Conn. Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Dinner A Big Hit at Mohegan Sun

2012 CBHOF Induction Dinner Photo Gallery See Below (all pictures by Richard A. Esposito) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNCASVILLE, Conn. (November 20, 2012) - More than 500 people attended this past Saturday night's 8th annual Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) Gala Induction Dinner in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun. CHBOF Class of 2012 "Tremendous" Travis Simms "Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt Freddie Roach Jimmy Burchfield, Sr.  George Cruz Lou Viscusi 2012 CBHOF Award Winners Tony "TNT" Grano, Professional Boxer of the Year Elvis Figueroa, Jr., Amateur Boxer of the Year Dick Flaherty, Official of the Year Mitchell Etess, Contributor To Boxing Go online to www.ctboxinghof.com for more information about the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame.    TRAVIS SIMMS     (L-R)  CBHOF president Glenn Feldman, Mr. & Mrs. Tarvis Simms, and MC Delvin Rodriguez.   DANA ROSENBLATT (L-R) CBHOF president Glenn Feldman, Dana Rosenblatt and MC Delvin Rodriguez. FREDDIE ROACH (L-R) CBHOF president Glenn Feldman, Freddie Roach's nephews, and MC Delvin Rodriguez. JIMMY BURCHFIELD, SR.    (L-R) CBHOF president Glenn Feldman, Jimmy Burchfield Jr., Jimmy Burchfield Sr. and MC Delvin Rodriguez. GEORGE CRUZ     (L-R) CHOF president Glenn Feldman, CBHOF board member Danny Schiavone, George Cruz, former World Champion and past CBHOF inductee Marlon Starling, and MC Delvin Rodriguez. TONY GRANO   (L-R) CBHOF president Glenn Feldman, Tony Grano and Delvin Rodriguez.   ELVIS FIGUEROA, JR.     (L-R) CBHOF president Glenn Feldman, CBHOF board member Roland Roy, Elvis Figueroa Sr., Luis Rosa Sr., Elvis Figueroa, and MC Delvin Rodriguez. DICK FLAHERTY   (L-R) CBHOF president Glenn Feldman, CBHOF board member Mike Mazzulli, Dick Flaherty, and MC Delvin Rodriguez. MITCHELL ETESS   (L-R) CBHOF president Glenn Feldman, Chief of the Mohegan Tribe Lynn Malerda (accepting on behalf of Mr. Etess), MC Delvin Rodriguez and CBHOF board member Don Trella.

Limited tickets available for Saturday night's 2012 Conn. Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Dinner at Mohegan Sun

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (November 13, 2012) - Limited tickets are still available to purchase for Saturday night's (Nov. 17) 8th annual Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) Gala Induction Dinner in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun. All of the 2012 CBHOF Hall of Fame inductees, as well as this year's CBHOF award winners, will be honored this Saturday evening. Tickets, priced at $75.00, are on sale now by calling Kim Baker at Mohegan Sun (1.860-.862.7377) or Sherman Cain at the Manchester Journal Inquirer (1.800.237.3606 X321). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET, cocktails at 6 p.m. ET, followed by dinner. The incoming class of CBHOF inductees include former World Boxing Association (WBA) light middleweight champion "Tremendous" Travis Simms, former World Boxing Union (WBU) middleweight titlist "Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt, five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, promoter Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.), manager George Cruz and the late manager/promoter Lou Viscusi. The 2012 award winners are Tony "TNT" Grano, Conn. Professional Boxer of the Year; Elvis Figueroa, Conn. Amateur Boxer of the Year; Dick Flaherty, Official of the Year; Mitchell Etess, Contributor To Boxing Go online to www.ctboxinghof.com for more information about the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame.

2012 Conn. Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee Dana Rosenblatt A winner in and out of ring

"Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt UNCASVILLE, Conn. (August 16, 2012) - Former World Boxing Union middleweight champion "Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt, who is an incoming member of the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame's (CBHOF) Class of 2012, retired 10 years ago from the ring and has become a highly successful mortgage broker. All of the 2012 CBHOF Hall of Fame inductees, as well as this year's CBHOF award winners, will be honored on Saturday night, November 17 at the 8th annual Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) Gala Induction in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun. The 40-year-old Rosenblatt (37-1-2, 23 KOs) was forced to hang up his gloves due to a series of injuries that, unfortunately, hampered his effectiveness and kept him out of the ring for long stretches. "I never finished all I wanted to do and stopped fighting at 30, not because I wanted to, but I had to because of my hand and shoulder injuries," Rosenblatt explained. "It just got so inconsistent (fighting) and then I got a shot (mortgage broker) at what I could consistently do for the rest of my life. I would have kept boxing if I could but it was injury after injury. I hit the mortgage business at the right time and built it to where it is today. I hit it right." The newest class of CBHOF inductees also include former World Boxing Association (WBA) light middleweight champion "Tremendous" Travis Simms, five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, promoter Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.), manager George Cruz and the late manager/promoter Lou Viscusi. The 2012 award winners are Tony "TNT" Grano, Conn. Professional Boxer of the Year; Elvis Figueroa, Conn. Amateur Boxer of the Year; Dick Flaherty, Official of the Year; Mitchell Etess, Contributor To Boxing Rosenblatt fought 13 times as a professional in Connecticut, winning 12 with one draw. He fought out of Malden (MA), resides with his family in Brookline (MA), and works at Reliant Mortgage in Beverly (MA). In 1996, Dana won the WBU middleweight title in 1996, stopping 1976 U.S. Olympian Howard Davis in the second round at the Fleet Center in Boston. Dana added the International Boxing Association (IBA) middleweight title belt to his collection in 1998 with a win by 12-round decision over four-time World champion Terry Norris. A year later, Rosenblatt avenged his lone loss as a pro by way of a 12-round decision against 2011 CBHOF inductee Vinny Paz at Foxwoods Resort Casino for the International Boxing Organization (IBO) super middleweight championship.       "I've been going to the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame induction dinner for 6 years," Rosenblatt said. "It's a nice ceremony. I think it's good that they reached out to guys who aren't from Connecticut but who made an impact fighting at the casinos (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun) there. I fought there a lot and had some of my most significant fights there. I'm happy to be going in the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame. "I have nothing to do with boxing today. I still watch and go to some fights, but I'm not involved in boxing. I spend most of my time working, it's an hour drive to and from home to my office, and watching my two daughters - ages 11 and 6 - grow up." Tickets for the CBHOF 8th annual Gala Induction Dinner, reasonably priced at $75.00, are on sale now by calling Kim Baker at Mohegan Sun (1.860-.862.7377) or Sherman Cain at the Manchester Journal Inquirer (1.800.237.3606 X321). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET, cocktails at 6 p.m. ET, followed by dinner. Go online to www.ctboxinghof.com for more information about the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame.

Baltimore Boxing presents “Bully Beatdown” October 20!

 

VINNY PAZ TO ATTEND AS SPECIAL GUEST!

 

For Immediate Release

 

Baltimore, MD (October 4, 2012) – Jake Smith’s Baltimore Boxing Promotions returns to the Du Burns Arena Saturday, October 20 for the first ever “Bully Beatdown” fight card.

 

In association with Jack Crowe’s Rew Materials of Baltimore, Diamond Detail and Northwest Honda/BMW, Baltimore Boxing Promotions’ “Bully Beatdown” will be an entertaining evening featuring ten Olympic-style bouts along with educational information about anti-bullying.

 

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Smith, a Marylandand DC Boxing Hall of Famer who teamed up with various causes in the past. “Bullying nationwide is at an all-time high and must be stopped immediately. If we all pitch in and promote anti-bullying, lives literally will be saved.”

 

Advanced general admission tickets for $20, floor seating at $30 and VIP seats for $50 are available by calling 410-375-9175 or logging onto BaltimoreBoxing.com. All VIP ticketholders can enjoy free hors d'oeuvres and half priced drinks from 7-8 pm.

 

VIP ticketholders also have exclusive access to meet and greet five-time world champion and boxing great Vinny Paz, the event’s special guest attendee. Paz, who participated in some of the most exciting fights in boxing history, defeated the likes of Hall of Famer Roberto Duran (twice), Lloyd Honeyghan, Gilbert Dele, Greg Haugen and Dana Rosenblatt among others.

 

Headlining the card is an East Coast Middleweight Championship bout between titlist Jerome Featherstone of Baltimore and upset-minded Keith Samuels. A former standout in both wrestling and football that fights out of the Baltimore Boxing and Fitness Gym, Featherstone is undefeated in the squared circle and continues to improve each time out. A tough and experienced fighter, Samuels comes from the talent-rich Washington, DC area.

The Featherstone-Samuels match is scheduled for three rounds.

 

In supporting bouts, junior welterweight Alex Livichuzhca meets Jose Cabb in a battle of Baltimoreans, while former Penn State Boxing captain AJ Williams meets Bobby Sha of York, PA in a middleweight matchup. Former Detroit Tigers prospect Ryan Roberson of Silver Spring, MD will swap his baseball bat for a pair of gloves when he faces Mike Lloyd in a heavyweight contest. Local favorites Kerry Brewster, Ira Seidel and Keyan Coleman are also slated to appear in separate bouts.

 

Doors for “Bully Beatdown” open at 6:30 pm and the first bout is scheduled for 8:15.

 

For more information, go to Baltimoreboxing.com.

 

Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Award Winners

Tony "TNT" Grano (Photo by David Martin Ware) UNCASVILLE, Conn. (October 3, 2012) - North American Boxing Federation (NABF) heavyweight champion Tony "TNT" Grano has been named the 2012 Connecticut Professional Boxer of the Year by the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame. Grano and the other 2012 award winners - Elvis Figueroa, Conn. Amateur Boxer of the Year; Dick Flaherty, Official of the Year; Mitchell Etess, Contributor To Boxing - will be honored November 17 at the 8th annual Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) Gala Induction in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun. The 2012 CBHOF Hall of Fame inductees are former World Boxing Association (WBA) light middleweight champion "Tremendous" Travis Simms, former World Boxing Union (WBU) middleweight titlist "Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt, five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, promoter Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.), manager George Cruz and the late manager/promoter Lou Viscusi. The 31-year-old Grano (20-2-1, 16 KOs), fighting out of Hebron (CT) by way of Hartford, is the first recipient of Conn Boxer of the Year award as a professional and amateur. He was selected as the amateur winner in the inaugural year of the CBHOF, after Grano captured a gold medal at the 2005 U.S. National Championships and silver medal at the National Golden Gloves Tournament. The hard-hitting Grano, now promoted by legendary Don King, has had two significant fights this year, stopping Brian Minto (35-4) in the third-round of their NABF title eliminator, and knocking out former world title challenger DaVarryl Williamson (27-6) in the fourth round this past June for the vacant NABF title. Grano is rated No. 10 in the world by the World Boxing Council (WBC). Figueroa, who celebrates his 16th birthday on Monday, is a light heavyweight from New Haven who has a 19-3 amateur record. He is a two-time Silver Gloves champion, who captured a gold medal at this year's National Junior Olympics Tournament in Mobile, Alabama. Flaherty is an International boxing judge and retired referee. Now living in G;astonbury (CT), he has judged a reported 26 world championships since he started in 1987, including the recent Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Josesito Lopez match in Las Vegas. Dick started refereeing in 1969 and he recently retired in that role. Although he primarily refereed fights held in New England, he was the third man in the ring for three world title fights, including Sergio Mora's upset of the late Vernon Forrest for the WBC light middleweight champion at Mohegan Sun in 2008. Mitchell Etess   Etess, who lives in East Lyme (CT), is the Chief Executive Officer of the Mohegan Sun Gaming Authority. He first came to Mohegan Sun in 2004 and served as CEO and President of Mohegan Sun. Mitchell was responsible for overseeing management and operations at Mohegan Sun, which developed into one of the premier venues in the United States for boxing. Tickets for the 8th annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner, reasonably priced at $75.00, are on sale now by calling Kim Baker at Mohegan Sun (1.860-.862.7377) or Sherman Cain at the Manchester Journal Inquirer (1.800.237.3606 X321). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET, cocktails at 6 p.m. ET, followed by dinner. Go online to www.ctboxinghof.com for additional information about the CBHOF.

Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Dinner Rescheduled for Nov. 17

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (September 5, 2012) - The 8th annual Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) Gala Induction Dinner has been rescheduled for November 17, one week after the original date, in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun. The 2012 CBHOF inductees are former World Boxing Association (WBA) light middleweight champion "Tremendous" Travis Simms, former World Boxing Union (WBU) middleweight titlist "Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt, five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, promoter Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.), manager George Cruz and the late manager/promoter Lou Viscusi. Tickets for the 8th annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner, reasonably priced at $75.00, are on sale now by calling Kim Baker at Mohegan Sun (1.860-.862.7377) or Sherman Cain at the Manchester Journal Inquirer (1.800.237.3606 X321). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET, cocktails at 6 p.m. ET, followed by dinner. Go online to www.ctboxinghof.com for additional information about the CBHOF.

Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2012 Officially Announced

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (August 16, 2012) - The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) has officially announced its Class of 2012. New members will be inducted at the 8th annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner on Saturday night, November 10 at the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun. The new CBHOF inductees are former World Boxing Association (WBA) light middleweight champion "Tremendous" Travis Simms, former World Boxing Union (WBU) middleweight titlist "Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt, five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, promoter Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.), manager George Cruz and the late manager/promoter Lou Viscusi. "This year's class has great individuals and is an eclectic group comprised of world champion boxers, promoters, managers and trainers," CHBOF president and Class of 2011 inductee Glenn Feldman said. "We even have a direct link to Connecticut's greatest fighter of all-time, Willie Pep (inaugural CBHOF class), through Lou Viscusi." The 41-year-old Simms, fighting out of Norwalk, captured the WBA World light middleweight crown on December 13, 2003, stopping defending champion Alejandro Garcia in the fifth round of their fight in Atlantic City. Simms successfully defended his title against Bronco McKart (DEC2) and Jose Antonio Rivera(TKO9). Travis, whose twin brother Tarvis Simms also was a world-class boxer, currently is a member of the Norwalk Town Council. Rosenblatt (37-1-2, 23 KOs), 40, fought 13 times as a professional in Connecticut, winning 12 with one draw. Rosenblatt, who hails from Malden (MA), won the WBU middleweight title in 1996, stopping 1976 U.S. Olympian Howard Davis in the second round at the Fleet Center in Boston. Dana added the International Boxing Association middleweight title belt to his collection in 1998 with a win by 12-round decision over Terry Norris. In 1999, Rosenblatt avenged his lone loss as a pro via a 12-round decision against 2011 CBHOF inductee Vinny Paz at Foxwoods Resort Casino for the International Boxing Organization (IBO) super middleweight championship.. Roach, a native of Dedham (MA), was a popular New England boxer who went on to greatness as a trainer and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame this year. Roach was CBHOF inductee Marlon Starling's chief second when Starling captured his first world championship. Roach has trained 20 world champions including Mike Tyson, Oscar de la Hoya, James Toney, and Bernard Hopkins, and Roach currently trains world champions Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. Burchfield, based in North Providence (RI), has promoted countless shows during the past 30 years at Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mohegan Sun and in Hartford. The "Hardest Working Promoter in Boxing" is best known for promoting Vinny Paz. Burchfield has also promoted Chad Dawson, Peter Manfredo, Jr., Scott Pemberton, Joe Mesi, Ray Oliveira, Jason Estrada, Matt Godfrey, Matt Remillard and many others. Cruz has been a fixture for numerous years at the San Juan Center in Hartford. He guided Starling for the first part of his career, managed CBHOF inductees Tyrone Booze and "Iceman" John Scully, and has been heavily involved in Connecticut amateur boxing. Viscusi is best remembered for guiding three Hall of Famers - Pep, Joe "Old Bones" Brown and Bob Foster - to world titles. He and trainer Bill Gore formed one of boxing's classic combinations with Lou handling the business end. A New England manager/promoter from boxing to wrestling to circuses, Viscusi was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004. Tickets for the CBHOF 8th annual Gala Induction Dinner, reasonably priced at $75.00, are on sale now by calling Kim Baker at Mohegan Sun (1.860-.862.7377) orSherman Cain at the Manchester Journal Inquirer (1.800.237.3606 X321). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET, cocktails at 6 p.m. ET, followed by dinner. Go online to www.ctboxinghof.com for additional information. -30- CONTACT: Bob Trieger, Full Court Press, 978.664.4482, bobtfcp@hotmail.com, Twitter @fightpublicist