The future is now
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 6, 2012) – Contrary to popular belief, the heavyweight division is alive and well in professional boxing, and Global Boxing Promotions in association with Classic Entertainment & Sports is ready to showcase one of the best and brightest on March 24th.
Reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) International heavyweight champion Mariusz Wach (26-0, 14 KOs) of North Bergen, N.J. (born and raised in Krakow, Poland), will make his second title defense Saturday, March 24th, 2012 against hard-hitting veteran Tye Fields (49-4, 44 KOs) of Alberta, Canada (by way of Missoula, Mont.) in the 12-round main event of “Heavyweight New Generation,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports in association with Global Boxing at the Resorts Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City.
Wach, ranked No. 6 in the WBC, will face a stiff test against Fields, who has won four consecutive bouts – two by knockout. Fields hasn’t lost since May while Wach is unbeaten in 25 professional bouts with his last six victories coming by knockout. Wach’s recent string of success includes back-to-back knockout wins over Kevin McBride and Jason Gavern, the former occurring in July for the then-vacant WBC International heavyweight title, a belt once held by current world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
“This is what heavyweight boxing was meant to be – two hard-hitting stars who aren’t afraid to stand toe-to-toe and exchange blows in the center of the ring,” Burchfield said. “You won’t see anyone running for cover on March 24th. Mariusz Wach has proven time and time again he’s not afraid to stare down any heavyweight in the world, and on March 24th he’ll prove why he’s the future of this division and why he deserves a shot at a world title.
“Once again, we’ve put together an action-packed card from top to bottom, and we’re excited to bring Wach’s loyal fan base to the beautiful Resorts Casino & Hotel. This is a tremendous venue, and a well-deserved location for what will undoubtedly be one of the top boxing events of the year.”
“This is going to be a great night of boxing,” added Global Boxing President Mariusz Kolodziej. “Global Boxing working together with Classic Entertainment & Sports will show all boxing fans what the real future is in the heavyweight division.”
The undercard of “Heavyweight New Generation” features four dynamic bouts, including the long-awaited return of former world-rated light heavyweight contender Joey “K.O. Kid” Spina (26-1-2, 18 KOs) of Providence, R.I., who will face former “The Contender” reality television star Jerson Ravelo (20-5, 12 KOs) of Newark, N.J., in a six-round special attraction. Spina hasn’t fought since knocking out Antwun Echols in October of 2010.
“Spina remains one of the hardest punchers in boxing and one of the most feared light heavyweights in this sport,” Burchfield said. “This is a tough test, but Spina has faced many hurdles throughout the years. This fight is worthy of main-event status on any card, and it showcases the tremendous depth on this show.”
“Heavyweight New Generation” also features the return of fan-favorite Artur Szpilka (9-0, 7 KOs) of Wieliczka, Poland, who’ll battle veteran Terrence Marbra (6-1, 5 KOs) of St. Petersburg, Fla., in a six-round heavyweight bout. Albanian cruiserweight Stivens Bujaj (6-0, 4 KOs) of New York City will face heavy-hitter Josh Harris (8-5-1, 6 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio, who also trains in Providence, in a six-round bout, and Polish super featherweight Kamil Laszczyk (7-0, 5 KOs) of North Bergen will put his undefeated record on the line against southpaw Tevin Farmer (4-2-1, 1 KO) in an eight-round bout.
Tickets for “Heavyweight New Generation” are $75.00, $85.00, $150.00 and $230.00 and can be purchased by calling Global Boxing Gym at 201-348-3189 or Classic Entertainment & Sports at 401-724-2253/2254, or online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.cesboxing.com. For more information, visit www.cesboxing.com or www.globalboxing.com. “Heavyweight New Generation” will also be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Avail-TVN for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
