Fight Night: Tonight!
Fifth Third Field will be transformed into a boxing venue (see page three of release for rendering) that will showcase many 2012 Olympic hopefuls from a four-state area (Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan). Gates will open at 6pm with the first fights of the evening starting at 7pm.
Reserved seating is NOW available for the first ever boxing event at Fifth Third Field that will take place on Friday, September 17, 2010. To order your tickets today, simply call or visit the Dayton Dragon Box Office at Fifth Third Field (937) 228-2287. Click Here to purchase tickets online.
"We are very pleased to be partnering with USA Boxing and Milton Pearson [Prime Performance Boxing owner] on the first ever boxing matches to be held at Fifth Third Field," Dragons President Robert Murphy said. "We are even more excited about the great young talent in the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Midwest areas that will be on the card ...and that could be representing our country at the 2012 London Olympics."
The boxing ring will be placed behind home plate and the backstop netting will be taken down. The Fifth Third Field seating bowl, the club level, and stadium luxury suites will also be used similarly to Dragons baseball games. Concessions stands and suite level catering we be available as usual.
Tickets for the event are $10.00 and will be available to the general public via the Fifth Third Field Box Office, online at daytondragons.com, or via Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, ticketmaster.com starting Wednesday, September 1 at 10am.
Dragons' season ticket holders, sponsors, and suite holders will get first opportunity for tickets over the weekend and early next week, with the general public on sale and via the Internet starting Wednesday, September 1.
"We are very excited to be working with the Dayton Dragons and hosting this event at Fifth Third Field," noted local boxing gym owner Milton Pearson. "We have put together a great fight card, featuring some of the best amateur talent over four states ... some of these young men have a real chance at the Olympic Trials and representing our country in London in 2012."
Fighters scheduled to be on the card will feature the sons of two name-recognizable celebrities: Hasim Rahman (the former heavyweight champion of the world - knocked out Lennox Lewis with one punch in 2001) and John Mellencamp (rock n' roll legend). Sons Hasim Rahman, Jr. and Hud Mellencamp will be featured in separate bouts and weight classes.
Local Olympic hopefuls feature Dayton native, Chris Pearson (son of Milton Pearson), Miles Jackson, and Daquan Mays. See this link for highlight of Chris Pearson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OG5dV0dUxc
Multiple boxing clubs from four states will be represented: Prime Performance Boxing (Dayton, OH), Indianapolis PAL, Ramirez Boxing Club (WI), Toledo PAL, the U.S. Olympic Education Center (USOEC) at Northern Michigan University, Cincinnati Golden Gloves, and the Glass City Boxing Club (OH).
Leading the US Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University is Coach Al Mitchell. Mitchell had a brief, three-year amateur boxing career starting in 1960. Before he retired he was 43-1 in the bantam weight class. He trained at the same gym with boxers, such as Joe Frazier, Al Massey and Joe Harris in North Philadelphia, PA. At age 17, Mitchell dropped his gloves and pulled up a stool to start coaching at both the amateur and professional levels.
In 1989, Mitchell took the head coaching position at the U.S. Olympic Education Center. During Mitchell's years at the USOEC, he has trained nine Olympians, over 200 National Champions and has led numerous boxers into a professional boxing career. Mitchell served as the 1996 Olympic Team's head coach and the 2004 Olympic Team's technical adviser. Olympians he's trained at the USOEC include 1996 gold medalist and world professional boxer David Reid, five-time world professional champion Vernon Forrest, and Jermaine Taylor.
The fight card for the September 17 event is tentatively set (fight card subject to change):
1. Elijah Cunningham (Springboro, OH) vs. Vincent Talaska (Indianapolis, IN) - 101 lbs junior division
2. Caleb Jackson (Dayton, OH) vs. Edgar Teran (Milwaukee, WI) - 132 lbs novice
3. George Romero (WPAFB, OH) vs. John Oliver (Toledo, OH) - 132 lbs novice
4. Daquan Mays (Trotwood, OH) vs. Hud Mellencamp (Indianapolis, IN) - 141 lbs novice
5. Miles Jackson (Trotwood, OH) vs. Angel Balancas (Milwaukee, WI) - 165 lbs novice
6. Carlos Santos (Marquette, MI) vs. David Carlton (Cincinnati, OH) - 114 lbs open
7. Damon Allen (Marquette, MI) vs. Anthony Porter (Toledo, OH) - 125 lbs open
8. Ricky Alvarez (Marquette, MI) vs. Yahman Phelps (Cincinnati, OH) - 132 lbs open
9. Manny Lopez (Marquette, MI) vs. Robert Easter (Toledo, OH) - 145 lbs open
10. Darnell Parker (Marquette, MI) vs. Terrence Jarmon (Cincinnati, OH) - 152 lbs open
11. Chris Pearson (Trotwood, OH) vs. Richard Gorham (Indianapolis, IN) - 152 lbs open
12. Jesse Hart (Marquette, MI) vs. Landon Johnson (Cincinnati, OH) - 165 lbs open
13. Hasim Rahman, Jr. (Marquette, MI) vs. Danny Calhoun (Cincinnati, OH) - heavyweight open
For more information please contact the Dragons by calling at (937) 228-2287, emailing at [email protected].