Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports has added former amateur standout Toka Kahn-Clary of Providence, R.I., to its latest installment of the 2012 Thursday Night Fight Series at Twin River Casino, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012.
The 20-year-old Kahn, who is trained by Peter Manfredo Sr., will fight a four-round junior lightweight bout on the undercard of CES’ “Closing Statement” as he aims to keep his perfect record intact in just his third professional bout.
Born in Liberia, Kahn moved to Philadelphia at the age of six before eventually relocating to Providence. As an amateur, he won the 2010 National Golden Gloves Championship and brought home silver and bronze medals in the 2011 and 2012 U.S. Championships, respectively. Kahn made his professional debut in June with a second-round knockout win over Jonathan Caban in Providence and recently stopped Jamil Winfield in the opening round of their scheduled four-round bout Aug. 18 in Atlantic City.
“Adding Toka Kahn to this already-stacked lineup on October 18 is an honor and a privilege,” Burchfield said. “I’ve watched him grow up as an amateur and become not only a successful fighter, but a remarkable young man as well. This is a a must-see event with an all-star lineup, and it’s only fitting that one of Rhode Island’s brightest young stars will be on the card.”
The eight-round main event features a bit of regional flair with two of the newest additions to CES’ roster as Joseph “Chip” Perez (9-1, 3 KOs) of East Hartford, Conn., battles Hartford’s Chazz “Magnificent” McDowell (6-2, 1 KO) for the vacant New England Junior Lightweight title. The McDowell-Perez showdown is one of 10 fights on the card, which also includes two long-awaited rematches
“Closing Statement” also features two, four-round rematches, the first between Providence, R.I., super middleweight Alex Amparo (4-0, 2 KOs) and Nick Lavin (2-3, 2 KOs) of Shelton, Conn., who will face another again almost one year to the date of their first showdown in October of 2011, a fight Amparo won by majority decision, 39-37, 38-37, 38-38, at Twin River.
Also, Providence female bantamweight Shelito Vincent (4-0) will face Ivana Coleman (0-1) of Slidell, La., for the second time in four months. Vincent won the first bout convincingly, sweeping all four rounds on each of the scorecards in July to earn a unanimous-decision win.
Sparks will fly in the heavyweight division when hard-hitting Alex Santos (6-0, 5 KOs) of Lawrence, Mass., puts his undefeated record on the line against Providence’s Josh Harris (8-6-1, 6 KOs). The show also features two additional regional battles as former The Contender reality television star Rich Gingras (11-3, 7 KOs) of Attleboro, Mass., returns to face Providence’s Richard “Bobo The Bull” Starnino (9-9-2, 2 KOs) in a six-round light heavyweight bout and newcomers Jon Smith of Cranston, R.I., a former three-time New England Golden Gloves champion, and Dinis Paiva Jr. of East Providence, R.I., who has five professional mixed martial arts fights under his belt, square off in a four-round welterweight bout.
“The Vermont Bully” Kevin Cobbs (5-0, 1 KO) of Burlington, Vt., will look to keep his perfect record intact when he faces tough veteran Alexander Mancera (8-4-1, 5 KOs) of Queens, N.Y., in a four-round light heavyweight bout and middleweight Thomas Falowo (7-1, 5 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., will battle Ontario, Canada veteran Michael Walchuk (9-6, 2 KOs) in a six-round bout. Woonsocket, R.I., middleweight Joey Gardner (8-5-1, 1 KO) will face Philip Burnette (2-5, 1 KO) of Myrtle Beach, S.C., in a six-round bout.
Tickets for “Closing Statement ” are $40.00, $75.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.
