AUDIO: Michael Dutchover talks Clarence Booth Fight and Last Chance Tournament






Michael Dutchover To take on Clarence Booth In Last Chance Tournament Friday Night in Plant City, Florida

PHILADELPHIA, PA /Ontario, CA (May 19, 2022) – Junior welterweight Michael Dutchover (15-2, 10 KOs) will take part in The Last Chance Tournament when he battles veteran Clarence Booth (21-4, 13 KOs) in a scheduled 8-round bout on Friday night in Plant City, Florida. Dutchover of Midland, Texas is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. The fight will be streamed on the Probox TV App.

“It will be great to get under the bright lights again, I miss that feeling,” said the 24-year-old Dutchover. “We are taking this one fight at a time, and we have Booth in front of us on Friday.”

On Booth, “He has good fights under his belt and he has been in with some good contenders. I have studied some film on him, and I am looking forward to imposing my will on him. I am ready to go.”

Dutchover is coming off a disappointing loss to Nahir Albright on September 14, 2021, and now looks to get back on the right course to major fights.

“I have never taken the easy route, my last fight was a learning experience,” continued Dutchover, “When you get knocked down, the key is how you get back up. This is a great opportunity for me to show how much I have improved from my last outing. I feel that I am the guy to beat. Whoever is the last man standing has a chance to rejuvenate their career and get bigger opportunities. My losses have taught me to be more composed and learning from my mistakes has made me a better fighter. I’ve had a great camp and my weight is on point. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and stuck by my side. I’m looking forward to a big performance on Friday night.”

“It is a great opportunity for the winner of the tournament, for which we believe it will be Michael Dutchover to advance his career and compete in big fights,” said Artie Pelullo, President of Banner Promotions.

“We know Dutchover has what it takes to get back on track toward his winning ways,” said Alex Camponovo, Thompson Boxing’s general manager. “Winning this tournament will be a tremendous accomplishment and we are behind him one hundred percent.”

Dutchover weighed 139.8 lbs. Booth was 138.8




Jamshidbek Najmitdinov Destroys Former world Title Challenger Charles Hatley in 2 Rounds in Dallas

PHILADELPHIA, PA / New York (May 17, 2022)–Jamshidbek Najmitdinov moved up in weight and had a career best performance as he stopped former world title challenger Charles Hatley in two rounds in Hatley’s hometown in Dallas.

In the process, Najmitdinov won the WBC USNBC title.

Najmitdinov came out firing and looked to not leave the fight in the judges’ hands. In round two, he took the fight into his own hands as he dropped Hatley with a powerful left. Hatley was unsteady as he tried to get up and the fight was stopped at 2:17.

Hatley (30-3-1) had previously challenged Jermell Charlo for the WBC Super Welterweight title.

Najmitdinov, of Uzbekistan, is promoted by Banner Promotions and Uprising Promotions and raised his record to 19-2 with 15 knockouts.

“I was training for four months. I just wanted to make a comeback and show that I was better than my last fight. Whoever it was, I was going to knock him out. That was my mindset. When I came out, I came out with bad intentions. I started throwing hard punches and wanted to go hard for the whole fight and make him feel all of the punches,” said Najmitdinov. “I feel great at 147 pounds. I feel so much stronger. I want to come right back. I will fight anybody that the managers and promoters say. I will fight anybody. I want to thank all of my fans for supporting me. For the people who counted me out, now you are all believers.”

“We are very proud of Jamshidbek. He was able to shake off adversity from his previous outing and went into Hatley’s hometown and knocked him out. This will open up a lot of doors for him in the welterweight division. We are immediately looking for a big fight for him,” said Artie Pelullo, President of Banner Promotions.

“We were excited about his performance. I think the increase in weight added strength, and he is more suited to be welterweight. He shredded down too much to fight at 140. He is carrying his punch, and we are looking forward to big things for Jamshidbek,” said Ronson Frank, President of Uprising Promotions
For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please like the Banner Promotions Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing.




AUDIO: Ruben Villa Talks about Friday Night Return Fight






VIDEO: Ruben Villa Talks about Friday Night Return Bout




Ruben Villa Weighs in For Friday Night Fight against Horacio Garcia

Ontario, CA (April 14, 2022) – Featherweight world title contender, Ruben “Drac” Villa (18-1, 5 KOs) weighed in at 126.4 pounds while his opponent Horacio Garcia (35-5-1, 25 KOs) checked in at 126.7 pounds for their Friday night 10-round fight at The Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California.

Villa of Salinas, California is co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. will be competing in the main event of a card that will be streamed live on Banner Promotions Facebook page, Thompsonboxing.com, and Thompson Boxing social media as well as the Thompson Boxing app beginning at 8 PM PT /11 PM ET.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please like the Banner Promotions Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing.




Ruben Villa Training Camp Quotes

SALINAS, CA (April 12, 2022) – Featherweight world title contender, Ruben “Drac” Villa (18-1, 5 KOs), who is co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing, has wrapped up training camp in Salinas, California for his fight, Friday, April 15, 2022, as he battles tough veteran Horacio Garcia
(35-5-1, 25 KOs), of Guadalajara, Mexico in a 10-round main event.

This event titled “Path To Glory” will take place at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, CA. Doors open at 6:30 pm PT with the first fight starting at 8:00 pm PT. Tickets are priced at $50, $75, and $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900.

Here is what Villa had to say about his recent training camp, his upcoming fight with Garcia, and more.

On his matchup with Horacio Garcia:

“I am glad to be back, and I want to thank my team, Garcia Boxing, Max, Sam, Kathy as well as my father for the support, as well as my promoters Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions for getting me back in the ring. My opponent is a solid guy, he is talented, but I see myself as a world champion, and just made small mistakes in my last fight that cost me a world title. The experience I’ve gained makes me an even more dangerous fighter, and you will see that in this fight.”

On his recent training camp:

“Camp has been really intense and I’ll be in great shape. I recently opened a new form of my boxing gym in Salinas, California, and the big spark came this week when NFL Pro Bowler Patrick Willis visited the gym and worked out with me. Training can be very much the same thing repeatedly and getting a surprise visit by a legend really got me inspired to finish camp strong.”

On fighting back in Ontario, CA at the DoubleTree Hotel:

“It feels good to be back at the DoubleTree. I started my career on these cards, and to return is a good feeling as I know the venue and the fight week stuff very well. It is like visiting an old friend if an old friend could be a building. The fans always bring good energy there and I can’t wait to bring an exciting fight to everyone in attendance.”

On what a win will do for his career:

“I want to get back into the world title picture. I see the division as fairly empty outside of the fighter I lost to and we had a close fight. I spent my whole amateur career fighting the best fighters in the world, and after this fight I want to face the best fighters possible. I have a very good record, and now I am going for legacy with the goal to bring a world title fight to Salinas, California.

The fight can be seen on Banner Promotions Facebook Page.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please like the Banner Promotions Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing.




Heavyweight Contender Andrey Fedosov injures Bicep; Out of December 2nd fight with Junior Wright

PHILADELPHIA (November 24, 2021)-Heavyweight contender Andrey Fedosov (32-3, 26 KOs) injured his bicep which will force him out of the December 2nd fight with Junior Wright, which was scheduled to take place at The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, and live on Triller.

The bout was scheduled to be contested for the USBA and WBO Global Heavyweight titles.

“Its unfortunate that I tore my bicep. I was so ready, and was looking forward to this fight. My manager Alex Vaysfeld and promoter Banner Promotions worked hard on making this fight. I will be back in February or March,” said Fedosov

“It’s disappointing that Andrey got hurt as I know how confident he was coming off his big win in April. It is just a small bump in the road as he will back in early 2022, and I speak on behalf of Banner Promotions and Newsboy Promotions that Andrey will be in-line for a major fight next year,” said Artie Pelullo, President of Banner Promotions.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please like the Banner Promotions Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing.




Jamshidbek Najmitdinov takes on Will Madera Tomorrow night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn

PHILADELPHIA (October 15, 2021)–On Saturday night, October 16th, junior welterweight contender Jamshidbek Najmitdinov will make his long-awaited American debut when he takes on Will Madera (16-1-3, 9 KOs) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The fight will be part of Trillerverz III and can be seen live on FITE.TV and Trillerfightclub.com at 6 PM ET

Najmitdinov, who is promoted by Banner Promotions and Uprising Promotions, has a record of 17-1 with 14 knockouts. The 31 year-old from Tashkent, Uzbekistan is riding a seven bout winning streak (for which the last five have come by way of stoppage) since his only career blemish when he dropped a controversial decision to former world champion Viktor Postol in Postol’s home country of Ukraine.

That bout, which took place on September 16, 2017, saw Jamshidbek drop Postol three times but was denied two of those knockdowns, due to Postol fighting in front of his home-country fans. Jamshidbek pushed the action and established himself as one of the top-140 pounders in the world. Since that fight, Jamshidebek has won five in a row, which includes his last bout when he won the WBC CIS and Slovac titles with a 1st round stoppage over Giorgi Khutsishvili on October 6th in Uzbekistan.

“I am very excited. I have been waiting for this opportunity to fight in America for a long time. I will show my best ability. I really do not know anything about Madera. I just want to fight anyone. I am not here to take easy fights. This is very exciting to fight in New York. It motivates me to show my best. I feel very confident, and I believe that I will win on five or six rounds,” said Najmitdnov

“We are looking forward to Jamshidbek’s debut here in the United States,” Banner Promotions President Arie Pelullo. “Because of everything going on in the world, this would have happened sooner. We expect a big performance out of him and we envision him in being in big fights in the near future.”

Najmitdinov is a former WBC CIS and Slovak Boxing Bureau Welterweight champion, and is coming off a 5th round stoppage over Merab Turkadze on June 11th in Tashkent.

Najmitfonov weighed 139.8 lbs. Madera was 139.4.

Photos by Amanda Wecott / Triller Fight Club

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please like the Banner Promotions Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing




Four-Time, Two-Division World Champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas on International Boxing Hall of Fame Ballot

PHILADELPHIA (October 7, 2021)–Former four-time, two-division world champion and the MOST POPULAR FIGHTER IN BRAZILIAN HISTORY, Acelino “Popo” Freitas is on the 2021 International Boxing Hall of Fame Ballot.

Freitas exploded onto the scene when he won the original Boxcino Tournament in 1997.

Freitas, who was promoted by Banner Promotions, captured the WBO Junior Lightweight world title with a first-round knockout over Anatoly Alexandrov on August 7, 1999, was able to start his career with a staggering 29 consecutive knockouts.

He defended the title 10-times and then became a unified champion as he added the WBA crown with a 12-round unanimous decision over Cuban Gold Medal winner Joel Casamayor.

On January 3, 2004, Freitas became a two-division champion by outpointing undefeated Artur Grigorian to win the WBO Lightweight world championship. On April 29, 2006, Freitas became a two-time lightweight champion as he re-won the WBO Lightweight title with a win over Zahir Raheem.

The Brazilian native became widely popular, especially in his home country of Brazil, and became must-see TV, as evidenced by his memorable brawl when he climbed off the deck twice to comeback and stop Jorge Barrios in a bloody affair on August 9, 2003. That fight was the most watched boxing match in South America.

Freitas, who throughout his title runs, was a staple on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, retired with a Hall-of-Fame worthy record of 41-2 with 34 knockouts.

Following his career, Freitas has been a very influential figure in Brazilian politics as he served as a Senator. He has become a top boxing analyst in South America.

“Acelino was an amazing fighter who provided not only an incredible career when it came to winning and defending world titles, but he was the most exciting fighter with his incredible knockout prowess. I am so proud of him and extremely happy and fortunate to have promoted his career. He did as much for my career as I did for his,” said Freitas’ longtime promoter, Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions.

Acelino Freitas can be followed on the below social media platforms
Instagram ‌ Facebook ‌ Twitter ‌
For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please like the Banner Promotions Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing