Durham Region’s boxing gems are gearing up to hold the fort this Saturday, April 13th, as United Boxing Promotions rolls out its inaugural United Fight Night, jam-packed with six bouts at the Pickering Casino Resort.
This shindig is all about giving a leg up to the up-and-comers and local fistic talents, with the series launching with Melinda ‘The Whip’ Watpool from Pefferlaw (sporting a neat 5-0 record with 2 knockouts and sitting pretty at WBA #3) topping the bill in her first Main Event.
Tyler Buxton, the head honcho at United Promotions, is all in on bigging up Durham Region with this series, putting a world-ranked local in the spotlight for her premiere as the main draw. It’s a prime chance for the local pugilists to strut their stuff on familiar ground, with their own crowd cheering them on, while the punters get a front-row seat to the local heroes and the fresh faces making waves in Ontario’s boxing scene.
Oshawa’s own ‘Bad’ Thad Buntsma (toting a 4-3-1 record with 2 knockouts) is set for a clash with ex-Mexican champ Luis ‘Coto’ Vidales (bringing a hefty 24-10 record with 10 knockouts) in a Co-Main Event that’s shaping up to be a do-or-die affair for both fighters.
The local vibe keeps rolling with two unbeaten lads from Oshawa on the undercard: light flyweight Evan ‘Kid Chrome’ Gillard (6-0-1, 1 KO) and light heavyweight Jerome ‘The Wildcat’ Gabriel (3-0, 1 KO), with Gabriel jumping back into the pro boxing ring after a spell away.
And there’s more firsts on the night: Michael ‘Spartan’ Fitzpatrick, a champ in the kickboxing world, is stepping into the pro boxing ring for his debut, while Ajax’s welterweight Kyle ‘The Caveman’ McLaughlin (3-0, all knockouts) is throwing down on Canadian turf for the first time.