Storm’ rising as Alvarez battles Saunders in this week’s ESPN FNF Co-Feature; Stevenson-Gonzalez Headlines Montreal show
Rising light heavyweight star Eleider “Storm” Alvarez takes on battled-tested veteran Rayco “War” Saunders in this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights co-feature at the famed Bell Centre in Montreal.
International Boxing Federation(“IBF”) No. 2-ranked Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (17-1, 14 KOs) headlines another installment of the popular Fast and Furious Series, presented in Montreal by Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron, in a 10-round unification bout with World Boxing Council (“WBC”) No. 2-ranked Noe “El Carbonero” Gonzalez (28-1, 20 KOs).
Alvarez (7-0, 5 KOs), a 2008 Colombian Olympian who now lives in Montreal, is the undefeated North American Boxing Organization (“NABO”) champion on a fast track to stardom. He captured the NABO title in his seventh pro fight, knocking out Emiliano Cavetano (21-3) in the opening round last December, and Eleider is already ranked No. 15 by the World Boxing Organization (“WBO”).
“Storm” faces Saunders (22-15-2, 9 KOs), who has been stopped only once in his pro career, in an eight-round, non-title fight. Saunders has defeated world-title challenger Tommy Karpency and fought three-time world title challenger Danny Santiago to a draw. World-class fighters such as Ismayl Sillakh, Edison Miranda, Marcus Oliveira and Chris Henry have been unable to stop the crafty boxer from Pittsburgh.
Another Colombian Olympian also living in Montreal, unbeaten heavyweight prospect Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas (9-0, 6 KOs), meets veteran Kendrick “The Apostle” Releford (22-16-2, 10 KOs) in an eight-round bout.
“In addition to a legitimate Fight of the Year candidate in Stevenson-Gonzalez,” promoter Yvon Michel (GYM) commented, “boxing fans at Bell Centre and those watching on ESPN will see two top prospects in Alvarez and Rivas. They both have unlimited potential but this Friday evening will each face the stiffest tests of their young careers.”
Also fighting on the undercard is super featherweight Baha Laham (8-0, 3 KOs) vs. Leonis Francois (8-6, 2 KOs) in an eight-round bout, heavyweight Eric Barrack (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Sandy Pembroke (2-4, 1 KO) in a six-round match, and Montreal light heavyweight Schiller Hyppolite (2-0, 1 KO) vs. Martin Desjardins. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
The Officials for Stevenson/Gonzalez are:
- Supervisor: Mike George, Rhode Island, USA
- Referee: Michel Albert Griffin, Canada
- Judges: Jack Woodburn, Canada
- Claude Paquette, Canada
- Richard Flaherty, Massachusetts, USA
