Mohegan Sun’s Rising Stars’ Fighter Spotlight: Elvin Ayala “My skills aren’t to be underestimated.”
New Haven, CT: Veteran middleweight Elvin Ayala (29-9-1, 13 KOs) has faced some tough competition in his 14-year professional career and his match-up with Vaughn “The Animal” Alexander (10-0, 7 KOs) in the main event of the Thursday, October 5 installment of the Mohegan Sun’s Rising Stars Boxing Series will be no exception. The two are scheduled for a ten-round battle as Ayala looks to prove he is still a force to be reckoned with in the tough middleweight division.
When asked why he accepted the fight with Alexander, Ayala explained, “Because I am a fighter. I’m an animal and I will take any fight. Plus, his record and his name.” Vaughn Alexander is the older brother of former world champion Devon Alexander but despite Alexander’s pedigree, Ayala believes it is his experience gives him an edge over Vaughn. He added, “Experience. I have been in there and fought against guys who were lot a stronger. I think that counts for a lot because I’ve been there. I’ve gone for longer rounds. My experience is an advantage over what he’s done in the boxing world.”
Elvin has taken that experience and, along with his team, has developed what they believe to be a sure-fire plan for success. He said, “My plan is to beat him up. It can go any way here, but I can take him to deeper waters; we can do that. We can trade it out and see who gets knocked out first. I’ve been training super hard. I’ve been training smarter. I’m stronger, I’m faster and more experienced, I feel great. I’m taking that into the ring with me. I have no worries, I have no fear.”
Dan Crotty, Ayala’s manager added, “Elvin has reached a whole other level in his career and he’s reached a level of maturity that’s gonna propel him to be a world champion. He’s got a great team behind him now and he’s at a place where he understands himself and his goals a lot better. That is going to take him to where he needs to be no matter who the opponent is. He’s really developed. He knows he must be physically the best and then he can achieve his goals. It is actually pretty astounding to see and watch his transformation.”
At 36 years old, Ayala knows he needs to take advantage of every opportunity that comes his way if he wants to continue to be relevant in this tough division. “I’m extremely happy to have this opportunity, whether it was with Vaughn or anybody else,” Ayala said. “I need to impress the right people who can help me further in my boxing career. And that’s what I’m doing. I know what I have to do here, to go in there and, not just be victorious, but be very impressive so I can finally do what I should’ve been doing. I can capture the right people to let them see that I am serious and I can fight. My skills aren’t to be underestimated.”
About October 5: The Mohegan Sun’s Rising Stars Boxing Series hosts its third installment with a rare Thursday Night edition at the Arena at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Main Event features a ten-round middleweight match-up between Rising Stars’ staple Vaughn Alexander and former middleweight title contender Elvin Ayala. The series is presented by Mohegan Sun and Main Events and feature boxing prospects from New England and around the world. Tickets start at $40 and are available now through Ticketmaster and the Mohegan Sun box office.
