KISSIMMEE, Florida (May 23, 2022): Tickets for the 12-round battle between WBO Junior Flyweight World Champion Jonathan “La Bomba” Gonzalez (25-3-1, 14 KOs) and Filipino contender Mark Anthony “Baby Boy” Barriga (11-1, 2 KOs) are now on sale.
The event, which is promoted by ProBox Promotions in association with Tuto Zabala Jr.’s All Star Boxing, Inc., will take place on Friday, June 24 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, and will be streamed globally on ProBox TV.
Tickets for Gonzalez vs. Barriga are priced at $50 and $100. Tickets are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com or ohpark.com
Undercard information for the event will be announced shortly.
Hialeah Park, Florida – In the Main event on Saturday night at the Hialeah Park Casino in Miami, Florida. Heavyweight Lenier Pero (7-0, 4 KOs) of Camaguey, Cuba becomes the NABA Central Heavyweight Champion tonight as he was dominating against heavy puncher Hector Perez (7-5, 3 KOs) of Tampa, Florida ending his night at the official time 2:04 seconds of round two by TKO stoppage.
In the co-main event David Light (18-0, 11 KOs) of New Zealand was the spoiler tonight shocking the Hialeah crowd with a TKO upset over Anthony Martinez (12-2, 11 KOs) of Miami, Florida stopping him at the official time 2:57 seconds of the opening round as Florida Athletic Commission referee Frank Gentile waves off the contest. Light becoming the new WBO International Cruiserweight Champion.
Welterweight John David Martinez (15-2, 13 KO’s) of Miami, Florida. in a dominating performance against a very tough Sergio Castellano (11-9, 7 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the back and fourth action Martínez able to score the harder punches more effective shots by hurting Castellano a few times in the contest ending his night at the official time 1:06 seconds of round five by TKO victory for Martínez.
Super Lightweight Orestes Velazquez (4-0, 4 KOs) of Camaguey, Cuba crushed former world champion Juan Carlos Salgado (28-9, 17 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico. Not giving him any room to counterpunch Velazquez speed was too much for Salgado catching him with a hard power shot that dropped him at the official time :49 seconds of round two by KO stoppage.
Heralded Cuban amateur, Super Bantamweight Victor Abreu was outstanding in his pro debut against Ezequiel A Tevez (13-9, 4 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Abreu early on jumped right in sitting on his punches rocks Tevez sending him down to the canvas at 1:06 seconds of the opening round giving Abreu the celebrated victory.
Super Welterweight Livan Nivarro (12-1, 7 KOs) of Havana, Cuba scores an eight round unanimous decision victory over Silverio Ortiz of Yucatan, Mexico.
Super Bantamweight Ariel Perez De La Torre (8-0, 6 KOs) of Camaguey, Cuba was completely dominating by taking out Lucas Baez of Buenos Aires, Argentina at :46 seconds of round number two by TKO stoppage.
Cruiserweight Ulysses Diaz (13-1, 12 KOs) of Miami, Florida wipes out Mariano Jose Riva of Buenos Aires, Argentina at the official time 1:59 seconds of the opening round by hard KO stoppage, Riva jumping right in trying to mix it up with the stronger Diaz catches Riva clean sending him down to the canvas as referee Christopher Young seen enough waves off the contest.
In the opening bout of the evening at the Hialeah Park Casino in Hialeah, Florida. Light Heavyweight Isaac Carbonell (5-0, 4 KOs) of Cuba waisted no time going right after Jose Manuel Mandrano of Mexico City, Mexico. Carbonell kept the pressure on Mardano finishing him off at the 2:54 second mark of the opening round by way of TKO victory.
Super Welterweight Hugo Noriega Cardenas from Miami, Florida way of Cuba scores a unanimous decision victory over Argentinian slugger Ramon De La Cruz Sena.
The explosive fight card Una Gran Noche de Boxeo Cubano 2 Promoted by Warriors Boxing and Rivalta Boxing. At the Hialeah Park in Miami, Florida.
BOSTON – Two-time Dominican Olympian, lightweight Leonel de los Santos (6-0, 5 KOs), may be settling in the Boston area to enhance his professional boxing career. In fact, he recently spent a month there preparing for his last fight, which resulted in a win by way of a 6-round decision this past March in his native Dominican Republic.
Santos’ manager, Ryan Roach, lives in Boston and he introduced his undefeated lightweight to trainer Alex Rivera, and that paid immediate dividends in terms of improvement.
Santos, 26, trained at the Somerville Boxing Club under Rivera, who trains 26-0 welterweight Rashidi Ellis, who Santos sparred with several times, and US Olympian Rashida Ellis, Rashidi’s sister.
“The conditions at our training camp in Boston were very good,” Santos said. “I learned a lot of new things about professional boxing from Alex in just a short time, especially my defense about dodging smaller boxers. He really helped my performance in my last fight.
Rivera only worked with Santos two weeks, but the two connected right away.
“Leonel is a good boxer with a lot of experience,” Rivera remembered. “He has speed and power. We worked on making him more technically sound. It’s about hitting without being hit. He is very tall for his weight class – 5’ 8’ or 5’ 9” – with a good reach. We got along right away, and it was like we had been working together for a long time. I think he can make some noise with his amateur background. He has all the tools. Reminds me a little of Ryan Garcia: tall and strong for his weight class. Leonel has what it takes.
“I wasn’t with Leonel for his last fight, but I did watch some highlights. The guy he fought (Andres Bens Zapata) could really take a punch. Leonel’s hands were swollen after the fight from hitting his opponent so much. Leonel hit him with everything he had. I noticed how his defense and distance had improved. That’s what we worked on. He kept his distance and had a clean fight.”
Santos, who has relatives living in nearby Lawrence, MA, is applying for a work visa to train with Rivera.
“I think training with Alex vastly improved Leonel’s boxing and timing,” Santos’ manager Roach added. “Alex worked a lot on distance, which will lead to more power behind his shots. I saw big changes in Leonel’s last fight. He applied the skills he learned with Alex, and I look forward to more.”
Fighter Locker’s growing stable of gifted boxers also includes California super flyweight Rocco “So Cal Kid” Santomauro (21-1, 6 KOs), New York’s ABF American West super lightweight Ray Jay “The Destroyer” Bermudez (16-0, 11 KOs), Connecticut’s ABF USA super welterweight Jimmy “Quiet Storm” Williams (18-5-2, 6 KOs), Colorado’s ABF American West super middleweight champion “The Amazing” Shawn McCalman (10-0, 6 KOs), Massachusetts super lightweight Adrian “Tonka” Sosa (12-0, 9 KOs), Florida super bantamweight Daniel “The Dedication” Bailey, Jr. (10-1, 5 KOs), Massachusetts featherweight Troy Anderson, Jr. (4-0, 2 KOs), 2-time Brazilian Olympian & 2016 Olympic silver medalist Yuberjen Martinez, Brazilian Olympian Jorge Vivas, Dominican cruiserweight Roki “Rocky” Berroa (2-0, 1 KO), Dominican super welterweight Juan Solano Santos (1-0, 1 KO), Georgia super middleweight James Hagler, Jr. (2-1, 1 KO), Dominican featherweight Orlando Perez Zapata (10-0, 8 KOs), Dominican lightweight Isaelin Florian Henriguez (8-1, 4 KOs), Florida light heavyweight Robert Daniels, Jr. (6-0, 5 KOs), Irish light heavyweight Tommy “The Kid” O’Toole (3-0, 2 KOs), Texas super lightweight Miranda “La Alacrana” Reyes (5-1-1, 2 KOs), Massachusetts super featherweight Alex Rivera (3-0, 2 KOs), Kansas brothers, welterweight Marcus (3-0, 3 KOs) and super lightweight Marcell (1-0), and Utah brothers, ABF American West lightweight champion Ignacio Chairez (9-0-1, 5 KOs) and lightweight Gabriel Chairez (4-0-1, 2 KOs).
Exciting Four-Fight Telecast Features Seven Undefeated Fighters as SHOBOX® Returns to Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y. During Historic International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend Celebration
NEW YORK – For the first time in its storied 21-year history, a heavyweight Olympic Gold Medalist will step into the ring and headline SHOBOX: The New Generation as the prospect series features up-and-coming heavyweights in its return to Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y., on Friday, June 10. The actionbegins at 9 p.m. ET/PT live on SHOWTIME and helps kick off the International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend in nearby Canastota, N.Y., where another Olympic Gold Medalist and SHOBOXalum, Andre Ward, will be inducted during the three-year, three-class ceremony.
The main event will see two-time Olympian and 2020 Gold Medalist from Uzbekistan, Bakhodir “Big Uzbek” Jalolov (10-0, 10 KOs), face rising prospect “Big”Jack Mulowayi (11-2-1, 7 KOs) from Belgium in an eight-round heavyweight bout, marking the first time an Olympic heavyweight Gold Medalist has appeared on SHOBOX. Andre Ward, a former U.S. Olympic light heavyweight Gold Medalist who went 5-0 on SHOBOX, is one of the inductees of the 2021 Hall of Fame class.
The co-feature matches former four-time Oregon Golden Gloves champion and Joel Diaz-trained Elvis Garcia (12-0, 9 KOs) against fellow undefeated and four-time Cleveland Golden Gloves champion Alante “Bam Bam” Green(10-0-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight fight while former Ukrainian national champion Iegor Plevako (7-0, 4 KOs) takes on SugarHill Steward-trainedKolbeinn Kristinsson(12-0, 6 KOs), also an eight-round heavyweight matchup. Kristinsson is one of the few pro fighters from Iceland, where pro boxing is banned. Steward also trains WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury.
In the telecast opener, six-time Tennessee Golden Gloves champion Tyler “Short Fuse” Tomlin (13-0, 9 KOs) squares off against Chann Thonson(10-0, 7 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout. The telecast is brimming with international flavor, as seven countries are represented among the eight fighters in action. The four-fight telecast is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, whose owner, Lou DiBella, is a 2020 Hall of Fame inductee and being formally inducted along with the classes of 2021 and 2022.
The night of fights marks the seventh timeSHOBOX will take place at Turning Stone and the third time the series will be a part of the International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend in Canastota, N.Y.SHOBOX bouts also took place during Hall of Fame festivities in June of 2013, the year SHOWTIME Ring Announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr., was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and in 2017, the same year longtimeSHOBOX analyst and boxing historian Steve Farhood and SHOBOXplay-by-play announcer and renowned sportscaster Barry Tompkins were inducted.
The SHOBOX alum Ward captured Olympic gold in 2004 as a light heavyweight and went on to collect two super middleweight titles during his triumphant run through the SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament beforemoving to light heavyweight andwinning three more world titles.
The late SHOWTIME executive Jay Larkin, who helped launch SHOWTIME boxing in 1986 and televised fights involving Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Julio Cesar Chavez during his 22-year tenure with the network, was voted in as part of the Class of 2021.
“It’s always an honor to bring a SHOWTIME event to Turning Stone during Hall of Fame Weekend. This is the third time in the past 10 years that we’ve had the privilege to do a SHOBOX on this weekend,” said Gordon Hall, executive producer for SHOBOX: The New Generation. “Every fighter on this SHOBOXcard aspires to be a contender, a world champion, and yes, even to someday be in the Hall of Fame. We have eight fighters, seven undefeated, who on June 10 look to take that next step to accomplishing those goals. Congratulations to all the inductees! We have so many fighters who fought on SHOWTIME being inducted and so many friends, most importantly Jay Larkin, who oversaw the launch of SHOWTIME boxing and the SHOBOX series.”
Here is a closer look at the matchups:
Jalolov vs. Mulowayi – 8-Round Heavyweight Main-Event Bout
The 6-foot-7 southpaw Jalolov has knocked out all 10 of the fighters he’s faced as a professional, employing smooth footwork and a jackhammer left hand. A highly decorated amateur, he beat Richard Torrez, Jr., of the U.S. in the gold medal match of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At the Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, where he was his country’s flagbearer at the opening ceremonies, Jalolov lost to Joe Joyce, who went on to win the silver medal and is currently undefeated and a top contender at heavyweight. Jalolov also claimed gold at the 2019 AIBA World Championships and at the 2018 and 2021 Governor’s Cup and is a four-time national champion as part of his 247-17 amateur record. Among his other achievements, he has 1.2 million Instagram followers and a master’s degree in Sports Science.
“I have been very anxious to return to the USA and fight there as a professional,” Jalolov said. “This is a great opportunity for me to perform at my best and show everybody what’s coming in the future of the heavyweight division.”
Born in Kinshasa, Congo, where Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the 6-foot-5 Mulowayi is a stablemate of WBC World Cruiserweight Champion Ilunga Makabu. Mulowayi went the distance with unbeaten 20-0 SHOBOXalum and highly regarded heavyweight prospect Frank Sanchez. He has come back from that unanimous decision loss to win four consecutive fights, including the biggest win of his young career by registering a TKO stoppage over-then 20-0-1 Apti Davtaev in Russia last April.
“I am very happy and appreciative to have another chance to come back to America,” said Mulowayi. “This is a bout of vindication for me and my career. When I boxed Frank Sanchez in 2019, I froze and was not mentally or emotionally ready to fight in the U.S. Now I am, and I’ve won four straight bouts since my last defeat. I am not intimidated by the reputation of my opponent. My style, now, is to go for the knockout no matter who I fight, and my defense is my offense. I plan to give an explosive performance and prove that I am a world championship level contender.”
Garcia vs. Green – Eight-Round Heavyweight Bout
Garcia was born in Mexico and moved to Umatilla, Ore., when he was four. A four-time Oregon Golden Gloves champion, he was also a star Greco-Roman wrestler in high school and has dabbled in mixed martial arts, winning three MMA bouts by submission. He brought that multifaceted background with him to training camp and sparring sessions with former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua before he beat Andy Ruiz in their rematch in December 2019.Garcia’s commitment to boxing was evident at an early age when he endured eight-hour roundtrips five days a week to the closest boxing gym 260 miles away in Tacoma, Wash. He later competed in Mexico, winning national and Golden Gloves titles. During that time, he lived out of his car, sending earnings he made from doing odd jobs back home to support his family. His hard work and sacrifice resulted in an 85-10 amateur record with 42 knockouts and a No. 3 ranking at super heavyweight with USA Boxing. He now works with renowned trainer Joel Diaz in Indio, Calif.
“After my last fight, I took some time off to be with my wife as we welcomed our first child, Elena,” Garcia said. “But now I am back and more focused than ever on my boxing career. My training camp in Indio, California, has been going according to plan. My coach, Joel Diaz, and I both know we have a tough fight against Green and we will be ready. I would like to thank Lou DiBella for the opportunity to be part of the Hall of Fame weekend festivities. I also want to thank my wife and daughter, who are my motivation to get up every day and work so hard.”
A pro since 2016, Cleveland’s Green is also undefeated and is coming off a sixth-round stoppage win over Samuel Clarkson in March in Columbus, Ohio. Green was a two-sport athlete in high school before he discovered boxing. Green boasted a 54-9 amateur record and placed third in an Olympic trial qualifier in Spokane, Wash., in 2015. He has campaigned as a cruiserweight at times in his career, most recently knocking out previously undefeated Taylor Duerr in two rounds in November 2021
“I would like to thank my team, promoter, manager and DiBella Entertainment for this great opportunity,” Green said. “I plan on introducing myself to the boxing world on June 10 and seeing to it that Elvis Garcia leaves the ring with his first loss.”
Plevako vs. Kristinsson – Eight-Round Welterweight Bout
A native of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Plevako is a former Ukrainian national champion and member of the famed Ukrainian National Boxing Team who captured the New York Golden Gloves twice after moving to Brooklyn. He is managed by David McWater of Split-T Management and trained by Bashir Abdullah.
“I am very excited to be fighting on SHOWTIME because this is a big step for my career,” Plevako said. “You will see Iegor Plevako at his best.”
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Kristinsson is a former Iceland national champion who has trained with Steward at Detroit’s famed Kronk Gym since 2017. Kristinsson cut his teeth sparring with highly ranked Robert Helenius, as well as with undefeated contenders Filip Hrgovic and Jared Anderson, and title challenger Kubrat Pulev.
“As the only heavyweight pro boxer in Iceland, I’ve been training for two years during Covid travel restrictions awaiting my opportunity,”Kristinsson said. “I can’t wait to unleash my power and give the fans a thrill June 10th on SHOWTIME. Iegor Plevako is a decent fighter, but he won’t survive more than two rounds with me.”
Tomlin vs. Thonson – Eight-Round Lightweight Bout
Just 22 years old, Tomlin is from the same hometown as former super middleweight world champion Caleb Plant and has cultivated a passionate fanbase in Ashland City, Tenn. Tomlin started boxing at age nine and was a highly decorated amateur, finishing 65-15 and winning bronze at the 2015 Junior Olympics before turning pro. He is trained by his father, Darryl Tomlin, at the Team Tomlin Gym, which was built five years ago on the family’s home estate.Tomlin fought four times in 2021 and five times in 2020, including a super lightweight bout against Jose Zaragoza on the undercard of the Plant vs. Vincent Feigenbutz card at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville where he won a unanimous decision.
“This is my biggest fight to date, and I thrive in situations like this,” Tomlin said. “When the lights are brightest, I am at my best. I intend to put on a dominant performance and introduce the world to ‘Short Fuse’ in a big way.”
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to immigrant parents from Jamaica, Thonson is the No. 3-ranked lightweight from Canada. He has a twin brother, Trevor, who is older than him by seven minutes and is also a prizefighter. The two shared the same card in January 2022 when they both recorded second-round stoppages. They are both trained by Chris Johnson, who won Olympic bronze for Canada in 1992 at middleweight and finished 26-3-1 as a pro, losing his final fight to Antonio Tarver in 2001.
“I’m anxiously awaiting my bout against Tyler Tomlin,” said Thonson. “I know that he is a formidable opponent, but I am coming to win. This is a major opportunity and I appreciate DiBella Entertainment and SHOWTIME providing the platform. I’m very confident and am training hard.”
Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins calls the action from ringside with former world champion Raul Marquez and veteran combat sports reporterBrian Campbell and serving as expert analysts, and Hall of Famer Steve Farhoodremotely performing unofficial scoring duties.
The executive producer of SHOBOX: The New Generation is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
Tickets for the June 10heavyweight fight at Turning Stone are on sale now starting at $39. To request media credentials for the June 10th fight at Turning Stone, email Kelly Abdo, Director of Public Relations for Turning Stone
A 10-round heavyweight main event has been added to Salita Promotions’ special Memorial Day weekend-kickoff Detroit Brawlevent, as WBC #11-rated heavyweight Otto Wallin (23-1, 14 KOs) of Sweden will face Detroit’s own Rydell Booker (26-5-1, 13 KOs) on Thursday, May 26, 2022, in the Lincoln Ballroom of the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan.
An athletic southpaw heavyweight who does everything well, Wallin hails from Sundsvall, Sweden. The 31-year-old Wallin made the world stage and captured headlines in 2019 when he waged a thrilling war with linear world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and came extremely close to scoring a monumental stoppage upset. Then unknown and a 10-1 underdog, Wallin took the fight to Fury early and cut the superstar Englishman for 47 stitches with a surprise left in the third round. What followed was a nail-biting back-and-forth war of attrition that Fury eventually pulled out via close, controversial unanimous decision.
Wallin now lives and trains in New York under the tutelage of popular former two-division champion Joey Gamache at Mendez Boxing in Manhattan. He captured the EBU European Union Heavyweight Title with a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Adrian Granat in April 2018, and has also held the WBA Continental Heavyweight Championship. Wallin was last seen in February of this year, scoring a unanimous decision over Polish veteran Kamil Sokolowski
“Training is going really well,” said Wallin during a break in preparations. “I’ve been getting a lot of work in over the last few months. I saw Booker when he fought Franklin and I know that he’s an experienced and skilled boxer. He’s not someone I will underestimate, but this is a fight I need to win. I appreciate my promoter, Salita Promotions, keeping me active. This is the first time I fight twice in a year since 2019. I’m looking to put on a good performance.”
Inactive for over a decade, in 2018, Rydell Booker won three comeback bouts before losing a televised close 10-round decision to undefeated heavyweight Jermaine Franklin. As an amateur, Booker was the former number one ranked heavyweight in the United States and won the Michigan State and Regional championships every year from 1992 through 2000 and his first national title in 1999.
A capable boxer with excellent counterpunching skills, Booker fought all-time-great James Toney for the IBA World and WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Championships and lost a 12-round decision in 2004.
All of the Detroit slugger’s losses have come to former champions or undefeated top contenders. An upset victory by the still capable Booker over Wallin would reignite the Detroiter’s once promising career.
“He’s a southpaw that boxes well,” said Booker of Wallin. “Everybody thinks they know how to fight a southpaw, but I fight them totally differently. I’ve been fighting them for years. I’m sparring with lefties every day and training is going well. It would mean a lot to beat Wallin. He’s rated in the world and it would let everybody know Rydell Booker is still here.”
Booker also says his trainer, former female fighter Kara Ro, is making sure he shows up in great shape for the battle. “Kara is getting on my nerves,” he admitted jokingly. “Not in a bad way. She’s a workhorse and it’s good because she’s always pushing.”
“I’m excited to add a heavyweight matchup featuring one of the best heavyweight fighters in the world, Otto Wallin, against battle-tested Detroiter Rydell Booker,” said event promoter Dmitriy Salita. “This fight card is packed with world-class talent and I’m honored for it to take place in Detroit, the city of boxing legends.”
Rising super welterweight powerhouse Marlon Harrington (7-0, 6 KOs) will be appearing in the night’s eight-round co-main event.
Fast-tracking former national amateur champion and undefeated professional middleweight Joseph Hicks Jr.(1-0, 1 KO) of Grand Rapids, Michigan, will continue his rapid climb up the 160-lb ranks in a six-round bout.
Fighting in supporting bouts will be a trio of undefeated Michigan prospects, including super welterweight Husam Al Mashhadi(3-0, 3 KOs) of Dearborn, as well as super lightweight Ferris Dixon Jr. (2-0, 1 KO) and also undefeated super welterweight Da’Velle Smith(2-0, 2 KOs), both of Detroit.
All opponents will be announced shortly and all bouts are subject to change. The Ford Community & Performing Arts Center is located at 15801 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. On fight night, doors open at 6:00 pm and the action starts at 7:00 pm.
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