CES' 'Block Party' coming to a neighborhood near you PART 2

Fresh off a historic year in combat sports,
Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc., is ready to kick off 2011 in style at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Live professional boxing returns to Uncasville, Conn., on Friday, Feb. 4, 2011, as CES presents "Block Party" at the Mohegan Sun Arena. CES' first show of 2011 features the best talent from various New England neighborhoods, headlined by Providence, R.I., super middleweight Vladine Biosse (9-0, 4 KOs) and also starring New Haven, Conn., super middleweight Elvin Ayala (20-5, 9 KOs) -- CES' newest acquisition -- and Ledyard, Conn., light heavyweight Brian Macy (5-1, 2 KOs) in his long-awaited return.

"This is an exciting card from top to bottom," CES president Jimmy
Burchfield said. "There's something for everybody, whether you're a fan in Rhode Island, Connecticut or Massachusetts. The name 'Block Party' is a fitting title because this truly is a celebration of the continued success of New England boxing. On the top of the card, you've got Vladine Biosse, one of the top prospects in boxing, defending his New England super middleweight title against a dangerous opponent. Vladine won four fights in 2010, including a classic battle in front of 42 million homes on ESPN against 'Irish' Joey McCreedy, and continues to climb the ladder with each fight.

"With Elvin Ayala in the co-feature, you've got an established, ring-savvy veteran and a former world-title challenger who is willing to fight anyone at any given time, and Brian Macy, a University of Connecticut graduate and one of the most popular fighters in his state, is a wonderful story, having served his country for 10 months in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army and now returning to the ring to resume his promising boxing career.

"This is a must-see event and we're looking forward to filling every seat in the beautiful Mohegan Sun Arena."

A former college football standout at the University of Rhode Island, Biosse will put his New England super middleweight title on the line against hard-punching veteran Sampson Onyango (20-7, 13 KOs) in the eight-round main event. Onyango is originally from Nairobi, Kenya and now fights out of Brockton, Mass. Onyango's most recent bout was a hard-fought, unanimous decision loss to undefeated Hungarian light heavyweight prospect Zsolt Erdei on Nov. 20 in Atlantic City, N.J.

The six-round co-feature pits Ayala against an opponent to be determined while Macy will fight for the first time in two years against Walter Foster (4-3-1, 4 KOs) of Berkeley, Mo., in a four-round middleweight bout. Macy returned home in September of 2010 following a 10-month stint in Baghdad.

The undercard of "Block Party" features: New Haven junior welterweight Edwin Soto (5-0-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round rematch against Bryan Abraham (2-4-2, 2 KOs) of Schenectady, N.Y. (the two fought to a draw on June 26, 2010 at Mohegan in one of the top regional fights of the year); New Haven super bantamweight Luis Rosa Jr. (4-0, 3 KOs) facing Vero Beach, Fla., native Aaron Chavez (2-2, 1 KO) in a four-round bout; and Randolph, Mass., heavyweight Billy Mofford (9-1-2, 4 KOs) battling Chicago's Theron Johnson (4-3, 1 KO) in a six-round contest.

In a special, welterweight feature, Lowell, Mass., native Sean Eklund (7-4, 1 KO) -- the nephew of former world title challenger "Irish" Micky Ward, whose incredible story is portrayed in the box-office sensation, "The Fighter" -- will defend his Eastern Boxing Association (EBA) New England title against Noel Garcia (2-6-1, 1 KO) of Springfield, Mass. Ward will work Eklund's corner, along with Ward's half-brother Dicky Eklund, who is also portrayed in the film. Sean Eklund won the title last year on March 19 with a victory over previously-unbeaten Eddie Soto, who had defeated him in 2009.

Puerto Rican welterweight Javier Flores (4-0, 4 KOs) of Hartford will make his United States debut against tough veteran Marcus Hall (4-2-1, 2 KOs) of Rochester, N.Y., in a six-round bout (Flores' first four professional fights -- all knockout victories -- were held in his native Puerto Rico), and Thomas Falowo (1-0, 1 KO) of Providence, R.I., who won his pro debut two months ago on Nov. 12, will battle the dangerous Greg McCoy (2-1-2, 1 KO) in an exciting, four-round interstate middleweight bout.

Tickets for "Block Party" are $40, $65 and $105 and can be purchased by calling CES at (401)724-2253/2254 or calling 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. For more information on "Block Party," go to www.cesboxing.co. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7:30.

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