Fight fans are in for a royal treat this weekend with wall-to-boxing courtesy of the region’s hottest promotion.
CES Boxing makes its long-awaited return to Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday, April 22 with Championship Jackpot featuring two title bouts for the vacant WBC Silver bantamweight and super bantamweight championships. Fans who stick around after the final bell can also watch Saturday’s pay-per-view lightweight showdown between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia live from Las Vegas at various casino locations, including the Bow & Arrow Sports Bar, MJ23 Sports Bar and Grill, Tom’s Watch Bar, and others.
The fun begins tomorrow at 1 pm with the official Championship Jackpot final weigh-in and press conference from the Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook. This event is open to the public.
OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN AND PRESS CONFERENCE*
Friday, April 21, 1 pm
Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook
1 Mohegan Sun Blvd, Montville, CT 06382
*Open to the public
First bell is Saturday at 6 pm for Championship Jackpot, which features three preliminary bouts and seven bouts streaming live on Spectation Sports beginning at 7 play-by-play from Michael Parente alongside color commentator and New England boxing icon “Sucra” Ray Oliveira.
Super bantamweight Tramaine Williams of New Haven, CT, faces Oklahoma City’s Elijah Pierce in the 10-round main event of Championship Jackpot for the vacant 122-pound strap while Stamford, CT, super welterweight Chordale Booker battles Daniel Aduku of Accra, Ghana, in the eight-round co-main event for the vacant 154-pound title.
Tickets are available online at CESFights.com or MoheganSun.com or at the Mohegan Sun box office. First bell is 6 pm ET.
The event also features the highly-anticipated return of several Connecticut standouts, including female welterweight Stevie Jane Coleman of Columbia, featherweight Nathan Martinez of New Britain, electrifying super lightweight Mike Kimbel of Waterbury, East Hartford welterweight Jeff Gonzalez, and pro debut cruiserweight Slawomir Bohdziewicz, a two-time New England Golden Gloves champion.
On the Championship Jackpot main card, unbeaten super welterweight Anthony Velazquez (12-0, 11 KOs) of Springfield, MA, battles California’s Rashid Stevens (6-1-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round bout and Port Chester, NY, super bantamweight Carlos Vanegas Nunez – one of the newest members of the CES stable – makes his promotional debut in a six-round bout against Irving, TX, native Dominique Griffin (4-3-2, 2 KOs).
With both a professional boxing and a professional mixed martial arts bout under his belt in 2023, the fast-rising Kimbel (1-0, 1 KO) returns to the squared circle April 22 in a four-round bout against Pawtucket, RI, super lightweight Dahvon Shelton (1-1), who steps back into the ring for the first time since 2018. Coleman (4-1, 1 KO) puts her four-fight win streak on the line in a six-round bout against Orlando’s Josefina Vega (1-3-1), also a regional MMA standout and sturdy veteran who has competed for CES MMA, Bellator, and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A Western New England Golden Gloves and New England Golden Gloves champion in 2022, Bohdziewicz opens the live stream in a four-round bout against Max Weslei Da Silva of Woburn, MA.
On the preliminary card, Gonzalez (2-0) returns to his home state to battle Providence’s Yeison Berdugo, an experienced Muay Thai fighter for Lion Fight Promotions who is now making his professional boxing debut. Martinez (7-2, 2 KOs), a dynamic featherweight prospect, returns for the first time since November of 2021 in a six-round bout against Argentinian and 35-fight veteran Daniel Alberto Coronel. Waltham, MA, heavyweight Harold Roy makes his debut in a four-round bout against Gabriel Aguilar Costa (1-4).