News
Rockin’ Fights Returns for Its 49th Edition Saturday
Star Boxing’s Rockin’ Fights series returns with its last card of the year and the final show before the penultimate 50th edition. The longest-running club show in New York history returns to the Paramount on Saturday, November 23.
The sold-out show will feature six fights, headlined for the first time by Rockin’ Fights veteran Wendy Toussaint. Fans can watch the card live online at StarBoxing.tv.
Local favorite Wendy Toussaint finally gets his long delayed chance to fight in the main event at Rockin’ Fights 49. Photo: Star Boxing
Toussaint faces hard-punching Argentinian Brian Agustin Arregui (10-4, 7 KOs) in an eight round super welterweight main event.
Five closely matched battles are also featured, including the return of John Gjini, crowd favorite Frank Monaco, and former Star Boxing intern Harley Burke.
David Malul returns after his frantic breakneck debut at Rockin’ Fights 48 in September. Exciting prospect Micky Scala of Mesa, Arizona makes his series debut to round out the card.
International Flavor to Rockin’ Fights 49
Fights from around the world are part of the Rockin’ Fights 49 lineup.
“New York fans are the best. They know a good card when they see one, and once again, we’ve sold out because of it,” said Star Boxing promoter Joe DeGuardia.
“From top to bottom, the show exudes excitement and the wonderful diversity of boxing … Italian American, Albanian, Irish American, and Jewish-American prospects, to the Ecuadorian, Argentinian, and Native North American brawlers, the ring will see it all Saturday night.
“To top it all off, Haitian American Wendy Toussaint headlines his first Paramount main event,” added DeGuardia.
Toussaint vs Arregui
Wendy Toussaint hopes to send his fans home happy after a big win on Saturday.
Wendy Toussaint, Huntington, NY (15-3, 7 KOs) vs. Brian Agustin Arregui, Villaguay, Entire Rios, Argentina (10-4, 7 KOs), eight rounds at super welterweight
Despite making his debut over 11 years ago at Rockin Fights, this will be the first time that Toussaint will be featured in the main event. Toussaint was set to headline Rockin’ Fights 46 in February, but travel issues with his opponent shelved it.
DeGuardia felt Toussaint was ready then. He knows he is ready now.
Toussaint is coming off a disappointing performance against undefeated Shervantaigh Koopman of South Africa (13-0, 10 KOs). Toussaint came on strong at the end, but gave away too many of the early rounds to the hometown South African fighter.
While this would be considered a step back, starring in the main event is special to Toussaint. He will look for a dominant performance in front of the crowd where he got his start. He is trained by Kevin Zaharios and will also have Joe Gadigian in the corner.
The tough Argentinian Arregui is looking to rebound as well. After a promising start, he lost his last three fights. He is coming off a controversial split decision loss to countryman Lorenzo Gerez on September 28. Arregui is a hard puncher in the Argentinian style.
“This Saturday, I step back into the ring transformed and ready to fight,” said Toussaint. “Every challenge has prepared me for this moment, and I’m ready to show the world my true strength. Let’s make it count.”
Scala vs Caraballo
Micky Scala, Mesa, Arizona (10-0, 6 KOs) vs Luis Caraballo, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico (7-5-1, 7 KOs), six rounds, super welterweight
Newly signed prospect Micky Scala makes his Star Boxing and Rockin’ Fights debut. Scala has New York roots in Brooklyn and now resides in Arizona. He is undefeated and ready to go.
Caraballo is a hard-punching, come-forward Puerto Rican fighter. He will stand on a dime and trade punches.
Gjini vs Porozo
John Gjini, Greenwich, Connecticut (13-0, 12 KOs) vs Luis Porozo, Santo Domingo, Ecuador (18-11, 9 KOs), six rounds, featherweight division
John Gjini is a Connecticut native but a product of Albania. He has fought all over the globe, recently in Macedonia and the Dominican Republic. This will be Gjini’s second fight for the Rockin’ Fights series. His debut was a one-sided knockout of veteran Manuel Guzman. Gjini is a skilled action fighter with power in both hands and is the fighting pride of the local Albanian community.
Luis Porozo of Ecuador represents a step up in competition for Gjini. He is a durable veteran who has been in with multiple up-and-coming prospects. He has battled Iman Lee and Bruce Carrington, and he upset Jhonatan Chicaiza. The win over Chicaiza propelled Porozo into a WBC USA Silver title against Alejandro Paulino. Paulino took Porozo out in the first round. He will look to get back on track and derail Gjini’s momentum.
Burke vs Terrance
Harley Burke, Yonkers, New York (8-0, 7 KOs) vs Tevin Terrance, Akwesane, Quebec, Canada (1-1-2, 1 KO), six rounds, super middleweight
Harley Burke, a native of Galway, Ireland, who now lives in Yonkers, will fight for the second time at Rockin’ Fights. He clobbered the always-tough Kamron Humphrey in his debut. Burke has a unique perspective on Rockin’ Fights. He worked as a logistics intern when the series first started behind the scenes.
Tevin Terrance had another hard-fought draw in his last Rockin’ Fights outing against John Mcdonagh. Saturday will be his third Rockin’ Fights card. He scored two draws in his first two appearances. The former two-time Canadian Gold Glove fighter looks to notch his first Rockin’ Fights victory.
After having his career sidetracked by legal issues, Terrance has rebounded with a strong team behind him. He is an action fighter, and, despite the mixed results, always delivers a tough fight.
Terrance is working with Main Street Boxing and is trained by Mike Stellate, who has guided several Rockin’ Fights participants to upset victories.
“He got into a bit of trouble, did his time for five years, and came out about a year and a half ago,” explains Stellate. “His two draws looked like two wins.
“He has been sparring with Beterbiev’s sparring partners in camp. His 5-6 stature is ready to take on a 6-1 Burke by checking his body and chin early to see if he wants to be in the oven with us. We are ready for the heat,” said Stellate.
Malul vs Davis
Dave Malul, Queens, New York (1-0, 1 KO) vs Zachary Davis, Moss Point, Mississippi (0-4), four rounds, welterweight division
“King” David Malul returns to Rockin’ Fights after making his professional debut at RF 48. Malul won an absolute firefight. He was knocked down twice against Lucien Hannah and rallied to win by first-round knockout. Malul fights out of Main Street Boxing and is trained by Mike Stellate.
“Behten is body in Hebrew, we are going to go to Behten,” said Stellate.
Zachary Davis has lost four in a row and will fight for the third time this year. He has yet to find his groove as a professional, fighting in different weight divisions. Davis lost to three undefeated fighters, and was shutout by veteran Kerry James Jr.
Davis has a height advantage over Malul. This fight has the potential to steal the show as it will be action packed.
Monaco vs Pradis
Frank Monaco, Glen Cove, New York (2-0) vs Victor Pradis, Covington, Lousiana (2-2, 0 KOs), four rounds, super middleweight
Frank “Magic” Monaco returns for the third time to Rockin’ Fights. He is trained by Kevin Zaharios and is one of Wendy Toussaint’s chief sparring partners.
Monaco beat Paramount fan favorite Levan Loutsoupitze in his last bout, and seven-fight veteran Louis Maietta in his pro debut. He will have an enthusiastic crowd behind him.
Pradis is coming off a two-fight losing streak. He fights out of Louisiana by way of Mexico. He will be looking to take the fight to Monaco.
The Paramount, located in Huntington, was voted the #1 Pollstar venue in the country. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Rockin’ Fights 49 is a sellout but can be watched live on StarBoxing.tv, The card will replay on the YES Network.
