Usarov-Barthelemy Tops Feb. 4 Undercard in Albany

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (January 10, 2012) A sensational undercard is being compiled by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing for their upcoming event, “KO AT THE TU” on Saturday, February 4th at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York.

World class prospects in the bantamweight division will clash in a scheduled ten rounder as undefeated Russian standout Sahib Usarov challenges Yan Barthelemy of Cuba for the WBO Inter-Continental Title.

The 28-year-old Usarov, sporting a record of 17-0 (6KO’s) is currently world ranked #10 by the World Boxing Organization and is the reigning WBO European Bantamweight Champion.

Making his debut in the United States at “KO AT THE TU”, the southpaw Usarov is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over Yuriy Voronin on December 17th in Kiev, Ukraine.

Barthelemy, a Gold Medalist in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, currently resides in Miami, Florida.  In his last outing, broadcast on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights, the southpaw improved to 12-2 (4KO’s) with a brilliant performance winning a ten round decision over Francis Ruiz on March 18, 2011 in Hollywood, Florida.

Also added to the undercard of “KO AT THE TU” is a scheduled eight round super middleweight battle featuring undefeated Jason “Monstruo” Escalera of Union City, New Jersey and Marcus Brooks of Atlanta, Georgia.

The heavy-handed Escalera has become one of the New York/New Jersey area’s most popular fighters since turning professional four years ago. Known for his show-stopping knockouts, Escalera carries a record of 12-0 (11KO’s), his last five fights ending by knockout within the first three rounds.

In his last start on October 22, 2011, Escalera scored a second round stoppage of Mickey Scarborough at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The knockout, coming from a barrage of power shots, was shown LIVE across North America on Azteca Television’s “Boxeo Azteca”.

Brooks, a native of the boxing rich country of Puerto Rico, now resides in Atlanta, Georgia, carries a record of 7-8 (3KO’s) and has battled numerous undefeated prospects including Vanes Martirosyan, Brad Solomon and Andy Mejias.  Brooks has never been stopped in his career.

Already announced in the main event at “KO AT THE TU” is a heavyweight showdown between defending IBA Champion Joe “The Future” Hanks of Newark, New Jersey and monstrous Cuban Rafael Pedro.

The previously announced cruiserweight bout between David Telesco and Vincent Miranda has been postponed due to a training injury suffered by Miranda.

Additional bouts and much more information on “KO AT THE TU” will be announced in the coming days.

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