Holt set to battle Diaz May 13!

Two world champions known for never backing down will meet at the crossroads in the main event of promoter Gary Shaw in association with Thompson Boxing's outstanding Friday Night Fights broadcast from the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, on Friday May 13.

Set to clash in the sensational 10-round "Fight Night at the Chumash" welterweight main event are Paterson, New Jersey's former WBO Light Welterweight Champion Kendall "Rated R" Holt (26-4, 14 KOs) and Coachella, California's former IBF Lightweight World Champion Julio "The Kidd" Diaz (38-6, 27 KOs).

At this stage in their impressive careers, neither Holt nor Diaz can afford to lose. Both men, already known for the thrills they delivered the boxing world in the past, will be fighting to stay relevant in today's welterweight division. A victory means another trip up the mountain to try and make the top. A loss means a long climb back into contention.

After dropping two consecutive fights to strong opposition, Holt came back with a 1:50 TKO win last January over veteran Lenin Arroyo. Diaz has notched two good victories since he suffered consecutive losses in 2009.

"Both of these guys have too much to lose for this to be anything but a sensational fight," said promoter Gary Shaw. "They're both going to be coming out knowing they must win if they are to ever win another world championship.

Although the Chumash has become a hotbed of world-class boxing in California, this will be the first time the ESPN2 "Friday Night Fights" crew has broadcasted from the beautiful venue.

Opponents will be announced shortly. All bouts are subject to change.

Tickets are priced at $35, $45, $55, $65, and $75 and are available at Star Tickets.

You must be 18 to enter the Chumash Casino Resort.

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Hanks Signs With Star Boxing!

Fast rising and exciting heavyweight prospect, Joe "The Future" Hanks (15-0, 10KO's) has signed an exclusive long-term agreement with Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing. The Newark native Hanks, who made his pro-debut on a DeGuardia promoted card, now looks to continue his march towards a heavyweight world title under the Star banner.

"Ever since Joe made his pro-debut with us I have kept a close eye on him," stated DeGuardia. "Right from the start you could see that he had a lot of raw talent and power, to go with his great size. Joe has grown and improved from each fight, and we feel that he will only continue to do so as begins to make the transition from hot prospect, to a true top-ten contender."

Hanks agent Michael Borao agrees, "I see Joe distinguishing himself from all other heavyweight prospects and breaking into the world ratings within the next 12-18 months. We are happy to have Star Boxing on board, helping Joe on his journey to a world title."

After having his first three fights as a pro, two of which were on Star Boxing cards, in New York, Hanks took his show out West and has recorded his last twelve victories while fighting in the state of California. Now DeGuardia, who regularly stages events throughout New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, is looking to further develop Hanks home fan-base back on the East Coast.

"Joe is from New Jersey, but his last twelve fights have all been on the West Coast. Now that we have Joe not only are we looking to develop him into a future champion, but we also want to begin broadening his fan base back here in the tri-state area. We are really excited to be adding Joe, who is one of the top prospects in the area, to our roster."

Look for an announcement as to the date when Hanks will be making his Star Boxing debut very soon.

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Sharpe Returns against Quillan!

Bayonne's Dennis Sharpe will shake off nearly four years of inactivity when he returns Friday, February 11 to face unbeaten Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillan in Fairfield, CA. Sharpe, 17-5-3 (4 KO's), is winless in his last seven bouts, which includes defeats to Pawel Wolak, Giovanni Lorenzo, Andy Lee and Ronald Hearns.

Quillin, 22-0 (16 KO's), is fighting for the second time under the banner of Golden Boy Promotions and is trained by renowned Freddie Roach.

The bout is scheduled for eight rounds

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Vinan Earns USBA Title Shot!

Art of Boxing Promotions in association with Bash Boxing return to the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, California on March 4. The main event is a 12 rounder for the vacant USBA lightweight championship between Ray Beltran Jr. (23-4, 15 KOs) and Carlos Vinan (10-8-2, 2 KOs). Both main event participants are coming off huge upset knockouts over favored opponents in 2010. Vinan shocked previously unbeaten IBF #2 ranked lightweight Anthony Mezaache with an 8th round knockout last July in Atlantic City and comes into the bout as the IBF’s #15 ranked fighter in the world. Beltran stopped heralded David Torres (21-1) in front of his hometown fans. He trains out of Wildcard Boxing Club under the tutelage of Freddie Roach and former Olympian Pepe Reilly, and is a regular sparring partner for Manny Pacquaio and Amir Khan.

The undercard features highly regarded local fighters including Buena Park’s Javier Gallo (16-3), Van Nuys’ Deon Elam (12-1), Oxnard’s Hugo Centeno (5-0), and West Hollywood’s Anatoliy Dudchenko (10-2), as well as notable foreign fighters Andrey Fedosov (21-2) and Manuel Leyva (18-1).

Tickets to WARNER CENTER WAR 3 can be purchased online by going to www.warnercenterwar.com or by calling (626) 388-8888. WARNER CENTER WAR 3 takes place on Friday, March 4, 2011 at the Grand Ballroom of the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, California. Doors Open at 7:00 pm, First Bout is at 7:30 pm.


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