News On: David Rodriguez, 50 Cent's Next Card

ATLANTIC CITY – After being away from the ring for two years, undefeated heavyweight David “Nino” Rodriguez, 36-0, 34 KOs, gets his chance to finally return to his promising boxing career, on December 14th at Resorts International Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. His 6-round bout against Darnell Wilson, 24-17-3, 20 KOs, is one of the main supporting attractions on a packed fight card that features a dynamite double header, with heavyweights Amir Mansour and Kelvin Price in the 10-round main event and Ryan Coyne vs. Lionell Thompson as the 10-round light heavyweight co-feature. The two feature bouts will be nationally televised on the NBC Sports Network Fight Night series. The Rodriguez-Wilson bout takes place off-TV.

For Rodriguez, just getting back to business after a hellish 24 months represents a personal redemption for the El Paso, TX native. However, Rodriguez won't just settle for the moral victory of coming back from the mountain of adversity that nearly ended both his life and his boxing career. Against Wilson, Rodriguez seeks a win that will reboot a career that was so filled with potential before the layoff began.

Rodriguez has topped every opponent he's faced, and is riding a nine-bout knockout streak, including a pair of showy stoppages against Owen Beck and Byron Polley in 2011. After those victories, Rodriguez seemed poised for a climb up the heavyweight rankings. However, a series of devastating setbacks stopped the 6' 4″, 250-pound fighter in his tracks.

Shortly after his win over Polley in December 2011, Rodriguez was the victim of a knife attack. The assault left his face scarred, but miraculously, he was still alive and able to fight. However, after surgery and a lengthy rehab, Rodriguez returned to the gym, only to badly injure his knee. The injury required surgery, as well as another long recovery. Such adversity may have discouraged a weaker person, but Rodriguez proved he was a fighter by battling back.

On December 14th, Rodriguez steps back into the ring to get on with his dream of becoming heavyweight champion of the world. His challenge that night will be seasoned pro Darnell “Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson. It's a tough assignment, especially given the extended time off, but Rodriguez has shown the ability to bounce back like few others ever have.

When the bell rings, Rodriguez will be ready for redemption, and plans to send a message to the rest of the heavyweight division that he is finally back to boxing for good.

FIGHT INFO:

Tickets are priced $75 and $50. They can be purchased at the Resorts International Hotel and Casino Box Office, 800-736-1420 and at TicketMaster. Click here to connect to TicketMasteror cut and paste: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Main-Events-Boxing-tickets/artist/1940738

Doors open at 5PM. The main event and co-feature will be televised on NBC Sports Network's Fight Night, December 14th, 8 – 10PM ET.

Six additional bouts are planned for the card which is promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with DiBella Entertainment.

NEW YORK CITY (December 5, 2013) – Unbeaten junior lightweight prospects Joel Diaz, Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs) and Wanzell Ellison (9-0-1, 5 KOs) headline “Big Apple Boxing,” presented by 50 Cent's SMS Promotions, on Friday night, December 20 at Resorts World Casino NYC in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

“This is going to be an exciting night in boxing,” promoter Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson said. “The fighters on this card are highly motivated and I'm looking forward to watching their talent unfold in the ring. We'll also have special performances from Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Tory Ave and Tony Yayo. You won't want to miss this one.”

The 21-year-old Diaz, fighting out of Palmdale, California, will be fighting in his third scheduled 10-round bout having stopped Guillermo Sanchez and Emmanuel Lucero, respectively, in the second and fifth rounds. Diaz has defeated one other unbeaten opponent, Guy Robb (7-0), who Diaz finished-off in the seventh round of their 2012 fight on ShoBox.

The lone blemish on 24-year-old Ellison's professional record is a draw in 2011 with Carlos Vinan. Fighting out of Newark (NJ), Ellison will be fighting in his first scheduled 10-rounder.

Arizona junior welterweight “Magic Man” Luis Olivares (6-0, 4 KOs) puts his undefeated record on the line against Tony “Sugar Boy” Walker (5-3-1, 3 KOs) in the six-round co-feature.

Undefeated Puerto Rican junior middleweight Emmanuel “Pirata” De Jesus (8-0, 5 KOs) will be showcased in a six-round match versus an opponent to be determined. Also slated to fight on the undercard in six-round bouts are Maryland super bantamweight Thomas “KO” Snow (16-1, 10 KOs) vs. Hartford's Nate Green (4-0, 1 KO), Cincinnati welterweight Donte Strayhorn (3-1) vs. Virginia's Christian Steele (3-7-2, 1 KO) and undefeated welterweight prospect Felix Diaz (14-0, 8 KOs), a 2008 Olympic gold medalist from the Dominican Republic, vs. TBA; former U.S. amateur star, Tennessean Ryan “Blue-Chip” Martin (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Las Vegas lightweight Eric Jamar Goodall (1-2), and pro-debuting Brooklyn bantamweight Mafato Kamogawa vs. New Yorker Michelle Cook (0-0-1), in a pair of scheduled four-round fights.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $350.00, $125.00, $85.00 and $35.00, are available to purchase by calling Resorts World Casino NYC at (718) 215-2828, or visiting www.etix.com/ticket/online/venueSearch.jsp?venue_id=9244. The $350.00 ticket holders will also receive a pair of autographed SMS Street by 50 Cent on ear headphones.

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