Unbeaten champion Wach not concerned with last-minute change of opponent

By: Michael Parente, Classic Entertainment & Sports

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (Nov. 4th, 2011) – Though he spent the duration of his training camp preparing to face former world champion Oliver McCall, undefeated Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach isn’t concerned with having to stand toe-to-toe with a new opponent Saturday night at Mohegan Sun.

“I was looking forward to facing the former world champ,” Wach said at Friday’s weigh-in, “but I’ve trained hard and I’m ready to fight anyone. I look forward to putting on a great show for the fans.”

Wach (25-0, 13 KOs) will now defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) International heavyweight title against 29th-ranked challenger Jason Gavern (21-8-4, 10 KOs) of Kissimmee, Fla., in the 12-round main event of Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports’ “November Reign” show, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011 at the Mohegan Sun Arena and presented in association with Global Boxing and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

Both fighters clocked in at similar weights Friday; Wach weighed 248 pounds and Gavern tipped the scales at 248 ¼ pounds. Wach is currently ranked No. 8 in the WBC, and Saturday will be his first title defense since he won the crown with a fourth-round knockout victory over Kevin McBride in July.

All $105 ringside tickets for “November Reign” are sold out, but tickets are still available at $65 and $40 and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254 or Ticketmaster at 1.800.745.3000. Fans can also purchase tickets online at www.cesboxing.com, www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Mohegan Sun Box Office.

Four months after beating Derrick Findley at Mohegan Sun to capture the WBC U.S. National Boxing Council (USNBC) middleweight title, Elvin Ayala (24-5-1, 11 KOs) of New Haven will face veteran Juan Astorga (15-7-1, 10 KOs) of Thornton, Colo., in a 10-round non-title bout. Each of Astorga’s last four wins have come by knockout while Ayala has won four consecutive bouts dating back to February.

“November Reign” will also feature a 10-round North American Boxing Federation (NABF) and North American Boxing Organization (NABO) middleweight title bout between current NABO champion Patrick Majewski (17-0, 11 KOs) of Atlantic City, N.J., and challenger Jose Miguel Torres (22-5, 19 KOs) of Miami, Fla. Majewski won the NABO title with a unanimous-decision victory over Marcus Upshaw in June. Originally from Magangue, Colombia, the 32-year-old Torres has won two of his last three fights.

The undercard also includes Rick Dawson (4-0, 1 KO) of New Haven facing Queens native Borngod Washington (2-9) in a four-round super middleweight bout, in addition to the return of heavyweight Artur Szpilka (7-0, 5 KOs) of Wieliczka, Poland, who will battle heavyweight David Saulsberry (7-3, 7 KOs) of Greenville, Ky., in a six-round bout. New Haven’s Edwin Soto (7-0-1, 3 KOs) will face Diego Pereira (6-0, 2 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., in a six-round battle of unbeaten, and junior featherweight Josh Crespo (0-0-1) will battle newcomer Nate Green of New Haven in a four-round bout.

Cruiserweight Jose Torres (0-1) of Springfield, Mass., will face Francwa Russell of Chicago in a four-round bout in Russell’s pro debut; junior welterweight Christian Lao (2-1, 1 KO) of New Haven will face Antonio Chaves Fernandez (0-5) of Brockton, Mass., in a four-round bout; and Hartford welterweight Javier Flores (5-0, 5 KOs) will face Bryan Abraham (5-9-2, 5 KOs) of Schenectady, N.Y., in a six-round bout. Super featherweight Kamil Laszczyk (4-0, 3 KOs) of North Bergen will face Chris Montoya Jr. (2-4, 1 KO) of Salt Lake City in a four-round bout.

For more information on “November Reign,” visit www.cesboxing.com or www.mohegansun.com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the first bout scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHT RISING STAR SETH MITCHELL TO FACE TOUGH CONTENDER TIMUR IBRAGIMOV IN HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CO-FEATURE OF "CAPITAL SHOWDOWN: KHAN VS. PETERSON" ON DECEMBER 10 FROM WASHINGTON, DC

Press Release

Washington, DC (November 4) - "Capital Showdown: Khan vs. Peterson" just got more exciting with the announcement that undefeated American heavyweight Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell will make his HBO debut against tough contender Timur Ibragimov in the co-featured bout to the Unified Super Lightweight World Championship between champion Amir "King" Khan and No. 1-rated IBF Contender and Washington, DC's own Lamont Peterson. The event, which marks the return of big time boxing to the nation's capital, is set to take place Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and will be televised live on HBO's World Championship Boxing.

"I'm definitely excited to be fighting back at home in front of my fans and on a big stage as the co-main event on HBO," said Mitchell. "Ibragimov is my toughest opponent yet on paper, as far as his record and the quality of opposition that he has faced. I'm looking forward to a great fight and I'm sure that Ibragimov will come to the fight prepared. Come December 10, I will be mentally and physically prepared as well. I am expecting the fight to be tough, but at the same time, I plan on coming out victorious."

"I'm working extremely hard for this fight," said Ibragimov. "I have seen Seth Mitchell fight and I know he's a good prospect, but I'm too experienced for him."

"This fight is a true test for Seth Mitchell," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "He is fighting on HBO against a 'take-no-prisoners' power puncher. I have no doubt that this is Seth Mitchell's time to shine and I can't wait to see him take on Ibragimov on December 10 and continue his rise as the next great American heavyweight."

A native of Brandywine, Maryland, heavyweight contender Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KO's) has proven he is the jolt of energy the division has been looking for. Since his last bout in the area in April of 2010 (a third round technical knockout of Ryan Thompson), the 29-year-old former Michigan State University standout linebacker has gone from prospect to contender, winning seven bouts in a row, all by knockout. In 2011 alone, Charles Davis (second round technical knockout), Evans Quinn (first round knockout) and Hector Ferreyro (third round technical knockout) have all tasted defeat at Mitchell's hands, and he expects to make another statement on December 10.

Winner of nine of his last ten bouts, Tashkent, Uzbekistan's Timur Ibragimov (30-3-1, 16 KO's) is a 1996 Olympian for the Uzbek team who is in the midst of a quest for a world championship. He knows that a win over the undefeated young star Mitchell will move him even closer to that goal. An 11-year professional who has faced former World Champions Oliver McCall, Al Cole and Jean-Marc Mormeck, the 36-year-old is confident that he has the experience, style and determination to issue the highly-touted Mitchell his first defeat.

WACH-GAVERN; MAJEWSKI-TORRES THIS SATURDAY NIGHT ON AZTECA AMERICA

Press Release

NEW YORK (November 4, 2011) - After a successful debut on October 22nd, the second installment of Star Boxing's Boxeo Azteca will be LIVE this Saturday night on Azteca America.

The main event features undefeated Heavyweight Mariusz Wach as he takes on Jason Gavern in a twelve round bout for the WBC Intercontinental Championship.

In the co-feature, undefeated Middleweight Patrick Majewski will battle Jose Miguel Torres for the NABF & NABO Middleweight titles.

The telecast, which will originate from the Mohegan Sun, will be shown LIVE across the United States beginning at 10pm (EST).

Wach of Krakow, Poland (now residing in North Bergen, New Jersey) has a perfect record of 25-0 with thirteen knockouts, has prodigious size as he stands almost 6'8", and has quality wins over Jonathan Haggler and former Mike Tyson conqueror Kevin McBride.

He will be facing the toughest battle of his career when he takes on Gavern, who is known for his toughness and grit.

Gavern, 21-8-4 with ten knockouts is no stranger to taking fights on short notice, and fighting on the road all over the world. Gavern is coming off a 1st round knockout win over Bobby O'Bannon, a bout which took place on August 20, 2011, and his most notable wins are over Darnell Wilson and Manuel Quezada. Gavern also was impressive in a hard draw against rated heavyweight Jonathon Banks, resulting in a draw on May 29th of 2010, a fight many felt Gavern won.

Majewski (17-0, 11 KO's) is similar to Wach as he is originally from Poland, but has settled in Atlantic City and is an exciting brawler in the middleweight division. Majewski has stepped up the competition with each bout. In his last bout, he captured the NABO title with a ten-round unanimous decision over Marcus Upshaw.

Torres (22-5, 19 KO's) is a tough Colombian, who has fought top competition such as Yudel Jhonson and Joe Greene, and will be looking to throw his name into the middleweight mix. He is coming off a decision win over Jose Antonio Rodriguez on September 30th.

The show is promoted by CES Boxing, Global Boxing and Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing, and will air on Azteca America beginning at 10pm. (Saturday 11/5)

Additional upcoming Star Boxing/Boxeo Azteca shows on Azteca America are: November 19th, December 3rd and December 10th.