Fresh off a sold-out, standing-room-only crowd in March, Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports is bringing professional boxing back to Twin River Casino Friday, May 17th, 2013 for another dynamic event featuring the region’s most sought-after talent.
“Mr. Providence” Vladine Biosse (14-2-1, 7 KOs) and female bantamweight sensation Shelito Vincent (8-0), also of Providence, will headline “The New Era” in a rare co-main event; Biosse will face Philadelphia veteran Latif Mundy (10-5, 4 KOs) in an 8-round super middleweight bout and Vincent will fight the dangerous Christina Ruiz (6-5-2, 4 KOs) of San Antonio, Tex., in an 8-round bout for the vacant Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) International bantamweight title.
Biosse, a two-time winner on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, is looking to avenge a Jan. 19 loss to Marcus Upshaw against the 5-foot-8 Mundy, who has faced tough competition in recent years against Ossie Duran, Matt Korobov and Patrick Majewski; the three have a combined record of 68-11-2 with 35 knockouts.
Ruiz, a two-time title challenger, will be Vincent’s toughest test as she fights for a title for the first time in her career. Ruiz recently lost a unanimous decision to International Female Boxing Association (IFBA) super bantamweight champion Kaliesha West in California and also challenged Alicia Ashley for the then-vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) title in July of 2011. Her last two wins (February of 2011 and April of 2010) have come by knockout. Vincent is coming off a March 1 win over Mikayla Nebel and is already 2-0 in 2013.
The undercard features the highly-anticipated rematch between Rhode Islanders Joe Gardner (11-5-1, 1 KO) of Woonsocket and Providence’s Alex Amparo (5-1, 3 KOs) in a six-round bout. Gardner handed Amparo his first career loss via unanimous decision in November and is coming off another impressive win over fellow Woonsocket native Reynaldo Rodriguez in March.
Boston’s Maceo Crowder (2-0, 1 KO), the half-brother of former U.S. Olympian and Providence native Demetrius Andrade, will return from a three-year absence to face Harwich, Mass., veteran Paul Gonsalves (4-3, 3 KOs) in a four-round super middleweight bout; and welterweight Jon Smith (1-0) of Cranston, R.I., will battle newcomer Oscar Diaz of Hartford, Conn., in a four-round bout. Willimantic, Conn., light heavyweight Kevin Cobbs (7-1, 2 KOs); female flyweight Noemi Bosques (1-0-1) of Providence; Hyannis, Mass., heavyweight Jesse Barboza (5-1-1, 3 KOs) and Pawtucket, R.I., middleweight Thomas Falowo (9-1, 7 KOs) will also be on the undercard in separate bouts. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets for “The New Era” are $41.00, $76.00, and $126.00 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at www.shop.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.
