News On: Ivan Redkach, Andy Gardiner, Next Salita Card

UNBEATEN IVAN REDKACH

LOOKING FOR BREAKOUT YEAR IN 2014

Faces Toughest Test In TONY LUIS This Friday, Jan. 17

At COOK CONVENTION CENTER, Memphis, Tenn.

Four-Fight SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION

Begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT; Live on SHOWTIME^®

New York / Memphis, Tenn. (January 13, 2014) – There is a notion in boxing that the valuable skill of pure power is something you are either born with or you’ll never have. Watch Ivan Redkach for just one round and that pure power is evident. When he lands a punch his opponent’s demeanor immediately changes. If he lands flush, his opponents are disconnected from their senses. Redkach’s power and ferocity in the ring are downright scary, leading many boxing insiders to believe that it won’t be long before Redkach is wearing a piece of the lightweight championship around his waist.

ShoBox: The New Generation will kick off 2014 this Friday, Jan. 17, when the promising Ukrainian lightweight, puts his undefeated record (15-0, 13 KO’s) on the line against once-beaten Tony Luis (17-1, 7 KO’s) in the 10-round main event of a four-fight telecast airing live on SHOWTIME^® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

Growing up on the rough streets of his native Ukraine, Redkach amassed an impressive 260-40 record as an amateur, which culminated in him being a 2008 Olympic Team alternate for his country. Redkach relocated to Los Angeles and turned pro in November 2009. Since then, Redkach has continued to impress every time he steps into the ring and forced boxing insiders to take notice. Twelve of Redkach’s 13 knockouts have come in three rounds or less, with six coming in the first. Redkach has made ESPN.com’s “Top 20 Prospects to Watch” list the last two years (2012 & 2013) and has garnered rave reviews from a number of esteemed boxing media and personnel.

Redkach knows that an impressive showing against the talented Luis on a nationally televised ShoBox event will take him one step closer to fulfilling his ultimate goal of capturing a world championship.

“This has been the best camp of my life,” stated a confident and focused Redkach. “My team has transformed me into a machine that is built to fight. On Jan. 17, Tony Luis will realize this very quickly and he will feel it in each and every one of my punches. 2014 is my year and I am not going to let Tony Luis stand in my way.”

Manager Larry Army is equally as confident that this will be Redkach’s breakout year and coming out party, proclaiming, “The Chinese have called 2014 the year of the horse, but in boxing, 2014 will be the year of Ivan Redkach.”

In co-featured bouts on Jan. 17, unbeaten junior middleweights John Thompson (14-0, 5 KO’s) and Frank Galarza (11-0-2, 7 KO’s) collide in an eight-round matchup and fast-rising and highly regarded up-and-coming prospect Antoine Douglas (11-0, 7 KO’s) squares off against Marquis Davis (8-0-2, 5 KO’s) in an eight-round middleweight showdown. Opening the telecast will be hard-hitting Maurice Hooker (12-0-1, 9 KO’s) taking on fellow undefeated prospect Abel Ramos (8-0, 4 KO’s) in an eight-round junior welterweight matchup.

The card is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, in association with GH3 Promotions, Greg Cohen Promotions and Prize Fight Boxing, and will take place at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tenn. The SHOWTIME telecast will air live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood and former World Champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

****

OTTAWA, CANADA (January 12, 2014) — Ottawa boxer Andy Gardiner burst onto the professional boxing scene only 20 months ago. In his 10 bouts to date, he has consistently taken steps up in competition to better his craft when most fighters are more concerned about protecting their records and building KO ratios. When it was announced this past week that undefeated Thomas Oosthuizen, 22-0, was out of the fight with Eleider Alvarez on January 18, Gardiner wasted no time offering his services to face the WBA ranked #2, WBO ranked #3 light heavyweight in the world.

Gardiner is not just here for a paycheck, the cool factor, or being part of a historic card headlined by the much anticipated Lucian Bute vs. Jean Pascal main event. “I would take this fight for free, in front of nobody,” the clearly motivated Gardiner said. “I don’t care about all that. That’s up to my team to worry about those things. I just want to beat the best fighters available. I’m coming well prepared and I’m coming to steal the show. I don’t care if it hurts. I will hurt him more.”

“Andy isn’t like most fighters,” explained Gardiner’s promoter Camille Estephan, CEO of Eye Of The Tiger Management (EOTTM). “He constantly asks for these types of fights. We could easily take no risks, slowly building him to 20 or 25 and 0 before fighting at this level, but he doesn’t want that because Andy is a real fighter who wants real fights. That’s what really separates him from the rest and that’s why we love him.”

None the less this is a risky business and a risky fight that most boxing fans across North America want to see, probably the biggest fight on the card after the main event. Something that Gardiner’s trainer, Eric Belanger, certainly wants to see. “It’s not a risk at all,” he added. “The risk is all on their side. For Andy, it’s an opportunity. We were in shape, on weight, and we have nothing to lose. So, we don’t see this as a risk. It’s an opportunity that Andy will seize. He is a man possessed in the gym right now and I can promise you he is coming to win no matter what he has to endure. I rarely get truly excited but I can’t wait for this one to be on.”

If you have seen Gardiner fight before, or even had to chance to speak with him, he is hard not to love. He is a simple, nice guy who is willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone, anytime, anywhere for the sake of putting on a show all boxing fans can thoroughly enjoy. Win, lose or draw, his heart and willingness is something that should be embraced by all to get behind Gardiner. Too often prospects are built up without any real opposition and fans continually criticize them for. So, when Andy Gardiner enters that squared circle at the Bell Centreand puts everything on the line on Jan. 18, people there in attendance are encouraged to stand on their feet and make noise for the underdog story fans all love to witness.

For further information visit www.eottm.com, or follow on Twitter @eottmvd.

***

On Thursday night, February 27th at the Millennium Theater in Brooklyn, New York, Dmitry Salita’s Star of David Promotions will be back with the popular Brooklyn Brawl series.

In the main event undefeated Cruiserweight contender Steve Bujaj (10-0, 6 KO’s) is primed to stay undefeated as he fights in his first 8 round fight.

The native New Yorker is coming off an impressive performance on December 18th , when he stopped Mike Bissett in five rounds at Webster Hall. Steve is looking for another stoppage. Trainer of champions Billy Gilles said that the former Golden Gloves champions is ” the best prospect in NYC.”

US Iraqi war veteran, undefeated junior middleweight contender Shawn Cameron (6-0, 4 KO’s) of Brooklyn, NY is dedicating his fight to the all the US military troops around the world.

Cameron will compete in a 6 round bout.

“I am grateful that we have such a full roster of talent for the show,” said Dmitry Salita. “It is going to be a great and exciting night of boxing. I am excited to see Shawn Cameron, a war veteran that protected the United Stated, to see action in the show! It’s going to be a great night of boxing!”

Tickets for this outstanding night of boxing will are $125 (VIP); $100 (Ringside), $80, $60 & $40.

WATCH RELATED VIDEOS ON BOXINGCHANNEL.TV