FULL CARD ANNOUNCED FOR REAL DEAL SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT’S INAUGURAL EVENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH TOP KNOTCH BOXING AND KENTUCKY VENUES
FREEDOM HALL, LOUISVILLE, KY
SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2017 – LIVE ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK, 10PM ET
Tickets on Sale Now
Louisville, Ky – June 22, 2017 – Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Sports & Entertainment, in association with Top Knotch Boxing and Kentucky Venues, is thrilled to announce the full card set for its promotional debut on Sat., June 24, from the historic Freedom Hall, in Louisville, Ky. The televised portion of the event will feature a quadruple-header aired live on CBS Sports Network, at 10pm ET, headlined by the always-exciting heavyweight contender Derric Rossy facing Puerto Rican Carlos Negron in a 10-round bout with the vacant WBC Continental Americas title at stake.
The inaugural installment of the “Real Deal Championship Boxing” series, branded as “Evander’s Tribute to Ali”, will be a part of the local “I Am Ali” Festival in honor of Muhammad Ali, one year after the champ’s passing.
The CBS Sports Network telecast will also be streamed live internationally on www.therealdealboxing.com, and will include a competitive undercard as well as the televised feature. CBS Sports Network commentator Benny Ricardo will call the action ringside with Hall-of-Famer Barry Tompkins, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in Canastota, NY, on June 11, along with four-time world heavyweight champion Holyfield.
The last professional boxing event held at Freedom Hall took place on July 30, 2004, when a relatively unknown from England named Danny Williams shocked Mike Tyson by stopping him in the fourth round. The undercard that night also featured Ali’s daughter Laila Ali, who defended her IWBF super middleweight title. The venue has historical significance, having hosted Ali’s professional debut in 1960 as well as Jimmy Ellis’ heavyweight world title elimination battle against Argentinean Oscar Bonavena in 1967.
Friday’s weigh-in is open to the public, beginning at 5 p.m. ET, and will be streamed live from the Kentucky Center Main Street Plaza on The Real Deal’s website: www.therealdealboxing.com.
“I am extremely pleased with the tremendous card we have put together for Real Deal Sports & Entertainment’s inaugural event live from Freedom Hall, in Louisville, Ky, on Saturday. It has been an honor to work with Top Knotch Boxing, Kentucky Venues, and all those who helped make this event a success,” said Eric Bentley, COO of Real Deal Sports & Entertainment. “Boxing fans will really enjoy what we have in store for them, and it can be seen on our website all over the world.”
“The CBS Sports Network telecast features an entertaining heavyweight battle between Derric Rossy and Carlos Negron, middleweights Steven Martinez and Anthony Lenk vying to reach the next level in their careers, the comeback of featherweight contender Toka Kahn Clary, and a clash of unbeaten welterweight prospects Pete Dobson and Jeremy Nichols. The undercard also includes popular local fighters and rising prospects,” Bentley continued.
“I am very proud to bring this card to Louisville, Ky,” said Holyfield, co-owner of Real Deal Sports & Entertainment. “We have high quality talent, competitive fights and some local up-and-comers. This is what we stand for and will continue to represent. We stand by our fighters and are really looking to build something special here in Louisville. I hope everyone comes to Freedom Hall on Saturday and enjoys the show.”
“Having Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing event at Freedom Hall in the same stadium and city where Muhammad Ali began his professional career is a great way to bring boxing back to Louisville, and the state of Kentucky,” said Donald Lassere, president and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center. “But what makes this event even more special is that it is part of the city’s six-week, communitywide ‘I Am Ali’ Festival. This is another way to celebrate Muhammad Ali’s legacy and to showcase our great city of Louisville.”
“Kentucky is proud to host the inaugural Real Deal Championship Boxing Series event,” said Governor Matt Bevin. “Kentucky is well known for our enthusiastic sports fans, and the event promises to be an exciting experience for all.”
“Bringing championship boxing back to Louisville is great for the city,” said Joe Reeves, managing partner/owner of ARGI Financial Group. “Louisville used to be the epicenter of boxing. There is no reason why we can’t resurrect that.”
“Louisville has been a boxing town since the 18th century, and we are getting back into the fight game in a big way with this event,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “I think that the late, great Muhammad Ali would have been proud to see his sport having a revival here.”
Over his 12-plus-year professional career, heavyweight Derric Rossy (31-12, 15 KOs) has proven his willingness to take on any challenge, always entertaining fans with his all-action style. Rossy, of Medford, Long Island, NY, turned pro in 2004 after winning the New York Golden Gloves tournament and has been promoted his entire career by Sal Musumeci, now doing business as president/CEO of Real Deal Sports & Entertainment. His resume reads like a who’s who of heavyweight contenders, with battles against Eddie Chambers, Alexander Dimitrenko, Kubrat Pulev, Maurice Harris, Audley Harrison, Fres Oquendo, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Bermane Stiverne and Erkan Teper. Rossy holds impressive victories versus Gary Bell, Ray Mercer, Travis Walker, 26-1 Carl Drummond, 21-1 Joe Hanks and 16-0 Axror Muralimov, and has won numerous titles including the New York State, NABO, WBC Asian, WBC Fecarbox, WBC-USNBC, and the IBF North American heavyweight belts. He is coming off of a second-round stoppage win over Richard Carmack on December 10.
Carlos Negron (19-1, 15 KOs) is a 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian, from San Juan. Standing at 6’6”, he turned pro in 2009, and his only loss came in 2011. Currently riding a six-fight winning streak, Negron won the WBC Fecarbox title on Sept. 9, 2016, with a first-round TKO over 20-3 Andy Perez. In his last bout, Negron knocked out 17-0 Cristian Galvez in two rounds, on Dec. 19. The June 24 fight will be his first stateside appearance since 2010.
In the televised co-feature, Steven Martinez will square off against southpaw Anthony Lenk in an eight-round middleweight contest. Born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, but now based out of The Bronx, NY, Steven Martinez (17-3, 13 KOs) is trained by Marco Suarez and has been a pro since 2009. On Dec. 19, 2015, Martinez earned his most impressive win, stopping 29-5-1 Jorge Melendez inside two rounds. As an amateur, Martinez accumulated a 103-17 record and was a three-time New York Golden Gloves champion, three-time New York Metro champion, two-time Empire State Games champion and a National Golden Gloves champion in 2008, where he was voted the ‘Most Outstanding Boxer’ of the tournament. Lenk (14-3, 7 KOs), of Niagara Falls, N.Y., is returning from a three-and-a-half-year layoff. He was a three-time national champion, a three-time national silver medalist and a two-time Golden Glove finalist; in his professional career he has two wins over unbeaten prospects and has never been knocked out himself, with two of his losses coming via majority decision.
Junior lightweight contender Toka Kahn Clary (21-1, 15 KOs) will continue his quest for a world title, competing in an eight-round special attraction bout versus Dominican Angel Luna (11-2-1, 6 KOs). He has rebounded from his only loss last September with two wins by knockout. Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Kahn Clary immigrated to the United States as a child, initially living in Philadelphia, Penn., before settling in Providence, RI. Trained by Peter Manfredo Sr. since his amateur days, Kahn Clary turned pro in 2012. A highly accomplished amateur with a 119-11 record, Kahn Clary began boxing at age 14 and was a National Golden Gloves champion and a five-time New England Golden Gloves champion. Fighting out of Brooklyn, NY, by way of Santiago de los Caballeros, Luna has experience against quality opposition, going the distance with world-ranked Tevin Farmer and handing prospect Jose Lopez, then 15-0-1, his only defeat in 2015.
Welterweight up-and-comers “Pistol” Pete Dobson (8-0, 5 KOs), of The Bronx, NY, and Jeremy “J Flash” Nichols (7-0-1, 2 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nev., will put their undefeated records on the line in the eight-round televised opener. The vacant WBC-USNBC Silver title will be at stake. A New York Golden Gloves champion, Dobson is a fan-friendly, aggressive volume-puncher who can box as well as brawl. While still an amateur, Nichols, originally from Long Beach, Calif., gained invaluable experience as a sparring partner for Floyd Mayweather Jr. leading into the mega fight with Manny Pacquiao. Nichols is intent on testing himself, as Dobson will be his fourth unbeaten adversary upon turning pro in October 2015. Both Dobson and Nichols will compete in their first scheduled eight-rounder.
The stacked undercard off-TV will include Real Deal Sports & Entertainment prospects Devaun “Unique” Lee (7-2-1, 3 KOs), a middleweight from Queens, NY, against local Robelle Rogers (4-1, 2 KOs), of Lexington, Ky, in a six-round contest, and Louisville lightweight Carlos Dixon, a nationally ranked amateur and three-time regional Golden Gloves champion, in his pro debut versus DeAngelo Huggins (0-3), of Indianapolis, Ind.
Powerful undefeated Haitian heavyweight prospect Jean Pierre Augustin (14-0-1, 9 KOs), of Lawrence, Mass., takes on Mexican Alfredo Trevino (8-2-1, 1 KO), of Agua Prieta, Sonora, in an eight-round bout. Augustin, who has six first-round knockouts, is riding a six-fight knockout streak. He is trained by former world champion Vinny Paz whom he met while playing a role in the film “Bleed For This”, which is based on Paz’s boxing career.
Unbeaten light heavyweight Curtis Hill Jr. (10-0, 5 KOs), of Indianapolis, Ind., clashes with Eric Moon (3-9), of Southfield, Mich., in a six-rounder. In August 2016, Hill won the Indiana State light heavyweight title.
Detroit’s 18-year-old welterweight prospect JaNelson Bocachica (6-0, 4 KOs), will compete in his first six-round bout, since turning pro last June, against Leonardo Carrizales (4-2-1, 2 KOs), of Brownsville, Tex.
Heavyweights Joseph Benjamin White, of Miami, Fla., and Louisville’s Abel Penna Fails will battle it out for their first professional win in a four-round contest. Both of their records stand at 0-1.
Two amateur bouts will open up the event.
Part of the proceeds from the June 24 event will be donated to Louisville TKO and the Muhammad Ali Center to help support youth development activities in the Louisville area.
Tickets for the live event on June 24, promoted by Real Deal Sports & Entertainment in association with Top Knotch Boxing and Kentucky Venues, are priced at $105, $79, $58 and $41. Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster, online at this link: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Real-Deal-Championship-Boxing-tickets/artist/2374260?tm_link=tm_homeA_b_10004_6 or by calling 800-745-3000. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET, with the first bout scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
