*****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."

MEDINA GOING TO 'WOODS' TO TAKE NABF BELT BACK FROM NELSON

March 1 ESPN Friday Night Fights co-feature at MGM Grand at Foxwoods   Michael "El Magnifico" Medina (photo by Chris Farina)  NEW YORK (February 27, 2013) - Former North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion Michael "El Magnifico" Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) challenges present NABF titleholder Willie "The Great" Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) tomorrow in the 10-round co-feature on ESPN Friday Night Fights, airing live from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. "I wasn't active," Medina explained, regarding why he was stripped by the NABF. "Now, I'm getting my belt back. I feel that it's really still my belt. He's the NABF champion but he didn't take my belt from me. I'm looking forward to this fight. He's a strong, young fighter and it'll be awesome to add his name to my resume. A win will take me from this level to a higher one with bigger fights. I'm confident that, after this fight, I'll be getting more fights on television networks." The ESPN Friday Night Fights card, co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent's SMS Promotions, 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. 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 his title against undefeated Russian challenger Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs), who is rated No. 11 by the IBF. WBC No. 17-ranked Medina captured the NABF belt on December 22, 2011, winning a 10-round decision over veteran Grady Brewer. However, Medina was later stripped of his belt because he failed to defend his title due to him being unable to land fights, not because he turned down opponents. "He didn't have a promoter and Mike just got caught in the middle of things," his manager Steve Feder noted. "I wasn't with him until his last fight which, ironically, was on the same card (Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. PPV, September 15, 2012, in Las Vegas) that Willie Nelson last fought. So, Mike will be fighting for the same belt that he didn't lose in the ring. He signed with Lou (DiBella) and now he's in a fight to get his belt back. He's always wanted to be in these kinds of fights. This is a good fight for both guys. "Mike's a good boxer who adapts well depending on who he's fighting. He gets a lot of different looks sparring at Wild Card Gym. Eric Brown (Medina's trainer) has done a good job with him. Mike likes to mix it up. He's hoping that the two of them stand there and go at it. He's not looking to box and move, which should make for a lot of action." Nelson won the vacant 154-pound title stripped from Medina by way of a 10-round decision in his aforementioned title fight against World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth champion and Virgin Islands Olympian, John "Dah Rock" Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs). Standing 6'4" with an imposing 84-inch reach, WBC No. 5-rated Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) is a freakishly built super welterweight, against whom Medina will be giving away three-and-a-half inches in height, as well as a nine-inch reach advantage. "It's unusual," Medina spoke about fighting such a tall opponent. "I haven't fought guys that tall but I have been sparring with taller guys, middleweights and super middleweights, and I've also been working with good technical boxers like (Nobuhiro) Ishida. He's a good teacher and I'm comfortable that I'll benefit from that. "He's (Nelson) tall but I've watched some tapes of his fights and he likes to fight on the inside. If he does, that will help me because I'm aggressive. His height and reach can only be a factor if he jabs and moves, but we've been working on different strategies for whatever way he fights." 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.

SOLID UNDERCARD ANNOUNCED FOR DIB-GRADOVICH

PRESS RELEASE March 1 ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS at MGM Grand at Foxwoods NEW YORK (February 26, 2013) - Co-promoters DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent's SMS Promotions have announced a solid undercard supporting this week's ESPN Friday Night Fights event, featuring International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight Champion Billy "The Kid" Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21 KOs) defending his title against undefeated Russian challenger Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs), airing live (9 p.m. ET start) from the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The 12-round main event pits Australia-native Dib, promoted by 50 Cent, against Gradovich. In the 10-round ESPN Friday Night Fights co-feature, North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion Willie "The Great" Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) makes his first title defense against Michael "El Magnifico" Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs). The Nelson-Medina fight is being promoted in association with Rumble Time Promotions. The event is sponsored by SMS Audio.  Undefeated prospect Ryan "Polish Prince" Kielczweski (15-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of Quincy (MA), takes on Houston's Gil "La Metrealleta" Garcia (5-3-1, 1 KO) in an eight-round junior lightweight bout. Another unbeaten New Englander, New Haven super bantamweight Luis "KO King" Rosa Jr. (12-0, 6 KOs), is matched against New York City-veteran Jhovany Collado (4-5-2, 1 KO) in an eight-rounder. World Boxing Association (WBA) No. 11-rated welterweight Charlie Ota (21-1, 15 KOs), fighting out of Japan by way of Harlem, has been added to the card in a six-round bout against hard-hitting Brandon "The Business" Baue (12-9, 10 KOs). Ota joined the US Navy in 2000 and was stationed in Japan.  Reigning OPBF and Japanese champion Ota was slated to fight this past Thursday in New York City but the fight fell through.  Baue, who lives in Troy, Missouri, lost a six-round decision in his last action to former world champion Yuri Foreman. The fastest rising New England female boxer, New London's (Conn.) undefeated junior featherweight Shelly "Shelito's Way" Vincent (7-0), who is trained by Peter Manfredo Sr. in Rhode Island, faces Mikayla Nebel (0-3) in a six-round fight. Also fighting on the undercard in four-round bouts are former Southern Connecticut State College football player, New Haven junior middleweight Jimmy Williams (1-0, 1 KO), against Raynard Younger (0-1), from Georgia, and Arizona junior welterweight Luis Olivares makes his professional debut versus Houston's Rafael Munoz (1-1), while Cincinnati lightweight Donte Strayhorn meets Cranston's (RI) Joe Pingitore in a battle of pro-debut fighters.    The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and 50 cent's SMS Promotions and sponsored by SMS Audio. Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40, may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods' box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods' box office. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Japanese champion Charlie Ota makes American debut Saturday night in birthplace

Martinez vs. Macklin, Rodriguez vs. George

Charlie Ota



NEW YORK (March 14, 2012) - The circuitous journey for Charlie Ota (19-1, 13 KOs), aka Charles Bellamy, comes full circle Saturday night in New York City as the 30-year-old junior middleweight makes his American debut, ironically, in the city in which he was born, nearly 6,800 miles from where he lives in Tokyo.



Ota faces veteran Gundrick "Sho-Gun" King (16-7, 11 KOs) in an eight-round bout on the undercard of "THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up" card, presented by DiBella Entertainment, Saturday evening (St. Patrick's Day) in The Theater at Madison Square Garden.



The 12-round main event features World Middleweight Champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez (48-2-2, 27 KOs), Ring Magazine's No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter, defending against former European champion Matthew "Mack the Knife" Macklin (28-3, 19 KOs). Undefeated super middleweight contender Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (20-0, 14 KOs) takes on Don "Da Bomb" George (22-1-1, 19 KOs) in the 10-round "Bombs Away" co-feature that has possible future world title shot implications. Martinez-Macklin and Rodriguez-George will both air live on HBO's "World Championship Boxing," starting at 10PM ET/7PM PT.



Tickets, priced at $505, $355, $205, $125 and $65, are available to purchase through the Madison Square Garden Box Office, through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (866) 858-0008. Call DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577, visit www.dbe1.com and @loudibella on Twitter for more information.



"Everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, including Charlie, a kid from Harlem adopted by the people of Japan," show promoter Lou DiBella joked. "This is a unique homecoming for him, fighting halfway around the world, for the first time where he was born. Charlie is an exciting fighter who people are going to love to watch in action."



Ota was born in Harlem, where he lived for six years, eventually moving to South Carolina and then Maryland. In 2000, Charlie joined the U.S. Navy and chose to be stationed in Japan on the USS Gary, until being honorably discharged in 2004. Charlie briefly returned home to live in the United States but soon permanently moved to Japan. The only time he's left, until now for this fight, was after last year's devastating earthquake in Japan, returning home to Maryland to visit his mother and ensure family and friends that he was okay.



"Charlie came back because of the fight in him," his promoter Issei Nakaya remarked. "He has the patience and determination of a Japanese person. Charlie returned to Japan after our earthquake disaster and fought May 19 (2011) on a day called 'The Day of Boxing' by Japanese fans. It marks the day Japan's first world champion, Yoshio Shirai, won his title. I was very happy Charlie fought in the main event (W-TKO9 vs. Tadashi Yuba) on such a special day for Japanese boxing fans. He fought not only for himself, but for all Japanese who had suffered huge damages. I'd like to thank Lou DiBella for giving Charlie a chance to further his boxing career and represent Japan on this great U.S. show."



Originally, Charlie started taking college classes to work in Japan as an English tutor/teacher, and he soon found a nearby gym (Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym) to work out and keep in shape. "I decided to take up boxing and soon became pretty good at it," Ota explained. "Growing up, I always did a lot of fight training with a friend. Even in the military, I would hang a punching bag up in the helicopter hangar to work out. I soon became pretty good at it and decided to turn pro and see how far I'd go in boxing. I'm very happy that I got a chance to really see Japan and become a fighter at the same time. When I first came to Japan, I was on a ship that was often at sea, so I didn't get to really see Japan until I moved there."



Ota has done very well in the ring, too, capturing the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation ("OPBF") and Japanese junior middleweight titles two years ago, followed by six successful title defenses, and he is presently rated No. 9 by the World Boxing Association ("WBA"), as well as No. 19 by the World Boxing Council ("WBC").



"I started boxing at 24," Ota added. "I had to put school on hold to box. I remember a lot of people telling me I was too old and that it was too late for me to be a professional boxer. I believed in my ability and wanted to see for myself. I'm happy with my success so far and still believe the best is yet to come."



Charlie Ota may turn out to be the best thing from Japan to hit New York City since sushi.



DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT

DiBella Entertainment builds upon the unique insights Lou DiBella developed as a television executive and matchmaker to combat the contractual exploitation of professional boxers. DiBella Entertainment creates a business model that shifts the balance of power from promoters to boxers; and establishes a legacy of matchmaking excellence, both in an effort to improve the health of the boxing industry. DiBella Entertainment represents its athletes with honesty and integrity all while making the best and fairest financial deals for its clients.



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For more information, visit us at www.dbe1.com, follow us at Twitter @loudibella, or check us out at Facebook/DiBella Entertainment.



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Follow Sergio Martinez on Twitter @maravillabox, Mathew Macklin @mattmacklin, Edwin Rodriguez @labombaboxing, and Donovan George @dondabombgeorge