Battle of Unbeatens in Co-Feature, Hylon Williams vs. Rances Barthelemy
Claiming he is not “mentally ready” to fight, Cuban light heavyweight Yordanis Despaigne has withdrawn from his scheduled rematch against charismatic light heavyweight slugger Edison “Pantera” Miranda (35-6, 30 KOs), scheduled for Friday, February 3, in the Dallas Events Center at the Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas.
Instead, Miranda will now face South Africa’s WBC #6, WBA #13, and WBO #14-rated Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (18-1-1, 9 KOs) in the 10-round main event of an ESPN Friday Night Fights-televised night of boxing, presented by Warriors Boxing and Sampson Boxing, entitled “Super Brawls”.
A controversial call brought a premature end to Despaigne and Miranda’s exciting back-and-forth fight last July 29 (also shown live on Friday Night Fights) when Referee Vic Drakulich disqualified Miranda at :45 of the fifth round due to low blows and what many said was some quality acting by Despaigne. “I have said all along he is an actress pretending to be a fighter,” said a disgusted Miranda of Despaigne’s falling out. “He knew he was going to get knocked out the first time we fought, so he flopped around on the canvas pretending to be hurt. His fear this time around just proves that.”
While the rematch promised to be an entertaining scrap, the addition of world-rated Chilemba to the card actually steps up the event’s significance on the world stage.
Tall and rangy with fast hands, 24-year-old Chilemba has held the IBO and African Boxing Union Super Middleweight and the WBC International, African Boxing Union and WBO Africa Light Heavyweight Titles. He made his Friday Night Fights debut last February at the Million Dollar Elm Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he dealt then undefeated Russian Maxim Vlasov his first loss via unanimous 10-round decision.
Miranda was last seen scoring a spectacular knockout over then highly rated Kariz Kariuki in December.
“With Despaigne pulling out we lost what could have been a good fight, but Chilemba is actually a much tougher opponent for Edison,” said promoter Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing. “Miranda was able to hit Despaigne fairly often, that’s not a guarantee with Chilemba. He’s very tricky and has a long reach. It’s going to be an intriguing fight.”
In the night’s fantastic eight-round co-main event, 21-year-old lightweight Hylon Williams Jr. (15-0, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas will face off against 25-year-old Cuban power-punching sensation Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (14-0, 11 KOs) in a rare battle of up-and-coming undefeated prospects.
Expect fireworks, as both fighters were highly decorated amateurs and both have been pegged for future big deeds. Williams is highly skilled with blazing fast hands, while Barthelemy is building a reputation for his punching power.
And, amazingly, the televised middle bout will feature yet another “someone’s 0 must go” battle of unbeaten prospects, as fast-rising heavyweight sensation Magomed Abdusalamov (12-0, 12 KOs) Moscow, Russia, will face Cuba’s Pedro Rodriguez (8-0, 6 KOs). Rodriguez will be looking to spring a minor upset of sorts, as the highly touted Abdusalamov is a former 2005 and 2006 Russian amateur champion at super heavyweight.
More exciting undercard bouts will be announced shortly.
Tickets for “Super Brawls” are priced at $25 and $50 and are available at the Texas Station rewards center or at Stationcasinos.com/concerts. A few VIP seats are available at a price of $100. Please call (954) 985-1155.
