Skowronski gearing up Remillard for Biggest Fight of Carere

Jersey City based trainer Mike “Red” Skowronski reports that training unbeaten NABF and NABO featherweight champion Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard for his March 26 showdown against unbeaten IBF No. 1 contender “Mikey” Garcia, despite being together a little more than month, seems like they’ve been working together for a year.

Remillard-Garcia is the 12-round co-feature on Top Rank’s “Featherweight Fury,” airing live on HBO After Dark from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The 24-year-old Remillard (23-0, 14 KOs) has been at training camp with his new trainer, “Mike Red,” Skowronski, in Passaic, New Jersey. The WBA #3, WBO #4 and WBC #5 rated Remillard puts his NABF and NABO title belts on the line against USBA titlist Garcia (24-0, 20 KOs).

The newly Top Ranked-signed boxer is in the fight of his young life, one that offers title implications for the Remillard-Garcia winner against IBF Featherweight Champion Yuriorkis Gamboa, or his challenger Jorge Solis if he registers an upset in the 12-round main event “Featherweight Fury.”

“Everybody in the gym immediately liked Matt,” Skowronski said. “We have a lot of young kids who have gravitated towards him. Right now, four of them are sitting around between workouts talking boxing with Matt. It seems like we’ve been working together for a year, not 4-5 weeks. In 3 ½ weeks he had already sparred 84 rounds, working double sessions, and he’s a real gym rat. He came to me in shape but not in good boxing shape. Every day he was sparring 10 rounds. I don’t want to leave it in the gym, so the other day I gave him light stuff. He got upset because he’s use to going 100 miles an hour.”

Skowronski also works with former world champion Kendall Holt, as well as prospects such as Glen Tapia, Jorge Diaz, Victor Valenzuela, Jeremy Byrant, Jose Peralta, and Wanzell Ellison. In the past he worked with the late Arturo Gatti and Tomas Adamek.

“Matt has a very tough fight against Garcia but I think he’s going to shock a lot of people,” ‘Mike Red’ noted. “I didn’t think Matt was a big a puncher as he is. His strength and power are much better. I thought he was more of a finesse fighter but he can bang, too. We’ve worked hard on his footwork and his jab has improved.

Remillard has developed into a dangerous body puncher, stopping several opponents with an attack similar to that of another New Englander, “Irish” Micky Ward, who has often talked to Matt about his left hook to the liver. “Yeah,” Skowronski added, “when I tell Matt I want a Micky Ward, he knows what I mean – tap to the head and then drill the left hook to the body.”

Tickets, priced at $200, $100 and $50 plus applicable fees, are available to purchase at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office or by calling Ticketmaster at (800).736.1420 or online at ticketmaster.com

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Ellison Helps "Sharp Shooter" Sharpen His Skills For Upcoming HBO Bout

Newark native Wanzell Ellison recently finished serving as a chief sparring partner for unbeaten featherweight contender Matt "Sharp Shooter" Remillard in liue of his bout with fellow undefeated rising star Mikey Garcia, which takes place next Saturday in AC.

Remillard, who recently hired Mikey "Red" Skowronski as his trainer, brought Ellison into his training camp at the Passaic Police Athletic League for three weeks.

"The sparring was intense," said Ellison, a former amateur star. "People in the gym were amazed with the sparring and we were both working hard so I could get him ready for his fight."

Ellison reportedly sparred sixty rounds with Remillard and feels that the Connecticut native is ready to shine.

"I am confident that he will win based off of how hard he worked in the gym. People tell me Garcia throws a lot of punches but the way I saw Matt work in the gym I know he'll be ready!"

According to Ellison, his next bout may take place April 2 in AC.

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Cartagena to turn pro 3/26 in AC!

Top rated US amateur star Miguel Cartagena is set to make his highly anticipated professional debut Saturday, March 26th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City as part of the undercard of the Yuriokis Gamboa-Jorge Solis card promoted by Top Rank.

Cartagena has set his mark in the amateurs with a sparkling record 114-11, which includes several championship titles in both the United States and Europe. Now the 2009 National Golden Gloves Champion looks to use his well honed skills to work towards his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion.

“I am excited and want to put on a show for my fans,” said Cartagena. “I have been waiting for this my whole life and can’t wait to see my name up in lights. My style has always been better suited for the professional game. I have been training for this fight as if it was for a world title fight.”

Recently signed by Moz Gonzalez and Eddie Woods of E&M Management, several big things are in the works for the highly touted prospect.

“We believe Miguel has what it takes to be one of the best in the world and we are working diligently to put him in the best position to do that, “said Gonzalez. “The card on March 26th is an opportunity for Miguel to show the world that he will soon be one the rising young superstars in boxing today. He has the charm and charisma to be one of the best in the game and we are extremely happy to have signed him.”

Trainer Javier Varella said: “I feel he will be even better as a professional than he was as an amateur because of his power. He wants and needs the longer rounds so he can take his time and set up his power shots, even though he also has tremendous hand speed to box with the some best fighters out there. He has a warrior’s mentality and wants to make his pro debut a war. I hope his opponent can weather that storm, because if he can’t, it will be an ugly night for him.

Co-manager Eddie Wood said: “The sky’s the limit for Miguel and we are thankful for Top Rank to have given him the chance to open his career on such an important fight card. Look out world, Cartagena is coming!!!”

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Judah Visits Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School Leading up to Saturday's Fight!

Former Undisputed Welterweight and Junior Welterweight Champion Zab "Super" Judah got up close and personal with students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in Newark, Monday, November 1st, as part of a Main Events/Sovereign Enterprises School-Community Partnership program. Judah and three other professional fighters are slated to appear at Prudential Center on next Saturday's all-star HBO boxing card.

Designed to highlight career opportunities within the boxing community, the program began with a school assembly featuring Judah, Newark's Angel Concepcion, Brooklyn's former US Olympic Team standout Sadam Ali and Middletown's Tyrone Luckey. Winners of a school wide essay contest read their work and students were treated to a boxing video.

Judah was deeply moved by his experience with the MLK students. He advised the kids, "Don't let anybody tell you that you can't. You can be anything you want to be. Cream big!""On Saturday, Nov. 6th, Main Events and Zab Judah will host ten MLK students, who will be chosen based upon criteria set by MLK Principal, Dr. Glenn Wilson, when Judah takes on hard-punching Argentine knock out artist Lucas Matthysse. In addition to catching all the action at the fights, the students will tour the back of the house at the spectacular Newark arena, view the television set up, observe event preparations and walk through the locker room area to learn how a major event comes together in the final hours.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School is a place where students from diverse academic inclinations and backgrounds grow educationally, emotionally, and socially. The school provides students with meaningful avenues for exploration throughout their elementary school experience. The course offerings and extra-curricular activities are inimitable. MLK strives to create an atmosphere where each and every student is provided the attention necessary to achieve his/her individual success. The school's mission can only be accomplished by the growing cohesiveness of the educational staff, community based programs and stakeholder partnerships.

Internationally recognized as one of the top boxing promotional firms in the world Main Events, founded by Dan Duva in 1978, is based in Totowa, NJ. Now in its 31st year in the boxing business, Main Events promoted some of the biggest pay-per-view, closed-circuit and HBO Championships bouts of all time as the sport's number one incubator for new talent. More than 30 years after the company's birth, Main Events is still turning out boxing stars and future world champions.

Sovereign Enterprise is an initiative of four men of color that have combined their experience and expertise in the areas of professional sports, economic development and business management to build a long-term platform of education, health and financial wellness for people of color; especially those of African American and Hispanic descent.

As part of their social/community mission Sovereign is dedicated to effecting personal and social change in people of color through a systematic approach to education and programming designed to empower and support self-reliance and self-determination for individuals and our communities.

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