Warriors Signs World-Ranked Light Heavyweight Michael Seals

Warriors Boxing proudly announces the signing of undefeated Mobile, Alabama, light heavyweight Michael Seals (18-0, 14 KOs). A latecomer, 32-year-old Seals started boxing at age 23, after a successful career as a linebacker for Alabama A&M University. But Seals has wasted no time catching up. "Boxing was something I always wanted to do as kid, but coming from the south, especially Alabama, it's all about football, so I played," explained Seals. "I never really had a chance to box. Once I got done with football, I found a gym in Decatur, Alabama, and started there. I fell in love after the first time I sparred. I said 'man, I should have been doing this my whole life.' I was wasting my time with football. I could have been world champion three or four times over by now." Seals had just five amateur fights, but went on a world tour of sorts, sparring with many of the world's top fighters. "I've sparred with lots of world champs and top contenders. Most of the people I sparred with back then were pros, ranked contenders and champs and former champs. I've even been to camp with Wladimir Klitschko and held my own. He's a super hero, but I didn't embarrass myself. Sparring with these guys was like a fight every time out. I was traveling their homes and you know how that goes. They try to make an example of you. I had to fight for my life, basically." Seals is currently rated WBC #25 and says he looks to his new promoters to help him move further and further up the ladder. "I've been knowing about Warriors since I started boxing. Since way back when Glen Johnson knocked out Roy Jones Junior. I've always had a healthy respect for their company. And I was always open to signing with them. My trainer, Sugar Burt, has had a long relationship with (Warriors Matchmaker and Coordinator) Chico Rivas since he was 12 years old. We had been talking about signing with Warriors for a long time. I just got out of my previous contract and now Warriors is back on the prowl, doing their thing again. So we revisited the situation and chose to go with Warriors. Hopefully by the end of the year I will at least be in the top 5 if not fighting for a world title. My ultimate goal is to win a super middleweight championship and then move back up and win a light heavyweight title and then win a cruiserweight belt." Warriors Boxing President, Leon Margules, says he's happy to have Seals joining his stable. "Michael didn't have a huge amateur career, but he's a natural talent and we're very excited about his prospects for the future. He has the power and the ability to become a major force at 168, 175 and even cruiserweight." Seals says he prides himself on being a throwback type of fighter. "My style is more of a James Tony/Bernard Hopkins. I use the shoulder roll and angles with subtle movements. I use the ring like you're supposed to, without using a whole lot of energy. I'm real smooth. I like to roll punches and slip punches in the pocket and counter." # # # About Warriors Boxing Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation. With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table. When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield. For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

SZYMANSKI MAKES MOST OF OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE, NOW RETURNING TO CHICAGO HAILED AS 'THE NEXT GREAT POLISH BOXER IN CHICAGO'

Undefeated junior middleweight Patryk Szymanski (11-0, 6 KOs) knew it was his chance to shine Last February at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago and he did not disappoint. So impressive was Szymanski, in stopping Michigan's Daniel Hicks in two brutal rounds, he's now being hailed by some pretty important people as the next great Polish boxer being showcased in Chicago. Having caught the eye of, and signed with, co-promoter Leon Margules of Florida-based Warriors Boxing, the 21-year-old has since left his native Poland and is now living and training at the Contenders Gym in Fort Lauderdale, working with reputable trainer Chico Rivas. Szymanski will appear in a featured eight-round bout on Friday, December 12, 2014, at the UIC Pavilion when Warriors Boxing Promotions presents a 14-fight "Holiday Boxing Bash" in Chicago. In the night's main event, undefeated former amateur star Rau'shee Warren (12-0, 3 KOs) will go 10 rounds in the bantamweight division. Also featured will be Chicago up-and-comer Jose F. Quezada (4-0, 3 KOs) in a lightweight six-rounder and Aurora, Illinois super lightweight Eddie Ramírez (6-0, 4 KOs) in a six-rounder. Tickets start at $31 and are available at Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.comor call: 1-800-745-3000, the Warriors Offices: 312-622-7668 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740, or visit the UIC Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM). They can also be purchased the night of the event. "Since I was a young boy, I have always wanted to be a boxer," said Szymanski. "This is realizing my dream, so of course it's a great thing! It all started with my co-promoter in the States, Mariusz Kolodziej from Global Boxing. He arranged for me to fight in Chicago. Leon (Margules from Warriors Boxing) saw me in February and he liked what he saw, so he signed me." Szymanski, who had over 250 amateur fights and spent seven years on the Polish national team before turning professional, comes from a fighting family in his native Warsaw. His father, Grzegorz, was also a boxer and his first trainer. "I'm very close with my family and they support me completely. Boxing was a really important part of my upbringing," continued Szymanski. "My father was a fighter, so he introduced me to boxing. He was my trainer also until we came to the moment when my dad decided he could do no more for me." And so Szymanski is now living with and working hard for renowned trainer Chico Rivas. Rivas has some high praise for his new pupil. "This kid is something special," said Rivas. "He's a very entertaining boxer/puncher, but he's also very strong technically. He's got some power too. He can get you out of there". On a personal level, Rivas says Szymanski is fairly unique among fighters. "How many fighters are going to take their trainer out for dinner?" he asked. "Never before. They always want you to pay. This kid works hard in the gym every day and he's a nice kid. Very polite and well-mannered." Szymanski says that while he misses his parents and friends back home, the chance to actually become the new face of Polish boxing in the United States and the world is too important. An opinion shared by the members of his circle. "Their dreams are my dreams. I stay in steady contact with them because it's very important, especially for my father, to know what's going on with me. They all want this just as badly as I do."

Warriors Re-Signs 'Mantequilla' Gonzalez to Promotional Agreement; Puerto Rican Slugger Relocates to Florida

Leon Margules, President of Warriors Boxing, proudly announces the signing of Puerto Rican junior middleweight contender Jonathan "Mantequilla" Gonzalez (16-0-1, 13 KOs) to an exclusive promotional contract. Despite being considered a red-hot power-punching force in the 154-lb division, promotional problems had kept the 24-year-old Gonzalez out of the ring since last January. Margules says after a couple of return fights, Gonzalez will step directly into a high-profile showcase. "We've relocated him from Puerto Rico to Florida to train. He's 100% focused now and ready to live up to his reputation as the 'Next Puerto Rican Superstar,'" said Margules. "We're going to let him shake off some ring rust, starting December 6 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago and then go to work getting him a title shot or an important fight to get back in the mix." Gonzalez had run up a streak of 13 consecutive knockouts to begin his career, drawing comparisons to a young Tito Trinidad, before going the distance in his last four fights, including a draw with former world champion Serhiy Dzinziruk. One of the goals for the newly refocused Gonzalez will be to return to his past power-punching ways. "This kid is a true old-time fighter," added longtime boxing expert Luis DeCubas. "He's slick, but he can punch. That's what he'll be working on with his trainers, John David Jackson and Chico Rivas: sitting down on his shots more and going back to the destroyer he was earlier in his career. Now that he's in Florida training full-time, he's a lot more focused and away from the distractions back home. He'll be coming in on-weight and ready to go." As an amateur, Gonzalez had over 160 fights and won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a professional, he has held the NABO and WBA Fedelatin titles and was named to ESPN Columnist Dan Rafael's Super 25 list of the best prospects of 2011. "Jonathan has all the talent and experience to become a star," continued Margules. "We've made several adjustments to his training routine, including the relocation. We think a Jonathan Gonzalez who is focused and without distraction is a formidable force in one of boxing's best divisions." Gonzalez's opponent for December 6 in Chicago is still TBA. In the 12-round main event that night, WBC Cruiserweight Champion Krzysztof "Diablo" Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 34 KOs) of Warsaw, Poland, will attempt to make the sixth defense of his title and complete an epic trilogy of fights with Milan, Italy's former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Giacobbe "Gabibbo" Fragomeni (31-3-2, 12 KOs). Tickets for "World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3" are priced at VIP $201, VIP Ringside $151, Ringside $101, Box Mezzanine $76, Reserved Mezzanine $51, and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740. ABOUT 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS 8 Count Productions, Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.  Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world-class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.  For more information on 8 Count Productions/Round 3 Productions please visit their new website, www.8countproductions.com. ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation. With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to it's credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table. When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield. For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.