Adamek-McBride Final Presser Quotes!

Kathy Duva: "This is a very important fight and we've seen lots of fighters in this situation look past the guy in front of him. In this situation Tomasz is putting a lot on the line and we really have got to give him all the respect in the world for continuing to stay active and wanting to challenge himself as much as he can, before he gets to that fight he's been working for literally his whole life."

"This man (McBride) pretty much made a name for himself by scoring one of the biggest upsets ever and ending Mike Tyson's career. We are not taking that lightly at all and nor should anyone else."

Doug Jacobs, Integrated Sports: "I know there are 2 fights on that night (4/9), but we have the better card, we have the less expensive card and we are on every cable system."

Jerry Quinn: "I've been reading in the papers where the Adamek corner is planning a fight for September with the Klitschko's but there's an old saying, "It's not over when (until) the fat lady sings." And that's the way we feel. Kevin is in great condition, we've pulled no punches in this one. He has a conditioning coach, he did a lot of sparring, and he had the hypnotist. That's what he wanted and that's what he got. I think it's going to be a very exciting fight and we welcome everyone to come out."

Kevin McBride: "This is great opportunity for me to show the world that I am a contender and not a pretender."

"You know, I did say 'I'm gonna shock the world and beat Mike Tyson', and I did do what I said. I'm not going to say that I am going to shock the world when I beat Tomasz Adamek, but I'm going to upset the world and especially the Polish people because I'm here to win. Talk's cheap and you have to put it together on that night."

"Everyone says he's fast, he's this, that, and you know I never heard of Tomasz Adamek until I got the word of the fight from Jerry Quinn. Now that I have, I've seen him fight and he's a top class fighter, but I believe I have the equalizer in both hands to win this fight."

"I haven't done weights in 5 to 6 years and I started benching like 200 pounds, just last week I was benching 425 pounds. I feel so strong and my mind is focused, because I have a hypnotist and he has hypnotized me like he did for the Tyson fight. I'm not leaving any stones unturned. This is a big opportunity for me. It's probably my last chance to show the world that I have what it takes. As a kid growing up I wanted to be the first born Irish heavyweight champion of the world... Adamek is in the way and hopefully after I beat Adamek I get an opportunity to fight for the world title and show the world."

"On the 9th it's going to be exciting because I come to win and there's only two ways I'm coming out of that ring: one is with my hand raised in victory; and two on the stretcher... I'm coming here to fight and I'm gonna show what Irish pride is!"

"I have watched some of Adamek's fights... There is flaws, but I ain't gonna tell you because on the 9th you're gonna see them. I'm gonna be me own referee and me own judge because I come to win. Saturday night is the night."

Ziggy Rozalski: "Kevin wants to 'spoil our soup' like he did with Mike Tyson, but when we started our training camp in Pennsylvania I told Roger, don't take him lightly. And Tomasz did not take him lightly; we had a great training camp. We are ready for Kevin McBride."

Roger Bloodworth: "Training camp was very peaceful. It allowed us to focus, cause we're not taking this man (McBride) lightly at all. Anybody that takes a 6-foot-6, 270 pound man lightly, well he needs to be hypnotized. It gave us a good opportunity to work on a lot of things. I saw a lot of improvement and you'll see that in the ring Saturday night."

Tomasz Adamek: "I've prepared well with Roger. For 7 weeks we stayed in Bushkill, Pennsylvania." He added, "Roger trains me a little bit more every day. I've changed my style, I'm more flexible. When you see my first fight in heavyweight (compared) to now, I am much more different. I'm everyday a better fighter."

"I've never trained the same for every fight, I think in my last couple fights my physical coach gave me more exercise because my body is stronger. I feel very good right now, no pain, nothing. I am at my natural weight, 216 -218. I don't want more because I want to keep my speed."

"Before my big fight in September I must beat Kevin. I respect Kevin and I am ready. I will give all my fans a good show, because I am a warrior. This is my destiny."
"A couple years ago we were talking about how some day Tomasz was going to get ready to challenge for the heavyweight title. We are finally getting close to it, but before that happens he has one big challenge. Kevin is not just a challenge, he is a BIG challenge and we mean that quite literally."

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Weights from Newark!

Zab “Super” Judah 138 vs. Kaizer Mabuza 139

(IBF junior welterweight championship)

Tarvis Simms 158 vs. John Mackey 158

Jose Peralta 146 vs. Clifford McPherson 147.5

Chris Crosby 150 vs. Greg Hackett 156

Vinny O'Brien 147 vs. David Navarro 150

Shemuel Pagan 137 vs. Marcos Garcia 133

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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Adamek-McBride Rescheduled for April 9!

Tomasz Adamek vs. Kevin McBride, originally scheduled for late April at Newark's Prudential Center has been moved to Saturday, April 9th, it was announced today by promoters Kathy Duva of Main Events and Ziggy Rozalski of Ziggy Promotions.

The cancellation of the planned April 9th PPV bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Eric Morales, coupled with the proximity of April 23rd to Easter Sunday caused the change.

"Like Tomasz Adamek, many of the Polish fans are deeply religious and the fact that the bout was scheduled for Easter Saturday was troubling to them," Duva explained. "We heard the fans loud and clear and, when the opportunity to move to April 9th presented itself, we decided to move to a date that is more acceptable to our fans.

"We expect that the PPV audiences for the Adamek fight and the Eric Morales fight, which is now scheduled to appear on April 9th, will consist of entirely different people," she continued. The beauty of PPV is that everyone can choose to watch whatever event they prefer. There are so many interesting fights scheduled on this spring that it is very hard to match an optimum PPV date with a date that also works in a big, busy arena like Prudential Center."

Further details to follow.

Media Information: Ellen Haley, Main Events Media Mgr, ehaley@mainevents.com

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McDermott to face Charles February 19!

Jersey City's Danny "Little Mac" McDermott, 8-2-1 (3 KO's), will return for the first time in almost a year when he battles Atlantic City's Osnell "Prince" Charles February 19 at Essex County College in Newark.

McDermott's last bout, an eight round split decision defeat to Brian Miller, was one of the better local fights in recent memory. McDermott and Miller went toe to toe throughout the duration of the bout, with the latter's conditioning guiding him to a decision on what GSFS' panel voted the best fight of 2010.

Charles, 6-2-1, is riding a five fight win streak including two straight bouts where he defeated three straight opponents in or near their hometown. His most recent victory came January 22 in Philadelphia against crowd favorite Victor Vasquez via six round majority decision

The battle between the Garden State based lightweights is scheduled for six rounds and will come as part of the "Brick City Brawl" undercard headlined by unbeaten North Bergen based Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach.

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Adamek-McBride Moved to Newark!

It's official, Adamek-McBride will take place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Rumors were flying that, Tomasz Adamek, Jersey City, NJ, 43-1, 28KO's, would be fighting in Poland this April. Kathy Duva, Adamek's promoter and Main Events CEO, confirmed that the Polish boxing star will instead return to "The Rock" on April 23rd to take on Irish born, Kevin McBride, Brockton, Massachusetts, 35-8-1, 29 KO's.

"There were a lot of things taken into consideration when choosing this fight. Overall, though, Tomasz was just more comfortable staying at home for this fight," Kathy Duva, CEO Main Events and Adamek's promoter said. "We'll now focus on McBride, and then focus all of our efforts into the big one in September," said Duva. "I think that his fans at Prudential Center will give Tomasz a great sendoff to Poland in this fight, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some of them in Poland in September."

Most famous for his sixth-round knockout victory over Mike Tyson in '05, McBride will be the largest man that Adamek has ever fought. Adamek will be happy to give his "hometown" fans an opportunity to watch him fight before his scheduled September Klitschko fight.

More details will follow shortly

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Perez Returns February 4 in Puerto Rico!

By E.A. Sirota

Coming off the toughest test of his young career, Newark's Michael Angelo "The Artist" Perez (11-0, 5 KO) is excited to be fighting in Puerto Rico again next Friday. The bout will take place in Lares, the hometown of Perez's parents, and will be televised on Telefutura. The Golden Boy promoted lightweight is returning to Puerto Rico after defeating the dangerous Jose Hernandez in an exciting 8 round decision this past December. His opponent has not been finalized, but Marcos Herrera of Colorado is penciled in for now.

"I was surprised at how much love they showed me" Perez said of how well he was received by the Puerto Rican fans,"even though it was my first time fighting down there, it was sold out and that's why we're going back." Perez expects an even better turnout in the place he was almost born. "My mother was 8 months pregnant when she came here, so I tell people, "I was made in Puerto Rico."'

Even though he enjoys fighting in his second home, and a place he visits whenever he has the opportunity, Perez is eager to fight on one of the upcoming cards at Newark's Prudential Center. "I've fought all over the place LA, Vegas, Texas but I've only fought in Jersey three times. I'd like to give my family and friends another chance to come out and support me."


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Perez Outpoints Hernandez in a Thriller!

By E.A. Sirota

Michael Angelo "The Artist" Perez defeated the dangerous Jose Hernandez in an action packed eight round fight at “Sammy” Rodríguez Coliseum in Aguas Buenas Puerto Rico. Perez's superior foot and hand speed proved to be the deciding factor as the twenty year old Newark earned the eleventh victory of his pro career.

Even though he gave up three inches of height and two inches of reach to the 6'0 Hernandez, Perez was able to control the action from the outside, darting in behind precise lead left hooks. The Mexican-American Hernandez actually got the better of the in-close exchanges, but he absorbed a hard combination each time the shorter Perez was allowed close the distance.

Hernandez did land good number of power punches, and even reeled off about twenty unanswered shots in the third. However, Perez displayed a great deal of resilience as he came back and eventually stumbled Hernandez with a beautiful left hook in the fifth. Perez then showed the patience of a veteran fighter as he picked his shots and saved something for the later rounds.

In the end the scores were 78-74 and 77-75 for Perez, while the third judge had it 78-74 for Hernandez.

Perez is now 11-0-1, 5KO, while Hernandez drops to 10-4, 4KO.

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"You're Next" Card Preview!

By Dylon Silversey

Tomorrow evening, live from the Prudential Center in Newark, Zab “Super” Judah and knockout artist Lucas Matthysse headline what promises to be a night filled with action from end to end. Robert Guerrero and Vicente Escobedo will co-feature HBO’s Boxing After Dark program, another fight that contests two skilled boxers and should produce some fireworks.

Aside from the past champions on their way to reclaiming glory and relative unknowns getting ready to show casual boxing fans what they are all about, the great state of New Jersey will once again feature some of its best fighters. Along with many from the tri-state area.

The night will kick off at 6:00 with undefeated Ghanaian prospect Bastie Samir (5-0 5KO) squaring off against Damion Reed (2-3 1KO) from Reidsville, NC. Samir looks to start the fireworks early and continue his great start and record another knockout.

Newark’s own Angel Concepcion (2-0 0KO) will bring the local flavor to the arena as he steps into the ring against Philadelphia’s Maurice Amaro (1-2 0KO). Concepcion is excited to be able to once again show his ability in front of his hometown at “The Rock” and hopes to continue on his path to become a champion.

Middletown’s Tyrone Luckey (1-0 1KO) made his debut earlier this year at The Prudential Center, knocking out Larry Yanez 54 seconds into the first round. Luckey hopes to continue that theme as Alex Monte (1-1 0KO) comes to New Jersey from Lawrence, MA to try and spoil Luckey’s second fight. In the fourth fight of the night, Kywame Hill (1-5 1KO) and Long Island’s Michael Brooks (2-0 1KO) will match up in a four round contest. Twenty year old Eduardo Alicea will make his debut against Danny Pastrana (2-2). Alicea is an excellent amateur boxer who is signed to Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.

Canada’s undefeated light middleweight Mikael Zewski (4-0 3 KO) will battle Ardick Butler (5-2 2 KO) in the last four rounder of the night. Zewski is another boxer on the Golden Boy roster and was a four-time Canadian National Champion.

Michael Angelo "The Artist" Perez (9-0 4KO) will make his Newark debut Saturday night, facing Hevinson Herrera (14-6 9KO). The crowd should be amped up by this time to cheer on their hometown hero, and Perez will be excited as well. We spoke to Perez earlier last month, about how he felt about fighting in Newark “I want to perform well out there. It’s a long time coming.” Another one of the Golden Boy fighters featured on the card, Perez has the chance to show the boxing experts in press row just who he is and what he can do. The heavy handed Herrera should give Perez the toughest test of his short, yet successful career.

The undefeated, former US Olympian Sadam Ali (9-0 5KO), will face Gary Bergeron (12-6 7KO) in the first eight round bout of the evening. Ali, from Brooklyn, showed some slick boxing last time out, knocking out Lenin Arroyo in the fifth round. Just like in the Perez fight that precedes it, Ali will step in the ring with someone who has proven he can knock someone out. But, like Perez, I think Ali will show the world, just how good he really is and gets some notoriety on the national level.

Cincinnati, Ohio will be represented at “The Rock”, when undefeated prospect Adrien Broner (17-0 14KO) will face the seasoned veteran Ilido Julio (40-19 35KO). This eight round super featherweight matchup could prove to be the dark horse as far as excitement goes Saturday night. With an astonishing 85% knockout percentage between the two fighters, it does not seem likely that they will go all eight rounds.

Roberto Guerrero (27-1-1 18KO) and Vicente Escobedo (22-2 14 KO) will open up HBO’s Boxing After Dark program, in a fight that many are excited to watch. Guerrero is coming off a huge victory over Joel Casamayor in a unanimous decision in late July of this year. He is an excellent southpaw who should give Escobedo problems all fight long.

Escobedo comes off of a third round knockout of Carlos Urias earlier this year, after taking a tough split decision loss to Michael Katsidis at the end of last year. The rounds in that bout were close enough in almost every single one of them that one judge had Escobedo losing 110-118, yet another had him winning 116-112. Another excellent bout on the card, and should kick off the live coverage nicely.

In the main event of the evening, Zab “Super” Judah (39-6 27KO) and Lucas Matthysse (27-0 25KO) will fight for the vacant WBO NABO light welterweight title. Judah takes a giant step up in competition when he squares off with the 28 year old knockout artist from Argentina.

Judah dominated Jose Armando Santa Cruz in the main event of an ESPN Friday Night Fights event earlier this summer from the Prudential Center, and hopes for more of the same Saturday. Many boxing experts commend Judah for skipping over another fight that would basically be a breeze for the former champion, and taking a fight with a dangerous prospect who could possibly give Judah major problems.

However, Matthysse’s record may be a tad misleading. If you look down the roster of fighters that he has previously faced, you may not even recognize one fighter. Compare that to the list of Judah, and you have a handful of hall of fame fighters. Judah seems rejuvenated for this “second coming” and with his ring experience, speed and skill, this could end up being an impressive victory for “Super” Judah.

GardenStateFightScene will be live at the Prudential Center covering all the action throughout the night. Be sure to visit GardenStateFightScene.com for all the updates from Newark!

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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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Judah Enlists the Armed Forces!

Never one to waste an opportunity to make a big impression, Zab Judah has enlisted the support of the United States Armed Forces as he prepares to take on Argentine Knock out artist Lucas Matthysse on Saturday, November 6th at Newark's Prudential Center.

Part of HBO's acclaimed "Boxing After Dark" series, the Judah-Matthysse match-up will mark Judah's second appearance at the Newark landmark as he works his way back to the top of the junior middleweight division. Designated as an NABO Junior Welterweight title bout, the 12-round clash also will determine the number 2 position in the IBF ratings, where the title once held by St. Louis' Devon Alexander now stands vacant.

Judah has arranged for 200 members of the US Armed Forces to attend the event as his personal guests. In addition, a color guard involving members of all branches of the United States Armed Forces, will present the colors during the National Anthem.

"It is going to be an honor to present the colors on November 6th. On behalf of the service men and women that will be in attendance that evening we thank Zab Judah and Main Events Boxing for their generosity and support to the United States Armed Forces". said Staff Sergeant Derek Bishop.

Judah explained, "In honor of all the heroes who get in the ring and put their lives on the line to defend our country every day, I invited the Armed Forces to join me on Nov. 6th when I take on Lucas Matthysse. He's from Argentina, you know, so I want as many of my homeboys in the service to be there as possible and give me their support!"


The New York City Joint Service Color Guard is comprised of 8 service members from all 5 branches of the Armed Forces. There are 3 soldiers from the Army, 2 Marines, 1 Sailor from the Navy, 1 Coast Guardsman and 1 Airman from the Air Force. The Soldiers are assigned to the New York City Army Recruiting Battalion out of Fort Hamilton, New York. The Marines are assigned to the 2nd Battalion 25th Marines out of Garden City, New York. The Sailor is from the Navy Operation Support Center in New York City. The Coast Guardsman is assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York located at Fort Wadsworth, New York.

The Airman is assigned to the 314th Recruiting Squadron located in Burlington, New Jersey. There are several members of the team who are combat veterans from both conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The anthem singer is a service member as well currently serving in the Coast Guard. There will be other service men and women in attendance as well form all 5 branches all currently stationed in and around the New York and New Jersey areas.