News On: Gingras Win, Spence, Wade, Browne Fights, Francisco Santana

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (June 6^th, 2014) – As promised, Rich Gingras left no doubt in his second attempt at a regional title.

Facing the savvy veteran Jaime Velazquez of Central Falls, R.I.,Friday in the main event of CES Boxing’s “Unstoppable” professional boxing card at Twin River Casino, Gingras captured the vacant New England Light Heavyweight Title via fourth-round knockout, sending Velazquez crashing to the canvas with an overhand right at the 1-minute, 41-second mark.

For Gingras (14-4-1, 9 KOs), it was sweet redemption after fighting to a draw against Providence’s Vladine Biosse last summer for the N.E. Super Middleweight Title. In the weeks leading up to the fight, Gingras promised to bring the belt home and not leave the decision in someone else’s hands.

After three hard-fought, back-and-forth rounds, Gingras finished Velazquez for good with back-to-back overhand rights, the second catching Velazquez flush on the temple. Velazquez got off to a good start, landing uppercuts at will until Gingras readjusted his footwork and tightened up his defense. From there, it was all Gingras, who proved to be the stronger, more aggressive fighter in the end.

Velazquez has now lost back-to-back fights since returning to boxing in February while Gingras won for the first time since May of 2013 when he beat Rhode Island’s Joe Gardner.

In the middleweight co-feature, Thomas Falowo (12-2, 8 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., made quick work of 24-fight veteran Jose Ramirez (11-14) of Albuquerque, N.M., stopping Ramirez with a right cross to the chin at the 1:51 mark of the opening round. Ramirez let his guard down as he moved forward and Falowo simply caught him while on his back foot, sending Ramirez crashing to the canvas. Ramirez tried to get up, but lost his balance on the way up and did not beat the count, resulting in a knockout for Falowo.

Since losing to Chris Chatman in July, Falowo has now won back-to-back fights, including a disqualification win over Jaison Palomeque in February.

Six days after fighting on the amateur portion of a CES pro-am card in Connecticut, promising Worcester, Mass., middleweight Khiary Gray-Pitts (1-0, 1 KO) made his long-awaited professional debut Friday, stopping well-traveled veteran On’rey Towns (0-5) in the third round of their scheduled four-round bout.

Pitts’ speed was too much for Towns to handle, and once Pitts established his footwork and began to cut off the ring, he finished Towns for good with a hard left hook just 27 seconds into the third round. A former New England Golden Gloves champion, Pitts finished his amateur career last weekend with a win over Ray Oliveira Jr.

Heavyweight Donnie Palmer (5-0-1, 5 KOs) kept his perfect record intact in the opening bout, stopping Kansas City’s John Orr (1-4) at the 2:06 mark of the second round. Facing a taller opponent, Orr did his best to fight on the inside, but the 6-foot-10 Palmer kept his opponent at bay with short, effective punches and eventually landed the finishing blow with an overhand right, sending Orr tumbling to the canvas after a back-and-forth opening round.

Fighting for the second time in six days, Willimantic, Conn., light heavyweight Kevin Cobbs (9-1, 3 KOs) stopped savvy veteran Borngod Washington (3-15) of Queens in the second round of their scheduled four-round bout. Though Cobbs dominated the opening round, Washington came out strong in the second until Cobbs caught him on the temple with a short, left cross, sending Washington to the canvas. Washington made it to his feet, but referee Joey Lupino stopped the fight at the 2:28mark, Cobbs’ second win of the year and third consecutive win dating back to 2013.

Hyannis, Mass., heavyweight Jesse Barboza (9-1-1) returned to Twin River on Friday and won a hard-fought, 39-37, 39-37, 40-36 unanimous decision over Forrest City, Ark., veteran Jamal Woods (4-12-3) in a fight much closer than the scores indicated. For the first time in his career, Barboza wasn’t the tallest fighter in the ring, so it took him a round to adjust to Woods’ 6-foot-3 frame. Once he did, he began working the body effectively, but Woods fought back and closed the gap with a strong third round. Heeding the advice of his trainer, Jeff Gonsalves, who told him to empty the tank in the final round, Barboza dominated the final three minutes to put the finishing touches on his fourth consecutive win and his fifth in his last six fights.

FRIDAY, JUNE 27 AT HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN LAS VEGAS

ON SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION ONSHOWTIME^®

DOMINIC WADE VS. NICK BRINSON

ERROL SPENCE JR. VS. RONALD CRUZ

MARCUS BROWNE VS. YUSAF MACK

Tickets on Sale Now!

LAS VEGAS (June 6, 2014) – Three of boxing’s hottest prospects will be featured at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. on Friday , June 27, as ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME^® presents an exciting tripleheader that will help prove whether these young stars are ready for prime time.

In the main event, Maryland’s Dominic Wade battles New York’s Nick Brinson in a clash of middleweights. Plus, two 2012 U.S. Olympians attempt to remain unbeaten as welterweight southpaw Errol Spence Jr. meets Pennsylvania’s Ronald Cruz and light heavyweight “Sir” Marcus Browne squares off with veteran Yusaf Mack. All three bouts are scheduled for 10 rounds.

Heading out west to the Fight Capital of the World for the first time as a professional, 24-year-old Largo, Md.’s Dominic Wade (15-0, 11 KOs) has had numerous dominant performances on the East Coast, thrilling many fans along the way. Coming off a second-round technical knockout over Marcus Upshaw in April, Wade is more than ready for his headlining spot on SHOWTIME.

Albany, N.Y.’s Nick Brinson ( 16-1-2, 6 KOs) is a veteran of nearly six years, and with a 9-0-1 record in his last 10 fights, the 26-year-old is approaching the biggest bout of his career at precisely the right time. A New York State and WBC International Silver Champion who owns a 2013 win over Jorge Melendez, Brinson believes that he has the tools to pin the first loss on Wade’s perfect record.

A stellar amateur who represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics, Errol Spence Jr. (12-0, 10 KOs) appears to be on his way to even more success as a professional, as the powerful southpaw from Desoto, Texas has finished seven of his 12 wins in the first round. Included on this list are respected foes like Brandon Hoskins and Raymond Charles, but the 24-year-old has also shown the ability to go the distance, evidenced by his eight-round unanimous decision win over 15-0-1 Emmanuel Lartey.

Born in Manati, Puerto Rico and now fighting out of Bethlehem, Pa., the popular Ronald Cruz (20-3, 15 KOs) has built quite a following with his hard-nosed style in the ring. A former WBC Continental Americas champion who has defeated Prenice Brewer, Jeremy Bryan and Hector Munoz, the 27-year-old is coming off of a tough decision loss to former world champion Kermit Cintron this past March, but his effort in defeat gained him even more credibility.

The fighting pride of Staten Island, N.Y., 2012 United States Olympian “Sir” Marcus Browne (10-0, 7 KOs) has soared up the light heavyweight ladder since his professional debut in 2012, and after wins over veteran competitors like Kevin Engel and Otis Griffin, the talented 23-year-old is ready for a step up against the well-regarded Yusaf Mack on June 27.

A proud member of Philadelphia’s fighting fraternity, 34-year-old Yusaf Mack ( 31-7-2, 17 KOs) still has the fire to battle the best and he expects to give Browne a rude welcome to big-time boxing. Hoping to snap a three-fight losing streak, the former USBA, NABF and NABA champion knows that a win will put him back on the right track for a world title.

Wade vs. Brinson is a 10-round middleweight bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona. Doors open at 2 p.m. PT on fight night with the first bell sounding at 2:30 p.m. PT and the first televised bout starting at 6:30 p.m. PT. The ShoBox: The New Generation telecast will air live on SHOWTIME beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), immediately following the premiere of ALL ACCESS: Canelo vs. Lara.

INDIO, Calif. (June 5, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions, Francisco Santana, who weighed-in at 148.2 pounds, gears up for his upcoming fight against Eddie Gomez, who measured up at 149 pounds. The 10-round co-main event showdown will air tomorrow/Friday, June 6 from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., on ShoBox: The New Generation, live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

“I’m confident in my skills, and want to thank my promoter Gary Shaw for supporting me when nobody else believed in me. In my last fight I scored a 3rd knockout against Jorge Pimentel, so I feel my punches are very powerful at this point in my career.”

“I’ve been in there with the tougher guys. My three losses were against some of the top guys in their division. Karim Mayfield wasn’t undefeated, but he was one of the top contenders. Jermell Charlo, I don’t take anything away from him, he’s right there close to winning a world title. I can say that I’ve been matched tough, I’ve been tested and I know what to expect and how to overcome that.

“He doesn’t have anything I haven’t seen before. We’re both two fighters with two hands and all it takes is one punch to win the fight.

“I’m just excited to do what I’ve been put here to do, and that’s to win a world title. This is my journey, it hasn’t always been easy, but a win on Friday will put me one step closer.

“Whether he is tested or untested, right now my will and my determination to keep climbing to the top is above and beyond. I think I’m in a good spot. Obviously he’s a pretty young kid and I’m sure he’s thinking he’s just going to out-power me, but I’m going to prove him wrong tomorrow night.

“On paper I don’t have more power, but I know I can pack a punch. I’ve faced the bigger guys, junior middleweights and middleweights, so I know that I can end the fight with one punch.”

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