Former Junior Welterweight Titlist Kendall Holt on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights

Boxing Legend Roy Jones Jr. to Work Kendall Holt’s Corner
Studio Host Bernardo Osuna Makes Ringside Debut on ESPN2

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will feature two top contenders – former Junior Welterweight titlist Kendall “Rated R” Holt (27-5, 15 KOs) and Junior Welterweight Tim “The Pitbull” Coleman (19-2-1, 5 KOs) in the 10-round main event on March 16. Friday’s show will air at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN3 from Cabazon, Calif. The card is presented by Gary Shaw Productions.

ESPN2 studio host Bernardo Osuna, filling in for Joe Tessitore, will make his ringside debut on ESPN2 HD and ESPN3, with Teddy Atlas at the Morongo Resort Casino.

“I’m very excited to sit alongside Teddy Atlas and call the Friday Night Fights action near my home in California.” Osuna said. “Calling fights is what I love to do the most, so filling in for Joe Tessitore is a great opportunity to get ringside. Once again, I’ve got big shoes to fill, so I can only be myself, share my passion, and hope that our viewers enjoy what promises to be a solid card. Former titlist Kendall Holt can’t afford another defeat and Tim Coleman needs to rebound from his KO loss against Vernon Paris on Friday Night Fights, to show that he’s a worthy contender. I guess that we’ve all got a lot to prove on Friday Night Fights.”

Todd Grisham, currently an anchor for ESPNEWS’ Highlight Express, MMA Live and SportsCenter, will fill in as Friday Night Fight’s studio host. Prior to joining ESPN, Grisham served as WWE backstage interviewer, play-by-play commentator and occasional ring announcer. Grisham will discuss this Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day fight between Ring Magazine’s Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and Matthew Macklin. Atlas will also discuss last week’s
Featherweight title rematch between Juan Manuel Lopez and Orlando Salido.

On ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights), Robert Sierra and Delvin Rodriguez will call the fights with Leopoldo Gonzalez and Lindsay Casinelli in the studio.

Main Event:
New Jersey’s Holt who defeated former lightweight titlist Julio Diaz on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights last May, will have boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. in his corner this Friday. “It should make for interesting TV,” Holt, said. “With Roy being in my corner, I know there will be a lot of eyes on the fight. Besides that, I think people are interested to see how I come back against Tim Coleman.”

Holt, who’s managed by NFL running back Brandon Jacobs enters Friday’s fight with experience having fought current and former titlists Julio Diaz, Timothy Bradley Jr., Ricardo Torres, Isaac Hlatshwayo, and David Diaz. Holt said of Friday’s fight “I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity that’s been given to me, fighting on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. I know Coleman is coming with his A-game, so this will be an entertaining fight for everyone watching. I feel like my back is against the wall and I need to leave everything in the ring. Come fight night I’m going for broke”

Las Vegas’ Coleman will look to rebound after a seventh-round knockout loss to Vernon Paris.
“I’ve seen Kendall fight a couple times in New Jersey,” Coleman said. “Kendall’s a good fighter. I think Kendall is dangerous with a left hook, but he’s lacking in heart. I’m just going to go in there and outbox him. I feel like I’m a better all-around fighter than Kendall is.”

Co-Feature:

Friday’s co-feature will pit Featherweights Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) against Gabriel “The Ghost” Tolmajyan (11-1-1, 3 KOs). California’s Lopez is coming off a fourth-round knockout win over Gerardo Espinoza, while Tolmajyan of California is coming off an eight-round split decision against previously undefeated Daulis Prescott.

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KENDALL HOLT vs. TIM COLEMAN
Press Release For Immediate Release
March 13, 2012 – This Friday on ESPN “Friday Night Fights,” welterweights Kendall Holt (27-5, 15 KOs) of Paterson, New Jersey and Baltimore, Maryland’s Tim Coleman (19-2-1, 5 KOs), collide in the 10-round main event at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, Calif. Both fighters are looking to get back in the win column and promise to leave everything in the ring.

Offered Holt, “I always shine on ESPN and this Friday will be no different. Tim Coleman is a good fighter but he’s not on my level. I’ve had a tremendous training camp and the addition of Roy Jones Jr. to my corner is only going to make my game better. I’m coming out to California to make a statement, get the knockout, and make another run for a world title.”

Coleman has other plans. “I come to fight every time I step in the ring,” he said. “Holt says I’m not on his level, but he’ll be in for a big surprise when he gets in the ring with me. I know what it takes to win. I’m going to show everyone watching on ESPN why I belong with the best. Tune in this Friday because it’s not going to be a boring fight. I can guarantee that!”

Said Promoter Gary Shaw, “I’m anticipating an explosive fight between these two warriors. There is a lot on the line for each fighter, and I know they’re going to put on a great show. This whole card is stacked with great young talent.”

Undefeated featherweight prospects Abraham Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs), of La Puente, Calif., and Gabriel Tolmajyan (12-1-1, 3 KOs) of Glendale, Calif., clash in the eight-round co-feature.

Undercard Bouts:
(8-round Super Bantamweight Bout)
Roman Morales (9-0, 6 KOs), San Ardo, Calif., vs. Rufino Serrano (12-3, 0 KOs), Santa Maria, Calif.

(8-round Jr. Middleweight Bout)
Julian Williams (8-0-1, 4 KOs), Philadelphia, vs. Dumont Welliver (18-25, 6 KOs), Spokane, Wash..

(6-round Lightweight Bout)
Alejandro Luna (8-0, 6 KOs), of Whittier, Calif., vs. Mexico’s Jose Mendoza (7-4, 3 KOs).

(4-round Bantamweight Bout)
Roy Tapia (3-0, 2 KOs), Los Angeles, vs. Jose Garcia (1-5, 1 KO), Bakersfield, Calif.

(4-round Featherweight Bout)
Derrick Murray (1-0-0, 1 KO), St. Louis, vs. Cesar Valenzuela (2-0-1), Tucson, Ariz.

This event is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions in conjunction with Thompson Boxing and the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. Tickets priced $35 & $55 are on sale now and can be purchased at the Morongo Casino Box office or by calling the Box office hotline at (951) 755-5391. Tickets are also available by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745- 3000 or online at ticketmaster.com.

The Morongo Casino Resort and Spa is located at 49500 Seminole Dr, Cabazon, CA, 92230. Doors open at 5:00 p.m , first fight starts at 5:30 p.m. ESPN “Friday Night Fights” telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.