Ronson Frank’s Uprising Promotions returns to the Five Star Banquet Hall this Saturday night, as Samuel “Main Event” Clarkson (17-3, 11 KOs) meets Hungarian veteran Istvan Zeller (30-10, 9 KOs) in the main event.
“We are very excited about this lineup, especially with us being able to put together this championship opportunity for the leading man on our roster, Samuel Clarkson,” said Ronson Frank, President of Uprising Promotions. “Samuel did a lot of great things last year, and now we are looking to step things up in 2016, get him some hardware and put him into a position to fight for a world title. He has really found his stride since settling in as a light heavyweight, and he belongs in the conversation with all of the guys at the top of the division.”
A Texas native, Clarkson won five fights in 2015 to extend his current winning streak to seven bouts. Among those victories included a decision over former world title challenger Cedric Agnew and knockouts of highly touted prospects Jerry Odom and Lavarn Harvell on ShoBox: The New Generation. The 25-year-old has been continually improving and showing significant growth since signing with Uprising Promotions last year, and Saturday marks the first time that he has officially fought on a card hosted by the promotion.
Ultra-popular New Yorker Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon (5-0, 4 KOs) will also be featured on the Saturday night docket, her second consecutive bout on the Uprising Promotions platform, when she meets Louisiana tough Latashia Burton. In her last outing, the Long Island native won in dominant fashion against gritty Hungarian veteran Szilvia Szabados to claim the WBC Women’s Silver Middleweight Championship. The hard-hitting and crafty Napoleon always brings a great crowd to each and every one of her bouts, and Saturday night will be no different.
“Alicia Napoleon always puts on great fights, and she brings a madhouse crowd every time she steps into the ring,” Frank continued. “She is matched tough on Saturday night, but we expect another great performance from her.”
Supporting those two feature bouts will be an incredible undercard that will showcase some promising young prospects.
Undefeated welterweight Peter Dobson (6-0, 5 KOs) will be among those returning to action when he fights battle-tested Malik Jackson, a 14-bout veteran who is facing his 11th unbeaten opponent as a professional. Dobson enters this contest on a five-fight knockout streak, stopping every adversary since a unanimous decision in his pro debut.
Two additional bouts scheduled to occur on the program include a super welterweight pairing between Matthew Armstrong (1-0) and Malik Joe (0-1), as well as a women’s flyweight scrap between two-time New York Golden Gloves champion Natalie Gonzalez (1-0) and pro debuting Rachel Sazoff.
Additional combatants on the show include Brooklyn lightweight Jude Franklin (1-0, 1 KO), Queens middleweight Villi Bello (3-1-1, 1 KO), hard-hitting Brooklyn heavyweight Romarick Ngoula (4-0, 4 KOs) and New York featherweight Jose Gonzalez (1-0). Franklin will face Texas native Rex Jackson, Bello squares off against Texan Mike Lemelle (3-1-1), Ngoula meets Glenn Thomas of Philadelphia, while Gonzalez looks to continue his winning ways against Puerto Rican pugilist Jaxell Marrero.
“On the undercard, fans will get a chance to look at a very good up-and-coming prospect in Peter Dobson. He is another guy who we are looking to help groom and put into a position for a TV fight in the near future,” Frank stated. “We are truly loaded with an entertaining show from top to bottom on Saturday night. It will be another great night of boxing overall, and I am very proud of the product that we were able to put together.
Originally slated for action on Saturday night was 2012 USA and PAL national champion Patrick Day (11-2-1, 6 KOs), who won the New York Golden Gloves at 152 pounds in 2012. The former USA Olympic alternate was undefeated in his first 10 professional bouts as a welterweight before falling to unbeaten Alantez Fox on ShoBox: The New Generation in 2015. Look for Day to take part on an upcoming show by Uprising Promotions.
The first bell on Saturday night is scheduled for 7:00 PM sharp, with doors opening at 6:30 PM. The Five Star Banquet Hall is located at 13-05 43rd Avenue in Long Island City, and its intimate setting ensures that there is not a bad seat in the house. Tickets are priced at $60 for general admission and $100 for ringside seating, and there is also a table option with dinner. For pricing on those tables, call (516) 451-6773.
