Ben Tackie also axed for August 8th! Lenin Arroyo steps in to fight Mike Jones @ Bally's

Stick a fork in LA's Larry Mosley, he is done...again! He was forced to withdraw from fight fight about 10 days before bell time, this time due to blood poisoning. In a swift move, promoter J. Russell Peltz quickly inserted tough but fading journeyman Ben Tackie as the replacement. That idea lasted for about 2 days. Tackie failed his medicals and won't be allowed to fight. At the zero hour, Mike Jones (17-0, 15ko's) now falls back to plan C, and will fight Lenin Arroyo (20-9-1, 4ko's) of Florida via Costa Rica in the 12 round headline attraction on August 8th at Bally's casino in Atlantic City for Jones NABA title.

To Arroyo's credit, he has never been stopped in 30 pro fights and in his only match against a signature opponent, Arroyo went the 8 round distance against contender Randall Bailey in a losing effort. Arroyo may not be a known name and may not pose a whole lot of a threat, but hey at least the show isn't cancelled and this is usually the type of fight where MJ scores one of his signature clock cleaning KO's...

Anthony Thompson vs. Grady Brewer II on August 22nd in California! I.B.O. title on the line!

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Philly Jr. Middleweight Anthony "The Messenger" Thompson has a date with destiny on August 22nd as he signed on for a rematch against Oklahoma's Grady Brewer for a 12 rounder with the IBO title at stake. This match will take place at the Pala Casino in California. 

For those in need of a history lesson, The Messenger was a highly touted prospect since his days as an amateur. He was thought to be on the paved road to title town until suffering a KO upset in 2005 at the hands of then unknown Grady Brewer. People were flat out stunned at this happening. Since that day, Thompson has rebounded to win many more than he lost, but there has always been a cloud of controversy surrounding his big fights. Thompson's name stayed in the picture but in his most recent taste of national exposure, a 2007 ESPN fight  for this same IBO title, Thompson was in control but got shafted and referee Malik Waleed reminded the world that an outsider just can't get a win in the state of Maryland against a home town fighter.

At the end of the day, it went into the books as a loss. Even so, that still has not derailed Team Thompson's mission of winning a world title. Thompson returned to the ring in May and dispatched durable journeyman Luis Lopez late in the 1st round. Later in an interview with us Thompson told the world that his is refocused and ready to go. In essence, Thompson now has the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, avenging his first loss and claiming the title many feel is rightfully his. This should put him in line for a significant fight soon after shall he win.

Brewer is a fighter to be respected. He is one of the rare competitors who was able to fight his way out of journeyman-ville, getting his title shot the old fashioned way - by earning it. After being thrown to the wolves early in his career, he rebounded to win the ESPN Contender Series in 2006 as a big underdog and is currently riding a 7 fight winning streak, defeating quality opponents along the way.

Now both fighters finds themselves at an old fashioned cross roads fight. Thompson has the opportunity to beat the man that took his 0 and also claim a belt that he feels is rightfully his in one fell swoop. You can be assured he won't take this one easily. Brewer knows he was never expected to make it this far in the first place, and the hard working Oklahoman knows a loss could easily fade his career to oblivion.

It is all going to come down to who wants it more. Reports from Bozy's Gym in Germantown say that The Messenger has looked sharp in recent workouts. A win here could finally get him over the hump and to the promised land that he and his team strive for.

Watch "Gabe & Billy's War", by Alex Berger - a documentary about Gabriel Rosado & Billy Briscoe preparing for a fight earlier this year...

Check out this short documentary titled "Gabe & Billy's War" created by University of Penn student Alex Berger. Alex goes in depth, following Philly Jr. Middleweight Gabriel Rosado & Trainer Billy Briscoe as they prepare for an upcoming fight. An interesting behind the scenes look at the fight process and also an intro to the relationship between trainer & fighter.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

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Ennis & Ferrante decision wins highlight the ESPN card at The Arena!

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Shalyte Promotions inaugural card at The Arena was a winner as they collaborated with Jimmy Burchfield and ESPN to provide a mostly competitive 9 bout card that was seen across the nation. On the local side, Jr. Middleweight Derek "Pooh" Ennis made the TV portion of the show and delivered some post 4th of July fireworks, scoring two hard knockdowns during a competitive fight against Alabama tough journeyman John Mackey en route to a 6 round unanimous decision win. After a steady start from both men, Pooh almost sealed the deal in the 2nd round when he put Mackey on the canvas with a combination upstairs. Mackey did rise and actually fought hard enough to win some of the middle rounds. It was a good fight down the stretch and Ennis was the one looking to close the show as he put Mackey down hard late in the 6th with a head shot. Mackey got up again and weathered a late flurry to end the fight on his feet. Good showing for Ennis on national TV as he makes his case to secure a more meaningful fight in the near future.

Mayfair Light Heavy Tony "Boom Boom" Ferrante found himself in the fight of his young career and dug deep down the stretch to pull out an 8 round majority decision win over the upset minded Billy Bailey of California. The fight had a steady theme, Ferrante headhunted and landed some good right hands upstairs or some well timed uppercuts while Bailey played the role of buzz saw, firing and landing hard hooks to the body. The momentum see-sawed from rounds 1 - 6. There were times where Bailey looked hurt, there were times where Ferrante's tank seemed to have nothing but dust particles left. Throughout it all both kept on fighting. Ferrante gained a second wind when it matter most as he clearly took the final two rounds and was on the verge of a KO late in the 8th. Probably the best local fight in Philly so far this year.

In the TV co-feature, Light Heavy contender Chris Henry overcame a Shawn George SCUD missile attack in the early going, and after being force fed overhand right after right without budging, he turned the tide, gave his opponent a taste of his own medicine and eventually KO'd George late in the 5th round in one hell of a fight.

Olivia Fonseca scored a 3rd round KO with a body shot in her scheduled 4 rounds. Olivia, known for her wild brawls, actually sat back and boxed this time around and looked good doing it.

Jackie Davis pulled herself off the canvas in round 1 to win a clear cut unanimous decision in her 4 rounder. Rounds 2 - 4 were non stop Davis as she fought like it was now or never. Great show of heart from the Ivan Robinson trained boxer.

Angel Ocassio had some good moments in his pro debut. Good movement, good hand speed, seems to have some pop and brought a decent crowd with him. Did seem a little hesitant at times though offensively. Overall a solid start to his career.

Derek Webster beat up a guy who should never be allowed to lace up the gloves ever again. This one was mercifully stopped midway through the 1st.

In the TV main event, Sioux Falls native Shaun Hawk should have stayed on the reservation as he and Connecticut's Matt Godfrey combined to put on a 10 round stinker that Godfrey won by unanimous decision to retain the NABF Cruiserweight title. Ran Nakash has nothing to fear if this is his competition at the next level...

Full write up with photos to come soon.

Eddie Chambers wins WBO Heavyweight title eliminator fight in Germany!

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On July 4th, "Fast" Eddie Chambers got the job done in a big way when he picked apart Germany heavyweight Alexander Dimitrenko over 12 rounds in their WBO title eliminator bout. It was an impressive performance that now has many believing the Eddie is truly the top American Heavyweight out there. Congrats to the former King of the Blue who is now making his presence felt across the globe.

USS Cunningham beats Braithwaite in Florida, now the IBF Mandatory!

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Early reports out of the sunshine state say that Philly Cruiserweight Steve "USS" Cunningham convincingly won a 12 round unanimous decision over hard punching Wayne Braithwaite to become the mandatory challenger to Tomas Adamek's IBF Cruiserweight title. Official scores were Scores were 119-109, 118-110, 117-111, an tally that usually mean a fairly dominant performance.

Now comes the good part, Tomasz Adamek must finally grant Team Cunningham's ongoing request for a rematch for forfeit the title, plain and simple. Adamek, who also successfully defended his title on July 11th in Newark, has run out of quality options at the Cruiserweight level. If he continues to duck USS, it can no longer be viewed as smart business, it must be viewed as a lack of heart. If Adamek is a true champion, he will accept the challenge and treat the his legion of fans to a follow up of a 2008 classic.

Ran Nakash wins by KO in Newark!

Photo credit / Cindy Capitani & Mike Ricciardelli

Israeli Cruiserweight Ran Nakash upped his record to 19-0, 15ko's with a 4th round KO over Virginia's William Bailey in Newark over the weekend. Nakash, who usually conducts business at The Blue Horizon, becomes an interesting wildcard in the Cruiserweight division with this win. After witnessing very lackluster performances from the NABF champion Matt Godfrey and top challenger Shaun Hawk, it is not far fetched to think that Nakash compete at this level. Keep an eye out because he is due for a jump up in competition soon.

Also on this Newark card, Poland's Tomasz Adamek retaining his IBF title with a 4th round KO over Bobby Gunn. Adamek now must face Philly's Steve "USS" Cunningham or forfeit his title.

Patterson, NJ's Henry Crawford (21-0, 8ko's) won an 8 round unanimous decision over Philly's Kaseem Wilson (12-2, 3ko's) by scores of 80 - 72 x2 & 79- 73.

Click here to read the recap from Michael Ricciardelli

Mike Jones vs. Larry Mosley set for August 8th @ Bally's!

The continuously postponed match-up between Philly's Mike Jones and LA's Larry Mosley (15-3-2, 6ko's) has found a new date, August 8th at Bally's casino in Atlantic City. This marks the third try to get this rumble on as Mosley has to pull out once due to a back injury and Jones had to pull in the latest try with a bicep injury. If it does go off as planned, Jones will look to improve his rank in three major sanctioning bodies and win over a new audience. This will mark Jones second defense of the NABA Welterweight title that he won in Philly back in November of 08. In his first defense, Jones blitzkrieg'd Columbia's Dario Esalas who lasted a mere 2 rounds at The Blue Horizon. Larry Mosley is well rounded fighter with a resume of good competition over this years but hasn't never been able to get over the hump as a pro. More info to come on this as well. For tickets to either event call 215-765-0922

More info on this card to come soon.

Gabriel Rosado to fight Alfredo Angulo on ESPN August 7th!

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North Philly Jr. Middleweight "King" Gabriel Rosado (12-3, 7ko's) is at it again, this time taking on the highly regarded Alfredo "Perro" Angulo (15-1, 15ko's) of Mexico in the ESPN main event August 7th in Primm, NV.

Rosado is gaining recognition around town as the ultimate Philly fighter. Spending his time taking on names that could make one's career end, he has done very good work in the role of "travelling opponent" beating James Moore in Brooklyn and taking a decision over former world titlist Kassim Ouma on Ouma's people's card in Newark, NJ. He also gave rising star Fernando Guerrero a hard time in a losing effort. While others refuse to go into other hometowns against highly regarded fighters, Rosado has put himself on the map by doing it. But now he truly faces his toughest task to date.

Alfredo Angulo was thought to be on the fast track to a title only a month ago. He stream rolled his way through opponents after opponent with non-stop power punches with immense intensity. Some say he was one-dimensional. but that one dimension was fierce. Things came into question in May after Angulo slipped up and took his first loss against former champ Kermit Cintron. There was lots of speculation on what happened. Was Angulo sick? He sure didn't bring the same fire we became accustomed to. Was he flat out exposed? He never faced someone who would use the ring and fight smart. Cintron is an experienced vet who fights at a high level. There were also rumors of Angulo looking to pull out of the fight days before hand but was not allowed because it would collapse the entire card.

So now, the situation is this. In one corner you have Rosado, the fearless Philadelphia fresh off a win over a former world champion. Though some feel Ouma is shot, the win definitely must be recognized. A win over a fighter considered to be a top prospect in this division would likely ascend Rosado into someone's world rankings. He has done it before, everyone is interested to see if he can do it again. It is a fight this team has wanted, now they got it on national TV.

Angulo on the other hand will definitely be looking for blood out of Rosado on national TV. If Angulo is on-point, he is very dangerous. If they guy who fought Cintron showed up, he is in trouble. A loss would be disastrous for Angulo's career and I am sure Team Rosado would be more than happy to throw the dirt over the grave.

Tune into ESPN2 on August 7, 2009 for the Friday Night Fights Main Event!

Dennis Hasson signs with TKO Boxing!

In a release sent this week, it was announced that Undefeated Philly Supper Middleweight Dennis "The Assassin" Hasson has signed a promotional deal with TKO Boxing, terms were not disclosed. The move has sparked some controversy in local boxing circles around town as Hasson started his career fighting under the Peltz boxing banner though no official contract was in place. Some say this was a great move for the 25 year old Kensington native, others think he should have stayed put. Regardless of your stance, expect to see The Assassin back in the ring soon which is good news for fight fans as he always gives an effort worth the admission price

Talk about it on the forum here http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=216.0