By Nick Tylwalk
When HBO heads to the Turning Stone Resort Casino on October 27 for Boxing After Dark, fans watching at home will be treated to a triple-header featuring undefeated Thomas Dulorme facing Luis Carlos Abregu and IBF lightweight titleholder Miguel Vazquez putting his belt on the line against top contender Marvin Quintero. But fans attending the event live might want to arrive early, as the non-televised undercard is full of undefeated prospects looking to move up the ladder.
That list of talent begins with featherweight Joel Brunker (23-0, 13 KOs), a 2004 Olympian making his first pro appearance outside of his native Australia. He’ll take on Carlos Fulgencio (19-8-1, 12 KOs) in what should be a showcase fight. Fulgencio has lost three straight and has a prior history of getting dispatched by rising stars, losing by sixth-round KO to Abner Mares back in the summer of 2009.
Promoter Gary Shaw has high hopes for Brunker, feeling his aggressive style will translate well to an American audience. The Aussie has been training in Las Vegas for several months and appears anxious for the opportunity.
“I’m really excited to be fighting for Gary Shaw here in the U.S.,” Brunker said. “I’m coming to make an impressive first impression for all the fans that’ll see me fight for the first time.”
Another undefeated Shaw client, Puerto Rican welterweight Javier Flores (7-0, 1 ND, 7 KOs) will also look to stay perfect when he squares off with Alberto Herrera (8-7-1, 5 KOs). Just making it the full eight rounds might be a tough task for Herrera, who has taken on the likes of Dulorme, Javier Molina and Demetrious Andrade, all without success.
Flores appeared to have added an eighth victim to his string of knockout victories in January when he stopped Alex Viramontes in three rounds. But that win was later changed to a no decision by the Nevada Athletic Commission following a test result showed elevated testosterone levels, possibly stemming from injections Flores received that he believed were B-12 vitamin shots.
Undeterred, Flores is looking forward to getting back to winning, even if his KO streak happens to fall by the wayside.
“I always go for the knockout, and nothing will be different in this fight” Flores said. “I’ve stopped all my opponents but people will see that I can box if I need to. I’m ready to go.”
Bahamian light heavyweight Ryan McKenzie (10-0, 10 KOs) will also be attempting to add another victim to his string of stoppages when he fights Eric Watkins (7-2, 4 KOs). The undercard is rounded out by a six-round light middleweight fight between John Thompson (9-0, 3 KOs) and Chistopher Chatman (10-2-1, 5 KOs) and a cruiserweight fight pitting Eric Fields (20-1, 15 KOs) against Kevin Franklin (4-4, 1 KO) that is scheduled for eight rounds.
The fights get underway at 7:30 pm EST with the HBO broadcast going live at 10:15 pm. In addition to Dulorme-Abregu and Vazquez-Quintero, the main card will also see junior welterweight Karim Mayfield (16-0-1, 10 KOs) fight Mauricio Herrera (18-2, 7 KOs) in a showdown between fellow Californians.
