Farenas stops Davis in 8th Dib & Martin win decisions

50 CENT'S BIRTHDAY BASH July 2, 2014  * Foxwoods Resorts Casino * Mashantucket, CT

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release 50 CENT'S BIRTHDAY BASH RESULTS FROM FOXWOODS (L-R) - Michael Farenas nails Mark Davis Photo gallery below (Credit all pictures: Emily Harney)  MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (July 3, 2014) - Filipino knockout artist Michael "Hammer Fist" Farenas (39-4-4, 31 KOs) stopped previously unbeaten Mark "Too Sharp" Davis (18-1, 5 KOs) in eighth round of last night's main event on a special edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights. The second annual "50 Cent's Birthday Bash," presented by SMS Promotions and sponsored in part by Uber, was held in Fox Tower at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Farenas overpowered Davis, cutting the Cleveland fighter over the right eye in the opening round, and pounded him throughout the fight until referee Steve Smoger wisely halted the action at 59-seconds of the eighth round. The slugging southpaw from the Philippines impressively won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title eliminator for the No. 2 spot in the IBF rankings, positioning himself as the mandatory challenger for the winner of next week's IBF junior lightweight title fight between defending champion Argenis Mendez and No. 1 contender Rances Barthelemy. Farenas and Davis went into the fight rated No. 4 and No. 11, respectively, by the IBF. Former world featherweight champion Billy "The Kid" Dib (37-3, 21 KOs) overcame a cut over his right eye, resulting from an unintentional head butt in the opening round, to win a unanimous 10-round decision over former world title challenger Alberto "Kichis" Garza(26-8-1, 21 KOs) in the co-feature. Fighting for the first time as a junior lightweight, Dib made the most of a long trip from his native Australia in hopes of earning another world title shot in a higher weight class. Dib is presently rated No. 13 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO). In the other ESPN fight, 12-time national amateur champion Ryan "Blue Chip" Martin (7-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of Cleveland, continued his winning ways by pitching a complete shutout against Mathew "Champ" Baca (4-2-1, 2 KOs) en route to a four-round decision. In undercard action, junior middleweight Jimmy Williams improved to 7-0-1 (3 KOs) with a six-round decision over Stephen Owusu (8-7, 4 KOs), undefeated Shelly "Shelito's Way" Vincent (12-0, 1 KO) took a six-round majority decision versus junior featherweight Nydia "Da Phenomenal" Feliciano (7-6-3, 0 KOs), welterweight Nick DeLomba (4-0, 0 KOs) won a six-round majority decision against Edwin Soto (9-2-2, 4 KOs), Bronx junior welterweight Luis "Cruise Control" Cruz (8-0, 4 KOs) kept his perfect record intact with a six-round decision over Ryan Picou (1-3), and super middleweight prospect Junior "Sugar Boy" Younan (5-0, 4 KOs) was went the distance for the first time as a professional against Azamat Umarzoda (0-4-1). COMPLETE RESULTS SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS Junior Younan (5-0, 4 KOs), Brooklyn, New York WDEC4 (40-36, 40-36, 40-36) Azamat Umarzoda (0-4-1), Las Vegas, Nevada JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS Jimmy Williams (7-0-1, 3 KOs), New Haven, Connecticut WDEC6 (60-53, 59-54, 57-56) Stephan Owusu (8-7, 4 KOs), Bronx, New York WELTERWEIGHTS Nick DeLomba (4-0, 0 KOs), Cranston, Rhode Island WDEC6 (59-56, 59-55, 57-57) Edwin Soto (9-2-2, 4 KOs), New Haven, Connecticut JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS Luis Cruz (8-0, 4 KOs), Bronx, New York WDEC6 (59-52, 59-52, 58-56) Ryan Picou (1-3, 0 KOs), Las Vegas, Nevada LIGHTWEIGHTS Ryan Martin (7-0, 3 KOs), Cleveland, Ohio WDEC4 (40-36, 40-36, 40-36) Matthew Baca (4-2-1, 2 KOs), Albuquerque, New Mexico JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS Michael Farenas (39-4-4, 31 KOs), Paranaque City, Philippines WTKO8 (0:59) Mark Davis (18-1. 5 KOs)), Cleveland, Ohio (Farenas won IBF title eliminator and No. 2 rating) Billy Dib (37-3, 21 KOs), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia WDEC10 (98-91, 96-93, 96-93) Alberto Garza (26-8-1, 21 KOs), Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico FEMALE SUPER BANTAMWEIGHTS Shelly Vincent (12-0, 1 KO), Providence, Rhode Island WDEC6 (59-55, 58-56, 57-57) Nydia Feliciano (7-6-3, 0 KOs), Bronx, New York L-R: Mark Davis and Michael Farenas L-R: Mark Davis and Michael Farenas Team Dib   L-R: Billy Dib and Alberto Garza    L-R: Matthew Baca and Ryan Martin    L-R: Matthew Baca and Ryan Martin

Weights from Foxwoods 2nd annual '50 Cent Birthday Bash'

50 CENT'S BIRTHDAY BASH July 2, 2014  * Foxwoods Resorts Casino * Mashantucket, CT

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Mark Davis vs. Michael Farenas headlines ESPN FNF Special Edition Wed., July 2 OFFICIAL WEIGHTS (all pictures by Emily Harney) WHAT:            "50 Cent's Birthday Bash" WHEN:            Wednesday, July 2, 2014 WHERE:          Grand Theater at Fox Tower, Foxwoods Resorts Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut WHO:               MAIN EVENT - IBF WORLD JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE ELIMINATOR (12) - ESPN MARK "Too Sharp" DAVIS(18-0), Cleveland, Ohio  130 LBS.  vs.                    MICHAEL "Hammer Fist" FARENAS (38-4-4, 30 KOs), Paranaque City, Philippines 130 LBS.    (L-R): Michael Farenas-Mark Davis  CO-FEATURE - JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS (10) - ESPN BILLY "The Kid" DIB (36-3, 21 KOs), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia  131 LBS.                                 vs. ALBERTO "Kichis" GARZA(26-7-1, 21 KOs), Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico  131 LBS.    (L-R): Algerto Garza-Billy Dib              LIGHTWEIGHTS (4) - ESPN RYAN "Blue-Chip" MARTIN (6-0, 3 KOs), Cleveland, OH  135 LBS.  vs.                                            MATTHEW "Champ" BACA (4-1-1, 2 KOs), Albuquerque, New Mexico  135 LBS.     (L-R): Matthew Baca-Ryan Martin JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (6) JIMMY WILLIAMS (6-0-1, 3 KOs), New Haven, Connecticut   150 LBS.  vs. STEPHAN OWUSU(8-6, 4 KOs), Bronx, New York   149 LBS.  FEMALE JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS (6) SHELLY "Shelito's Way" VINCENT (11-0, 1 KO), Providence, Rhode Island  123 LBS.  vs.                                            NYDIA "Da Phenomenal" FELICIANO (7-5-3, 0 KOs), Bronx, New York  123 LBS.  WELTERWEIGHTS (6) NICK DE LOMBA (3-0, 0 KOs), Cranston, Rhode Island   144 LBS.  vs. EDWIN SOTO (9-1-2, 4 KOs), New Haven, Connecticut by way of Puerto Rico   145 LBS. JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (6) LUIS CRUZ (7-0, 4 KOs), Bronx, New York  139 LBS. vs. RYAN PICOU (1-2, 0 KOs), Las Vegas, Nevada SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS (4) JUNIOR Sugar Boy" YOUNAN (4-0, 4 KOs), Brooklyn, New York  168 LBS. vs. AZAMAT UMARZODA (0-3-1), Las Vegas, Nevada  169 LBS.  PROMOTER:   SMS Promotions TELEVISION:  Special edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights TICKETS:        $100.00, $75.00 and $45.00 on sale online at www.foxwoods.com, calling Foxwoods' box office at (800) 200-2882, or in person at Foxwoods' box office. . AFTER PARTY:   Doors to the after party will open at 10:00 p.m. ET. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.foxwoods.com, calling Foxwoods' box office at (800) 200-2882, or in person at Foxwoods' box office. DOORS OPEN: 6 p.m. ET          FIRST BOUT: 7 p.m. ET           ESPN2 BROADCAST: 9-11 p.m. ET UBER PROMOTION: Uber will provide new Uber users a free ride (up to $20) to fight attendees on behalf of SMS Promotions. See full details below. Enjoy Your First Free Ride With Uber How does it work? Using Uber's free iPhone/Android/Blackberry 7 app, you can request a pickup and a car driven by a professional driver will show up in minutes. Your credit card is billed directly for your trip and there's no need to tip, so you won't need to carry cash. You can even see the car coming towards you on a map! Follow these simple steps to get $20 off your ride: 1. Download the free Uber iPhone/Android/Blackberry 7 app (or sign up at get.uber.com/go/SMSboxing) 2. Enter your information in the Uber app and promo code SMSboxing when you sign up. 3. Request a ride 5 - 15 minutes before you need one. $20 will be applied towards your first ride on uberX, UberBLACK, or UberSUV (excluding uberT, expires 07/04/15, US only) Uber is now available in over 130 cities worldwide including Providence, Boston, Connecticut and New York City Questions? Check out uber.com/nyc or email supportNY@uber.com.

Uber partners with SMS Promotions For annual '50 Cent Birthday Bash'

Mark Davis vs. Michael Farenas headlines ESPN FNF Special Edition this Wednesday WEIGH IN TUESDAY AT 5 PM/ET

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (June 30, 2014) - Uber has partnered with 50 Cent's SMS Promotions to offer a special deal for first-time Uber users attending this Wednesday night's second annual "50 Cent Birthday Bash," airing live on a special edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights from Grand Theater in Fox Tower at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Uber will provide new Uber users a free ride (up to $20) to fight attendees on behalf of SMS Promotions. See full details below. In the main event, undefeated No. 11 rated junior lightweight Mark "Too Sharp" Davis (18-0, 5 KOs), fighting out of Cleveland, takes on No. 4 ranked Filipino knockout artist Michael "Hammer Fist" Farenas (38-4-4, 30 KOs) in a 12-round International Boxing Federation (IBF) title eliminator. Former IBF featherweight champion Billy "The Kid" Dib (36-3, 21 KOs), who is rated No. 13 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), moves up to junior lightweight to face former World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title challenger Alberto "Kichis" Garza(26-7-1, 21 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Unbeaten lightweight prospect Ryan "Blue Chip" Martin (6-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of Cleveland, takes on Albuquerque's Matthew "Champ" Baca (4-1-1, 2 KOs) in the four-round ESPN opener. Davis, Dib and Martin are promoted by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN The official "50 Cent Birthday Bash" weigh in will be held tomorrow (Tuesday, July 1) at Foxwoods, starting at 5 p.m. ET, in the mezzanine area of the Grand Theater in Fox Tower. Former S. Connecticut State University football player and current Connecticut State junior middleweight champion, New Haven's unbeaten Jimmy Williams (6-0, 3 KOs), meets Bronx veteran Stephen Owusu (8-6, 4 KOs) in a six-round fight of local interest. Undefeated WIBA International super bantamweight champion Shelly "Shelito's Way" Vincent (11-0, 1 KO), of Providence, and former IWBF bantamweight titlist Nadia "Da Phenomenal" Feliciano (7-5-3, 0 KOs), fighting out of the Bronx, square off a six-round, non-title bout. Also scheduled to fight on the undercard is undefeated Nick DeLomba (3-0), of Cranston, RI vs. New Haven (CT) welterweight Edwin Soto (9-1-2, 4 KOs) in a six-round match, in addition to undefeated Bronx welterweight Luis Cruz (7-0, 4 KOs) vs. Ryan Picou (1-2) and Brooklyn super welterweight sensation Junior "Sugar Boy" Younan (4-0, 4 KOs) vs.Azamat Umarzoda (0-3-1) in six and four round fights, respectively. All fights and fighters are subject to change. Tickets are priced at $100.00, $75.00 and $45.00 and are on sale online atwww.foxwoods.com, calling Foxwoods' box office at (800) 200-2882, or in person at Foxwoods' box office. Tickets will also be available to purchase through any Ticketmaster outlet and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Doors at Grand Theater in Fox Tower will open at 6 p.m. ET. The first bout will start at 7 p.m. ET with ESPN FNF airing live between 9-11 p.m. ET. Doors to the after party will open at 10:00 p.m. ET. Tickets may also be purchased online atwww.foxwoods.com, calling Foxwoods' box office at (800) 200-2882, or in person at Foxwoods' box office. Enjoy Your First Free Ride With Uber How does it work? Using Uber's free iPhone/Android/Blackberry 7 app, you can request a pickup and a car driven by a professional driver will show up in minutes. Your credit card is billed directly for your trip and there's no need to tip, so you won't need to carry cash. You can even see the car coming towards you on a map! Follow these simple steps to get $20 off your ride: 1. Download the free Uber iPhone/Android/Blackberry 7 app (or sign up at get.uber.com/go/SMSboxing) 2. Enter your information in the Uber app and promo code SMSboxing when you sign up. 3. Request a ride 5 - 15 minutes before you need one. $20 will be applied towards your first ride on uberX, UberBLACK, or UberSUV (excluding uberT, expires 07/04/15, US only) Uber is now available in over 130 cities worldwide including Providence, Boston, Connecticut and New York City Questions? Check out uber.com/nyc or email supportNY@uber.com.

*****OFFICIAL WEIGHTS FROM FOXWOODS*****

PRESS RELEASE BILLY DIB 125 LBS. VS.    EVGENY GRADOVICH 125 LBS.    Ledyard, CT (2/28/13) - Earlier tonight IBF Featherweight Champion Billy "The Kid" Dib (35-1-1NC, 21KO's) and undefeated Russian Challenger Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8KO's) both made weight for their championship bout tomorrow night at MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods.  Both Dib and Gradovich looked to be in tremendous shape, with each fighter tipping the scales at 125 lbs.   The event tomorrow is promoted by 50 Cent's SMS Promotions and DiBella Entertainment and sponsored by SMS Audio.  The championship bout will be televised live tomorrow night on ESPN's Friday Night Fights.  Below are the complete weights for the entire card. IBF Featherweight Championship (12) Billy Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21 KOs), Champion, Sydney, Australia 125 LBS. Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs), Challenger, Igrim, Russia   125 LBS. NABF Super Welterweight Championship (10) Willie Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs), Champion, Cleveland, OH   152 LBS. Michael Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs), Challenger, Los Angeles, CA   154 LBS. Junior Lightweights (8) Ryan Kielczweski (15-0, 3 KOs), Quincy, MA   127 LBS. Gil Garcia (5-3-1, 1 KO), Houston, TX   129 LBS. Super Bantamweights (8) Luis Rosa Jr. (12-0, 6 KOs), New Haven, CT   124 LBS. Jhovany Collado (4-6-2, 1 KO), Jamaica, NY   123 LBS. Junior Welterweights (4) Luis Oliveras (pro debut), Glendale, AZ   140 LBS. Rafael Munoz (1-1), Houston, TX   140 LBS. Female Junior Featherweights (6) Shelly Vincent (7-0), Providence, RI   124 LBS. Mikayla Nevel (0-3), Columbus, OH   122 LBS. Welterweights (4) Jimmy Williams (1-0, 1 KO), New Haven, CT   146 LBS. Raynard Younger (0-1), Alpharetta, GA   147 LBS. The 12-round main event on ESPN Friday Night Fights features International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight Champion Billy "The Kid" Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21 KOs), who is promoted by 50 Cent, defending against undefeated Russian challenger Evgeny Gradovich. NABF Super Welterweight Champion Willie "The Great" Nelson defends his title against Michael "Medina in the 10-round co-feature.             Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. ET.The ESPN Friday Night Fights card will air live at 9 p.m. ET. The Nelson-Medina bout is promoted in association with Rumble Time Promotions. The event is sponsored by SMS Audio.    ***50 Cent will be performing live on fight night*** Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40 may be purchased online atfoxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods' box office at 800-200-2882, or in personat the Foxwoods' box office. OTHER PHOTOS CO-FEATURE NABF JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP  L-R: Michael Medina,Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Steve Smith (Rumble Time) and Willie Nelson   L-R: GIL GARCIA, LOU DIBELLA & RYAN KIELCZWESKI  L-R: LUIS ROSA & JHOVANY COLLADO  L-R: LUIS OLIVERAS, CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON AND RAFAEL MUNOZ TEAM SMS PROMOTIONS L-R: LUIS OLIVERAS, YURIORKIS GAMBOA, DONTE STRAYHORN  CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON, BILLY DIB & ANDRE DIRRELL ***50 Cent will be performing live on fight night*** PHOTO CREDIT: DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT/ED DILLER

FINAL PRESSER QUOTES DIB & GRADOVICH PROMISE FIREWORKS 50 CENT IN LIVE PERFORMANCE

PRESS RELEASE ESPN Friday Night Fights at MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino (L-R) Billy Dib, 50 Cent, Lou DiBella and Evgeny Gradovich (Presser Gallery Below - All pictures by Edward Diller)  NEW YORK (February 27, 2013) - Co-promoters Lou DiBella, of DiBella Entertainment, and 50 Cent, of SMS Promotions, hosted the final press conference today at the Strand Hotel in New York City for this week's (Mar. 1) ESPN Friday Night Fights at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. In the 12-round main event, SMS Promotions' IBF Featherweight Champion Billy "The Kid" Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21KO's) puts his world title on the line against Russia's undefeated IBF #11 rated Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8KO's). In the televised co-feature, former amateur standout and now top-ten rated junior middleweight contender Willie Nelson (19-1-1, 11KO's) squares off against Michael Medina (26-3-2, 19KO's) in a 10-round showdown for Nelson's NABF super welterweight title. The Nelson-Medina bout is promoted in association with Rumble Time Promotions. The event is sponsored by SMS Audio. Both bouts will air on ESPN's Friday Night Fights beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET. 50 Cent will perform live on fight night. Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40 may be purchased online atfoxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods' box office at 800-200-2882, or in personat the Foxwoods' box office.    PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES LOU DIBELLA: "First and foremost, I want to thank everyone here for coming out and also everyone that is involved in this event, particularly 50 cent, Foxwoods and our great sponsor, SMS Audio.  "We have an outstanding event coming up this Friday and I think it is important for everyone to know that we are not doing this event to make a ton of money.  We are doing this to give the public an opportunity to see a great event and also to give this great champion, Billy Dib, the exposure that he truly deserves here in the US.   "We have a terrific card from top to bottom, including a dynamite co-feature with NABF Junior Middleweight Champion Willie Nelson defending his title against Michael Medina. It is a co-feature that easily could have been a main event on its own, in fact, it was originally, but then we had this great opportunity to put Billy Dib in the main event, defending his world championship live on ESPN and we just couldn't pass that up.  I want to thank Doug Loughrey from ESPN for giving us this opportunity and for working so hard on making this a reality. "There are an awful lot of haters when you start a new business, especially in the boxing world. No one has laid out a red carpet for Curtis "50 Cent' Jackson. Everything that he has achieved thus far he has worked to get.  I am totally impressed by working with him to see his intellect and how hard he actually works.  I only see great things for him in this sport moving forward and just wanted to say it really is an absolute pleasure to work with you and your company."    CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON: "I am excited about Friday night. This has been a great partnership I have formed with Lou (DiBella) and it has just been an amazing process for me.  This is the first boxing event that I have been involved with for the entire process, from beginning to end, and it really is going to be a special night for me on Friday night. "To actually be in Billy's camp and to see the sacrifices that he makes day in and day out is really something special.  It makes you realize really what these fighters go through. It gives you a whole new appreciation for them and for this great sport. "The level of the actual talent involved in this promotion is exciting for me and excites me for what the future has to hold for me in this sport. I believe by combining the right elements we can bring back that younger demographic to this sport, and that is something we are going to be working on constantly." BILLY "THE KID" DIB: "I want to thank everyone who was involved with this promotion. March 1st is going to be a great event. The whole team has worked very hard. This is my second coming. I am coming back here to America to showcase my ability. I am a completely different animal right now and you will see that Friday night.  I know Gradovich is going to fight out of his skin, being this is his first world championship opportunity, so I can promise you that this is going to make for fireworks in this fight. We respect Gradovich; we know that he is ready, and these are the type of fights we want."  EVGENY GRADOVICH: "Thank you for this opportunity, I am very excited. I know that this is going to be a great fight. We trained very hard for this fight, and I know it is going to be a very good fight for everyone involved, especially the fans in attendance and those watching at home on ESPN."