Rich Gingras will meet Angel Camacho Jr. on Friday, Sept. 18th, 2015 at Twin River Casino, in a classic power-finesse tug-of-war with the undefeated Camacho Jr. (14-0, 4 KOs) of Providence, R.I., putting his undefeated record on the line against the hard-hitting Gingras (15-4-1, 9 KOs) of nearby Lincoln.
The Gingras-Camacho Jr. 10-round main event of a fight card appropriately titled “Mayhem,” with the six-round co-feature between undefeated Worcester, Mass., junior middleweight Khiary Gray (8-0, 6 KOs) and Kenton Sippio-Cook (6-2, 4 KOs) of Austin, Tex.
“Rich Gingras, Angel Camacho, they’re fearless. Neither fighter is looking to pad his record or take the easy way out. This is what boxing needs, and that is what we will deliver on Sept. 18th,” CES president Jimmy Burchfield Sr. said.
“We’ve been dying to bring this fight to our fans for a long time and we’re excited to count down the days. Our co-feature might even steal the show. We’ve watched Khiary Gray mature right in front of our eyes over the past year and now he’s stepping up to fight for a title against a dangerous puncher who’s equally hungry to win.”
Gingras and Camacho Jr. were destined to cross paths ever since Gingras captured the then-vacant N.E. title with a knockout win over Jamie Velazquez in June of 2014, just a few shorts months before Camacho Jr. began his second comeback following a three-year layoff.
While Gingras pursued other ventures outside of boxing, Camacho Jr. quietly won a pair of tough fights against Paul Gonsalves and Chris Chatman to knock the rust off and put himself back in the conversation among New England’s elite fighters.
Now they’ll meet face-to-face for the N.E. title in a bout that could help shape the immediate future for whoever leaves the ring victorious. This will be Camacho’s toughest test to date, just his third fight in the last seven years due to a pair of three-year layoffs, while the always-ready Gingras is no stranger to well-publicized regional wars, having already faced Peter Manfredo Jr., Joey McCreedy and Vladine Biosse at Twin River.
The undercard features several new faces, highlighted by Stoughton, Mass., junior welterweight Travis Demko (3-0, 1 KO), who makes his Rhode Island debut against Mohamed Allam (1-0) of Holyoke, Mass., followed by Worcester junior middleweight Andy Gonzalez (1-0, 1 KO), who battles 6-foot-4 southpaw Antonio Allen of Philadelphia in Allen’s debut. Both are four-round bouts.
New London, Conn., heavyweight and Peter Manfredo Sr. protégé Cassius Chaney (3-0, 2 KOs), a former two-time amateur national champion, and Bronx, N.Y., light heavyweight “Fly” Mike Marshall (1-0, 1 KO), also make their Rhode Island and Twin River debuts in separate four-round bouts.
Cranston, R.I., junior middleweight Jon Smith (2-0, 1 KO) ends a two-year layoff in a four-round bout against Rodrigo Almeida (1-2) of Woburn, Mass., and Framingham, Mass., junior welterweight Julio Perez (1-0) returns to face newcomer Pedro Martinez Jr. of Mooresville, N.C., in a four-round bout.
