow Cubans Yordanis Despaigne and Guillermo Rigondeaux.

The 5-foot-10, 30-year-old Jhonson fought four times in 2009, five times in 2010, and three times in 2011. He is coming off a third-round TKO over Eduardo Mercedes last Oct. 15 in the Dominican Republic.

Jhonson registered a career-best seventh-round TKO over Richard Gutierrez on March 25, 2011. The following June 3, Jhonson won a 10-round decision over Jose Torres.

The vastly more experienced Hernandez is 3-0 on ShoBox. Two of the victories came against former world champions in back-to-back fights in 2010 – a fourth-round TKO over Mike Anchondo on Sept. 17 and a fifth-round knockout over DeMarcus “Chop Chop’’ Corley on Feb. 5. In his ShoBox debut on Oct. 23, 2009, Hernandez registered a unanimous 10-round decision over southpaw Damian Frias.

The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Hernandez, a pro since February 2001, has performed well in three of his last four outings. On Oct. 15, he dropped Collazo in the eighth to win by the score of 96-93 on the three judges’ cards.

Hernandez’ only defeat since losing a split 12-round decision to Golden Johnson on Feb. 25, 2005, came when he stepped way up in class and lost to then-world champ Andre Berto on Nov. 27, 2010.  

In the co-feature, Jack, who trains at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, will be making his sixth consecutive start in the U.S. His initial five fights after turning pro on June 6, 2009, took place in Swedenor Finland.

The 6-foot-1, 28-year-old Jack started boxing at age 18. He went 122-28 as an amateur and represented his father’s country, Gambia, in the Olympics. He is the only boxer to represent Gambia in any Olympic Games.

Regarding his upcoming scrap, Jack said, “Both of us are big punchers. It’s going to be an exciting fight for the crowd. I like to go to the body a lot, that’s one of my biggest weapons. I’ll be ready for him.’’

In Brand’s amateur career, he went 417-20. Brand, 35, turned pro at the age of 32 on Aug. 9, 2009. Campaigning exclusively in Colombia, he won his first 12 professional fights by (T)KO. This will be his second outing in the U.S. In his stateside debut, Brand won a unanimous six-round decision over Terrance Woods on Nov. 20, 2011, in Las Vegas.

Brand, who’s fought twice in 2012, is coming off a fifth-round knockout over Luzimar Gonzaga last March 30, in Cartagena, Colombia.

Barthelemy, 25, is a 5-foot-11 crowd-pleasing puncher-boxer who won his last start with an impressive eight-round unanimous decision over former top amateur star and then-unbeaten pro, Hylon Williams, on Feb. 3, in Las Vegas.

Boxing’s in Barthelemy’s blood. Two of his siblings are also prizefighters -- older brother Yan, the 2004 Olympic Gold medalist at light flyweight, and younger brother, Leduan. Their cousin is longtime pro, Giorbis Barthelemy.

Rances started to box at an early age. "As a child in Cuba, I had a lot of discipline problems in school and I was always getting into fights," he said. “I was diagnosed as being hyperactive. So the school's personnel took it upon themselves to place me in their sports curriculum and I was selected for the boxing program. I’ve been fighting since.’’

Nicknamed “Kid Blast,” the fast-rising Barthelemy had an impressive amateur career, winning the majority of his 200 fights and earning the Cuban junior national championship before defecting to the United States. He turned pro on Aug. 8, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. The confident Cuban scored knockouts in his first 12 fights, but has gone the distance in two of the last three.

Martinez rebounded from the lone defeat of his career to knock out Ronald Rodriguez in the third round last Dec. 16, in Vernon, California.

After the 5-foot-9, 28-year-old Martinez won his pro debut in October 2004, he fought just one time in both 2005 (in September) and 2006 (in April). After three fights in two and a half years, he didn’t fight again for four and a half years. But the southpaw slugger has been much more active since, fighting three times in ’09, four times in 2010, and two times in 2011.

Martinez’ only loss came when he came up short in a competitive matchup against Evgeny Gradovich on  April 29, 2011, in Las Vegas. Martinez lost a six-rounder by the scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice.

The event is promoted by Warriors Boxing.

Mike Crispino, known for his work on the MSG Network in New York, will call the blow-by-blow action on ShoBox with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. Gordon Hall is the executive producer ofShoBox with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, visit the website at http://sports.SHO.com.