Twenty-year-old “Magic Man” Luis Olivares, Jr. (4-0, 3 KOs), promoted by Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson’s SMS Promotions, is on the fast track to potential stardom. His accelerated path already finds him in his fifth professional fight, since his pro debut this past March, on the July 5th ESPN Friday Night Fights card, airing live from the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
Olivares, fighting out of Glendale, Arizona, will be fighting for the fifth time in only 3 ½ months, including his last on June 14, in which he stopped Juan Zuniga in the opening round of their fight in Santa Ynez, California.
“I’ve been blessed, truthfully, to be given opportunities to fight so often and get exposure,” Olivares said. “I’m with the right team at the right time. I was jumping up and down when I signed with 50 Cent. My sister first introduced me to his music. I grew-up listening to him and 50 was the first rapper I liked. I’m a movie fanatic and loved his movie, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. He can do so much more for a fighter than other boxing promoters, in terms of exposure, because of his superstar status, which isn’t limited to just boxing.”
Olivares was a standout amateur (120-15) whose career was highlighted by his bronze-medal placing at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He lost to the eventual 141-pound U.S. Olympian, Jamel Herring.
In his July 5th fight in Hartford, Olivares will take on another unbeaten prospect, super lightweight Jonathan Perez (4-0, 2 KOs), of Puerto Rico. It’s rare for a pair of undefeated prospects to fight each other so early in their careers.
“A lot of people have been asking me why I’m taking a risk fighting a 4-0 opponent,” Olivares explained. “I am fighting a tough guy but I’ll fight anybody. I don’t want to take a step backwards. My coach, Alan Biers, wanted to take the fight, so we sat down with my manager, Tony Gonzalez, and decided to take it. We’re all confident in my ability to win this fight.”
An explosive boxer-puncher who counters when opportunities present themselves, Olivares is a well-spoken, personable young fighter who, thanks to 50 Cent, is on the fast track.
Also fighting on the undercard in four rounds bouts is Cincinnati native Donte Strayhorn (1-1) vs. Hartford super lightweight Oscar Diaz (0-1), New Haven featherweight Nate Green (3-0, 1 KO) vs. Micah Branch (1-6-1), of Cincinnati, New Haven (CT) welterweight Jimmy Williams vs. Saul Almeida (0-1), of Woburn (MA), and pro-debuting super welterweights David Wilson, of New Haven, vs. Woburn’s (MA) Rodrigo Almeida. Unbeaten super welterweight Emmanuel “Pirata” De Jesus (4-0, 4 KOs) has been added to the card in a four-round match against an opponent to be determined.
“50 Cent’s Birthday Bash,” the first solo venture by rapper/promoter 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, is headlined on ESPN Friday Night Fights by a 10-round throw-down between undefeated North American Boxing Organization (NABO) and North American Boxing Association (NABA) light heavyweight champion Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (12-0, 8 KOs) and former world super middleweight title challenger Allan “Ghost Dog” Green (32-4, 22 KOs). Alvarez-Green is being presented in association with Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM).
In the 10-round ESPN Friday Night Fights co-feature, former International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight champion Billy “The Kid” Dib (35-2, 21 KOs), a native of Australia, meets hometown favorite “Machine Gun” Mike Oliver (25-3, 8 KOs), a former International Boxing Organization (IBO) super bantamweight titlist.
