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)

Bryan Vera Media day Quotes & Pictures

SAN ANTONIO, TX (February 25, 2014) --  Feb. 25, 2014, San Antonio,Texas  ---  No. 1 contender Bryan Vera works out during media day Tuesday in San Antonio,Texas for his upcoming exciting rematch battle against former WBC Middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. , Saturday, March 1, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.        Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Banner Promotions, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, Chavez Jr. vs Vera II will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®.     Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25 (plus applicable taxes and fees), can be purchased at the Alamodome box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000.    --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2014  Quotes:    VERA       "I did all of my training times two. This has been the longest camp of my career. I sparred against heavyweights to get ready for Chavez Jr." "I am going to beat him for the second time. Everyone knows I won the first fight." "This is a serious fight with only one ending ...I will get my hand raised."                       The non-televised undercard will feature former World Lightweight Champion JUAN DIAZ, of Houston, looking to extend his three-fight winning streak as he attempts to return to the top of the lightweight division after a three-year hiatus from boxing.             Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Banner Promotions, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, remaining tickets to Chávez vs. Vera II, priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25 (plus applicable taxes and fees), can be purchased at the Alamodome box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000. **********************************             HBO Presents "Road to Chavez Jr./Vera II". HBO playdates include: February 27 at 4:30 p.m. ET/PT,February 28 at 1:00 a.m. ET/PT and March 1 at 12:15 p.m. ET/PT.             For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.banner-promotions.com or www.hbo.com/boxing , on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/banner-promotions or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo,  twitter.com/bannerboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.

WCB: The Road to Chavez Jr. vs Vera II (HBO Sports)

Pelullo talks Boxcino 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  PHILADELPHIA (FEBRUARY 17, 2014)--This Friday night at the Edgewater Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, the quarterfinals of the lightweight portion of Boxcino 2014 will get underway on ESPN's Friday Night Fights.   The concept of the tournament was hatched in 1996 by Banner Promotions Arthur Pelullo and the idea came to fruition a year later.   "17 years ago, I was 41-years old and I was trying to figure a way to find fighters to advance my business,"said Pelullo.   "I came up with an idea to do a tournament.  That tournament consisted of 4 weight divisions and 8 countries."   "I was fortunate to find several fighters that went on to make a good living in boxing.  One of the fighters we thought that would become a big star was JC Candelo."   Candelo has had a nice career as he competed for a world title, but it was one fighter in particular that went on to super-stardom.   "Out of all the fighters, there was a young kid from Brazil named Acelino "Popo" Freitas.  He was 9-0 with 9 knockouts."   "He went on to a record of 39-2 with 33 knockouts and he won 4-world titles.  Freitas has one of the highest knockout percentages in history and he defended the title 10 times. He turned out to be my most successful fighter to date.  I now promote his nephew Vitor Jones de Olivera (1-0, 1 KO)."   Pelullo believes that another Freitas or two could be among the roster of fighters that have entered in the lightweight and middleweight tournament.   "I am hoping that Boxcino 2014 will find us some young fighters that we can take their careers to the top of the sport."   "I believe that within this crop of young fighters there could be a few of them that will take their careers to the very top of boxing."     The show will begin at 9pm eastern / 6pm Pacific on :  ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN The 1st round of the lightweight tournament will feature: Yakubu Amidu (21-4-2, 19 KO's) vs Chris Rudd (12-1, 8 KO's) Fedor Papazov (14-0, 9 KO's) vs Petr Petrov (32-4-2, 15 KO's) Miguel Gonzalez (22-3, 16 KO's) vs Miguel Angel Mendoza (21-2-2, 21 KO's) Fernando Carcamo (15-5, 12 KO's) vs Samuel Neequaye (21-0, 15 KO's)      February 21st lightweight quarter final FIGHT WEEK SCHEDULE: HOTEL & EVENT LOCATION:             Edgewater Casino 2020 South Casino Drive, Laughlin, Nevada 89029 Phone: (702) 298-2453 Thursday, Feb. 20th Weigh-in: 5:00 PM Location: Edgewater Casino - Rio Vista Room (down stairs next to the Buffet) Friday, Feb. 21st Fight Night: E Center at the Edgewater Casino Doors open - 4:30 PM First fight (and first fight on ESPN) - 6:00 PM

JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ, JR. vs. BRYAN VERA II SAN ANTONIO PRESS CONFERENCE This Thursday! January 16, at 2 P.M. CT The Alamodome

JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ, JR. vs. BRYAN VERA II SAN ANTONIO PRESS CONFERENCE This Thursday!  January 16, at 2 P.M. CT The Alamodome OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

SAN ANTONIO, TX (January 14, 2014) -- Former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion and Son of the Legend JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ JR., his opponent, Top-Five contender and tough Texan BRYAN VERA,Houston's former World Lightweight Champion JUAN  DIAZ, Hall of Fame Promoter BOB ARUM, Zanfer Promotions' FERNANDO  BELTRAN, two-time heavyweight champion GEORGE FOREMAN and ARTHUR PELULLO,President of Banner Promotions, will host a news conference announcing the eagerly-awaited rematch -- Chávez Jr. vs. Vera II -- This Thursday!  January 16, in the Alamodome (Stadium Floor - South end.)  Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. CT with the news conference beginning at 2:00 p.m. CT.             The press conference will be open to the public.             Media may park in Lot A, located at the South side of the Alamodome, and enter through the tunnel entrance at the arena's South side near the back loading dock.             Chávez (47-1-1, 32 KOs), of Culiacán, México, making his 2014 debut in his first fight in San Antonio in over two years, and Vera (23-7, 14 KOs), of Austin, TX, will go mano a mano again in a super middleweight bout that both combatants vow will settle the score from their controversial September 28, 2013 fistic debate which was won by Chávez Jr.  Chávez Jr. vs. Vera II will be televised live from the Alamodome, Saturday, March 1 on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.  The telecast will open with two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist and 2013 Prospect of the Year, VASYL LOMACHENKO (1-0, 1 KO), in only his second professional bout, challenging World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion ORLANDO SALIDO (40-12-2, 28 KOs), of México.  Diaz (38-4, 19 KOs) will continue his comeback bid in the featured bout on the non-televised undercard.                 Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Banner Promotions, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, tickets to Chávez vs. Vera II go on sale This Friday!  January 17, at Noon CT.  Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25 (plus applicable taxes and fees), can be purchased at the Alamodome box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000.             For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.banner-promotions.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo,facebook.com/banner-promotions  or facebook.com/hboboxing , and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, twitter.com/bannerboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.

BANNER PROMOTIONS SIGNS UNDEFEATED LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT MICHAEL SEALS TO PROMOTIONAL CONTRACT

BANNER PROMOTIONS SIGNS UNDEFEATED LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT MICHAEL SEALS TO PROMOTIONAL CONTRACT

PHILADELPHIA, PA (OCTOBER 28, 2013)--Arthur Pelullo’s Banner Promotions is proud to announce the signing of undefeated light heavyweight Michael Seals to an exclusive promotional contract.

Seals of Atlanta, Georgia has record of 16-0 with 12 KO’s.

Seals began boxing after attending college at Alabama A&M.  He began training at the Paul Murphy Boxing Club in Atlanta where his trained by “Sugar” Bert Wells.  After a brief amateur career, Seals turned professional on November 25, 2008 with a 2nd round stoppage over Ousman McClain in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Seals proceeded to stop undefeated Michael Sunkett.  He also has wins over battle-tested veterans DeAndrey Abron, Robbie Tovar and Adam Collins.

Seals scored his signature victory when he stopped former world champion Byron Mitchell in the first round on December 8, 2012.

Seals is coming off a second  round stoppage over 41 fight veteran William Johnson on September 7th.

“I am excited to be a part of Banner Promotions,” said Seals. “I know they can do a lot of big things and can take my career to the next level.”

“Within the next year, I will be looking to be in the top 15 and will be fighting for the world title by 2015.  Banner Promotions will provide me with the opportunity to introduce me to the world.  I feel like i am the most talented light heavyweight and i know the world will be excited to see that,” finished Seals.

Seals is managed by Atlanta attorney Keishan Davis.

“The kid loves boxing and is such a gym rat that he sleeps in between his workouts at the gym.  He has been told to slow down and he basically lives at the gym.  We are very excited to be with Banner Promotions.  They have shown they can get fighters to the highest level and they will provide Michael that avenue.”

Said Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo, “We have been talking to Michael for a little bit and we are very happy to have him in the fold.  He has great potential and we will give him the opportunity to showcase the skills that we believe can take him very far.”

Seals, who stands 6 foot 2, was raised in Mobile, Alabama and has a college degree in physical education from Alabama A&M.

He will see action on November 9 against veteran Steve Walker in Norcross, Georgia.