PHILADELPHIA — “Raging Babe” Michelle Rosado returns to the 2300 Arena, with the second installment of Philly Special, on Friday evening, March 27. This boxing series showcases up-and-coming local talent in competitive matches. The action begins at 7:30 p.m.

The event will build on a successful 2019 for Rosado, which kicked off with her first self-promoted Philadelphia event–Philly Special on Feb. 8–and included her Oct. 4 card, “Blood, Sweat & 50 Years,” celebrating the 50th anniversary in boxing for Hall-of-Fame Promoter J Russell Peltz. Rosado was mentored by Peltz in Philadelphia until she struck out on her own. He will handle matchmaking duties for March 27.

“Philly Special will showcase the type of fights that make Philadelphia a legendary fight town,” said Rosado. “Fighters that would rather be carried out than quit, and fights that are more about left hooks, and less about managers’ checkbooks. Real fans, real fighters, real fights.”

Club shows have been Rosado’s passion since she promoted her first event in 2011.

“Not every fighter is getting signed to a big promotional agreement out of the amateurs,” said Rosado. “Not every fighter is going to have a manager throwing money at his career. These boxers deserve a platform and an opportunity to advance in boxing–fighters that work their day job during the day, and train at night…they all deserve a shot. Robert Hines, Gary Hinton, Jeff Chandler, Charlie “Choo Choo” Brown, Charles Brewer, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Bernard Hopkins, Jason Sosa, Tevin Farmer, and Julian Williams all began their careers fighting on the Philly club show circuit and went on to become world champions. Club shows matter.”

The Philly Special lineup will be announced Wednesday, February 5th. Boxing fans can visit www.ragingbabe.com/phillyspecial to sign up for news and ticket announcements.

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TRENTON, NJ — It was about 18 months ago when Shinard Bunch held his 17-year-old friend, a local camp counselor and youth mentor, Tashaughn “Yungsta” [sic] Robinson in his arms, encouraging him to breathe and stop talking, but Robinson died bleeding from a gunshot wound in Bunch’s front yard. The drive-by shooting, never solved, was one of a handful of killings Bunch has witnessed over the years in Trenton, the murder capital of New Jersey.

Bunch, a 20-year-old professional boxer, has become numb to the violence that plagues his city, where he has lived since he was 13. He now focuses on becoming a world champion, a dream Bunch feels he’s not entitled to have, coming from Trenton.

“I want to be great,” said Bunch, who fights January 11 at the Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. “I can’t say my goal is to become a world champion, or anything really spectacular. Where we come from, we don’t make it that far. You never heard about somebody from Trenton doing something like this.”

Well, except maybe Ike Williams.

A bridge in Trenton is emblazoned with the words “TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES.” This sentiment perfectly describes Williams’ career. One of the greatest fighters of all-time, Williams was managed by the mob and hardly saw a penny for several defenses he made of his World Lightweight Championship in the 1940s. Bunch is determined not to allow the world to take from him as it did from Williams.

Bunch’s mother, Quwannia Bunch, believed her son would be a star even before he was born. Upon his birth in Queens, NY, Bunch was named Shinard Charles Showtime Bunch by his mom.

“She always said she knew I was going to be a star,” said Bunch, whose birth certificate and calls to his mother would prove to new friends that he was being truthful about his name.

Now he goes by “Scraap,” [sic] a nickname given to him by Corey, his stepfather. Bunch’s father, also named Shinard, recently was released from prison, where he’d landed on attempted murder charges in New York. Quwannia married Corey when Bunch was 2 years old.

Corey treated Bunch’s siblings like his own children, and eventually gave Bunch another brother and sister.

“My parents don’t play,” remembered Bunch. Good grades and good behavior were expected from their son.

Bunch began boxing at the New York City PAL when he was only 5 years old. His mother had bought him a Muhammad Ali DVD, and the young boy was hooked. He followed his cousin to the gym and never left.

Bunch’s mother has had a profound impact on his career. She worked extremely hard to keep food on the table, first as a nurse and then as a security guard at a homeless shelter, sometimes going without food so her children could eat. Bunch is reverent of the sacrifices she made so that he could eat, wear nice clothes, and fight. She was ringside for his first loss, 30 fights into his amateur career. Bunch didn’t take the loss well and considered quitting the sport.

“She gave it to me that day,” Bunch said, laughing. “I acted a fool. I wanted to quit. I told her I’m not boxing. She sat me down and said, ‘At the end of the day this is what you chose to do so with that there’s always wins and losses in life, but you always gotta take a loss like you take a win. It’s right back to the drawing board. You mad because you got your ass kicked once? You kicked thirty asses before that–are you serious?’ My family is honestly why I’m at where I’m at. My mom always pushing me. My little brother Corey is my biggest fan.”

In 2016, Bunch was on the USA national team with Errol Spence and Shakur Stevenson. He was ready to make the Olympic team, but had a lot on his mind. He was 17, and his girlfriend recently revealed she was pregnant. His father had come back into his life and Bunch was talking to him regularly. His grandmother had just died and his mother was struggling.

Bunch decided to wait until the 2020 Olympics, but waiting became tiresome and he hit the pro circuit, debuting last April with a first-round knockout. On hand for that fight would be his stepfather Corey, and his mother and father, who had reconciled and moved back to New York.

Bunch stayed in Trenton, where he knew his success could make an impact.

One of Bunch’s major gripes with Trenton is the lack of mentors and father figures in the community. It’s something he says has kept him out of trouble, despite living within a razor’s edge of drug and gun violence.

“Corey is my dad,” said Bunch. “He’s my support system. He taught me everything I know–how to be a man, how to look at stuff, how to approach stuff, literally everything. When he found out I was going to be a father, he was angry but sat me down for a very long talk. He said, ‘Listen, you sat there and did what you did and now you gotta man up to it. This is what you’re gonna do.’ He molded me to be great, and to always remember who I am. The only person that can be myself is me.”

People who know that Corey isn’t Bunch’s biological father say Bunch resembles his stepfather in his mannerisms and character. For Bunch, that’s a compliment.

Bunch is working to be a role model to Trenton’s children: “Trenton is small, only 7 miles from one end of town to another. There are just not enough role models. I try to be a role model for the kids in and out of the gym. I go to schools and speak–anything I can do.”

He blames the rampant drug problems in the 1970s and ’80s for some of the city’s woes, and the lack of leaders in the community. “We’re ’90s kids,” he said. “Our generation is better, but there’s still problems.”

A win on ESPN+ on January 11 would give him new opportunities to talk about with the youth in Trenton. “Every fight is big, but this is just another level,” said Bunch.

“He was 2-0, and then we were offered the Paul Kroll fight last August,” said Bunch’s manager, J Russell Peltz. “Kroll was 4-0. You don’t usually have two undefeated prospects fighting each other that early in their careers.” Bunch lost, but gave Kroll, who is one of the hottest prospects in the country, a tough fight. “His promoter, Nedal Abuhamoud and I realized we have a good prospect on our hands,” continued Peltz. “We wouldn’t have known that if he just knocked out another opponent. After that fight, I got excited.”

Bunch, his girlfriend and 2 children still live with Corey in Trenton. The fighter has no plans to leave Trenton as his career advances, and believes he can do good.

“We need more leaders, and more role models in Trenton,” said Bunch. “We need more Coreys and Yungstas.” After Jan. 11, win or lose, Bunch will return to Trenton. It’s a good thing, because Trenton needs more Shinard Bunches.

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Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Star Boxing, tickets priced at $100, $60, $40 and $25 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com and www.hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — Raging Babe’s Michelle Rosado is set to launch her flagship web series Boxing Moms, chronicling the pain and glory of the mothers of the sports world’s toughest athletes.

The series shines a light on the women behind some of the most influential boxers in America, along with stars in the making as they climb the ladder. Experience the roller coaster that is being the mother of a fighter — the triumph, sacrifice, blood and tears.

Boxing Moms will feature a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of these women as they balance the demands of motherhood and boxing. From smoothing over their kids’ relationship woes, to helping to keep the fighters on track and focused as they prepare for fights, these mothers inspire with their strength and poise, all while holding down jobs and caring for their families and their own relationships. Training camps turn into chaotic fight weeks, which turn into fight nights, where these mothers who have stood next to their sons through it all watch them step into the ring, putting their lives on the line in the name of entertainment and glory.

“Boxing moms juggle being counselors, punching bags, taxi drivers, nutritionists, life coaches, and business managers,” said the show’s Creator and Executive Producer, Michelle Rosado. “We hear a lot about self-care, but with what these women go through, there aren’t enough spa days or meditation hours in the world that can balance the volatility of their everyday lives.”

It’s a passion project for Rosado, who has long wanted to tell the stories of the mothers she’s met as a boxing promoter, and during her signature Raging Babe Brunches – inspired events that bring together the women of boxing.

“These stories need to be told,” said Rosado. Every time I put on an event, it’s the mothers who are making things happen for their sons. It’s the moms who hustle tickets, and act as de facto public relations reps. It’s the moms who are cooking for the fighters, and bear the brunt of their weight cut crankiness. Then they have to watch their baby climb into the ring, knowing that dying is one of the risks, and that it can happen in any fight.”

The series will be produced by award-winning sports agency, Break Media Group. “Boxing Moms will bring back some of my signature emotional storytelling that I’m recognized for,” said Break Media’s co-founder Jay Chaudhry, who will be spearheading the series as producer/director. “It will share stories from the heart, and really show what it’s like being in the shoes of some of the real influential women in boxing: mothers.”

Boxing Moms launches in early 2020, and will be available exclusively on YouTube and IGTV.

PHILADELPHIA PA — Members of the Philadelphia City Council presented a resolution honoring J Russell Peltz at this morning’s council meeting on behalf of President Darrell Clarke. The resolution recognized Peltz’ contribution to the city over 50 years of promoting boxing in Philadelphia. President Clarke serves as the City Councilman for District 5, where Peltz promoted his first boxing event at the Blue Horizon on September 30, 1969.

The resolution gave a brief history of Peltz’ career before thanking him for the profound impact he had on the city over the last 50 years. It also expressed the wish that the next generation of boxing promoters continue to preserve Philadelphia’s legacy as a boxing stronghold.

Peltz was gracious in his remarks, and had the crowd laughing when he began speaking about his career.

“I’m humbled to be honored by the city,” he began, “because if you think about it, the only thing I’ve done over the last 50 years is start fights that other people finish.

“I’ve grown up in the greatest fight city in the world,” he continued. “Some of the greatest fighters of all time have fought for me – hall of fame fighters – beginning with my first love, Bennie Briscoe in 1969, and going all the way up through one of my fighters winning a world title in Bejing, China a couple years ago by the name of Jason Sosa.”

He closed his remarks with a story about playing “Cowboys & Indians” as a kid, and how he thought it would be so cool if he could just play the game as an adult, instead of going to work every day. “Honestly, that’s what my career has been like,” he said, and thanked the Council for the honor.

Peltz was joined in attendance by his wife, Linda, and his protege and the promoter of Friday’s “Blood, Sweat and 50 Years” fight card at 2300 Arena, Michelle Rosado.

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Tickets for Blood, Sweat & 50 Years are available at 2300arena.com, or by calling 215-765-9022.

Philadelphia, PA- Junior welterweights Victor Padilla, of Berlin, NJ, and Romain Tomas, of Brooklyn, NY, will square off in the main event Friday evening, Oct. 4, at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia.

The eight-bout card, labeled Blood, Sweat & 50 Years, will celebrate the Golden Anniversary of Peltz Boxing Promotions. The card is being promoted by Raging Babe (Michelle Rosado) with J Russell Peltz serving as the matchmaker. First bout 7:30 p.m.

Going old-school on this one, Peltz has scheduled the Padilla-Tomas fight for six rounds, harking back to the first two decades of the 20th century when all main events in Pennsylvania were limited to that distance.

The 20-year-old Padilla, originally from Vieques, Puerto Rico, is a southpaw with speed and power. He has won all five of his fights by first-round knockout. In fact, he has only been in the ring for a total of six minutes, 29 seconds, in those five contests. Although none of his five opponents had a winning record when he fought them-their combined mark was 17-29-1 at the time-Padilla still is considered one of the best young pros on the East Coast. He is promoted by Lou DiBella’s DiBella Entertainment.

The 30-year-old Tomas is originally from Emerainville in the Seine-et-Marne region of France, outside Paris. He brings an 8-2 record into the fight with Padilla. Tomas is coming off his biggest career win, a six-round decision over previously unbeaten (7-0) Omar Bordoy in Bordoy’s nearby backyard of Hampton, NH.

“Some of the greatest fighters of all-time appeared in hundreds of six-round main events during those 20 years at the turn of the last century,” said promoter J Russell Peltz. “In my 50 years in boxing, this marks the first time I have been involved with a six-round main event. When you’ve never done something before, often that is the best reason for doing it.

“Hall-of-Fame champions like Jack Johnson and Benny Leonard boxed six-round main events in Philadelphia during those years,” said Peltz. “How about Stanley Ketchell vs. Sam Langford or Joe Gans taking on Jack Blackburn? I would have loved to have seen those battles. Lew Tendler, Abe Attell, Terrible Terry McGovern, Rocky Kansas, Philadelphia Jack O’Brien. Philadelphia was the boxing capital of the country and six-round main events was the norm.

“I’m an old-school kind of guy so this is going to be fun for me. This represents the past and Padilla vs. Tomas will give us a peek into the future.”

The undercard is topped by three additional six-round rematches.

Junior middleweights Roque Zapata, of Culpeper, VA, and Isaiah Wise, of North Philadelphia, meet in a rematch of their 2016 at the 2300 Arena, won by Zapata via majority four-round decision, the first loss of Wise’ career.

Zapata (6-2-4) also defeated Fred Jenkins, Jr., early in 2017 over six rounds in the same ring. Wise (7-2-1, 4 K0s) last boxed 10 months ago when he knocked out Andy Gonzales, of Worcester, MA, at the 2300 Arena.

Junior welterweights Gerardo Martinez, of Coatesville, PA, and Osnel Charles, of Atlantic City, collide in the other six-round rematch.

Martinez (4-1, 1 K0) earned a four-round majority decision over Charles (13-19-1, 2 K0s) at the 2300 Arena. While Martinez has been idle since, Charles picked up a four-round points victory in June over Laquan Lewis, of Brooklyn, NY, at the Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA.

North Philadelphia welterweight Marcel Rivers (7-1, 4 K0s) will fight in a six round contest.

Four-rounders scheduled for Oct. 4 include: Shinard Bunch, of Trenton, NJ, vs. Rakym Dyer, of South Philadelphia, welterweights; Christopher Burgos, North Philadelphia, vs. Tyree Arnold, North Philadelphia, junior welterweights; Vinnie Denierio, Elmira, NY, vs. Seifullah Wise, North Philadelphia, lightweights.

Lightweight Shamar Fulton, of North Philadelphia, also will appear in a four-round contest.

Tickets to “Peltz Boxing 50th Anniversary Celebration” are priced $50, $70 and $90. They can be purchased online at www.2300arena.com or by calling 215-758-2173 and/or 215-765-0922. Doors open at 6:30 pm and first bout is at 7:30 pm. Credential applications are due by Sept 20 and can be requested at ragingbabe.com/credentials. Blood, Sweat & 50 Years is brought to you by Rocco’s Collision and Cricket Wireless.

PHILADELPHIA, PA–J Russell Peltz was 22 years old when he promoted his first boxing card 50 years ago at the legendary Blue Horizon. On Oct. 4, Peltz will celebrate half a century as a boxing promoter with a card at the 2300 Arena that will reflect his reputation for promoting Philly vs. Philly, no-quarters-given bouts.

The eight-fight card, promoted by Raging Babe, will feature junior welterweight Victor Padilla, of Berlin, NJ, by way of Vieques, Puerto Rico, in the main event. Padilla, who is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, is undefeated in five fights, all by way of knockout, and is considered by Peltz and others to be a future world champion. Peltz will serve as matchmaker for the event.

It has been nearly 20 years since Peltz received the Long and Meritorious Service award from the Boxing Writers Association of America and Philadelphia Sportswriters Association, followed in 2004 by his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. While others might have considered retirement, Peltz has gone on to promote more than 150 additional events, bringing his total number of promoted shows to nearly 1,000. He has promoted or co-promoted more than 40 world championship fights.

After starting his career as sports editor of the Temple News–the daily student newspaper at Temple University–and then on the sports copy desk at the Evening and Sunday Bulletin, Peltz traded in his typewriter for the roller coaster that is professional boxing. He was dubbed “The Boy Wonder,” when he sold out the 1,346-seat Blue Horizon in his first event on Sept. 30, 1969, a night that featured a middleweight main event between Bennie Briscoe, of Philadelphia, and Tito Marshall, of Panama. The standing-room-only crowd was 1,606.

In more recent years, he’s taken Michelle Rosado (aka Raging Babe) under his wing, mentoring her and showing her the ins and outs of the boxing business with his unique brand of tough love.

“I can think of no one better to promote my 50th Anniversary Celebration,” said Peltz. “I have been able to sit in the passenger seat the last couple years while Michelle drove and I’m excited to share this special event with her.

“It seems like yesterday I was sitting outside the Blue Horizon in North Philly, selling tickets out of my car for my first card after the box office closed for the day. From there to the old Arena in West Philly, then to The Spectrum in South Philly, it’s been quite a ride. Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Europe, South America, the Orient–I cannot believe it’s been half a century.”

Rosado: “It’s an honor to put on this card with and for Russell’s 50th. He has been an incredible mentor and friend, and I think I have looked forward to this celebration of his legacy even more than he has.”

Tickets to “Peltz Boxing 50th Anniversary Celebration” are priced $50, $70 and $90. They can be purchased online at www.2300arena.com or by calling 215-758-2173 and/or 215-765-0922. Doors open at 6:30 pm and first bout is at 7:30 pm.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A rare six-round contest between a pair of unbeaten welterweight prospects–Marcel Rivers, of North Philadelphia, and Derrick Whitley, Jr., of Springfield, MA–highlights the preliminary card of Raging Babe’s ‘Philly Special’ on Friday evening, Feb. 8, at the 2300 Arena.

Headlining the eight-fight program is an eight-round bantamweight match-up between undefeated Christian Carto, of South Philadelphia, and Victor Ruiz, of San Diego, CA. First bout is at 7.30 p.m.

Rivers, 31, has won all six of his pro fights, four by knockout. A single father, he balances boxing with a full-time, physically taxing job at Philadelphia Gas Works. Rivers, the sole caregiver for his 6-year-old son, Cameron, recently added another “why” to his quest to become a world champion. His new baby daughter, 4-month-old Jennah, provides him with new inspiration.

“I definitely have an incentive to work even harder now,” said Rivers. “It’s an honor to be on this card, with all the talent. A lot of these guys have backing, but I have come out of nowhere and found my way, so I appreciate the opportunity to fight on this card.”

Whitley, Jr, 27, a southpaw, is unbeaten in five pro fights with one draw. He comes from a fighting family–his dad and uncle were veteran pros.

Derrick Whitley, Sr., had 52 pro fights from 1995 to 2007. Uncle Darren–twin brother of Whitley, Sr.–had 44 pro fights from 1995 to 2003. Both fought as super middleweights and light-heavyweights.

The younger Whitley trains at the family gym. He works with adults who have had brain injuries, a career he has pursued for many years. He also plays semi-pro football.

“Rivers vs. Whitley was not the easiest fight to make,” said matchmaker J Russell Peltz, “given the culture of boxing today where few fighters want to risk their spotless records at such an early stage. These two guys are different and I applaud them for it.”

In a six-round heavyweight bout on the Feb. 8 card, North Philadelphia’s Darmani Rock (13-0, 8 KOs) will look to secure his 14th win. Rock was a highly touted amateur with multiple national and international titles. He signed with Jay Z’s Roc Nation in 2016 before turning pro. Rock is trained by his father, Wayne, AKA Whiz.

The Feb. card also includes the highly anticipated professional debuts of two of Pennsylvania’s most promising amateurs in four-round fights. Heavyweight Sonny Conto, of South Philly, and bantamweight Jeremy Adorno, of Allentown, PA, announced last week that they had signed with Top Rank Boxing.

Conto, 22, was a standout baseball player at Rowan College at Gloucester County before turning his attention to boxing. He takes on Jimmy Levins, of Buffalo, NY. Jeremy Adorno, younger brother of fellow Top Rank signee Joseph Adorno, was born in Puerto Rico. He boasts an amateur record of 106-17 with multiple Silver Gloves National titles and two Ringside World titles under his belt.

Coatesville, PA, junior welterweight Gerardo Martinez (3-1, 1 KO) faces Haitian-born Osnel Charles (12-18-1, 2 KOs), of Atlantic City NJ, who has appeared at the 2300 Arena in four of his last seven fights. This also is scheduled for four rounds.

Rounding out the card: New Hope, PA, bantamweight Alejandro Jimenez (4-0, 1 KO) vs. Edgar Cortes (6-4), of Vineland, NJ, in a six-round, bantamweight contest; Puerto Rican-born Jonathan Torres (1-0), of Bethlehem, PA, vs. Atlantic City bantamweight Dallas Holden (1-3) over four rounds.

“You have Gerardo Martinez with a 3-1 record going up against a 31-fight veteran in Osnel Charles,” said Peltz. “Or Alejandro Jimenez, at 4-0, fighting a capable 10-fight lefty in Edgar Cortes. There are times when four- and six-round fights are more appetizing than some of the so-called big fights you see on television.”

Tickets to “Philly Special” are priced $50, $75 and $125. They can be purchased online at www.2300arena.com or by calling 215-765-0922. Doors open at 6:30 pm and first bout is at 7:30 pm.

Photo By Darryl Cobb Jr.