From seasoned, 31-year-old veterans with more than 30 pro fights under their belt to 9-year-old novices looking to shine in their first real test on the sport’s biggest stage, Saturday’s pro-am boxing event at Foxwoods Resort Casino features an eclectic mix of the region’s top talent.
CES Boxing makes its long-awaited return to the iconic Fox Theater Saturday, June 2nd, 2018 with a 14-fight pro-am card, featuring seven amateur bouts beginning at 6 p.m. ET followed by a seven-fight main card beginning at 7:30.
Headlining the event is New Haven, Conn., junior middleweight Edwin Soto (12-2-2, 5 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., who returns to Foxwoods for the first time in four years to face 31-year-old Brooklyn vet Salim Larbi (20-9-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-round showdown.
Welterweight Jimmy Williams(14-1-1, 5 KOs), also of New Haven, faces Utah’s Christian Aguirre(7-1, 3 KOs) in a six-round junior middleweight bout. Williams’ original opponent, Jose Antonio Abreu, was not licensed to compete, so the 22-year-old Aguirre steps in on four days’ notice in what will be the toughest test of his young career.
Tickets for the June 2ndevent, titled “The Future Is Now,” are priced at $37, $47, $77 and $157 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesboxing.com, www.foxwoods.com, or www.ticketmaster.com; by phone at 401-724-2253 or 800-200-2882 or at the Fox Theater Box Office.
Saturday also marks the official launch of Jimmy Burchfield’s USA Amateur Boxing Tournament with seven exciting bouts, headlined by a bantamweight showcase between Felix Parrillaof New Haven and Providence, R.I., native Christian Figueroa.
In addition to the return of Soto and Williams, hard-hitting Sicilian heavyweight Juiseppe Cusumano(15-1, 13 KOs) put his 13-fight win streak on the line in a six-round bout against Michigan’s Robert Simms(6-2, 3 KOs) and unbeaten Worcester, Mass., middleweight Kendrick Ball Jr.(9-0-2, 6 KOs) faces undefeated 23-year-old prospect Alexis Gaytan(3-0, 2 KOs) of Weslaco, Tex., in a six-round showcase.
Also on the main card, female bantamweight Marcia Agripino (1-1-1), born in raised in nearby Ledyard, ends a five-year drought at Foxwoods when she faces California’s Kailyn Hansen (0-1) in a four-round bout; New Haven super middleweight Elvis Figueroa(4-0, 2 KOs) faces Leandro Da Silva (1-1, 1 KO) of Sao Paolo, Brazil in a four-round bout; Carlos Marrero III(0-2) of Bridgeport, Conn., aims for his first win against Jonathan Rojas (0-1) of Queens in a four-round lightweight bout.
Soto steps back into the ring for the second time in four months after shocking Ray Oliveira Jr.of New Bedford, Mass., in a second-round knockout win in Rhode Island on Feb. 23rd.
Oliveira Jr. entered the bout 8-1 while Soto had only fought once since 2015, but the Aguadilla, Puerto Rico native rocked Oliveira Jr. in the opening round and finished him for good in the second, punctuating the most impressive win of his career to capture the vacant WBU Canadian American Mexican title.
The Foxwoods stage is nothing new to Soto. The 27-year-old earned his third and fifth professional wins at the Fox Theater under the promotional guidance of CES Boxing and raced out to a 9-0-2 record before suffering his first career loss in October of 2013. After beating Shakha Moorein an intrastate showdown in 2015, Soto took two years off to refocus and returned triumphantly in October of 2017 with a win over Anthony Everettin Massachusetts.
Williams is back home after facing Marquis Taylorin Nevada in April. He is 4-0 lifetime at Foxwoods and 12-0 fighting in the state of Connecticut. June 2ndis his first fight at Foxwoods since a controversial no-contest against Issouf Kindain August of 2017.
On the amateur portion of the fight card, 156-pounder Isaiah Mendezof Providence, R.I., faces Todd Chattelle Jr., of Pawtucket, R.I., and B&F Boxing; Noor Rahmanhyof New Bedford, Mass., and All Out Fitness battles Donald Jones Spann; and Tristan Penhaof East Providence, R.I., and 401 Boxing faces Angel Martinezof New Haven and Elephant In The Room Boxing Club in a rematch.
Also, 12-year-old Jeffrey Nunez Perez Jr.of New Bedford and Stay Ready Gym faces Michael Guadreauof Fall River, Mass., in a 105-pound bout; and Kelsey Kaiserof New London, Conn., squares off against Michelle Egan. Nine-year-old Josh Boulangerof Blue Boy Boxing in Thomaston, Conn., opens the preliminary card against 10-year-old challenger Justus Grahamof Elephant In The Room. Chattelle Jr. is the son of former CES MMA champion Todd Chattelle.