News On: Karim Mayfield, Turning Stone U'Card, Willie Nelson

October 22, 2012 – San Francisco's undefeated NABO Jr. Welterweight champion, Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield (16-0-1, 10 KOs) will defend his title against Southern California's, Mauricio Herrera (18-2, 7 KOs) this Saturday October 27th at the Turning Stone Resort Casino. The 10-round bout will be televised live on HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT as the co-feature to a special tripleheader featuring Thomas Dulorme vs. Carlos Abregu and Miguel Vasquez vs. Marvin Quintero.

This past Saturday, Mayfield held a public workout for media members and fans at the Champ Nation Boxing Gym in Oakland Ca. He shared his thoughts on defending his title against Herrera and making his HBO debut.

Mayfield Quotes:

On making his HBO debut…
“I've worked my whole life for the opportunity to be fighting on HBO. This is my time to shine and I'm really excited to bring an action packed fight to all those in attendance at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino and the millions watching on TV. I'm a man on a mission to show the world I'm the best Jr. Welterweight in the world.”

On fighting Herrera…
“Herrera is a battle tested fighter who always brings an exciting fight to the table because he's a come forward type guy. That makes for an explosive matchup between us because I throw hard punched from different angles and someone is sure to get knocked out. I think my fight with Herrera will steal the show. Both of us have never been knocked out so this makes for an intriguing bout. If I get him hurt, I definitely will be going for the KO.”

On defending his NABO title…
“After defeating Patrick Lopez to win the NABO title, I defended it once against Raymond Serrano where I had an incredible knockout on ESPN. I know that fight opened doors for my career and here I am defending it once again against Herrera. I plan to remain the NABO champion and will look for bigger fights in the future. After this fight I know I'll be ready to fight for the world title.”

October 22, 2012 – A stacked undercard is expected to entertain those in attendance at the Turning Stone Resort Casino on October 27, when Gary Shaw Productions in association with Greg Cohen Promotions, DiBella Entertainment, Thompson Boxing Promotions, Universal Promotions, Prize Fight, Joe Deguardia's Star Boxing, and Zanfer Promotions present an exciting night of boxing. HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® will televise a special triple-header beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Undefeated featherweight Joel Brunker (23-0, 13 KOs) ranked No. 3 by the WBO, who hails from South Wales, Australia, will put his undefeated record on the line against Carlos Fulgencio (19-8-1, 12 KOs) in an 8-round bout. Brunker competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and looks to showcase his exciting style in his USA debut.

“I'm really excited to be fighting for Gary Shaw here in the U.S.,” said Brunker. “I've been training in Las Vegas for the last eight weeks, getting prepared for this fight. I'm coming to make an impressive first impression for all the fans that'll see me fight for the first time.”

Power punching Puerto Rican prospect, Javier Flores (7-0, 7 KOs) will face Riverside, California's Alberto Herrera (8-7-1, 5 KOs) in an 8-round slugfest in the welterweight division. Flores is known for having power in both hands and he plans to use them in this fight.

“My power is evident as you can see in my record,” Flores said. “I always go for the knockout and nothing will be different in this fight. I've stopped all my opponents but people will see that I can box if I need to. I'm ready to go.”

Newark, New Jersey's unbeaten light middleweight prospect, John Thompson (9-0, 3 KOs), squares off against Chicago, Illinois' Christopher Chatman (10-2-1, 5 KOs). This bout is scheduled for six rounds and Thompson promises to bring an explosive fight.

“Chatman is a good fighter, but I'm going to take him out,” stated Thompson. “I'm fully prepared to go the distance, but I don't see this fight lasting more than three rounds.”

Light heavyweight Ryan McKenzie of Nassau, Bahamas (10-0, 10 KOs) goes toe to toe with Morgantown, West Virginia's Eric Watkins (7-2, 4 KOs) in a 6-rounder. McKenzie has lighting in both hands and he's looking to extend on his knockout streak.

“I can't wait to get back in the ring and showcase my power,” says McKenzie. “If I get Watkins hurt, I'm going for the kill.”

Once beaten cruiserweight, Eric Fields of Ardmore, Oklahoma (20-1, 15 KOs) and Charleston, West Virginia's Kevin Franklin (4-4, 1 KO) will battle in an 8-round bout. Fields looks to use his experience to win this fight.”

“Franklin is taking a big step up fighting me,” said Fields. “I'm going to make sure he knows that it was a mistake to take this fight. It's doomsday for Franklin.”

“This entire undercard is loaded with talent,” said promoter Gary Shaw. “Joel Brunker is on the verge of fighting for a world title and the U.S. fans are sure to enjoy his aggressive style. Javier Flores packs a mean punch and he could emerge as the top prospect to come out of Puerto Rico. From top to bottom, this card is incredible and the fans are guaranteed a great night of boxing.”

The three featured bouts will be televised live on HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

In the 10-round main-event, undefeated Puerto Rican standout, Thomas Dulorme (16-0, 12 KOs) takes on heavy-handed Argentine, Luis Carlos Abregu (33-1, 27KO's). The co-feature will showcase San Francisco's undefeated WBO/NABO Jr. Welterweight champion, Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield (16-0-1, 10 KOs) vs. Southern California's, Mauricio Herrera (18-2, 7 KOs). A 12-round IBF lightweight championship bout between champion, Miguel Vazquez (31-3, 13 KOs) and No. 1 contender, Marvin Quintero (25-3, 21 KOs) will open up the broadcast.

Tickets for the October 27, HBO Boxing After Dark event range from $25 to $75 and are on sale at the Turning Stone Resort Casino Box Office. Call (315) 361-7469 or visit www.Ticketmaster.com. Doors open up at 6:30 p.m. and the undercard begins at 7:30 p.m EST with the HBO live national broadcast starting at 10:15 p.m. EST.

ST. LOUIS (October 22, 2012) – Standing 6' 4″ with an incredible 81″ reach and six-percent body fat, newly crowned North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Super Welterweight champion Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) is a physical freak in the 154-pound decision.

Prospect killer Nelson earned his boxing bones, so to speak, with impressive back-to-back victories by 10-round decisions over previously unbeaten fighters, two-time Cuban National champion Yudel Jhonson (12-1) on ShoBox, and World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth champion John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs), for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight title, on the September 15th Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. HBO Pay-Per-View event.

“I still have a lot of growing to become a complete fighter,” a humble Nelson said. “I'm working hard with (head trainer) Jack (Loew) to stand behind my jab, use my reach and length, and take less shots. I need to knock-off a few more top fighters to get a world title shot. I just fight and leave who I fight up to my coaches, promoters and manager. I would like to fight next for the vacant WBC Silver title, which would put me in good position for a world title fight against (WBC champion (Saul) 'Canelo' Alvarez. He makes a lot of mistakes and, even though he's only 22, he's at his peak because he had so many fights, so early. I've improved a lot since Jack has been training me. I'm only 25 and know that I will continue to improve, but I'm ready to fight the best 154-pounders in the world right now.”

The gifted fighter from Cleveland, who is trained by Loew in Youngstown, Ohio, is now rated No. 6 in the world by the WBC, ranked behind, in order, Erislandy Lara (Cuba), Vanes Martirosyan (Armenia), Damion Jonack (Poland), Emanuele Della Rosa (Italy) and Sergey Rabchenko (Bellarussia).

“If Lara and Martirosyan are fighting in the WBC final eliminator,” Loew noted, “there is no doubt in my mind that Willie is right there. He's one of the two or three best American 154-pounders and top 5 or 6 in the world. He deserves his No. 6 ranking in the WBC. No more last minute fights for Willie. He took the Jhonson fight on two week's notice and his opponent changed for his last fight. But I know it's a waiting game; I've been there with Kelly (Pavlik). We waited until he got (Edison) Miranda. We have to be ready when Willie's Miranda comes up. I can't wait to see how Willie does when they throw a big dog in front of him. I'd love to see him fight (Alfredo) Angulo or (James) Kirkland to see what we really have in Willie. They're punchers but that's all they do.

“Alvarez will think Willie can't take his punch because he's been down a few times, but Willie has a good chin and he's gotten up to control fights. Against (Vincent) Arroyo (2011 in Nelson's only loss as a pro), Willie was down twice but he got up and came back to lose a majority decision. Willie took one of the most vicious punches I've ever seen against Jhonson. I thought it was all over but Willie got up and controlled the rest of the fight. Any other 154-pounder would have been knocked out. Willie caught Jhonson later and almost knocked him out.”

Steve Smith (Rumble Time), who co-promotes Nelson with Lou DiBella, believes Nelson is changing the scene in the super welterweight division. “We're not looking to stay at No. 6,” he offered. “We are open to all of the top rated WBC 154-pounders on our way to a world title fight with Alvarez. Some of the fighters rated ahead of Willie are overrated and protected. We're confident that Willie can beat the best in the world. He went into his last two fights as an opponent but now he's the NABF champion. Willie has had enough of being the opponent fighting top prospects. He deserves a big fight. I'd like to thank Joe Dwyer, Claude Jackson, Sam Macias and Lee Peters for giving us an opportunity to fight for the NABF title and believing in Willie Nelson.”

A highly decorated U.S. amateur boxer who had nearly 250 matches, Nelson captured several titles, including the PAL Nationals twice and Under-19 Tournament, while suffering only 22 losses. He has been favorably compared to a right-handed Paul Williams, or a young Tommy Hearns, because of his freakish size.

“Willie has all the tools because of his amateur background,” Loew noted. “He does everything well and has a great jab. Willie uses his long reach but he can punch, too. Willie has so much heart and determination. He wants it so bad and for all the right reasons, not jewelry or cars, but for his children.

“He has a world of talent and reminds me so much of Paul Williams, even facially, and Willie's upper body is starting to look like Tommy Hearns' with that V-shape. Those aren't bad comparisons.”

“We have demanded a lot from Willie since moving him to Youngstown, under Jack Loew's tutelage, following Willie's only professional loss,” Nelson's advisor Sam Shapiro added. “Willie has become a real pro. We demand that he pays attention to his diet and improve his strength and conditioning. “Willie has always been a boxing gym rat, but now he has further dedicated himself to strength and conditioning, working full-time with his extraordinary physical fitness trainer, Mike Bartos. The Nelson camp is convinced that we have a winning formula and we could not be more pleased about how enthusiastically Willie has adopted this professional lifestyle. Willie knows that Jack has been to the top and Willie is doing everything asked of him to become World Champion.”

Go online to www.RumbleTimePromotions.com for more information about Nelson or any of his Rumble Time Promotions stable-mates.