Philadelphia, PA – Welterweight contender, Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (21-1, 9 KOs) of Millville, New Jersey held a media workout on Monday at the Joe Hand Boxing Gym in advance of his USBA Welterweight title bout against Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (29-0-1, 16 KO’s) of Washington, D.C that will take place on Thursday night at the 2300 Arena and broadcast LIVE on CBS Sports Network

Thomas LaManna Quotes:
“I feel great. I am excited and I am anxious.”

“I can not let let Dusty get in a groove. That’s what I remember from sparring is that if you give him a groove, he is a little bit hard to handle, other that that you can’t give him confidence.”

“I have ten rounds to work. I always say that the last two rounds are mental . I am in great shape to go ten rounds”

“Me and Dusty both have big fan bases and I will be able to block out the crowd”

“I don’t get nervous. Especially this fight because I have been in the ring with him before. There is nothing that he can do in my eyes that I would be worried about.”

“The gameplan is to just to win. Make the proper adjustments when I need to.”

“I am more confident after this camp then I have ever been.”

“This fight means everything to me. It’s now or never as it will change my career and it will show where I am in boxing.”

Philadelphia, PA – Former NFL defensive end Ray Edwards will box Dan Pasciolla in a six-round contest between southpaw heavyweights on Thursday, Sept.15, at the 2300 Arena.

In the main event, Thomas LaManna, of Millville, NJ, and Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, of Washington, DC, meet in a scheduled 10-round bout for the vacant USBA Welterweight title. The card is promoted by Final Forum Boxing, Peltz Boxing Promotions & GH3 Promotions and will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network. First of four televised fights begins at 10pm (EST).

Edwards, 31, of Cincinnati, OH, is 11-0-1, 7 K0s. The seven-year defensive end from the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons began boxing in 2011 during the NFL owners’ lockout and devoted his full-time to it in 2013. He has been learning his craft and is ready to step up in competition. Edwards knocked out Steven Tyner, of New York, in two rounds his last fight Aug. 26 in Minneapolis, MN.

Pasciolla, 31, of Brick, NJ, is 8-1-1 after three years as a pro. He has beaten solid East Coast competition in Bill Marks, John Lennox, Donnie Palmer and former world cruiserweight champion Imamu Mayfield. In his last bout July 22 in Atlantic City, Pasciolla avenged his only defeat with a six-round unanimous over Dante Selby, of Philadelphia.

In another six-round bout, undefeated welterweight Kenneth Sims Jr. faces grizzled veteran Gilbert Venegas.

Sims Jr., 22, of Chicago, IL, is 7-0, 2 K0s, in two years as a pro. He is coming off a six-round decision over Tavorus Teague, of Bakersfield, CA, on March 11 in Tustin, CA.

Venegas, 39, of East Moline, IL, is 14-24-5, 8 K0s, against some of the best at 147 and 154 pounds. Venegas turned pro in 1999 and has wins over Ed Paredes, Rogelio De La Torre and Lance Williams and he is coming off a six-round draw with undefeated Daniel Denny on Aug. 19 in Wittenberg, WI. Venegas also has boxed Nate Campbell, Jermall Charlo, Mike Jones, Jaime Herrera and Sammy Vasquez and he also boxed a draw with Jesus Soto-Karass.

2016 United States Olympic alternate LeRoy Davila (2-0, 1 KO), of New Brunswick, NJ, will rematch with Edgar Cortes (3-3) of Vineland, NJ, in a bantamweight bout scheduled for six rounds. Davila defeated Cortes by four-round decision on July 22 in Mashantucket, CT. Cortes later earned a four-round decision over Alex Barbosa on Aug. 26 in the loser’s Philadelphia backyard.

Opening up the television broadcast will be 17-year-old Devin Haney (9-0, 5 K0s), of Las Vegas, NV, will have his 10th contest in eight months when fights Mike Fowler (5-2, 2 K0s), of Milwaukee, WI.

In a four-round welterweight bout, Jaron “Boots” Ennis (5-0, 5 K0s), of Philadelphia, battles Eddie Diaz (2-4-2), of Torrance, CA.

In six-round bouts:

Anthony Young (13-2, 5 K0s) of Atlantic City, NJ, takes on Malik Jackson (3-9-4, 2 KO’s) of Newark, New Jersey.

In a four-round bout, it will be a battle of New Jersey-based super middleweights as Darryl Bunting (2-0-2, 1 K0), of Asbury Park, meets Darryl Gause (1-0), of Vineland.

Tickets for the nine-fight card, which begins at 7 pm, are priced at $75, $50 and $40 They are available at Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922), at the 2300 Arena (267-273-0945) and Bam Boxing (215-280-6709).

Thomas LaManna will hold a media workout on Monday, September 12th at the Joe Hand Gym in Philadelphia at noon

Philadelphia, PA – Welterweight prospect Thomas ” Cornflake” LaManna took time out from training to discuss his much-anticipated Sept. 15 showdown with Dusty Hernandez-Harrison at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and live on CBS Sports Network

What are your thoughts on Dusty Hernandez-Harrison?

I think he is better than what people are given him credit for. He is 29-0-1 for a reason. He has defeated everyone that they have put in front of him
(except the one draw).

How important is this fight for your career?

This is a career-defining fight. The winner gets a world ranking. It is for the USBA title and a spot in the Top 15 (in the world). This is a big opportunity for both of us. I am zoned in and I will do what I have to do to get the win. It is a huge opportunity. I have a loss and I don’t like that feeling.

You just mentioned that you have a loss. What did you learn from that defeat that will help prepare you for this upcoming fight with Dusty?

The Douglas loss has prepared me for this. Being a headline fighter on television. We will be seen by more people being on CBS Sports Network. I am five fights more mature since my loss. I have been fighting solid competition and I have been more active.

What in those five fights has helped you prepare for this fight?

None of those guys are comparable to Dusty, but I fought guys with different styles and went some rounds with them when people may have questioned my stamina. I fought a rugged guy in Ayi Bruce and a crafty southpaw in Ariel Vasquez. Those guys aren’t killers, but I was getting work in.

What things have you fixed since the loss to Douglas? Did you feel you were overmatched in the fight?

It opened my eyes and it showed me that I needed to fix stuff. My diet and daily living. I was overmatched in maybe size, but I really felt going into that fight that I would beat him.

What are you doing different?

My diet and other things I do when I am not training. I was a middleweight because I was too lazy to drop down in weight. I have made a lot of adjustments.

You started out at middleweight, but you have eased your way down to welterweight. How difficult has that been and what type of advantage does this play into the September 15 fight?

I was always a big middleweight, but strength-wise I wasn’t. Now at welterweight, I am more explosive, faster, more experienced and now I can dictate the action. This is the first time he (Harrison) is fighting someone bigger than him. He has been fighting smaller guys. He now will have to face punches from a grown man.

The fight was originally scheduled for Atlantic City, where you would have been involved in the promotional aspects of the show. That would have entailed doing a lot of work behind the scenes, which would have taken some time away from training. Are you relieved that the fight is in Philadelphia?

I am thankful for that. I know I would have had to get involved in the promotional aspect and some of the stuff leading up to the fight. To me it doesn’t matter where the fight is. Philadelphia is a neutral ground. As long as there is a ring, it doesn’t matter where it takes place

Why this fight right now?

It’s time. He has fought one tough guy and if you saw the fight, he lost it (officially a draw with Mike Dallas). I have no doubt in my mind that I will win the fight and maybe even stop him. But it is a great opportunity to get showcased on national television for the USBA title.

# # #

ABOUT SEPT. 15

Welterweights Thomas LaManna and Dusty Hernandez-Harrison will collide in a scheduled 10-round bout for the vacant USBA Welterweight title on Thursday, Sept. 15, at the 2300 Arena. The card is promoted by Final Forum Boxing, Peltz Boxing Promotions & GH3 Promotions and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network, beginning at 10pm.

Tickets for the nine-fight card, which begins at 7pm, are priced at $75, $50 and $40 They are available at Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922), at the 2300 Arena (267-273-0945) and Bam Boxing (215-280-6709).

Philadelphia, PA – Welterweights Thomas LaManna and Dusty Hernandez-Harrison will square off in a scheduled 10-round bout for the vacant USBA Welterweight title on Thursday, Sept. 15, in a highly anticipated showdown at the 2300 Arena. The card is promoted by Final Forum Boxing, Peltz Boxing Promotions & GH3 Promotions and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.

“This is the kind of fight boxing needs at this juncture,” said Hall-of-Fame promoter and matchmaker J Russell Peltz. “We have two young prospects at the same level meeting in a logical location–New Jersey against Washington, D.C. in Philadelphia. Boxing needs more fights like this in this kind of setting. This is the best fight for each of these fighters at this point of their careers.”

The wick for this explosive fight was lit several years ago when LaManna and Hernandez-Harrison engaged in heated sparring sessions which forged the rivalry for the inevitable bout.

LaManna, 24, of Millville, NJ, has a record of 21-1, 9 K0s. He has been fighting regularly on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, since turning pro in 2011. He won his first 16 bouts, highlighted by wins over Ashandi Gibbs, of Tampa, FL, and Jamaal Davis, of Philadelphia. Since suffering his only loss to world-ranked middleweight Antoine Douglas, of Burke, VA, last year in a ShoBox-televised contest, LaManna moved back down to welterweight and has won five matches in a row. In his last fight July 22 at the Claridge in Atlantic City, Lamanna, knocked out Engleberto Valenzuela, of Mexico, in the first round.

“I’ve been looking forward to this fight for a long time,” said LaManna. “Our careers have run parallel. Dusty will bring plenty of fans to support him that night and the same goes for me. It’s an intriguing match for both of us and it’s in a natural setting where it belongs.”

Hernandez-Harrison, 22, of Washington, DC, is 29-0-1, 21K0s. He has been touted as the city’s “best boxing prospect since Sugar Ray Leonard” by the Washington Magazine.

He began fighting at the age of 6 in a boxing exhibition at the Ritz Nightclub in Northwest D.C. and became a sanctioned amateur at the age of 8.

Hernandez-Harrison compiled an amateur record of 167-30, winning Ringside World Championships, National Silver Gloves Championships and three consecutive National Golden Gloves Championships from 2007 to 2009. He turned pro in 2011 at the age of 17 in Mississippi, the youngest licensed pro boxer at the time.

Under the promotional banner of Roc Nation, Hernandez-Harrison has wins over Tim Witherspoon, Jr., of Philadelphia, Tommy Rainone, of New York, and Michael Clark, of Columbus, OH. His fights have been televised by ESPN, Fox Sports 1 and BET and he recently entered into agreements with FILA and GEICO to be a brand ambassador, the only professional boxer to represent each prestigious company.

“This is a big opportunity for both of us,” said Hernandez-Harrison “The winner will get a Top 15 world ranking by the IBF and that’s what this is about. I have known Thomas for a long time, but that all goes out the window when we step into the ring.

Final Forum Promtions of New York presents this event exclusively LIVE on CBS Sports Network. Salvatore Musumeci of Final Forum Promotions said, “I am extremely proud to produce this exciting world-class as the first of our 2016 series of Championship Title Boxing. I hope this event will set the tone and excitement level for the rest of our 2016 Championship Title Boxing series exclusively on CBS Sports Network. I especially want to thank our co-promotions team, all our sponsors, our executive production team and of course CBS who have worked all in unison to make this event and the championship Title Boxing series something of the fans of the sport will come to appreciate and expect the best in world-class sports entertainment.”

Three GH3 Promotions fighters will appear on the televised undercard.

Scheduled to appear in the co-feature will be super middleweight Jerry Odom (14-2-1, 13 KO’s) of Baltimore, Maryland in a bout scheduled for eight-rounds; welterweight Kenneth Sims Jr. (7-0, 2 KO’s) of Chicago in an six-round bout; bantamweight Leroy Davila (2-0, 1 KO) of New Brunswick, New Jersey in a four-round fight,

More bouts will be announced shortly.

Tickets for the eight-fight card, which begins at 7.00 pm, are priced at $75, $50 and $40 They are available at Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922), at the 2300 Arena (267-273-0945) and Bam Boxing (215-280-6709).