With a wildly successful year officially in the books, Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports is gearing up during the holiday season in anticipation of launching its 2012 schedule.
CES will promote up to 12 world-class championship boxing events next year with shows at venues in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. CES will also be announcing a highly-anticipated deal with a major television network.
“We are incredibly thankful for all the success we had in 2011, and we’re looking forward to bringing you bigger, better events in 2012,” Burchfield said. “Our team never rests; this is the best team in professional boxing and our goal, as it is with every show, is to get better each time and leave you waiting desperately for the next event.
“During this past year, we crowned champions, celebrated long-awaited revivals, set new benchmarks for excellence in championship boxing, and honored the careers of many of boxing’s best, including our five-time world champion and captain for life, Vinny Paz, who capped a glorious year with his well-deserved induction into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame.
“People always ask, ‘What can you do for an encore?’ We’ve already begun that process. That’s what keeps us a step ahead, and that’s what brings our loyal fans back to the arena each time. We’re thankful for our undying fan support, and we promise to provide them with even more memories in 2012.”
CES promoted 12 shows in 2011, including a nationally-televised event in front of 42 million homes on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., on April 1, and two shows broadcasted internationally in Poland on July 19 (TVP Sport and TVP1) and Nov. 5 (Polstat) – both at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. – with the latter show also airing live on Mexican television network Azteca, available both nationally and internationally.
CES also hosted four title bouts in boxing; undefeated Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach (26-0, 14 KOs) of North Bergen, N.J., won the World Boxing Council (WBC) International title with a knockout win over Kevin McBride at Mohegan Sun in July and subsequently defended the belt against Jason Gavern in August while Philadelphia’s “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (21-1, 11 KOs) captured the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight title at Foxwoods in April with a win over Patrick Lopez on ESPN2 and then closed out the network’s “Friday Night Fights” season in his first title defense with a knockout win over former world champion David Diaz in August in Chicago. Providence, R.I., super middleweight Vladine Biosse (11-1-1, 6 KOs) also fought on the nationally-televised portion of the April card and scored a fifth-round knockout win over Tim Connors – his second victory in as many tries on ESPN2.
Veteran middleweight Elvin Ayala (24-5-1) of New Haven, Conn., won four fights in 2011, including a unanimous-decision victory over Derrick Findley in July for the vacant WBC U.S. National Boxing Council (WBC USNBC) title. Wach is now ranked No. 9 in the WBC while Lundy is ranked No. 8 among lightweights; Ayala is currently ranked No. 4 among middleweights in the NABF.
CES also brought professional boxing back to Rhode Island for the first time in a year on Oct. 7 at Twin River, which included the return of local fan favorites Benny “The Boss” Constantino and Richard “Bobo The Bull” Starnino. Former three-time world champion Jose Antonio Rivera (41-6-1, 24 KOs) continued his comeback in July with a unanimous-decision win over Paul Mpendo at Mohegan Sun. CES’ 2011 season also included the signing of hard-hitting middleweight prospect Thomas Falowo (5-0, 4 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., who finished 4-0 this year with three knockouts.
