Washington DC…
Former junior welterweight champion DeMarcus Corley, 36-13-1 (21), has been added to the July 10th card at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Corley replaces Tim Coleman in a bout against Damian Fuller, 30-7-1 (14), who was stopped by Lamont Peterson in his last outing.
In February, Corley suffered a fifth-round knockout to Freddy Hernandez. When asked, Corley said he realizes that many are seeing him now as an “opponent,” yet still considers himself a contender. The fight shapes up to be a “go-or-go-home” matchup.
Jimmy Lange, of “The Contender” series fame, is the main event against unheralded Jimmy LeBlanc, 12-16-4 (4). Later this week, I’ll feature Lange, 31-4-2 (22), in a story about his career since that show, and how he became one of the biggest ticket sellers in America.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania…
In preparation for his first eight-round contest, lightweight prospect Rod Salka, 11-0 (3), has been training with former IBF champ Paul Spadafora. Salka’s opponent, Ikem Orji, 6-2 (2), told Maxboxing.com that he has trained harder for this fight than any fight in his career and that after his knockout upset victory over Andrew Farmer in March, he sees himself as a prospect now, not an “opponent.” This fight should answer questions about both fighters.
Newark, NJ…
“Friday Night Fights” visits Newark on July 16th for the Zab Judah vs. Jose Armando Santa Cruz main event. While that fight is not exactly creating a huge buzz, keep your eye on the first televised fight that evening which features Newark’s Alex Perez. Perez, 11-0 (7) with one no-contest, is a tall Puerto Rican southpaw who has survived being both shot and stabbed, growing up in Newark’s toughest neighborhood. He’ll face Vincent Arroyo, 10-1 (7), who is coming off an upset knockout win over prospect Jeremy Bryan on the Kelly Pavlik-Sergio Martinez undercard.
Hartford, Connecticut…
Heavyweight Tony Grano’s quest for a title suffered a major setback Saturday night as he was dominated by Akron, Ohio’s Nicolai Firtha in a two-round TKO loss. Maxboxing.com’s Stephen Tobey reported from ringside that two overhand rights in the first round dropped Grano, now 17-2-1 (13), before sending him to the canvas again in the second and unleashing numerous rights to end the contest. Firtha improves to 18-7-1 (8).
Notes…
-- With Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. beating John Duddy and joining the elites of the sport such as Billy Lyell, does anyone really think they will start putting this kid in with top contenders? Or do you agree with me that we can expect at least two more fights with stiffs and make as much money as possible before putting Junior in with an elite fighter?
A somewhat quiet week for the Eastern Regional Report and, as always, if there is a fight or fighter you feel deserves mention in the regional report, please contact Alec at maxboxingeast@gmail.com.
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