Super welterweight Jason ‘The Hammer’ LeHoullier is making plans to head for Mexico to take on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Top Rank’s Latin Fury 11 scheduled Sept. 12. LeHoullier, trained by Bob Russo in Portland, Maine, will be in Mexico on Tuesday, Sept. 8. “LeHoullier has been mad man-like, training for this fight,” Russo said. Chavez vs. LeHoullier will be on Pay Per View.
Banner Promotions President Art Pelullo and Golden Gloves President Rodney Berman have signed featherweight contender Ricardo “Piolo” Castillo, 38-7 with 25 knockouts, of Mexicali, B.C., Mexico, to a promotional contract.
Now 30 years old, Ricardo won the Mexican featherweight title in his last fight in July, 2009, and is a former North American Boxing Federation featherweight champion, as well. He is the younger brother, by five years of two-time WBC lightweight world champion Jose Luis Castillo, and is managed and trained by Pedro Moran.
Art Pelullo said, “We’re very happy to have signed Ricardo to a promotional contract. He’s a warrior in the great Mexican tradition and we have big plans for him. He will be getting opportunities for big fights in the near future.”
HEADLINES CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT CARD ON SEPT. 12
IN KEMPTON PARK, SOUTH AFRICA; TELEVISED ON SUPERSPORT
Rodney Berman’s Golden Gloves and Arthur Pelullo’s Banner Promotions will present a sensational championship fight card on Saturday, September 12, 2009, at Emperors Palace, located at 64 Jones Street in Kempton Park, South Africa. All bouts will be televised live on Supersport starting at 8:00 P.M. local time.
In the main event scheduled for 12 rounds, Zolani “Untouchable” Marali, 20-2 with 13 knockouts, of Mdantsane, South Africa, will make his first defense of the IBO junior lightweight world title against “Sensational Kid” Ji-Hoon Kim, 16-5 with 13 knockouts, of Goyang City, South Korea.
The 32 year-old Marali, a five-foot, 11-inches tall lefthander, won the vacant IBO title in his last fight in April, 2009, with a 12 round unanimous decision against Gamaliel Diaz. He is also a former IBO junior featherweight champion and two-time South African junior featherweight champion.
Kim, just 22 years old, stands five-foot, nine-inches tall and has an exciting style in the ring. He has now won eight fights in a row, seven by knockout, since his last loss in July, 2006. A former Korean featherweight champion, he made an impressive U.S. debut in May, 2008, with a first-round TKO win against 1996 Olympian Koba Gogoladze in Las Vegas.
Lightning” Harry Joe Yorgey, 22-0-1 with 10 knockouts, of Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, will battle Alfredo “Perro” Angulo, 16-1 with 13 knockouts, of Mexicali, B.C., Mexico, in a 10 round junior middleweight fight in Hartford, Connecticut, on November 7.
HBO will televise the fight as the co-featured bout on its World Championship Boxing series. Banner Promotions will co-promote the Yorgey-Angulo bout with Gary Shaw Productions.
Both fighters are coming off impressive knockout wins in their most recent fights. On March 28 in Miami, Oklahoma, Harry, now 31 years old, knocked out previously undefeated prospect Ronald Hearns - the son of the legendary Thomas Hearns - who was 21-0 with 17 knockouts at the time. It was an exciting fight – both fighters were knocked down in the fourth round, but Harry rallied to score knockdowns in the fifth and ninth rounds and Hearns was counted out.
In his last fight on August 7, Angulo, who is 27 years old, scored a third round TKO win in Primm, Nevada, against Gabriel Rosado of Philadelphia, who entered the ring with a record of 12-3 with 7 knockouts. Angulo, a 2004 Olympian for Mexico, overpowered Rosado in the third round – he scored three knockdowns and the fight was stopped without a count.
IBF featherweight champion Cristóbal “Lacandón” Cruz (39-11-1, 23 KOs) retained his title by unanimous decision over Jorge “Colorado” Solís (37-2-2, 27 KOs) on Saturday night at the Palenque de la Feria in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico. Scores were 114-110, 113-110 and 113-111 for Cruz, who avenged a 2003 loss to Solís.
Banner Promotions president Art Pelullo said, “We want to congratulate Cristobal on his sensational win and tell him how proud of him we all are at Banner Promotions. The event drew 7,000 enthusiastic fans and was a huge success.
“This was Cristobal’s third world title fight, and he’s been the underdog in all three. The odds were 4 to 1 against him this time, but once again he gave a tremendous performance and proved the oddsmakers wrong.
“We also want to thank everyone in the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez and the state of Chiapas who helped make this event so successful, with a special acknowledgement to the Governor of Chiapas, Juan Sabines Guerrero.”
Pictured from left to right, President of Banner Promotions Arthur Pelullo, IBF Featherweight World Champion Cristobal Cruz, Governor of Chiapas Juan Sabines Guerrero, Mexico and Cruz’ manager-trainer Pedro Moran.
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DUESSELDORF, GERMANY - MARCH 15: Eddie Chambers of USA attends a press conference at Ufer 8 on March 15, 2010 in Duesseldorf, Germany. The WBO Heavyweight World Championship fight between Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine and Eddie Chambers of USA will take place at the Esprit Arena on March 20, 2010 in Duesseldorf. (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY - MARCH 15: Emanuel Steward, coach of Wladimir Klitschko, attends a press conference at Ufer 8 on March 15, 2010 in Duesseldorf, Germany. The WBO Heavyweight World Championship fight between Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine and Eddie Chambers of USA will take place at the Esprit Arena on March 20, 2010 in Duesseldorf. (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY - MARCH 15: Eddie Chambers attends a press conference at Ufer 8 on March 15, 2010 in Duesseldorf, Germany. The WBO Heavyweight World Championship fight between Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine and Eddie Chambers of USA will take place at the Esprit Arena on March 20, 2010 in Duesseldorf. (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY - MARCH 15: Wladimir Klitschko attends a press conference at Ufer 8 on March 15, 2010 in Duesseldorf, Germany. The WBO Heavyweight World Championship fight between Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine and Eddie Chambers of USA will take place at the Esprit Arena on March 20, 2010 in Duesseldorf. (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY - MARCH 15: Wladimir Klitschko (L) of Ukraine and Eddie Chambers of USA pose for a picture during a press conference at Ufer 8 on March 15, 2010 in Duesseldorf, Germany. The WBO Heavyweight World Championship fight between Klitschko and Chambers will take place at the Esprit Arena on March 20, 2010 in Duesseldorf. (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)
