| |
|
|
ShoBox Hall Of Fame Weekend
Featuring Five Undefeated Fighters In Exciting Tripleheader June 9
Blue-chip prospect and top-10 ranked light heavyweight Ali
Izmailov (10-0, 7 KOs) faces his toughest test to date when
he takes on fellow unbeaten and highly decorated amateur
Charles Foster (22-0, 12 KOs) in the 10-round main event as
SHOBOX: The New Generation returns to Turning Stone Resort
Casino in Verona, N.Y., during Hall of Fame Weekend on
Friday, June 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT live on SHOWTIME. This marks
the second straight year SHOBOX® will be a part of the Hall
of Fame Induction Weekend festivities.
The exciting tripleheader features two undefeated matchups
and includes fighters with a combined record of 99-2-2 and
56 knockouts. In the co-feature, college graduate Richard
Vansiclen (13-0-1, 6 KOs) from Seattle, Wash., takes on
fellow unbeaten and hard-hitting Colombian Juan Carrillo
(10-0, 8 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight matchup. In
the telecast opener, former SHOBOX main-event winner and
rising super lightweight prospect Mykquan Williams (19-0-1,
8 KOs) will face battletested Ryan Martin (25-2, 15 KOs) in
a 10-rounder.
This marks the fourth time since 2013 that a SHOBOX card has
taken place in conjunction with Hall of Fame Induction
Weekend, which will occur June 8-11. SHOBOX has visited
Turning Stone Resort Casino a total of seven times
previously during its 21-year history. The three-fight
telecast on June 9 is promoted by Dmitriy Salita’s Salita
Promotions.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in person at
the Turning Stone Box Office or online at Ticketmaster.
“It’s great to be back at Turning Stone Resort Casino for
Hall of Fame Weekend,” said Gordon Hall, executive producer
for SHOBOX: The New Generation. “Our three fight card
features 50-50 matchups with the winner of the main event
clearly establishing themselves as a top contender in the
light heavyweight division. Each of these fighters aspires
to be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day, much as former
SHOBOX fighters and Class of 2023 Hall of Famers Tim Bradley
and Carl Froch once did. On behalf of all of us at SHOWTIME,
congratulations to all the inductees!”
Added Salita, “Six fighters, five undefeated, will put it
all on the line in by far the most significant fights of
their careers. There is no better proving ground than SHOBOX
and no better celebration of boxing than Hall of Fame
Weekend. The boxing world will be watching. I’m honored to
promote such an event.”
Here is more on each of the three bouts:
Izmailov vs. Foster – 10-Round Light Heavyweight Main Event
Ranked No. 7 by the IBF and No. 8 by the WBO after just 10
fights, the John David Jackson-trained Izmailov is a
fast-rising force in the light heavyweight division. A
former amateur standout having won multiple elite
international tournaments, Izmailov, economical and
efficient in the ring, has been matched tough throughout his
professional career. In his second fight, he cruised to a
six-round unanimous decision over 30-fight veteran Dmitry
Sukhotskiy and followed that with a dominant performance
against once-beaten Sergei Ekimov. Since making his U.S.
debut in October 2021, Izmailov is 5-0 with four KOs. Before
his first-round knockout over Marcelo Ruben Molina in his
last bout in March, Izmailov had back-to-back wins over
undefeated opponents, including a unanimous decision over
Eric Murguia in August. Originally from Malgobek, Russia,
the 30-year-old Izmailov currently resides in Detroit when
he’s not training in Florida with top trainer Jackson.
“I want to fight the very best to show the boxing world who
I am,” Izmailov said. “I look forward to a great training
camp with my trainer John David Jackson in Florida and a
statement-making performance on June 9.”
Fighting out of New Haven, Conn., the southpaw SHOBOX alum
Foster is coming off three straight knockouts, including his
last in December against Rafael Fernandez Sosa in the
Dominican Republic via a sixth-round stoppage. Prior to
that, Foster was part of Hall of Fame Weekend last year as
he took out Bo Gibbs, Jr., in Verona with a fourth-round
TKO. In May of 2018 on SHOBOX at the 2300 Arena in
Philadelphia, Foster outworked then-undefeated Alvin Varmall
to win a unanimous decision. He is a former four-time
Connecticut Golden Glove winner and National PAL silver
medalist. Foster, known for his heavy hands and slick
movement, is promoted by Lou DiBella and Murphys Boxing, the
promotional company founded by Ken Casey of the popular rock
band Dropkick Murphys.
“Thanks to SHOBOX for bringing me back after five long
years,” Foster said. “I have been here before. I’ve fought
an undefeated fighter already on SHOBOX. I know what it
takes. Last time, I won in good fashion. I know Ali is a
good fighter. He’s a tough competitor with a good corner in
John David Jackson. I have been with my team since I was 14
years old. This fight will put me right back where I was
before the pandemic.”
Vansiclen vs. Carrillo – 10-Round Light Heavyweight Bout
Sporting a 45-5 amateur record, the 2015 University of
Washington graduate was the National Collegiate Boxing
Association 174-pound Champion in 2015, the same year he
competed at the Olympic Trials. Known as a thinker and
strategist in the ring, Vansiclen, a high school football
standout, also possesses an exciting, come-forward style and
likes to mix it up. He will be taking on his third
undefeated opponent on June 9 after he most recently
decisioned 13-0 Hakim Lopez in September 2022.
“This is a great opportunity to display my talent to the
boxing world,” said Vansiclen, who goes by the nickname
“Good Vibes.” “My previous bouts have prepared me for this
fight, as we have faced some tough competition. This fight
is in line with that. My keys to victory will be to fight
hard and smart and let the vibes come out.”
Colombian Olympian Carrillo of Barranquilla, Colombia, is a
slick boxer with heavy hands. His last six wins have been by
knockout. He is coming off a fourth-round stoppage win
against Robert Burwell last February. In 2021, Carrillo
captured the WBA Fedecentro light heavyweight title with a
third-round stoppage of Reinaldo Gonzalez in Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic. Accumulating a record of 388-23, he was
among Colombia's most decorated amateurs. He advanced to the
second round at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
He also won gold medals at the 2012 Colombian National
Games, 2012 Pacific Cup Tournament, 2011 Colombian National
Championships, 2010 Colombian Youth National Championships,
and silver at the 2014 Central American & Caribbean Games.
Carrillo comes from a boxing family and, at age nine,
followed his father and older brother into the sport.
“This is my chance to prove to everyone watching, as well as
my promoter DiBella Entertainment and my management team,
Felipe Gomez and Juan Gonzalez, that I am ready to take my
career to the next level and beyond,” Carrillo said. “I have
been working hard to go all the way to the top. A win
against Richard Vansiclen legitimizes my skills as a serious
prospect. I want to climb up in the rankings and fight
tougher opponents to earn a shot at a title.”
Williams vs. Martin – 10-Round Super Lightweight Bout
The rising undefeated super lightweight prospect Williams,
25, earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over
Yeis Solano in the main event on SHOBOX in January of 2021.
In 2019, Williams was featured in Ring Magazine’s “New
Faces” column, which highlights the sport’s rising
prospects. The former amateur standout earned three Ringside
Championships and a Silver Gloves Championship in his home
state of Connecticut.
“I am excited to be back fighting on SHOBOX,” Williams said.
“I think this is a very good fight for me. It’s definitely a
step-up in competition. Ryan Martin has fought tough
opposition, so I know he has experience. I want to thank
DiBella Entertainment and Salita Promotions for the
opportunity. Everything is running smooth in training camp,
and I am looking forward to putting on a great performance.”
Martin was 22-0 with 12 knockouts before he lost his first
fight in 2018 to former undisputed 140-pound king Josh
Taylor in the World Boxing Super Series’ 140-pound
tournament. Martin won his next two bouts before bowing to
Robert Easter, Jr., a former titleholder, by unanimous
decision in February of 2021. A former amateur standout with
over 200 fights, the Tennessee, Chattanooga native won the
U.S. Under 19 National Championships at 132 pounds in 2010
and the U.S. Junior National Championships in 2009 at 132
and is a 12-time Tennessee State champion.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity to update the boxing
world on who I am,” Martin said. “This is do-or-die, and
I’ve faced death in the eye already and that isn’t for me.
The Blue-Chip Express is on a mission to the top, and we
haven’t seen our best yet. There is no such thing as tough,
or tougher. It’s just who wants it more.”
|
|
|
