WHO:
Arthur Pelullo, CEO of Banner Promotions
Bobby Hitz, CEO of Hitz Boxing
Donatas Bondas 18-4-1, 6 KOs middleweight
Willie Monroe Jr. 15-1, 6 KOs middleweight
Raymond Gatica 13-2, 8 KOs middleweight
Sena Agbeko 15-0, 15 KOs middleweight
Cerresso Fort 17-2-1, 11 KOs middleweight
Vitaliy Kopylenko 22-0, 12 KOs middleweight
Brandon Adams 12-0, 8 KOs middleweight
Daniel Edouard 23-4-2 14 KOs middleweight
Donovan Dennis,7-0, 6 KO’s heavyweight
Simeon Hardy, 10-0, 7 KO’s jr. middleweight
Mike “Hollywood” Jimenez 12-0, 9 KOs, super middleweight
Fidel Navarette 4-0-1, 3 KOs super featherweight
Sergio Montes de Oca 7-2-1, 2 KOs super featherweight
Russell “Rocky” Fiore 10-2-1 7 KOs
Dimar Ortuz 9-0, 6 KOs cruiserweight
And many more

WHAT:
ESPN2’s “FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS” comes to Hammond, IN at 7:00 PM on Friday, February 28, for “Fight Night at the Horseshoe Presents the Boxcino Middleweight Championship Tournament,” a co-promotion of Banner Promotions and Hitz Boxing. On Thursday, February 27 join Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo and Hitz Boxing CEO Bobby Hitz and the fighters participating in the card for the public weigh-in at 5:00 PM outside of The Horseshoe Casino’s The Venue The event is free and open to the public, you must be 21 to enter.

WHERE:
The Venue (front entrance)
The Horseshoe Casino
777 Casino Center Drive
Hammond, IN

WHEN:
Thursday, February 27, 2014
5:00 PM

Hammond, Indiana (February 27, 2014)–Below are video interviews of the fighters who will be participating this Friday night as part of the Boxcino 2014 middleweight tournament at the Horseshoe Hammond Casino.

Media outlets may any or all of the videos by copy/paste the embedded link on their websites. (Note-Vitalii Kopylenko interview will be sent out today)

LAUGHLIN, NV (FEBRUARY 21, 2014)–The much anticipated Boxcino 2014 kicked off at the Edgewater Casino with a rousing beginning as Chris Rudd, Petr Petrov, Miguel Gonzalez and Fernando Carcamo all advanced to the semi-final round in the lightweight division on March 28th at the 4 Bears Casino in Newtown, North Dakota.

Chris Rudd opened the tournament with a “Drawbreaker” decision over Yakubu Amidu.

Both guys landed tremendous power shots with Amidu getting better in the second but Rudd came back the next round. In round four it became a war of attrition with Amidu landing with Rudd on the ropes. It was a nip and tuck fight down the stretch and when the scores were announced it was ruled a draw on the scorecards.

The fighters went to the overtime round it was the activity level that got Rudd the victory.

Officially it goes into the record books as a split decision for Rudd by scores of 67-66 twice and 68-65 for Amidu. Rudd, of Covington, Tennessee and he is now 13-1. Amidu of Los Angeles via Ghana is now 19-5-1

Rudd will meet Petr Petrov, who scored a 6-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Fedor Papazov.

It was a close competitive fight with both guys landing hard shots early in the bout. Petrov got the better in round’s five and six as he utilized counter punching ability to land with pinpoint accuracy. He did well despite having some swelling around the right eye.

Petrov of Madrid, Spain via Russia won by scores of 58-56 on all cards and is now 33-4-2. Papazov, of Los Angeles via Russia is now 14-1.

Miguel Gonzalez scored a 6-round split decision over Miguel Angel Mendoza.

Gonzalez boxed very well through the fight and landed some good shots. Mendoza pressed the fight and in round six he had Gonzalez on defensive as he pounded away on him ropes. The crowd tried to urge Mendoza on but it was not enough as Gonzalez took two cards by 58-56 tallies while Mendoza won a card at 58-56.

Gonzalez of Cleveland, Ohio is now 23-3. Mendoza is 21-3-2.

Gonzalez will meet Fernando Carcamo, who destroyed previously undefeated Samuel Neequaye in two rounds.

Carcamo dropped Neequaye in round one and then wobbled and buckled Neequaye for most of the 2nd frame and the fight was stopped as Neequaye was going down to the canvas at 1:58 of round two.

Carcamo is now 16-5 with 11 knockouts. Neequaye of Ghana is now 21-1.

2012 Olympic Bronze Medal winner Taras Shelestyuk battered Francisco Flores as he scored a knockdown en route to a 1st round stoppage in a scheduled 4 round Jr. Middleweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 1:45 for Shelestyuk, who improves to 7-0.

Cornelius Whitlock needed just 35 seconds to dispose of Luis Hernandez in a scheduled 4 round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Whitlock landed a perfect right hand that knocked Hernandez stiff and the bout was waved off.

Whitlock of Baltimore is now 3-0-2 with 2 knockouts. Hernandez, of San Bernadino, CA is now 2-7.

Despite being knocked down in the 2nd round, James Walos scored a 4-round unanimous decision over Robert Hill.

All three judges ruled 38-37 for Walos, who is now 2-0. Hill is 1-4.

The Boxcino 2014 middleweight tournament kicks off next Friday night at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana at 9pm eastern on ESPN, ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN.

Yakubu Amidu 135 – Chris Rudd 135.5
Petr Petrov 134.5 – Fedor Papazov 135
Miguel Gonzalez 134 – Miguel Angel Mendoza 135
Samuel Neequaye 135 – Fernando Carcamo 135.5

Taras Shelestyuk 151 – Francisco Flores 153
Robert Hill 156 – James Walos 154
Cornelius Whitlock 144 – Luis Hernandez 141

Promoter: Banner Promotions
Venue: Edgewater Casino & Resort
1st bell: 9pm Eastern / 6 Pm Pacific
TV: ESPN 2

Below is the weigh in video: Media outlets may use the video on their web pages by simply copy/paste the embedded code.

LAUGHLIN, NV (FEBRUARY 21, 2014)–Below are video interviews of the lighteight fighters who will compete in Boxcino 2014 that begins tonight at the Edgewater Hotel Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nevada.

The tournament will begin LIVE on ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN at 9pm eastern / 6 pm pacific

Media outlets may use the videos on their sites by copy/paste the embedded codes

Philadelphia, PA (February 19, 2014)–This Friday night at the Edgewater Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, Boxcino 2014 will kick off with the quarterfinals in the lightweight division. Next Friday the scene will shift to the Horseshoe Hammond Casino in Hammond, Indiana for the quarterfinals in the middleweight division.

What makes the tournament unique is the varied styles and experience of the participants and below are some statistics that show just that.

Lightweights:

Oldest: Petr Petrov 30 (3/28/83)
Youngest: Fernando Carcamo 23 (11/2/90)
Most Fights: Petr Petrov 38 (32-4-2)
Least Fights: Chris Rudd 12 (12-1)
Most Rounds: Petr Petrov 213
Least Rounds: Chris Rudd 45
Most KO’s: Miguel Angel Mendoza 21
Winning %: Samuel Neequaye (21-0) & Fedor Papazov (14-0) 100%
KO%: Miguel Angel Mendoza (84 % and 100% of wins are by stoppage)

The total record of the 8 lightweights is : 158-19-6 with 115 KO’s

World Champions and Challengers faced:

Yakubu Amidu
Has faced two-division world champion Ricky Burns as well as world title challengers Juan Carlos Burgos, Ji-Hoon Kim and Ali Funeka

Petr Petrov
Has faced two-division champion Marcos Maidana and Vitalli Tajbert

Miguel Gonzalez
Defeated former world champion Miguel Acosta and fought Michael Dallas Jr. (who fought for an interim world title)

Miguel Angel Mendoza
Fought former world title challengers Rey Bautista and Ricardo Alvarez (who will fight for a world title on March 8th)

Fernando Carcamo
Holds a 2nd round stoppage over former world title challenger Vicente Escobedo

Middleweights:

Oldest: Donatas Bondorovas 34 (11/12/79)
Youngest: Sena Agbeko 21 (3/1/92–Will turn 22 day after his quarterfinal bout)
*Most Fights: Daniel Edouard 29 (23-4-2)
*Least Fights: Brandon Adams 12 (12-0)
Most Rounds: Daniel Edouard 144
Least Rounds: Brandon Adams 38
Most KO’s: Sena Agbeko 15
Winning %: Vitalii Kopylenko (22-0); Sena Agbeko (15-0) & Brandon Adams (12-0) 100%
KO%: Sena Agbeko (100%…15-0, 15 KO’s)

* Edouard and Adams will face each other in the quarterfinals.

The Total record of the 8 middleweights is: 135-13-4

World Champions and Challengers Faced:

Ramond Gatica
Has faced former world title challenger Fernando Guerrero

Daniel Edouard
Has faced former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. He has faced former challengers Miguel Espino, Eromesele Albert, Alfonso Mosquera and former two-time challenger Peter Manfredo Jr.

February 21st lightweight quarter final
FIGHT WEEK SCHEDULE:

HOTEL & EVENT LOCATION:
Edgewater Casino
2020 South Casino Drive, Laughlin, Nevada 89029 Phone: (702) 298-2453

Thursday, Feb. 20th
Weigh-in: 5:00 PM
Location: Edgewater Casino – Rio Vista Room (down stairs next to the Buffet)

Friday, Feb. 21st
Fight Night: E Center at the Edgewater Casino
Doors open – 4:30 PM
First fight (and first fight on ESPN) – 6:00 PM

Austin, Texas (February 8, 2014)–Today at the Randy Palmer South Austin Boxing Gym ( 5700 Manchaca Rd.) Middleweight contender Raymond Gatica will hold an open workout for the media.

Gatica (13-2, 8 KO’s) of Austin, Texas is entered in the Boxcino 2014 tournament that will start on Friday, February 28th in Hammond, Indiana when he takes on undefeated Sena Agbeko (15-0, 15 KO’s) of Ghana in a fight that will be shown LIVE on ESPN 2.

The media workout will begin at 2 pm today and Gatica will be sparring and working out. He will be available for interviews and Photo Opportunities.

PHILADELPHIA (JANUARY 31, 2014)–Tonight during the ESPN’s Friday Night Fights broadcast, the pairings for the much anticipated Boxcino 2014 tournament will be revealed to the world.

The Tournament, which was announced on Wednesday will feature two weight divisions with eight fighters competing in each division and will be broadcast live over five editions of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

The broadcast will begin at 9 pm eastern time.

“The last few days has brought a lot of excitement to all that are involved in the tournament,” said Arthur Pelullo, CEO of Banner Promotions.

“It has that March Madness feel to it where the matchups and the brackets mean everything to these fighters. We are excited for tonight to see who ends up fighting each other and the feedback we have received in the last few days has been overwhelming with positive remarks and anticipation.”

The opening round will commence on February 21st in Laughlin, Nevada with the Lightweight quarterfinals. The Middleweights will get underway on February 28th in Hammond, Indiana.

(PHILADELPHIA, PA JANUARY 30, 2014)– Banner Promotions and ESPN’s Friday Night Fight’s will team up this February to showcase a tournament that will develop boxing’s newest stars. The 2014 Boxcino Championships will be a single-elimination, two weight class tournament that will feature eight fighters in both the lightweight and middleweight divisions.

The tournament will consist of five shows, to include a preliminary round, semifinals and finals in each division and will take place throughout the ESPN Friday Night Fights season. The inaugural event will take place on February 21 at the Edgewater Casino in Laughlin, Nevada.

Each preliminary round will feature four, 6-round bouts. The winners will move on to the semifinals, which will be 8-round bouts. The finals of both the lightweights and middleweights will be contested at 10 rounds each.

A “most valuable boxer” will be voted by the fans and will be given a specially designed ring.

“We are looking forward to showcasing this tournament on Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates,” said Brian Kweder, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions. “It will give fans the opportunity to see some of the best up-and-coming fighters in the sport and follow them throughout the Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates season. ESPN did a similar tournament back in 1997, which was won by future four-time world champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas. We hope to find another diamond in the rough like we did that year.”

“This will be one of the most unique tournaments that boxing has seen in a long time,” said Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo.

“We are excited at the concept and we believe that new stars will be born. The fans will watch these fighters grow and the fighters know that a great performance will make them a major player in the sport.”

Lightweight Division:
Yakubu Amidu: Los Angeles (22-4-1, 18 KOs)
Fernando Carcamo: Ciudad Obregon, Mexico (15-5-0, 12 KOs)
Miguel González: Cleveland (22-3-0, 16 KOs)
Miguel Angel Mendoza: Aguascalientes, Mexico (21-2-2, 21 KOs)
Samuel Neequaye: Accra, Ghana (21-0-0, 15 KOs)
Fedor Papazov: Russia (14-0-0, 9 KOs)
Petr Petrov: Madrid, Spain (32-4-2, 15 KOs)
Chris Rudd: Covington, Tennessee (12-1-0, 8 KOs)

Middleweight Division:
Brandon Adams: San Diego, California (12-0-0, 7 KOs)
Sena Agbeko: Accra, Ghana (15-0-0, 15 KOs)
Donatas Bondorovas: Chicago (18-4-1, 6 KOs)
Daniel Edouard: West Palm Beach, Florida (23-4-2, 12 KOs)
Cerresso Fort: St. Paul, Minnesota (17-2-1, 11 KOs)
Raymond Gatica: Austin, Texas (13-1-0, 7 KOs)
Willie Monroe, Jr.: Rochester, New York (15-1-0, 6 KOs)
Vitalii Kopylenko: Kiev, Ukraine (22-0-0, 12 KOs)

TV Schedule:
Date
Time(ET)
Round
Location
Networks
Fri, Feb. 21
9 p.m.
Lightweight Quarterfinal Round
Edgewater Casino,
Laughlin, Nev.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Fri, Feb. 28
9 p.m.

Middleweight Quarterfinal Round

Horseshoe Casino Hammond, Hammond, Ind.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Fri, Mar. 28
9 p.m.
Lightweight Semifinal Round
4 Bears Casino,
New Town, N.D.
ESPN, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Fri, Apr. 18
9 p.m.
Middleweight Semifinal Round
Turning Stone Casino,
Verona N.Y.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Fri, May 23
9 p.m.
Lightweight & Middleweight Final Round
Turning Stone Casino,
Verona N.Y.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

ESPN will televise the Boxcino 2014 tournament, a new boxing tournament presented by Banner Promotions, that will air on ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes™ Noche de Combates presented by Corona Extra. The first of five shows will be held Friday, Feb. 21, at the Edgewater Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, and will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-languageESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. ESPN Deportes will televise the fights on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. The competition will be a single-elimination, two-weight class tournament that will feature eight fighters in both the Lightweight and Middleweight divisions.

“We are looking forward to showcasing this tournament on Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates,” said Brian Kweder, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions. “It will give fans the opportunity to see some of the best up-and-coming fighters in the sport and follow them throughout the Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates season. ESPN did a similar tournament back in 1997, which was won by future four-time world champion Acelino Freitas. We hope to find another diamond in the rough like we did that year.”

“This will be one of the most unique tournaments that boxing has seen in a long time,” said Arthur Pelullo, Banner Promotions CEO. “We are excited at the concept and we believe that new stars will be born. The fans will be able to watch these fighters grow and the fighters know that with a great performance, they have a chance to become a major player in the sport.”

The tournament will include a quarterfinal round, semifinals and finals in each division, which will take place throughout the Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates season. Each quarterfinal round will feature four six-round bouts. The winners will move on to the semifinals, which will be eight-round bouts. The finals of both the Lightweights and Middleweights will each be 10 rounds. At the conclusion of the tournament, the Boxcino 2014 Champion in each weight division will receive a championship belt.

Commentators:
Joe Tessitore will be ringside with Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2 on the opening night of the tournament, while studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. Delvin Rodríguez and Pablo Viruega will call the fights for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on both ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter BernardoOsuna (@osunaespn)will present live interviews and reports for both shows.

Boxcino 2014 Fighters: Matchups will be announced on this week’s edition of Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates(boxer matchups are determined by a random drawing and the tournament bracket will be structured based on this drawing), which will air live Friday, Jan. 31, at 9 p.m. on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN.

Lightweight Division:
Yakubu Amidu: Los Angeles (22-4-1, 18 KOs)
Fernando Carcamo: Ciudad Obregon, Mexico (15-5-0, 12 KOs)
Miguel González: Cleveland (22-3-0, 16 KOs)
Miguel Angel Mendoza: Aguascalientes, Mexico (21-2-2, 21 KOs)
Samuel Neequaye: Accra, Ghana (21-0-0, 15 KOs)
Fedor Papazov: Russia (14-0-0, 9 KOs)
Petr Petrov: Madrid, Spain (32-4-2, 15 KOs)
Chris Rudd: Covington, Tennessee (12-1-0, 8 KOs)

Middleweight Division:
Brandon Adams: San Diego, California (12-0-0, 7 KOs)
Sena Agbeko: Accra, Ghana (15-0-0, 15 KOs)
Donatas Bondorovas: Chicago (18-4-1, 6 KOs)
Daniel Edouard: West Palm Beach, Florida (23-4-2, 12 KOs)
Cerresso Fort: St. Paul, Minnesota (17-2-1, 11 KOs)
Raymond Gatica: Austin, Texas (13-1-0, 7 KOs)
Willie Monroe, Jr.: Rochester, New York (15-1-0, 6 KOs)
Vitalii Kopylenko: Kiev, Ukraine (22-0-0, 12 KOs)

TV Schedule:
Date
Time (ET)
Round
Location
Networks
Fri, Feb. 21
9 p.m.
Lightweight Quarterfinal Round
Edgewater Casino,
Laughlin, Nev.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Feb. 28
9 p.m.
MiddleweightQuarterfinal Round
Harrah’s Horseshoe, Hammond, Ind.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Mar. 28
9 p.m.
Lightweight Semifinal Round
4 Bears Casino,
New Town, N.D.
ESPN, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Apr. 18
9 p.m.
Middleweight Semifinal Round
Turning Stone Casino,
Verona N.Y.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, May 23
9 p.m.
Lightweight & Middleweight Final Round
Turning Stone Casino,
Verona N.Y.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Follow ESPN Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo. Also score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round. For the latest ESPN.com boxing news and analysis follow @ESPNBoxing.