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Thursday, May 12, 2016

Pro Boxing Event in Charlotte, Saturday, May 21, 2016


On Saturday, May 21, Tommy Hill Boxing will feature professional boxing at the Carole Hoefener Center venue in Charlotte. Ten bouts are scheduled that includes professional boxers of the Dyme Boxing & Fitness stable headed by Coach James Pressley.
 
 
 
The event will be highlighted by a rubber match between John Spidey Williams, who trains at Dyme, and Andre Baker for what is likely a final and deciding third bout between the Charlotte and Lumberton, North Carolina fighters. Baker won the first bout by majority decision back in 2011 and Spidey Williams got a unanimous decision in 2012.
 
Others from Dyme on the card will be long-time local favorites Lee Campbell, a super-middleweight with a record of 9-2 and heavyweight Hassan Lee, originally of Philadelphia but now making his home in Charlotte.
 
 
 
Also scheduled on the card will be identical twins, the Burrell brothers, Dean and Scott Burrell, fighting out of Brooklyn, New York City, each taking on as yet unnamed opponents.
 
Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance at http://tommyhillboxing.com/
 
The event will take place at The Carole Hoefener Center. 610 E. 7th St Charlotte, NC 28202.
 

Paco Rivera
GAR1680 Boxing Talk Radio & Blog
Twitter: @GAR1680

Monday, January 18, 2016

Jared Robinson vs. Bakhtiyar Eyubov (on Showtime) Preview

      On Friday, January 22, super-welterweight Jared Robinson, fighting out of Charlotte, will be facing undefeated Bakhtiyar Eyubov (9-0) of Kazakhstan, the same country that undisputed middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin is from. The bout will take place at the Casino Del Sol Resort in Tucson, Arizona. Barring any schedule changes, Showtime Network will kick-off its boxing telecast with the Robinson-Eyubov fight at 10:30PM.
 
Jared, who has held a number of amateur boxing titles, including 4-time South Carolina Golden Gloves Champion, and currently holds the USBO welterweight title, began his professional career with an unblemished record of 14-0. He will enter the ring against Eyubov at 16-2-1.
 
Jared recently fought to a draw with a tough undefeated 23-0 fighter from Las Vegas, Haskell Rhodes, in a fight that took place in Rhodes’ new hometown. Before that, he went the distance with Michael Perez of New Jersey, who was 20-1-2, in a bout in Cincinnati. Jared lost the 10-round decision, but he’s no stranger to accepting tough out-of-state fights against fighters with excellent records, and no doubt will continue to do so.
 
Studying fight film of Eyubov, it appears obvious that, much like Golovkin, he is heavy-handed in both hands. The Kazakhstan fighter having scored 9 KO’s in all 9 of his fights, nearly all ending in 1 or 2 rounds, is proof of that. Jared will need to have his defensive skills at peak for this bout.
 
It seems Eyubov prefers infighting, only swinging away when he’s right up on his opponent. Jared can counter that style by staying outside and pecking away at Eyubov with solid jabs and quick combinations to rack up points. Eyubov’s punch count drops when opponents keep him away, at or near the center of the ring. He seems to be concentrating more on trying to cut the ring off to get out of that situation. At all costs, Jared must avoid getting trapped with his back to the ropes, because that is when Eyubov attacks and is at his best. Also, Jared shouldn’t hesitate to clinch when Eyubov lowers his head and bulls into him looking like Joe Frazier, something he will do to back an opponent into the ropes. When the ref breaks it up, take him back to the center of the ring. Eyubov’s game gets thrown off track when that happens.
 
Eyubov’s stamina is a question mark; he’s never gone past the 3rd round. Jared and his corner may want to watch for Eyubov possibly fading in later rounds, giving Jared an opportunity to land punches with more frequency. The bout is scheduled for 8 rounds.
 
While Eyubov’s promoter and camp based in Brooklyn, New York have high hopes of him accomplishing much of what his countryman Golovkin has done, Eyubov is nowhere near as tested as that. Out of nine bouts, Eyubov has fought an opponent with a winning record just once, 2-0 Cliff Newton, when making his debut in 2012. Newton hasn’t fought since. Jared has a significant advantage when it comes to being matched against higher caliber opponents during his professional career, which began in 2009.
 
Jared will have Coach James Pressley of Dyme Boxing & Fitness in Charlotte in his corner along with James Carr and Danny Smalls, all trainers from a gym that has produced numerous successful amateur and professional fighters over the years.
 
On Friday night, Jared’s Dyme “brothers and sisters”, as well as North Carolina boxing fans, will not foresee Eyubov as the next Gennady Golovkin. Instead, they will be looking for Jared Robinson to return home with yet another win on his record, and a chance to take on other tough challengers…wherever they may be.
 
 
GAR1680 North Carolina Boxing Talk will be tweeting round by round coverage of Jared’s fight and retweeting observations from other boxing analysts. (Tweets will appear on Facebook).
 
 
Paco Rivera, GAR1680 Boxing Talk Radio & Blog
 
 

Thursday, January 14, 2016

UPCOMING NORTH CAROLINA BOXING EVENTS - Updated 1/15/2016


2016


SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 (DURHAM): One Hit Promotions pro boxing event. Durham Armory. 220 Foster St, Durham, NC. For more info, visit http://www.ittakesonehit.com

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 (DURHAM): Amateur boxing event hosted by One Hit Promotions. Durham Armory. 220 Foster St, Durham, NC.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 (MARION): Walter Johnson Promotions pro boxing event.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6 (GREENSBORO): Walter Johnson Promotions pro boxing event. Holiday Inn Airport. 6426 Burnt Poplar Rd, Greensboro, NC.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 (WILMINGTON): NC Female Amateur Boxing Invitational

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (RALEIGH): Stop Running Promotions pro boxing event. J.S. Dorton Arena. 1025 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC.

SATURDAY, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27-28 (ROANOKE RAPIDS): Jasards Boxing Club amateur boxing event.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, MARCH 11-12 (CHARLOTTE): 2016 North Carolina State Golden Gloves amateur boxing event.

*

NORTH CAROLINA BOXERS OUT-OF-STATE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22: Jared Robinson (16-2-1; Charlotte, NC) vs. Bakhtiyar Eyubov (9-0; Aktjubinsk, Kazakhstan) at the Casino Del Sol Resort in Tucson, Arizona. TV: Showtime.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30: James Winchester (17-11; Reidsville, NC) vs. Ramon Alvarez (22-4-2; Guadalajara, Mexico) at the Centro De Convenciones venue in Rosarito, Mexico.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5: Zed Mitchell (4-0; Arden, NC) vs. Reggie Miller (0-4; Philadelphia) at the Masonic Temple venue in Norfolk, Virginia.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5: Roger Belch (3-0; Hobbsville, NC) vs. Alan Beeman (0-10; Rhode Island) at the Masonic Temple venue in Norfolk, Virginia.

Friday, January 8, 2016

North Carolina Boxers to Watch in 2016

   North Carolina still has quite a few up-and-coming professional fighters to keep an eye on in the coming year. Some have already appeared on the big stage nationally via premium TV networks in such places as Las Vegas and New York. And others just might have the potential to be there soon. Listed below are our best, so if they are coming to your hometown in NC, it’s surely money well spent to go see them.

The fighters listed here had at least one fight in 2015, have 5 or more wins on their record, have won at least one of their last 3 fights, have more wins than losses and, of course, reside and train in North Carolina.

Eli Addison (11-4). In 2006, in a losing effort, Eli went the distance with highly regarded world champion Timothy Bradley and has maintained a fairly good record since then. Eli originates from Winston-Salem, but in recent years has made his home in Charlotte and trains out of Dyme Boxing & Fitness. (Eli's bout with Bradley was prior to Bradley winning championship).

Vernon Alston (8-6-1). Also known as "Antoine Alston", he fights out of Durham.

Lee Campbell (9-2). Lee is a super-middleweight based in Charlotte. He has appeared on nationally televised bouts during his career, which began with a record of 7-0 before his first loss.

Christian Dominguez (7-2). Fights out of Winston-Salem. An exciting and promising young fighter. Christian has lost just once since 2012.

Carlette Ewell (16-8-1). They don’t come much more exciting than Carlette. She will pack the house anywhere she goes. Fighting out of Winston-Salem, Carlette has held several world titles as heavyweight champion.

Jamar Freeman (13-5-2). One of few fighters out of Wilson, North Carolina with wins on his record, Jamar has traveled out of state and fought for titles on several occasions. Though losing his last two fights, watch for Jamar to make a comeback.

Jonathan Haggler (24-4). Jonathan has been around a while, fighting since the year 2000. With a layoff between 2011 and 2015, he came back to score a one-round KO in Greensboro, NC late last year. Yet another Winston-Salem native, he has fought in multiple cities around the country over the years and for heavyweight titles overseas.

Logan Holler (6-0). Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, Logan now fights out of Charlotte and trains at Dyme Boxing & Fitness under the tutelage of Coach James Pressley.

Richard Miller (5-0). He remains undefeated in a career just starting in 2014. It will be interesting to see if the streak continues. Richard is from Winston-Salem.

Quinton Rankin (7-2). A definite main event fighter, Quinton (known to friends as “Q”) has a fighting style that brings crowds to their feet in excitement. Q’s only two loses occurred out of state and were perhaps controversial decisions based on poor refereeing or judging in the opponent’s hometown. Since then, Q has won his last 6 fights. Q fights out of Charlotte.

Ebony Rivera (5-0). Fighting out of Fayetteville, Ebony remains undefeated after achieving her 5th straight win on January 16, 2016 against Mexican fighter Mayela Perez in a bout that took place in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Jared Robinson (16-2-1). Undoubtedly one of North Carolina’s best, Jared has held titles in both amateur and professional careers. Jared is yet another of Dyme Boxing & Fitness’ main event fighters under the coaching of legendary trainer James Pressley.

Lamar Russ (15-2). Fighting out of Fayetteville, NC, Lamar began his career with an undefeated record of 14-0 when he took on highly ranked Matthew Macklin in a televised Atlantic City bout. Lamar lost that bout, but took Macklin the 10-round distance and left him severely bruised. Lamar has also served as a sparring partner for world champion Gennady Golovkin. Lamar’s last fight was in 2014, but was added to this list based on exceptional accomplishments over the years and we can only hope he’ll be back in the ring soon.

Matthew Strode (22-2). A super-lightweight from Greensboro, Matthew had a 9-year layoff when returning to fight and win twice in 2015, including a win over an undefeated opponent in a South Carolina venue. In 2004, Matthew won the Continental Boxing Association welterweight title.

Joshua Tufte (19-1). Currently holding several heavyweight titles, Josh is quite possibly the biggest drawer of fans to boxing events in North Carolina when he’s on the card. With just a single loss occurring out of state, it’s just a matter of time before Josh becomes well known on the national stage of boxing. He fights out of Kernersville, NC. Josh has also served as a sparring partner for world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Pablo Velez (5-0-1). Pablo is a super-middleweight fighting out of New Brunswick, NC. He fought four times in 2013 and twice in 2015, remaining undefeated with a draw on his record.

Marselle Walker (6-0). Marselle is a super-middleweight from Charlotte. He began his career in 2014 and since then has remained quite active, reeling off 6 straight wins during a one-year period.

John Williams (15-4-1). We know him as “Spidey”. He has established a good record and fought for titles. Spidey thrilled North Carolina boxing fans on a night he traveled to New York and defeated a highly regarded 19-1 fighter in June of 2014. A member of the Dyme Boxing & Fitness stable in Charlotte, if you are fortunate to have Spidey in your town on fight night, you won’t want to miss it.

James Winchester (17-11). With fights in New York, Las Vegas, California, and other states, battle-tested James “Shotgun” Winchester has had his ups and downs, yet remains active in the ring and his community, offering his guidance to underprivileged kids by showing them how things are done in the gym.

Stanley Wright (5-0). Fighting out of Charlotte, Stanley has reeled off five straight wins in 15 months. Wright, who trains at Stanley's Pro Boxing Gym in Charlotte, is also a Mecklenburg County Sheriff Deputy.


Paco Rivera, North Carolina Boxing Talk Radio & Blog

Twitter: @GAR1680

 

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

A Look Back at 2015 Boxing in North Carolina – By the Numbers

This past year, boxing promoters featured a total of 20 professional boxing events around our state, up from 14 events the previous year. The term “around” may be used loosely, however, as events were held in just 9 cities.

Charlotte (4)
Durham (2)
Fayetteville (1)
Goldsboro (2)
Greensboro (4)
High Point (1)
Raleigh (2)
Reidsville (1)
Winston-Salem (3)

Theory has it that the majority of attendees at local events are family and friends of fighters scheduled in a bout that evening. This is confirmed by the fact that fighters, quite often, are contracted with a commitment to also turn salesman and sell a certain number of tickets to the event. Hey, these are, after all, “club fights”. And while most venues are typically loaded to capacity by the time the first bell sounds, we can’t expect to see average boxing fans in general storming through the gates every time their town features an event, especially when the fan doesn’t see the name Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, or Gennady Golovkin listed on the program sheet of scheduled bouts.

Having attended venues in Miami and New York City, for example, a comparison (though possibly unfair, given the nature of much larger populations) indicates considerable differences with regard to boxing events there and here in North Carolina. In larger cities, the average boxing fan does in fact appear at club fights whether or not they are familiar with any of the boxers on the card, for the mere enjoyment of watching two unknowns beating each other’s brains out. And unlike the oddity sometimes seen in North Carolina boxing venues, whereby the size of the crowd gradually diminishes throughout the evening (as the fighter that various groups came to see is done fighting), the same number of big-city fans arriving at the start of an event, for the most part, are still there when the final bell rings.

Such comparisons may raise the question: are we doing something wrong…or different?

Florida and New York boxing promoters can afford a larger budget and pay fighters higher salaries when its club fights can draw several thousand patrons. North Carolina promoters don’t always have that luxury. But surely there are flaws in how our boxing events are promoted, and it may help to increase the boxing fan base in our regions if certain changes are made.

The very first matter to consider is this: we must begin to take the sport of boxing much more seriously.

All fighters contracted for a bout should be verified as having earned the right to establish himself or herself as a professional prizefighter. This means the boxer has previously competed in the sport, has had a fairly successful amateur career, and has devoted a good amount of hours to rigorous gym training under the guidance of professional trainers.

Taking someone off the streets in Wilson, North Carolina and offering him $100 to get in the ring so he can pad the record of his opponent is not, I repeat, NOT taking the sport seriously enough.

Out of 20 professional boxing events in North Carolina in 2015 (137 bouts), there were 38 bouts with a “boxer” from Wilson. The combined win-loss record of all Wilson fighters appearing during the year is currently 0-79. That’s not a mistype. Not one had a single win on his record entering the ring. And it remained that way when exiting.

If promoters insist on using untrained, unskilled boxers from Wilson, at least match them up against each other. That would be more productive, as it nearly guarantees a win for a Wilson fighter, and fans won’t have such an easy time predicting who will lose.

And possibly get a good fight to boot out of it.


Paco Rivera, GAR1680 North Carolina Boxing Talk Radio & Blog

Twitter: @GAR1680