Ludwigshafen, Germany (March 8, 2017)–Below are quotes from Wednesday’s press conference that featured WBA junior middleweight champion Jack Culcay and mandatory challenger Demetrius Andrade.

Jack Culcay (22-1, 11 KOs) plans to “derail” Demetrius Andrade’s (23-0, 16 KOs) World title assault when the pair meet for the WBA World Super Welterweight Championship on Saturday, March 11 at the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

Culcay, the defending champion from Germany, and Andrade, the undefeated American challenger, exchanged words today as they came face-to-face for the first time at the press conference in Ludwigshafen.

”I would like to thank my team for getting me in great shape for this fight,” said former WBO World Champion Andrade.

”On Saturday, you’re going to see the A-train at full speed steam rolling Jack Culcay. I beat him as an amateur, and now, I’m going to beat him as a pro. This ain’t going to be a three-rounder with training gloves on. I’m going to give Jack a reality check right on his chin!”

In return, Culcay claimed he was more than ready for any “check” Andrade has planned, and says he expects a victory on Saturday to open the doors to highest level of the sport.

“I am ready for any kind of check Demetrius is going to give me! I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for almost 10 years now,” said Culcay.

“After I beat Andrade, the doors are open for me to make a big splash in the US.”

When asked for his opinions on the current betting odds, Culcay insists it only fuels his motivation. “The odds for this fight just motivates me even more,” he says. ”Maybe I’ll go to the bookies and place a bet. That way, I won’t only derail the “Andrade Express”, but also make some money!”

Also on the bill is talented youngster Leon Bauer (10-0, 8 KOS), who will be defending his IBF Youth Super Middleweight Championship against Soso Abuladze (10-1-1, 7 KOs). The 18 year-old, who is fighting at home for the first time, has the added pressure of not only retaining his title but also taking his high school exams just days before the fight.

Tickets for the WBA World Super Welterweight Championship clash between Jack Culcay and Demetrius Andrade are available online via www.eventim.de or by calling the ticket hotline on 01806-570044.

Philadelphia, PA / Ontario, California (February 10, 2017)–TONIGHT at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, two highly regarded prospects will be in action as undefeated featherweight Ruben Villa and Michael Dutchover will make their 1st appearances in 2017.

Ruben Villa 128 lbs – Francisco Camacho 128 lbs

Villa (3-0, 2 KO’s) of Salinas, California will take on 9 fight veteran Francsico Camacho, while Dutchover (2-0, 2 KO’s) of Santa Fe Springs, California will battle Jose Mora.

Villa and Dutchover are promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing.

Both fights are scheduled for 4 rounds.

“Everything is going well. I had a great training camp. I sparred with (world title challenger) Oscar Escandon and Victor Pasillas,” said Villa.

“I don’t know a lot about my opponent. He has lost to some good prospects, but I let my trainer do the research. I just train and fight.”

Being that it is Villa’s 1st full year as fighter, Villa has goals, both in this fight and throughout 2017.

“Hopefully I can get some rounds in on Friday. That will give me more ring experience. I am looking for 5 or 6 fights this year, and just want to stay active. I think I will fight 1 or 2 more 4-round fights and then it will be onto 6-round fights. I just want to be able to show what I can do. It’s great to get those 1st round knockouts, but it doesn’t show all my skills. I want to show the fans all that I can do.”

Michael Dutchover 129.1 lbs – Jose Mora 124.8 lbs

Dutchover, who turned professional on October 21st, is ready to start the year off in impressive fashion.

“Training has been great. I feel strong and confident,”said the 19 year-old Dutchover.

“I don’t know much about him other than he has had a few fights, but it should be a good test for me.”

Like Villa, look for Dutchover to stay active in 2017.

“This is my first fight in 2017, and I am ready to start the year off with a bang. I am just going to work my game plan and come out victorious. It’s going to be a very busy year. I been working hard with my trainer Danny Zamaora, I think I will fight 5 or 6 times this year. But first things first, and that is to start off the year off in a good fashion on Friday, and keep it going.”

“We are looking forward to Ruben and Michael getting started in 2017,” said Artie Pelullo, president of Banner Promotions. “This will be a good year for them as the fans will really get to know them. We plan to keep them very busy. We feel by this time next year, they will be on everybody’s prospect lists as stars of the future.”

“Both Ruben and Michael are anxious to start 2017 with compelling wins,” said Ken Thompson, president of Thompson Boxing Promotions. “We plan on keeping them busy this year. The plan is to elevate their level of competition as the year goes on. Ruben and Michael are immensely talented prospects with world championship potential. It’s only a matter of time before they become household names.”

Photos By Carlos Baeza / Thompson Boxing

Philadelphia, PA / Johannesburg, South Africa (February 8, 2017)–This past Saturday night , World ranked cruiserweight Kevin Lerena stopped Vikapita Meroro in the 5th round of their scheduled 10-round bout at The Emperors Palace in Gauteng, South Africa.

Lerena, who is ranked number-5 by the WBO,number-11 by the WBC, and number-13 by the WBA dropped Meroro in the 1st round and won each round until Meroro surprisingly quit in round five.

The win was Lerena’s 6th consecutive victory.

The stoppage came as a shock, which led promoter Rodney Berman to withhold Meroro’s purse.

“He quit, plain and simple,” raged Berman, who insisted Meroro was in no imminent danger.
“We have an obligation to the public to produce good fights. The public pay good money, Emperors Palace pays good money and SuperSport pays good money. I can’t overlook that,” said Berman.

“As I didn’t really get going, I’d give myself six out of 10. The minute I dropped him in the first round, he went into defensive mode,” said Lerena. “When a guy comes to fight, I show my true ability. It frustrates me when they don’t . . . I like fighting. We did expect more, but what can you do?”

“I was disappointed. No, I was angry. I wanted to beat him up. I started going to the body from round four. I was planning and building towards a conclusive finish. I’d rather get knocked out than quit, like Meroro did.”

“I’m lucky, I have a big following. The fans paid a lot of money to watch me and many tuned in to television, but they never got a full show because Meroro quit. People understand, I’m coming to wreck my opponents. I’m not there for the pay day. I come to win.”
“I trained hard. Now I’m just focused on what’s next. I’m hoping for a fight date in America, the sooner the better. I want a good fight and a good opponent. I love hard fights; I never want to have easy fights. I just want to win and look good doing so.”

“Kevin got the win, and he dominated the fight,” said Matt Rowland, Vice President of Banner Promotions.

“He continues to win and move up the rankings, and our partner Rodney Berman and us will discuss the next move for Kevin. We can see him fighting for a world title in the not too distant future.”

Philadelphia, PA / Johannesburg, South Africa (February , 2017)–This past Friday night in Durban, South Africa, WBA number-3 ranked, WBC number-13 ranked, and WBO number-15 ranked lightweight contender Xolisani Ndongeni (22-0, 11 Ko’s) was named South African Fighter of the Year.

The ceremony took place in front of former South African world champions, and dignitaries such as Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula.

The 26 year-old Ndongeni won two big fights in 2016. His year started out on April 22nd with a 1st round stoppage over Emilio Norfat. He followed that up with a 10-round unanimous decision over Juan Garcia Mendez on November 4th in Corona, California.

The bout was Ndongeni’s American debut.

“I’m very proud to have won,” said Ndongeni. “I have a lot of faith in my team of Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves, Banner Promotions and [trainer] Colin Nathan. The sky is the limit. I’m looking forward to fighting in the US very soon and showing them all what I’m capable of.”

“I was delighted for ‘Nomeva’ [Ndongeni], who made his US debut last year and won in style against a difficult opponent,” said Golden Gloves CEO, Rodney Berman. “I have high hopes from him and this endorsement merely underlines his international potential. He’s highly rated and will surely get his big chance before long.”

Said Banner Promotions President, Arthur Pelullo, “I want to congratulate Xolisani for winning this great award. He is a terrific fighter, and was very impressive in his American debut. 2017 will be a big year for him and we look to get him in some big fights.”

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (December 29, 2016) World ranked cruiserweight KEVIN “THE KO KID” LERENA, (16-1-0, 8 KO’s) kicks off his 2017 campaign towards a world title in style on Saturday, February 4 with his triumphant return to South Africa’s premier boxing venue, Emperors Palace against VIKAPITA “BEAST MASTER” MERORO, (28-5-0, 14 KO’s) of Windhoek, Namibia.

Presented by Rodney Berman’s Golden Gloves of South Africa, advance tickets for THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, may be purchased by calling 078-457-3030.

Sporting movie-star looks, the 24-year-old Lerena will be making his fourth straight appearance at Emperors Palace having thrilled the boxing crowd in his three victories in 2016.

“I can’t wait for the New Year, the path to a world title is in front of me, my promoter Rodney Berman is getting me the right fights and my world rankings will support a title shot in the future,” said Lerena following a sparring session under the watchful eye of trainer Peter Smith.

Said Berman, “Kevin has stardom written all over him, we’ve got big plans in 2017 for him. Putting him in the right fights, securing his position in the world rankings of the sanctioning bodies and working with Banner Promotions in the US to secure him a major stateside fight in the coming year.”

“We are excited to be co-promoting Kevin with Rodney Berman and Golden Gloves. Rodney has only brought us the cream of the crop, “said Artie Pelullo, President and CEO of Banner Promotions. “Kevin is a quality fighter, who has shown he has championship ability. We look forward to him getting closer to a world title opportunity with a big win on February 4.”

“I’m as excited about Kevin’s future as I’ve ever been of all the fighters I’ve worked with, cruiserweight is a very exciting division in boxing currently.”

Lerena is currently world ranked #5 by the World Boxing Organization and #11 by the World Boxing Council.

Most recently, Lerena, performing brilliantly from start to finish, winning a hard-fought ten round decision over the undefeated Micki Nielsen on October 22, 2016, earning the critically lauded Super 4 Tournament Championship.

In the first round of the Super 4 Tournament Championship, Lerena won a ten round unanimous decision over Roberto Bolonti on June 11, 2016.

Kicking off his 2016 campaign on April 24, 2016, the southpaw won the South African Cruiserweight Title with a tenth round knockout of Johnny Muller. The stoppage avenged a ten round decision loss in 2014 to Muller.

Philadelphia, Penn./Rochester, New York (Dec. 19, 2016) -Willie Monroe, Jr. is ready for another major opportunity after a year where he defeated two world title challengers.

The native of Rochester, New York scored unanimous decision victories over John Thompson and Gabriel Rosado in 2016 to put himself in position to be mentioned for an early-2017 bout with Canelo Alvarez or a world title opportunity with WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders. Monroe is also looking for showdowns with contenders David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens.

The recent win over Rosado netted Monroe the WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title.

Sporting a record of 21-2 with 6 knockouts has Monroe ranked number-5 by the WBA, number-8 by the WBO and number-13 by the WBC.

This week, Monroe became a member of #TeamEverlast as a endorser for the legendary Everlast brand.

“I am very thankful to be a part of #TeamEverlast. Joining this elite group of guys is a testament to my hard work and determination being recognized. I look forward to growing with Everlast in the coming years.”

“2017 is going to be an exciting year,” said Monroe. “I saw what it is like to be on that stage in 2015 when I faced Golovkin for the world title. This year I beat 2 world title challengers decisively, and now I am looking to keep that momentum and have a big year. You will see a lot more fight out of Willie Monroe. I have already proved myself as a boxer, and this year I will have to show other elements out of Willie Monroe.”

“It was a big stage to fight Golovkin, but I fought on a bigger stage on the Canelo undercard in front of 50,000 people, and I proved that I am one of the top guys in the division. I will prove that once again in 2017.”

“The most important thing for me is activity in 2017. There are fights to be made; Saunders, Stevens, Lemieux. I would fight all of those guys one after another. My team and I ended 2016 with fireworks; lets continue that show in 2017.”

“Willie put together an amazing 2016 in the final 6 months of the year. I am glad we got the deal with Everlast finalized. This serves as excellent momentum going into 2017,” said Adrian Clark (Strategic Partner to Willie Monroe, Jr.)

“Willie had an outstanding year,” said Banner Promotions President, Artie Pelullo. “He showed his resiliency by coming back from the Golovkin fight. Great fighters take losses and come back stronger, and that is what Willie showed. He will be in a significant bout in early 2017, and he will prove again that he is one of the top middleweights in the world.”

Philadelphia, Penn./Ontario, Calif. (Nov. 21, 2016) -Junior lightweight Michael Dutchover (2-0, 2 KOs) kicked off this past Friday’s “New Blood” boxing event in Ontario, CA. with a devastating first round knockout of Sergio Campos (0-1). Dutchover bolted out of his corner with a fierce attack that put Campos, who was making his professional debut, on the defensive immediately. Dutchover unloaded power shots to the body and landed a left hook that dropped Campos for good at the :51 mark.

Dutchover fights out of Midland, Tex. and is trained by Danny Zamora. He is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing.

PHOTO CREDIT: CARLOS BAEZA / THOMPSON BOXING PROMOTIONS

Philadelphia, Penn./Ontario, Calif. (Nov.18, 2016) – Undefeated junior lightweight Michael Dutchover weighed in at a ready 131 lbs., while his opponent Sergio Campo checked in at 130.5 lbs for tonight’s 4-round bout at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California.

Dutchover (1-0, 1 KO) of Santa Fe, Springs, California is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing.

“We are looking forward for Michael to put on another great performance tonight,” said Banner Promotions President, Artie Pelullo. “He has tremendous talent, and we expect him to thrill the crowd in Ontario. After tonight, we expect to bring Michael along at a good pace in 2017. Michael has all the skills to become a star.”

“We’re excited to see Michael back in the ring again,” said Ken Thompson, President of Thompson Boxing Promotions. “Our plan is to keep him active and build his skills so he’s ready to compete with the best when the time is right.”

“I last fought in October so I really never stopped training,” said Michael Dutchover. “It’s been fun to be in the gym everyday working to get better. I’m ready for another test and another win.”

PHOTO CREDIT: CARLOS BAEZA / THOMPSON BOXING PROMOTIONS

CORONA, Calif. (Nov. 7, 2016) – Taras “The Real Deal Shelestyuk, Xolisani Ndongeni,and Ruben Villa all remained undefeated this past Friday night at the Omega Events Center in Corona, California.

Shelestyuk (15-0, 9 KOs), the 2012 Olympic Games Bronze Medalist for Ukraine, was victorious by the scores of 96-93 twice and 95-94. Despite a gutsy, gritty performance, Herrera (15-4-1, 8 KOs), of Chicago, IL., had a 3-fight winning streak end. There were no knockdowns.

Southpaw Shelestyuk, who entered the ring ranked No. 9 in the WBO and No. 13 in the WBA, turned back a determined bid by Herrera to win, despite getting docked a point for excessive holding in the fifth round.

“It was a tough fight,” stated Shelestyuk. “He is a tough fighter; he is slow, but he worked well. In the first round, I did well but my legs went on me. I think it was because I did not sleep well.

“After five rounds, I started to find my rhythm. I started boxing him. I made some mistakes in there like pulling straight back. This fight will make me better. Like I said, he was tough but nothing special. When my legs went, I started to work inside. I beat him good in the last round and if there was 30 seconds more, I could have stopped him.

“I am looking forward to being more active in 2017. I will take two or three weeks off and be right back in the gym.”

“The Truth” hurts, and Herrera had more than his fair share of moments in a tight fight. Herrera, a professional since December 2009, figured to be a legitimate test for Shelestyuk, and he was. But Taras was more active, (landing 169 of 689 punches, compared to Herrera’s 130 of 460). Each fighter connected 28 percent of the time.

Herrera, who had defeated undefeated prospects in four of his previous nine fights, was not happy with the verdict. “It was a good fight. There is not much that I can say. I thought it was closer than the scores indicated. I had fun in there, and I give him credit. He was everything I expected. He is a smart fighter.”

“I would love to be a test dummy for all these young prospects. I thought it could have been a draw, but the people who saw it on TV can have their opinion.”

Shelestyuk is co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing.

Opening up the ShoBox broadcast, Vitor Jones Freitas was stopped in the first round by Manuel Mendez. The fight was stopped after Mendez landed a thudding body shot that sent the previously undefeated Brazilian down for the ten count, breaking his rib.

In non-television action, Ndongeni showed why he is considered championship worthy, as he pounded out a ten-round unanimous decision over rugged Juan Garcia Mendez.

Ndongeni controlled the action as he mixed up his punches. He countered beautifully and worked up and down by mixing up his shots to the head and body of Mendez. Ndongeni, 26 years-old, is ranked number-3 by the WBA, and he showed the class of a world championship contender in his American debut.

Ndongeni, nicknamed “Nomeva”, which means The Wasp, stung Mendez throughout the contest, and he showed that not only is he a serious title contender, but he has a fan-friendly style.

Ndongeni is co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Golden Gloves Promotions.

Villa, of Salinas, California, was taken the distance for the first time, as he won a 4-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Aaron Lopez.

Villa, who previously scored two consecutive first round knockouts, won every round by showing off his boxing skills in the battle of undefeated fighters.

The 19 year-old Villa pushed the pace throughout the fight and had Lopez in trouble several times. Villa has been very active, as this was his 3rd win since turning professional on July 29th.

“I am very proud of Taras, Xolisani, and Ruben,” said Banner Promotions President Artie Pelullo.

“These are three guys at different stages, but I believe that all three have the talent to become world champions. Taras is closing in on a significant fight, for which a win will lead him to a title. This was our first look at Xolisani, and he was the fighter that was advertised. He has a lot of skills and is a versatile. My partner Rodney Berman and Iwill now look at the many options that we will have with him. I do expect him to fight for a world title sometime in the next year. Ruben had a tremendous learning experience. He fought a guy who was undefeated and very durable. He actually showed us more in this fight than he did in his two first round knockouts. In this fight he won all four round on every judges scorecards (40-36 on all cards). I was very impressed with the different punch selections and the way he set everything up in there. As I have said before, he is a star in the making. As for Vitor, he had the right attitude following the fight. He is not going to let this deter him. He just got caught with the wrong punch at the wrong time. He was winning the round easily before that happened. He will obviously take some time off, and then we will look to bring him back next year.”