Starfight Productions
Olympic trials silver medalist and welterweight prospect Keith Thurman has been blasting through the welterweight division in dominating fashion. After turning pro on Nov. 9, 2007, Thurman is already 6-0-0 with six knockouts and he's only been in the ring as a professional for less than nine minutes.
Thurman steps up to his biggest challenge on Aug. 15 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa. His opponent is Omar Bell (6-0-0, 4 KOs), who has already made a name for himself by knocking out Irish prospect Henry Coyle in just 45 seconds of the first round. Bell is the brother of O'Neil Bell, former undisputed cruiserweight champion.
When asked what he thought about his next challenge, Thurman responded, "I'm glad that someone like Omar Bell who is undefeated will step up to the challenge. Unfortunately for Omar, that is only half the challenge. The other half is making it out of the first round. This is definitely a step-up fight, and I am ready. Myself and my coach have been asking for Omar because I want to prove that I have what it takes, and if he makes a mistake I will drop him like third-period French."
When asked about the future, Thurman added, "I let Coach [Ben Getty, trainer/manager] and my promoter [Starfight Productions Inc.] work that out. I could really care less who they give me. If I crawled in the ring and the devil himself was on the other end, his ass is getting knocked out."
Doors will open at 7 p.m. on fight night, with action starting at 8.
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By Brian Richesson
A rugged opponent and a rough fight nearly cost Jeff Lacy his lofty standing in the super middleweight division. Nearly.
A 10-round, back-and-forth battle with Epifanio Mendoza ended in a majority decision for Lacy, but it wasn't easy and it wasn't pretty. In the end, the St. Petersburg fighter remains a force, retaining the luxury of another chance and another opponent who could move him closer to another world championship.
Lacy, The Ring magazine's fifth-ranked super middleweight, prevailed by scores of 96-94 and 97-93 at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, Calif., while the third judge scored the ESPN-televised bout 95-95. ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas also scored the bout a draw.
"I feel like I did a marvelous job," Lacy said. "I went out there and fought hard for 10 rounds."
Lacy (24-1, 17 KOs) escaped two big jams in which Mendoza (28-6-1, 24 KOs) nearly finished him. The Colombian sent Lacy reeling in the second round with a hard, looping right to the top of Lacy's head. Then in the eighth, Mendoza landed a powerful right uppercut that hurt Lacy. To avoid any more punishment, the Florida fighter tackled Mendoza hard into the ropes. It wasn't a popular move, but it may have made a difference in the outcome.
"That's experience, that's tactics in the ring," Lacy said to Atlas, who asked whether he tackled Mendoza purposely to force a delay. "Experience wins fights - not just the punches you throw in there."
Lacy looked especially good at times, like in the first round when he landed several powerful right hands and the fourth round when his punches sent Mendoza into the ropes. But in the sixth, a hard right hand by Mendoza knocked Lacy's mouthpiece across the ring. And Lacy appeared to slow in the seventh before the controversial tackle in the eighth.
When the scores were announced, Mendoza was visibly upset. He stood on the ropes, waving his arms and showing his disapproval to the crowd.
Lacy shot back, saying, "He had 10 rounds to finish me, and he couldn't do it."
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By Anthony Ivey
Derrick Samuels has been on a roll as of late. A winner in nine of his last 10 fights, including devastating back-to-back knockouts in his last two, Samuels is about to reap the rewards of his winning streak.
On Aug. 23 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Samuels will challenge undefeated Marvin Cordova Jr. (19-0, 11 KOs) for the vacant WBO NABO junior welterweight title - the very same title Antonio Margarito used as a springboard to a world title shot in the welterweight division.
"This is a great opportunity for me," states Samuels. "It's do or die. I'm not dwelling on anything else but this fight."
This will be Samuels' first trip to Las Vegas, ironically the hometown of his opponent that evening. But neither of these bits of information seems to faze the confident Samuels.
"It's his hometown, but I am not worried about that. It's great to get to fight in Vegas, but again it doesn't really matter to me where the fight is," explains Samuels.
With an impressive 15-3-1 record, the Orlando native Samuels has his sights set on the top of the 140-pound division.
"Like I've said before, there are no dominant guys in the division, just a bunch of prospects. As far as I'm concerned, the division is wide open for me to take it."
For ticket information as well as viewing the fight online, go to www.zeboxingtv.com.
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Starfight Productions
Edner Cherry along with his promoter Starfight Productions Inc. has issued this statement in regard to his opportunities fighting for the world title:
"I don't understand how I can be overlooked. The WBC has me ranked sixth in the world. I have just knocked out Wes Ferguson and Stevie Johnston on HBO and ESPN, and I am the kind of fighter people love to watch fight because I come to fight and not run all over the place. I said I would fight Anthony Peterson, Amir Khan, Nate Campbell, Manny Pacquiao, Joan Guzman and Juan Diaz, and none of these guys will fight me. Boxing is supposed to be the most entertaining fight for the people, not who these fighters' promoters think they can beat. The people are the ones buying the tickets, and putting me in the ring with any of these guys has the potential to be fight of the year. I have done my job and my promoter has done his job. Now it's time for these guys to step up and be men and stop letting their managers and promoters protect them."
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Starfight Productions
Starfight Productions Inc. returns with another installment of "Fight Night at the A La Carte" on Aug. 15 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa. The main event features hard-hitting featherweight Carlos Rivera, who has won three fights in three months.
Also featured on the card is 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials silver medalist Keith Thurman (6-0, 6 KOs), from Clearwater. Thurman is widely considered one of the top welterweight prospects in all of boxing and the most devastating puncher to turn pro from the amateur ranks in years. He is coming off a vicious knockout of Jason Jordan on June 27. Thurman will look to continue his perfect record with a knockout win.
The event's undercard features some of the best boxing prospects in the St. Petersburg and Tampa areas, including junior middleweight Gino McClellan, middleweight Ahsandi Gibbs and young Pete Fernandez prodigy Reynaldo Cepeda.
Tickets are priced as follows: VIP table seating at $80, $75 and $70; reserved at $45 and $35; and general admission at $20. Tickets are available through the Starfight Productions office and all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information, visit www.starfightproductions.com or contact the Starfight Productions' office at 813-876-9269.
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