Adamek-Grant August 21 at the Pru Center!

Secaucus' Tomasz Adamek, the IBF International Heavyweight and NABO Heavyweight Champion, returns to Newark’s Prudential Center on Saturday, August 21st when he takes on Michael Grant as part of the acclaimed “Brick City Boxing Series.” Both titles are on the line. A native of Gilowice, Poland, now fighting out of Jersey City, Adamek has drawn record crowds to Newark’s world class venue during the past year and a half. He returns in August following a successful trip to Ontario, California, where he outclassed highly rated Chris Arreola in front of Arreola’s hometown fans.

Standing a full 6’7” with a wingspan of 86”, Grant (46-3, 34 KO's) is, by far, the biggest opponent Adamek (41-1, 27 KO’s) has ever faced as he continues his quest to add the World Heavyweight Championship to his World Light Heavyweight and World Cruiserweight titles. A former IBC/NABF champ, Grant has been on an 8 bout winning streak since 2003 when he was bested by then undefeated Dominick Guinn. In his last bout on May 7th, Grant scored a first round TKO against Kevin Burnett.

Adamek, who is trained by Roger Bloodworth and Ronnie Shields, has made it clear that he intends to move up when he is ready to face reigning World Heavyweight Champions David Haye and Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. As the Klitschko brothers both stand over 6’7”, Adamek and his trainers are particularly interested in taking on an opponent of Grant’s stature.

Adamek explained, “This fight makes so much sense for me. Michael Grant is a very big heavyweight. This fight will prepare me to fight Haye or Klitschko. First though, I have to beat Grant and I do not take him lightly. I was pleased with the results of my training camp for the Arreola fight, so for Grant we will follow the same hard regimen but also work on skills that will keep him guessing.”

"I would like to thank Main Events and their staff for their professionalism and the opportunity to face one of the best heavyweights in the division, Tomasz has proven he is a true heavyweight and a force in the division. I realize this is a great opportunity for me and my team and I will be coming to win this fight on August 21st." stated Grant.

“Every time Tomasz Adamek comes to fight at Prudential Arena it feels like a big party,” promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events said. “The atmosphere is electric and the crowd gets bigger and bigger every time. We expect a capacity audience to turn out again, for the fun. Michael Grant provides a new challenge to Tomasz, who must adjust to much taller and harder punching opponents that he faced in the Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight divisions,” she added. “It should be interesting and exciting to see how Adamek handles a much bigger man.”

Promoted by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions, in association with X-Cel Worldwide, the heavyweight battle will top a 7-bout card. Tickets, priced at $253, $103, $78 and $53 will go on sale in mid-June. For more information, contact Main Events at 973-200-7050 or www.mainevents.com; www.prucenter.com.

Lazarte Upsets Tamara to take IBF Crown!

North Bergen's Carlos Tamara lost his IBF Junior Flyweight title in a stunning upset to local favorite Luis Lazarte Saturday night at Club Once Unidos in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tamara once again entered the lion's den but was unable to walk out with his world title, as Lazarte made the most of his sixth title shot.

Tamara was cut in the opening round via accidental headbutt and stunned in the fourth by his smaller opponent. The aggressive Tamara quickly found himself having to fight his way back into the bout and had moments of success, but Lazarte's effectiveness and consistency ultimately earned him a split decision. Scores were 116-112 and 115-113 for Lazarte, while the third judge scored the contest 115-113 for Tamara.

Lazarte improves to 47-9-1 (18 KO's), while the stunning defeat drops Tamara's record to 21-5 (15 KO's).

My Road to Redemption

By Troy Maxwell

I was asked about last Saturday nights fight on Peltz Boxing May 22nd card at Bally’s. Where, I suffered my first loss, a more than questionable split decision. I knew, I should wait a few days to write this blog, to gather what thoughts I have about the fight and training for my rematch on July 9th, at Boardwalk Hall.

Well I could just go on complaining about being robbed, but there is no point in that I have watched the fight over and over. I have seen where I could have done more, but still no way did I lose. My trainers and I have taken this into training for my next fight. There are no glaring things I need to do immediately. Just train a little harder and leave nothing for the people to debate.

I have been working on boxing a lot more since my February fight. I think it has shown I barely had a mark Saturday night. It’s a work in progress I had no amateur background in boxing and am learning as I go. For July 9th we are doing the usual, training hard working, with very experienced fighters. There are things we are adjusting but when you won the fight one way you don’t need to change much just keep making improvement to my overall boxing. We are always improving and working on getting closer to my goal. I want to be the guy people come to Boardwalk Hall to see go to war like the great, “Thunder” Gatti did. I am salivating to get back in the ring with this kid. I need this for me and for my fans. I will bring some great excitement for my fans. My punches will have a little extra ill intent on them.

I hope everyone comes out in strong support on the 9th. You know I want to get back in the ring so bad and I love when the people are there yelling and cheering. There is no better place to be, then in the ring when that’s going on. I love to fight, boxing doesn’t fit into my life, my life fits into boxing. So anyway what I am saying is come the 9th, I and my fans will get what we deserve no questions asked. We will take one more step up that ladder. Come July 9th when that bell rings there will be one thing for sure, “NO JUDGES WILL BE NEEDED”.

Carlos Tamara’s Refusal to Lose Powers him to First Title Defense

Carlos Tamara was clearly behind against IBF junior flyweight champion Brian Viloria midway through their January 23 bout, but overcame far too much to let short term frustrations deter his championship dreams.

Tamara, like most immigrants, came to America in search of a better life. From the moment he turned pro, Tamara envisioned a world title strapped around his waist and enough financial security to provide a happy life for his two young daughters back home in Colombia.

“Since day one, my biggest goal was to make my family better off financially” said Tamara, who grew up dirt poor.

Things didn’t go as planned.

Fours years after representing his homeland in the 2004 Olympics, Tamara was in Miami, Florida wondering what went wrong. Three controversial losses and a one sided defeat to WBO flyweight champion Omar Narvaez put him in a tough spot. He received a paltry $2,000 for a 12 rounder against future world champion Giovanni Segura, while walking away with just $5,000 for fighting in Narvaez’ home country.

At a time where everything was going wrong and his career was on a downward spiral, Tamara got back on track by defeating fellow comebacking contender Juan Esquer. The Esquer fight was a huge breath of fresh air; just not financially.

Shortly after defeating the highly regarded Esquer, Tamara, now a world rated contender, couldn’t afford his rent and was hours away from living on the streets. A dispute with then manager Tony Gonzalez left him with one final prayer to avoid being homeless; a call to trainer Butch Sanchez in New Jersey. Sanchez quickly agreed to let Tamara live in his house and continued to train him along with Angel “Ping” DeJesus.

“Carlos was 24 hours away from being homeless”, said Nelson Fernandez, who now manages Tamara. “It was a bad situation for him in Miami and he was in need of help. We had to take care of him not just because he is my fighter, but because he is a human being and nobody (deserves to be homeless).”

Things in North Bergen, NJ quickly looked far brighter than they did in sunny Miami.

Even with more than a year of inactivity by the time numerous situations were sorted out, Tamara maintained a top ten world ranking by the International Boxing Federation at junior flyweight. He scored two nondescript victories in Colombia before the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself; a bout with Viloria.

Tamara knew this was his chance to shine.

Viloria was a well regarded and skilled champion, but unbalanced performances made him a vulnerable target for one of the sport’s hungriest fighters. With another defeat likely knocking him out of contention in the immediate future, Tamara had a tremendous training camp at the Hackensack Police Athletic League gym and was ready for whatever his opponent had to offer. He was an inspired fighter confident of victory, but once the bell rang, he was having a difficult time.

Viloria was boxing his way to victory, tagging the aggressive Tamara with hard punches to both the body and head. His terrific start was met by cheers from 12,000 fans at the Cuneta Astrodome in the Philippines. Although Tamara never stopped giving it his all, the champion continued to control the fight and Viloria by decision was the census opinion amongst ringsiders. This was until the bell rang singling the 8th.

Viloria’s punch output drastically decreased and he appeared to tire out from a high workrate in the earlier rounds ala Miguel Cotto against Antonio Margarito. Tamara continued to press the fight and Viloria was now struggling to keep him off. Tamara seemingly had everlasting stamina, as Viloria’s best shots couldn’t slow him down.

Viloria was nearly stopped on his feet during a dramatic 11th round, where an onslaught of punch came oh so close to ending his night in stunning fashion. With three minutes left in the biggest fight of his life and a major swing in momentum, Tamara went for the kill.

Viloria was damaged goods from the bell singling the start of the 12th. He was barely able to stand and it was evident he had nothing left to keep one off one of the hungriest fighters in boxing. The championship that he dreamed of since turning pro was as close as it had ever been. Tamara wasn’t going to let it fall through the cracks.

Tamara swarmed Viloria, who twice hit the canvas due to exhaustion. The same fighter who was cruising to victory early on was now hanging on for dear life. He wasn’t able to hang on much longer.

With Viloria lifeless near the ropes, Tamara tagged him with a multi punch combination, forcing referee Bruce McTavish to save the defenseless Viloria from further punishment. Mission accomplished.

“I am a twelve round fighter (not a four round fighter)”, Tamara said shortly after his victory. “My plan all along was to start building momentum and peak during the championship rounds.”

With the stamina of a horse and heart of a lion, Carlos Tamara officially became a world champion. The long term sacrifices were now all worth it. The same man who was close to being homeless was now in the driver’s seat and thinking about a unification bout.

“I (wanted) to fight (lineal world champion Ivan) Calderon since he has been the number one guy in the division”, exclaimed Tamara. “People (have been proposing) that fight since I took out Viloria and I am all for it”.

With Calderon tied up in the immediate future, Tamara will have to wait for his crack at the number one fighter in his division, but the show must go on.

This Saturday, Tamara returns to the lion’s den for his first title defense when he takes on hometown favorite Luis Lazarte of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Having fought for a world title five times, Lazarte is expected to present difficulties for Tamara, thus is more than just an opponent.

“Lazarte is (definitely an) extremely hungry (fighter)” said Tamara. “(This is) his last hurrah, so I (expect him to be) hungry and (do everything in his power to) take my title. I’m still hungry and I have a lot of personal goals to fulfill, (so) Lazarte better come in the shape (or he’ll have) no chance.”

The length of Tamara’s heroic run remains to be seen. A victory on Saturday night propels him into a tough mandatory defense against former titleholder Ulises Solis, but regardless of how long he remains champion or the amount of money he makes, Tamara will forever serve as a prime example of how hard work, dedication and perseverance can overcome life’s ultimate hardships.

Garden State Round Up: Diaz Fight Moved to Yankee Stadium Card; Rodriguez Returns June 25; Maxwell-Jastrebski Rematch!

GSFS was notified that unbeaten featherweight prospect Jorge Diaz' upcoming bout with Jae Sung Lee has been moved up one week to the inaugural new Yankee Stadium card Saturday June 5th.

Diaz, 13-0 (8 KO's), is amongst the top local up and comers, scoring a number of impressive victories thus far as a professional.

At 10-2-1 (7 KO's) Lee is expected to bring the fight to Diaz for what could be another entertaining scrap.

"(It) feels good (that the fight was moved to the Yankee Stadium card)", the New Brunswick native exclusively told us. "(Moving the fight up a week wasn't a problem) I was ready to fight yesterday!"

Diaz-Lee is scheduled for six rounds.

Rodriguez Returns June 25!

Hard hitting Union City based Welterweight prospect Juan "The Beat" Rodriguez will return June 25 at the Arena in Philadelphia according to promoter KEA Boxing.

Rodriguez, 3-0 (2 KO's), fought his last two bouts in Philly under the guidance of KEA Boxing Promotions. He trains at the Union City Boxing Club and has impressed thus far following a solid amateur career

Maxwell looks for Revenge July 9!

Super Middleweight and GSFS blogger "Trouble" Troy Maxwell, 2-1 (1 KO), of Galloway will hope for revenge July 9 at Boardwalk Hall when he rematches AC's Rafael Jastrzebski in a four round rematch.

Last Friday in AC, Jastrzebski, 2-6-1 (1 KO) scored the upset by pulling out a disputed split decision over Maxwell at Bally's.

Zab Judah to Fight July 16 at the Prudential Center?

Just moments ago, GSFS received a press release from Totowa based Main Events announcing they will co-promote multi time world champion and former unified welterweight kingpin Zab "Super" Judah. M.E. stated he will return to the squared circle under their banner in July, but didn't announce a specific date. According to other sources involved, the fight card will to take place July 16 at the Prudential Center, where former cruiserweight champion turned heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek drew enormous crowds.

Judah, 38-6 (26 KO's), definitely has a shot of becoming a decent draw in Newark, even though he is towards the end of his career. His star power was clearly evident a few weeks back when fans mobbed him during an appearance at Madison Square Garden for the Amir Khan-Paulie Malignaggi fight.

We were also notified that a number of local prospects are slated to appear on the Judah undercard. More to follow!

Duran to Battle Tough Jerome Ellis June 13!

GSFS was notified by Team Duran that Ossie will take on grizzled veteran Jerome Ellis in an eight rounder as part of a special Sunday afternoon card June 13 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Philadelphia.

Ellis, 12-11-2 (10 KO’s), is tougher than advertised and has one of the most deceptive records in boxing. Hailing from Coconut Creek, FL by way of Nassau, Bahamas, Ellis fought to a draw with well regarded Richard Gutierrez, while a dropping close decisions to title challengers Miki Rodriguez, Irving Garcia and rising star Antwone Smith among others. The gritty Ellis holds victories over three unbeaten fighters and was stopped just twice.

At 24-8-2 (9 KO's) Duran is recognized as one of the toughest junior middle/middleweights on the planet. Duran has dropped close decisions to unbeaten rising stars in James Kirkland and Fernando Guerrero, drew with contender Eromosele Albert and has impressive victories over Jonathan Reid and Jamie Moore amongst others. The Paterson based Duran has spent most of his career fighting in his opponents' backyards, but is looking to turn things around and build a fan base for perhaps the first time ever.

The card is being promoted by Joey Eye Boxing. Tickets are priced at $45, $75 and $100 and can be purchased by calling Joey Eye Boxing at 267-304-9399 or Center Stage Tickets at 1-800-677-8499

Paterson's Mejias Suffers another Setback!

By Arben Paloka (in association with 15rounds.com)

In a heavyweight bout this past Friday night in NYC, Paterson's Alexis Mejias (10-4, 4 KO’s; 238lbs) took on Bowie Tupou (18-1, 4 KO’s; 254lbs). The fight started out in thrilling fashion. Both fighters took turns landing hard hooks in combination. Out of nowhere, Mejias was able to land a right hook that was near the back of Tupou’s head, and score a flash knockdown. Tupou was not phased, but it was quite a surprise. In the second round, both fighters continued their fast paced fight, and Tupou was landing hard hooks to the side of Mejias’ head. Late in the round, Meijas landed a flurry that hit nothing but Tupou’s arms. As the round ended, Meijas was showing discomfort.

As it turns out, he was injured and a discussion took place as to how to rule the bout. Eventually, Tupou was credited with a second round TKO due to a stoppage by the ringside physician.

Duran, Farrell and Escalera Featured June 13 in Philly!

Sources notified GSFS that Paterson's Ossie Duran, Jersey City's Patrick Farrell and Union City's Jason Escalera will be featured in separate bouts as part of a special Sunday afternoon card June 13 at the Hyatt Regency in Philadelphia.

Duran, 24-8-2 (9 KO's) will fight an opponent TBA over eight rounds. The gritty Duran will get a rare showcase as the A side, as the Ghanian based middleweight had served as an opponent for top fighters such as James Kirkland, David Lopez and Fernando Guerrero amongst others.

Team Duran notified us earlier today that they are trying to lock a respectable opponent, but have already been rebuffed.



Farrell, 5-0 (3 KO's) and Escalera, 8-0 (7 KO's) are both coming of off impressive victories and will face TBA.

WEIGHTS FROM AC!

Teon Kennedy 122 vs Jose Angel Beranza 121
(USBA super bantamweight title)
Loren Myers 163 vs Patrick Majewski 161
Carlos Vinan 130 vs Anthony Flores 130
Ronald Cruz 142 vs Juan Ramon Cruz 142
Josh Mercado 143 vs Joel Nieves 146
Troy Maxwell 166 vs Rafael Jastrzebski 167
Marcos Garcia 131 vs Ryan Carson 131
Venue: Bally’s Atlantic City, NJ
Broadcast: Gofightlive.tv
Promoter: Peltz Boxing Promotions
Tickets: $50 & $75 on sale at the door/first bout 7:30PM

Salimbene wins Junior Olympic Region 1 Tournament; Move onto J.O. Nationals!

Congrats to Team Gladiator's Rocco "The Rocket" Salimbene, who won the 132lb 16yr old division region one championship last Sunday at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid NY. Salimbene will join stablemate Bobby "the bull" McCarthy (the reigning super heavyweight Silver Glove Champ] in North Carolina this June for the junior Olypic Nationals. Both prospects hone their skills at the Gladator Gym in Forked River and are trained by Shawn Darling

Tamara Ready for First Title Defense!

With 116 rounds of sparring getting ready for the first defense of the IBF, Jr. Flyweight Championship Carlos "El Olimpico" Tamara tells GSFS that "he is in better shape than for the Brian Viloria fight."

Pretty hard to understand how a man that had to come from behind to crown himself as a World Champion by beating Brian Viloria from the 9th round until referee Bruce McTavish had to stop the fight at 1:45 of the 12th round admits he is in better shape for this fight than his last fight.

Carlos the condition you exhibited in your fight vs Brian Viloria was something extraordinary and now you tell us that you are now in better shape?

Yes, I am and I owe it all to the fighters that helped me getting into this shape:
Jose "Chilli Willie" Rivera, Raul Lopez, Julian Rodriguez, Miguel Cartagena and my room mate Carlos "Mina" Zambrano.

These guys have also raised their level when we spar and that's the reason I'm
telling you I'm in better shape than for the Viloria fight.

"I was fighting to survive and make a living now I fight to defend and maintain my World Title." As you know I have the best team in boxing with Universal Promotions, my trainers Butch Sanchez and Angel Pin Pin De Jesus, my manager Nelson Fernández that does not stop sleep working on bigger and better things for my future -- and now I train/excell on my craft using the best boxing equipment in the world EVERLAST.

You have my promise that I will return with my IBF, Jr. Flyweight title after the Luis Alberto "El Mosquito" Lazarte fight.

Kennedy vs Beranza Saturday in AC!

Teon “The Technician” Kennedy (14-0-1, 6 KO’s) will be making his first ring appearance since the tragic death of Francisco Rodriguez in his last fight as he defends the USBA 122 lb crown against rough veteran Jose Angel Beranza.

The fight along with six big undercard bouts can be seen LIVE on www.gofightlive.tv

In that fight which took place on November 20th, Kennedy and Rodriguez fought a classic back and forth brawl with thrilled the fans at The Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia. Kennedy finally stopped Rodriguez in round ten and just days after, Rodriguez unfortunately passed away due to injuries in that “Fight of the Year” candidate.

Kennedy, who is ranked number thirteen in the world by the IBF, maybe the best Prospect under 126 lbs on the east coast and is always in fan friendly tussles and a win over Beranza would catapult him to a very significant fight late this Summer or early Fall.

Beranza of Mexico City has a record of 32-17-2 with twenty-five wins coming via knockout.

He has fought the “whose-who” of fighters in the lower weight divisions.

Some of the recognizable names on his resume include former world title challengers Raul Juarez, Jorge Lacierva, Diosdado Gabi, Nestor Rocha, and AJ Benal; Former world champions Jhonny Gonzalez, Currant world champion Wilfredo Vasquez Jr.

He holds a win over former WBC champ Ivan Hernandez.

Just two fights ago, Beranza shocked than 9-0 top prospect Juan Carlos Velasquez in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN 2.

That fight is just one of seven big fights set for this Saturday night.

The co-feature will be an interesting Middleweight clash between Polish import and undefeated Patrick Majewski (12-0, 7 KO’s) risking his unblemished mark against upset minded Loren Myers (7-7-1, 2 KO’s)

Anthony Flores (8-1, 5 KO’s) looks to rebound from his first pro loss when he takes on the upset specialist Carlos Vinan (9-8-3, 1 KO) in a six round Jr. Lightweight bout.

Vinan holds wins over Orlando Gonzalez (4-0-1); Eric Hunter (5-0); Andrew Cancio (8-0-2) and Victor Vasquez (11-3).

Ina six round Jr. Welterweight bout, Ronald Cruz (8-0, 5 KO’s) takes on grizzled vet, Juan Ramon Cruz (16-8-1, 12 KO’s)

Local favorite, Josh Mercado (3-1, 1 KO) battles Joel Nieves (0-1) in a four round Welterweight bout.

Ryan Carson (2-0, 1 KO) takes on Marcos Garcia (0-1) in a four round lightweight affair.

Rounding out the card will be a tussle between Troy Maxwell (2-0, 1 KO) and Rafael Jastrzebski (1-6) in a super middleweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

Seven big fights which includes an important championship bout for just $9.99 is one click away at http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=668
The action begins promptly at 7:30pm eastern

Webster to fight in First Six Rounder Saturday!

GSFS was notified that Glassboro's Derrick Webster will fight Ron Reaves (2-1, 1 KO) this Saturday in his first rounder this Saturday in Reading, PA.

The lanky southpaw was a terrific amateur and is perfect thus far as a pro, sporting a perfect 5-0 record with 4 wins by way of kayo.

The card is being promoted by Kings Promotions.

Douglin Stops Onyango in Two!

Morganville's Denis "Momma's Boy" Douglin destroyed Trenton based Kenyan inside of two rounds last night at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theater.

Douglin, 9-0 (5 KO's), dominated the opening round, hitting Onyango with everything but the kitchen sink. In the second, Douglin dropped Onyango with a hard straight left hand and then again with a right hook, forcing Referee Sparkle Lee to stop the bout at 1:10.

Onyango falls to 15-19-1 (12 KO's).

POST FIGHT INTERVIEW WITH DOUGLIN TO FOLLOW!

Perez Wins Impressively in the Bronx!

By Arben Paloka (in association with 15rounds.com)

The co-feature of the evening was a Lightweight bout scheduled for six rounds that saw Mike Perez, backed by about one hundred of his loyal fans, take on Francisco Reyes. Perez quickly took control behind a quick jab and strong right. Reyes did not seem fazed, but Perez was landing his punches first, and they were much harder. In the second, Perez picked up right where he left off; peppering Reyes with crisp punches, and now using a left hook to seal the deal. It wasn’t long before Reyes found himself on the canvas after a strong punch landed flush. He quickly beat the count and did not seem too shaken, but with blood streaming out of his nose and mouth, he was looking like a beaten fighter. He managed to finish the round on his feet, but took many hard punches in the process.

The third saw more of the same, but a hard right opened up a bad gash over the left eye of Reyes, forcing the doctor to take a look. Behind on the cards and on talent, Reyes began throwing desperate punches in the hopes of landing something big, and he surprisingly began to land; even staggering Perez briefly. The forth saw both fighters in an even back and forth brawl, as Perez began to show fatigue. The action remained that way into the sixth round, as both fighters began swinging for the fences. A short right hook on the inside from Perez sent Reyes (5-1) down. He was able to beat the count, but Perez laid on the pressure throughout. The final scores read 60-52, 59-53, and 59-53 giving Perez (8-0-1) a unanimous decision victory

Dougin Added to MSG Card Saturday!

2008 National Golden Gloves Middleweight champion Denis "Mommas Boy" Douglin notified GSFS that he will take on 34 fight veteran Joshua Onyango May 15 at Madison Square Garden Saturday night in a six rounder.

Douglin, 8-0 (4 KO's), is fighting for the first time at the Garden and most recently stopped Chad Greenleaf inside of one round on March 31.

Sanchez Stopped in NY

Paterson's Elvin "KoKo" Sanchez suffered his first defeat earlier tonight when Josh Harris stopped him in the second round at the Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY. Coming off an 11 month layoff, Sanchez was dropped in the second round and the bout was stopped just moments later.

"The kid is a strong fighter, I got caught and can't argue the stoppage", Sanchez, who saw the fight on tape shortly after its completion, told GSFS.

His record now stands at 3-1 (3 KO's).

Q&A With Elvin “KoKO” Sanchez!

Hard hitting cruiserweight Elvin Sanchez has been out of the ring for almost one year and with just three fights under his belt, many in his position would be eased back into the ring. The Paterson native isn’t so lucky. Tomorrow night at Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY, Sanchez will be opposed by tough Rhode Island native Josh Harris. Here’s what he had to say.

GSFS: You are making your return tomorrow night for the first time in nearly a year against a very tough opponent in Josh Harris. On paper, Harris is 5-3-1 with 4 KO’s, but his last three victories came via knockout against opponents with a combine 23-3-1 record. Why have you decided to go with such a tough opponent?

ES: Basically it was who was willing to take a fight since we had difficulties with opponents. More or less it was who wanted to fight since I needed to get in the ring.

GSFS: You are backed by Lou Duva, who has been one of the most powerful people in boxing over the last 40 years but have still had difficulty staying busy. Why has that been?

ES: I haven’t been injured or anything I honestly don’t know what it was. It can fall from many different levels such as promoters not wanting to put me on opponents not wanting to sign. Every time we had an opponent they backed out or the money wasn’t right.

GSFS: How many times have you tried to fight since your last bout in June?

ES: Five times

GSFS: What do you know about Josh Harris besides his record? Do you have any scouting report or a game plan?

ES: I don’t know too much about him besides that he is a southpaw and apparently can punch.

GSFS: What was your amateur record?

ES: I had 27 fights with four losses. I had 13 to 15 knockouts with the rest coming by decision.

GSFS: This is somewhat in your hometown since you are from Paterson, which is close to NY. Are you going to try and get him out of there and possibly box since he is a dangerous puncher?

ES: I will have to see how it goes. I will box and use lateral movement if I need to but if he commits I will try and make a move. It’s hard to say without having him in the ring.

GSFS: A few fights ago he scored a first round knockout over a fighter I am sure you are familiar with in fellow Paterson native Alexis Mejias. Alexis is a full blown heavyweight. Does that worry you?

ES: Not really. My whole thing is styles make fights so what he (Harris) has done may not effect me. I can also say the guys he beat didn’t face me.

GSFS: Do you have any other fighting experience? There were rumors circulating that you had underground fights whether it be smokers or whatnot.

ES: It was a rumor (pauses) I actually can’t say that it was a rumor since I had two or three fights but it was nothing big.

GSFS: If you are victorious tomorrow, what is your plan from that point forward?

ES: I want more fights! I want at least seven fights per year. Hopefully a good showing and making a good name will open doors.

Undefeated Prospect Michael Angelo Perez to throw out first pitch at Newark Bears Game!

Unbeaten prospect Michael Angelo "The Artist" Perez of Newark will throw out the ceremonial first pitch this Friday before the Newark Bears battle the York Revolution at 7:05 PM.

Perez, 7-0-1 NC (3 KO's) is making his National TV debut just one week later on Telefutura when he takes on unbeaten Francisco Reyes at the Paradise Theater in Bronx, NY. The 2008 National Golden Gloves champion finished his amateur career with a stellar 112-10 record and meets Reyes over six rounds. Tickets to Perez' next fight can be ordered by calling 718-823-2000.

Five New Jerseyans Slated Fight Out of State this Friday!

Stanhope's Todd Eriksson, Paterson based Elvin "KoKo" Sanchez, Jersey City's Jose Ortiz, Jason Sosa of Camden and Morristown native Andre Eespeut are scheduled to fight beyond state borders this Friday, with all but Sanchez slated to box at The Arena in Philadelphia.

Aside from being the only Garden State resident not boxing in Philly, Sanchez, 3-0 (3 KO's) has the toughest draw of the bunch when he takes on Providence, RI's Josh Harris.

The hard hitting cruiserweight is yet to see the third round as a pro, but is expected to be pushed to the max by Harris. At 5-3-1 (3 KO's) Harris is far better than his record indicates, as his last three victories have came via knockout against opponents with a combined 23-3-1 record. Sanchez-Harris is scheduled for four rounds and is taking place at Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY.

Eriksson, 1-3-1 (1 KO), looks to avenge the first defeat of his career when he meets 6-0 Andy Mejias of Utica, NY in a four round rematch at super middleweight. In his most recent bout at North Bergen's Schuetzen Park, Eriksson scored a one punch knockout over previously unbeaten Eddie Edmonds.

Espeut looks to rebound from his lone defeat to Union City's Jason Escalera last August when he battles PA's Charles Hayward, (2-2, 1 KO), in a four round Super Middleweight bout. Espeut, 2-1 (1 KO), is known for his frustrating style and is the only opponent to go the distance with Escalera.

Ortiz (3-2, 1 KO) and Sosa (2-0, 1 KO) face each other in a four round super featherweight bout for Garden State bragging rights.

New Opponent for Diaz!

North Brunswick's Jorge Diaz informed GSFS that he will now take on South Korean based New Yorker Jae Sung Lee June 12th at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theater.

Lee is taking unbeaten Jayson Velez' place and and at 10-2-1 (7 KO's), is no pushover. The hard hitting Lee scored knockouts in his last five victories, while his two defeats came against former title challenger Jesus Perez and well regarded Mikey Garcia.

Diaz, 13-0 (8 KO's), is fighting at the World's Most Famous Arena for a fifth time and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. In his most recent bout on March 20, Diaz outpointed previously unbeaten Alejandro Lopez in a scorcher where he rallied in the final round to pull out a razor thin decision.

If victorious against Lee, Diaz has his sights set on Velez.

Diaz-Lee is scheduled for ten rounds.

Rodriguez and Yoder win in Philly!

New Jerseyans Juan "The Beast" Rodriguez and TJ Yoder both won easily last night at the Arena in Philadelphia.

Union City's Rodriguez, now 3-0 with 2 KO's, dropped Felton, DE native Mike Denby twice in the opening round before the bout was stopped just 2:51 after the opening bell.

Yoder, of Vineland, is now 2-0 after outpointing Wilson NC's Andrew Barnes over four rounds. Scores were 39-37 twice and 40-36

A bout featuring Atlantic City's Gabby Pham was scrapped at the last minute when his opponent withdrew for undisclosed reasons.