Barthelemy One Win Away from Lifelong Dream

Cuba's IBF #2-rated Rances "Kid Blast" Barthelemy (18-0, 11 KO) is well aware of what's at stake tomorrow night when he faces Thailand's IBF #5-rated Fahsai "Mountain Boy" Sakkreerin (39-3-1, 21 KO) in the 12-round super featherweight main event on ESPN Friday Night Fights, tomorrow night (Friday, June 21) at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The winner will win the right to face Dominican champion Argenis Mendez in a mandatory title defense in their next fight. "This is what I've waited for," said Barthelemy through a translator. "I know what I have to do to go for my dream of a world title. Since I started boxing I have been working hard every day for the chance that only man stands in the way of now." Barthelemy says the fact that Sakkreerin is the only obstacle left in the way of fighting for a world championship doesn't bode well for the Thai boxer. "He has to go. I know he works hard too and I know he has come a long way to follow his dreams, but it will never happen. I will be fighting for my homeland of Cuba and for my family and for the dream I've had since a young boy. No one can beat me tomorrow night." ### Barthelemy vs. Sakkreerin will be held on Friday, June 21, at the Minneapolis Convention Center and televised live on ESPN Friday Night Fights. It will be presented by Seconds Out Promotions and Warriors Boxing. Rances Barthelemy is co-promoted by Warriors Boxing and Bad Dog Productions. Tickets to Friday Night Fights at the Convention Center start at $35 and can be purchased through www.sofights.com. In addition to the 12-round Barthelemy vs. Sakkreerin main event, seven more fights are scheduled including the 10-round televised middleweight co-main event between local hero "Golden" Caleb Truax (21-1-1, 12 KO) of Osseo, Minnesota, and Chicago's Don "Da Bomb" George (24-3-2, 21 KO). An eight-round crosstown battle will highlight the night's undercard, as St Paul's Jeremy "Lights Out" McLaurin (10-5, 5 KOs) will face St Paul's Tony "2Sharp" Lee (7-1, 3 KOs) for the vacant Minnesota State Lightweight Championship. Local bragging rights will be on the line for these two local scrappers, so expect fireworks. McLaurin has been in with the better opposition in his career, while Lee has fewer losses. Also scheduled is an eight-round junior middleweight scrap between "Sir" Charles Meier (7-2, 3 KOs) of Coon Rapids, MN and Tyler Hultin (5-1-2, 3 KOs) of Fergus Falls, MN and a four-round junior middleweight contest between Gavin Quinn (1-0) of Circle Pines, MN and Kenneth Glenn (2-0, 1 KOs) of Minneapolis. Several fighters will make their professional boxing debuts that night, including a four-round junior middleweight match-up of pro debuters between LeWayne Hardiman of Las Vegas and Dustin Petron of Rosemount, MN; a four-round heavyweight bout featuring the pro debut of Pat Quinn from St Paul, MN against John Schimon (0-1) of Minneapolis; and a four-round lightweight tilt between Milwaukee's pro debuting Adrian Martinez and Kurtis Erhorn (0-1) of Grand Rapids, MN.

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.

Undercard Announced for ESPN Boxing in Minneapolis on Friday, June 21!

Minnesota State Lightweight Championship Battle Tops Massive   Eight-Fight Undercard The undercard has been announced for the Friday, June 21, night of ESPN Friday Night Fights boxing, presented by Seconds Out Promotions and Warriors Boxing, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. A total of eight big fights are scheduled in support of the 12-round main event featuring Cuba's IBF #2-rated Rances "Kid Blast" Barthelemy (18-0, 11 KO) taking on Thailand's IBF #5-rated Fahsai "Mountain Boy" Sakkreerin (39-3-1, 21 KO) and the explosive, 10-round middleweight co-main between local hero "Golden" Caleb Truax (21-1-1, 12 KO) of Osseo, Minnesota, and Chicago's Don "Da Bomb" George (24-3-2, 21 KO). Tickets to Friday Night Fights at the Convention Center start at $35 and can be purchased through www.sofights.com. An eight-round crosstown battle will highlight the night's undercard, as St Paul's Jeremy "Lights Out" McLaurin (10-5, 5 KOs) will face St Paul's Tony "2Sharp" Lee (7-1, 3 KOs) for the vacant Minnesota State Lightweight Championship. Local bragging rights will be on the line for these two local scrappers, so expect fireworks. McLaurin has been in with the better opposition in his career, while Lee has fewer losses. Also scheduled is an eight-round junior middleweight scrap between "Sir" Charles Meier (7-2, 3 KOs) of Coon Rapids, MN and Tyler Hultin (5-1-2, 3 KOs) of Fergus Falls, MN and a four-round junior middleweight contest between Gavin Quinn (1-0) of Circle Pines, MN and Kenneth Glenn (2-0, 1 KOs) of Minneapolis. Several fighters will make their professional boxing debuts that night, including a four-round junior middleweight match-up of pro debuters between LeWayne Hardiman of Las Vegas and Dustin Petron of Rosemount, MN; a four-round heavyweight bout featuring the pro debut of Pat Quinn from St Paul, MN against John Schimon (0-1) of Minneapolis; and a four-round lightweight tilt between Milwaukee's pro debuting Adrian Martinez and Kurtis Erhorn (0-1) of Grand Rapids, MN. Tickets to Friday Night Fights at the Convention Center start at $35 and can be purchased through www.sofights.com. The Minneapolis Convention Center is located at 1301 2nd Ave South, in Minneapolis. On fight night, doors open at 6:00 pm and the fights start at 7:00 pm. All bouts and entertainment are subject to change. About Seconds Out Promotions When retired professional boxer Tony Grygelko found himself unable to stay out of the gym, he realized that his passion for the sport was something he couldn't deny. At age 29, Grygelko formed Seconds Out Promotions. By utilizing the vast boxing knowledge of world-class trainer Ron Lyke, Grygelko and Seconds Out Promotions found instant success. Through determination, integrity and hard work, Seconds Out Promotions strives to become a leading fight promotional company in the world, by giving young fighters the ability to showcase their talents to a worldwide audience, along with offering our fans the highest quality programming available. Seconds Out Promotions was created to bring the very best fights to all fans and participants worldwide. Seconds Out Promotions is committed to the recruitment and development of the best and brightest young fighters to help achieve our mission. Seconds Out Promotions continues to expand its web and television presence, and is establishing itself as one of the fastest-rising fight promotions in the world. For more information on Seconds Out Promotions, visit their website at www.SoBoxing.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.

'Da Bomb' Goes Nuclear!

'At 160 lbs. I Can't Be Beat!' Heavy-handed slugger Don "Da Bomb" George (24-3-1, 21 KOs) made his debut at middleweight a quick one on Friday, February 1, as he demolished Springfield, Missouri's James Cook in less than a round at the UIC Pavilion in George's hometown of Chicago. The normally durable Cook had gone five rounds with world-class middleweight Andy Lee in his previous fight, but one body shot from George was enough to force him to call it a night. "At 160 lbs., no one can take my power," said an enthusiastic George, post-fight. "I was knocking them out at 168, so imagine what's going to happen when I hit a smaller middleweight on the button. No one at this weight can take my power." "Don was a little small at super middleweight, but his power still allowed him to lay out bigger guys. But at middleweight, he's going to be a force. Gennady Golovkin, Chavez Jr., Quillen, none of these guys could handle what Don George brings at this lower weight. He was the hardest punching and most durable guy in the world at 168. At 160, he's a nuclear bomb that's ready to explode," said George's co-promoter, Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing (along with Domenic Pesoli of 8 Count Productions and Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment). DiBella and Pesoli, agree. "Donovan was one of the hardest punching and most exciting fighters in the 168-lb. division. Now, fighting at his proper weight of 160 lbs., Donovan will immediately become a serious force to be reckoned with," said DiBella. "Over the course of his career, Donovan has shown an uncommon will to win and with the move down to 160, we expect that he will be able to compete with any of the top middleweights in the world," added Pesoli. "We expect to see a stronger Donovan at 160 which should greatly enhance his opportunities at the world-class level."

Dionisio Miranda Steps in to Face Donovan George on Friday Night Fights Season Finale

Colombian Dionisio Miranda (21-7-2, 18 K0s) will step in to face Chicago's Don "Da Bomb" George (22-2-1, 19 KOs) in the 10-round super middleweight co-main event of the ESPN Friday Night Fights 2012 series finale (10 PM Eastern on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3) presented by Warriors Boxing and Tony Holden Productions, scheduled for Friday, August 17, at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. George's original opponent, Adonis Stevenson, has been forced to pull out of their 12-round elimination bout with a hand injury. The other 10-round co-main event battle between top junior middleweight contender "King" Carlos Molina (19-5-2, 6 KOs) and Miami's Damian "Devo" Frias (19-4-1, 10 KOs) will go on as scheduled. Miranda, a veteran who has notable wins over Lujuan Simon and Sebastian Demers, has been on the short end of competitive big fights with Peter Quillen, Roman Karmazin and Renan St Juste. A big puncher who comes to fight, he could create problems for George. "Adonis Stevenson injured his left hand in sparring last Friday," said a disappointed Yvon Michel, President of Groupe Yvon Michel, Stevenson's promoters. "The next day he went to see a doctor who diagnosed a severe bruise and major swelling. Adonis was not able to close his hand and make a fist. Treatments were done in hopes of improvement but there was not enough progress and under the doctor's advice it was decided to pull Adonis out of his fight." According to Michel, Stevenson is now in Montreal receiving treatment. The IBF super middleweight title eliminator will be rescheduled for early this fall. "Team Stevenson and GYM are very disappointed for all the inconvenience this situation has created for ESPN and their programming director, Doug Loughrey, to Warriors Boxing and their president, Leon Margules, and to Tony Holden and the Buffalo Run Casino and Resort. Everyone was so cooperative to make this fight happen. And to all our partners in Canada who were diligently working to program and sell this fight on PPV on short notice, and also to Team George who has carefully prepared for this important encounter. We wish him good luck on Friday." Warriors Boxing President, Leon Margules, says he's disappointed by this turn of events, but is confident the event will still generate action worthy of the finale of the outstanding 2012 season of Friday Night Fights. "Donovan is obviously disappointed by this, but we all know these things happen in boxing. We wish Adonis Stevenson a speedy recovery. But what we still have in this event is a compelling junior middleweight fight between two top-tier guys with reputations for pulling off upsets and we've got Donovan George against a Columbian slugger with a difficult style to figure out. So, as sad as we all are about what happened, we still have a good challenge in front of us this Friday and we'll be ready." ### Tickets are priced from $35.00 to $65.00 and are available at the Buffalo Run Casino Box Office or online at stubwire.com.

Martinez stops Macklin in 11-round war; Rodriguez takes USBA super middleweight title from George

Results from New York City




NEW YORK (March 17, 2012) - Before a house filled with Irishmen celebrating St. Patrick's Day, World Middleweight Champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez scored a dramatic come-from-behind knockout of a game Matthew "Mack the Knife" Macklin Saturday night in the Theater at Madison Square Garden.



"THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up," presented by DiBella Entertainment, provided fireworks on HBO and a strong Fight of the Year candidate in the main event. The 37-year-old Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KOs) got off the canvas, albeit a controversial knockdown, in the seventh and then dropped Macklin twice at the end of the 11th round. Referee Eddie Cotton halted the action on the advice of Macklin's corner.



"It was a complicated fight," Martinez explained. "He wasn't open on defense. I knew it was a 12-round fight. I knew that it was only a matter of time. It's like chopping a tree - little by little - and I knew he would fall."



"My right hand to chest, straight punch to the chest, was working for me," Macklin commented. "It was hard for him to nail me. He didn't think I could box smart.



"Buddy stopped the fight, I wanted to continue. (Macklin's co-promoter Brian Peters said, 'We called it in the corner. There are more days.') I worked with Buddy on technical things. He polished me but I resorted back in the last two or three rounds. We only had 10 weeks working together (for the first time) to fight the best middleweight in the world."



In the "Bombs Away" co-feature, undefeated IBF #3 Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) defeated tough Don "Da Bomb" George (22-2, 19 KOs) in the opening bout on HBO. Rodriguez proved to be more skilled during the 10-round bout for George's USBA title. The Worcester, Mass. fighter won a unanimous decision by scores of 99-91, 97-93, 96-94.



"I feel great," Dominican-native Rodriguez said after the fight. "I feel tired but happy. Ronnie (Shields, head trainer) gave me a 10 tonight. Since I've been with Ronnie, we've been working on my defensive game and boxing. I'm showing another dimension. I don't think I have to go out there for three minutes every round throwing bombs. I still need to improve but, overall, I was pleased with my performance."



Russian heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov remained perfect, extending his pro record to 14-0 with his 14th knockout, coming against previously unbeaten Jason Pettaway (11-1, 8 KOs) in the fourth round for the vacant World Boxing Council Silver Championship.



New York fan favorite Seanie Monaghan ran his undefeated record to 13-0 (8 KOs) with a six-round decision against light heavyweight Eric Watkins (6-2).



Japanese junior middleweight champion Charlie Ota (20-1-1, 14 KOs), making his U.S. debut in his hometown, registered a seventh round technical knockout over Gundrick King (16-8, 11 KOs)



Popular Kevin "Kid" Rooney (4-1, 2 KOs) made quick order of Anthony Shuff (0-1), stopping him at 1:27 of the first round, and then went to work as publicist for DiBella Entertainment.



Chicago junior welterweight Carl McNickles (57-55, 57-55, 56-56) took a six-round decision from Danny McDermott. Irish heavyweight Thomas Hardwick (5-0, 2 KOs) kept his unbeaten record intact, dropping TJ Gibson (1-2) once en route to a unanimous four-round decision.



Complete Results:



MAIN EVENT - MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KOs), Oxnard, CA/Buenos Aires, Argentina

WTKO11 (3:00)

Mathew Macklin (28-4, 19 KOs), Birmingham, UK

(Martinez retained World Middleweight title)



CO-FEATURE - SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Edwin Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), Worcester, MA.

WDEC10 (99-91, 97-93, 96-94.

Donovan George (22-2, 19 KOs), Chicago, IL

(Rodriguez won USBA Super Middleweight title)



HEAVYWEIGHTS

Magomed Abdusalmov (14-0, 14 KOs), Oxnard, CA

WTKO4 (1:20)

Jason Pettaway (11-1, 8 KOs), Huntington, WV

(Abdusalmov won vacant WBC Silver title)



Thomas Hardwick (5-0, 2 KOs), Yonkers, NY/Dublin, Ireland

WDEC4 (39-35, 39-35, 39-35)

TJ Gibson (1-2), Duluth, MN



LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Seannie Monaghan (13-0, 8 KOs), Long Beach, NY

WDEC6 (60-54, 59-55, 59-55

Eric Watkins (6-2, 2 KOs), Morgantown, WV



SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Kevin Rooney (4-1, 1 KO), Catskills, NY

WTKO1 (1:27)

Anthony Shuff (0-2), Reidville, NC



JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Charlie Ota (20-1-1, 14 KOs), Tokyo, Japan/NY, NY

WTKO7 (0:35)

Gundrick King (16-8, 11 KOs), Tuscaloosa, AL



JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS

Carl McNickles (7-3, 6 KOs), Chicago, IL

WDEC6 (57-55, 57-55, 56-56)

Danny McDermott (9-3-2, 4 KOs), Jersey City, NJ

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.