PROVIDENCE (Aug. 24, 2009) – Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES) continues its expansion outside of New England, presenting “Fight Night At The Fair,” in association with the New York State Fair and International Boxing Hall of Fame (IHOF), Wednesday night, Sept. 2 at the Mohegan Sun Grandstand in Syracuse, N.Y.
Women’s boxing trailblazer, Christy “Coalminer’s Daughter” Martin (48-5-3, 31 KOs), takes on multiple world-title challenger Dakota Stone (9-7-5, 1 KO) in the 10-round co-main event for the vacant WBC Female Junior Middleweight Championship.
“The last time we had boxing here was at the Coliseum,” State Fair director Dan O’Hara noted. “Now, it’s at the State Fair and we’re excited about it. We’ve made it very affordable. We hope everyone will enjoy this unique event.”
“This is the 50th anniversary of the Boxing Hall of Fame, and a lot of progress has been made,” added Ed Brophy, Executive Director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. “This is another great event to celebrate. We’re giving fans a great opportunity to see top-level boxing at a fair price. I’ve never seen a show of this quality at this price. When I was young my father took me to a boxing show, so I encourage all the fathers in central New York to take their sons – and their entire families – to this event.”
Martin, who is on a mission to notch her 50th win before retiring, will train at the IBHOF in nearby Canastota from 3:00 PM/ET to 4 PM/ET daily, August 24-31, to prepare for her fight against Stone. Admission to the IBHOF will be waived during her training sessions.
“Like the old adage says,” Martin remarked, “be careful what you wish for. I’ve been after Ed (Brophy) for years to do a Hall of Fame card and now I’m like, ‘Look what I’ve gotten myself into.’ Don’t think I won’t come here in shape and ready to fight. I perform my best under pressure. All I can say is thank you to Jimmy Burchfield and Ed Brophy. We’ll be ready to put on a great show for you.”
The other co-feature is an 8-round Special Heavyweight Attraction featuring 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada (15-2, 3 KOs) against upset specialist Zuri Lawrence (24-14-4). Estrada, representing Providence, is one of the most decorated U.S. amateurs of al-time, as well as a talented pro heavyweight prospect. Lawrence, fighting out of Wappinger Falls (NY), is coming of an upset win earlier this month against 43-1 Albert Sosnowski. Lawrence has defeated world title challenger Jameel McCline, 2-time Italian Olympian Paolo Vidoz and Darroll Wilson, fought to a draw versus world title challenger Ray Austin, and tested the likes of Hasim Rahman, Sultan Ibragimov, Calvin Brock, and Dominick Gunn.
Also fighting on the Sept. 2 card is super middleweight James McGirt Jr. (20-2-1, 9 KOs), trained by his father, 2-time world champion James “Buddy” McGirt, against Anthony Pietrantonio in an 8-round bout.
“We (CES) have an event here on September 2nd, an event in Providence on September 4th and event in Plymouth on September 11th. This event will start the explosion. A $15 ticket, that’s amazing! I’m hoping we have this grandstand packed and we put on a great show. There are a lot of promoters who pretend to be promoters. When we go somewhere we intend to make that venue happy and we intend to be back here next year. We hope this surrounding area takes advantage of this special price.
“If you haven’t been to a boxing event, wait until you see what you’re in for and wait until you see the enthusiasm of our fighters. I’ve got some surprises for the fair. We’ve got celebrities such as ‘Irish’ Micky Ward, 5-time world champion Vinny Paz and your undefeated New York champion, ‘Baby’ Joe Mesi. That alone is enough to make things happen.
“This young lady (Christy Martin) has not only done a lot for female boxing, but boxing in general. It’s a treat to see here in the ring. She has been in so many big fights throughout her career. Imagine, now she is going to be at your New York State Fair. She has fought in front of thousands of people. We need to fill this arena up and show her what this area is all about. We’ve filled up some of the undercard with fighters from around this area to give local gyms an opportunity to be on the card and cherish the night.”
Fighting on the undercard in 4-round bouts are female featherweight Jackie Trivolino (0-1-1) of Plattsburgh (NY) vs. Priscilla Trompowsky (1-2) of Toronto by way of Brazil; Syracuse junior welterweight Damian Rinaldi (0-1) vs. Utica’s Manny Cotrich (1-4, 1 KO); and pro-debuting Philadelphia heavyweight Joey Dawejao vs. TBA.
Tickets for “Fight Night At The Fair” are priced at only $15.00 and $20.00 – including free admission to the N.Y. State Fair and IBHOF – and available to purchase by calling TicketMaster (1.800.745.3000 or 1.86.745.3000). For additional information call 401.724.2253/2254 or go online at www.cesboxing.com. The first bout is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM/ET.
