PROVIDENCE, RI — Evander Holyfield’s The Real Deal Boxing, the promotional entity under his Real Deal Sports and Entertainment, hosted a media workout this afternoon at Manfredo’s Boxing Gym in Cranston, RI for fighters on this Friday night’s ‘Real Deal Championship Boxing V’ card, telecast on CBS Sports Network (9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT) from The Strand Ballroom and Theatre in Providence, RI,
Tickets starting at $45 are Now On Sale and can be purchased through www.TheRealDealBoxing.com and www.thestrandri.com.
The Strand Ballroom and Theatre is located at 79 Washington Street, Providence, RI, 02903. Doors will open on the evening of the event at 6:00 p.m. ET with the first bell at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Evander Holyfield (far right) watches his fighter, Toka Kahn-Clary, working out with head trainer Peter Manfredo, Sr.
MAIN EVENT – VACANT WBC USNBC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (10) – CBSSN
Toka “T-Nice” Kahn-Clary (23-1, 15 KOs), Providence, RI by way of Liberia
vs.
John Vincent Moralde (19-0, 10 KOs), General Santos, Philippines
CO-FEATURE – CRUISERWEIGHTS (8) – CBSSN
Fabio “Stone Crusher” Turchi(12-0, 9 KOs), Florence, Italy
vs.
Demetrius Banks (9-3, 4 KOs), Detroit, MI
FEATHERWEIGHTS (6) – CBSSN
Irvin Gonzalez (7-0, 6 KOs), Worcester, MA
vs.
Ernesto Garza (9-2, 5 KOs), Saginaw, MI
JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (8)
Nick DeLomba (11-2, 2 KOs), Cranston, RI
vs.
Louis Cruz (12=3, 6 KOs), Bronx, NY
JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS (4)
Timmy Ramos (4-0-1, 4 KOs), Framingham, MA
vs.
Phil Davis (1-1), Worcester, MA
CRUISERWEIGHTS (4)
Bryan Daniels (5-1, 3 KOs), Worcester, MA
vs.
Darnell “The Unknown” Pierce (5-1, 1 KO), Frederick, MD
WELTERWEIGHTS (4)
Poindexter Knight (pro debut), Philadelphia, PA
vs.
Samuel Forjoe (0-1), Bronx, NY
JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (6)
Jeremy “J-Flash” Nichols (7-1-1, 2 KOs), Las Vegas, NV
vs.
Daniel “The Hudson Valley Kid” Sostre (13-15-1, 5 KOs), Vega Maja, Puerto Rico
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (4)
Alan Lawrence (3-0, 3 KOs), Newark, NJ
vs.
Nathan Schulte (0-3), Woburn, MA
WORKOUT QUOTES
Evander Holyfield, Hall of Famer, Real Deal Boxing: “There’s a lot of pressure fighting in a big fight for the first time at home. I remember my homecoming in Atlanta, back in 1985, and there were a lot of distractions. Everybody who knew my name showed up, most looking for free tickets. I was skeptical about ever fighting there again. Everybody’s different, though.”
“Toka may be our first world champion. He’s a very disciplined person who has been through a lot. I come from the ghetto but, when I heard his story, wow, I couldn’t believe his (life) was harder than mine.”
Toka-Kahn-Clary: (Toka became a father for the first time on Nov. 11, when his wife, Devanni, delivered a 7-pound girl, Adaline) “Now, I’m fighting for my family, not just Toka anymore.”
“I feel good. I had to have patience and faith in my craft to get here. If you keep working hard, doors will open, and when they do you have to jump right through. I want to win impressively, dominate the fight”
“I see a lot of top fighters in my weight class. I’m not going to name any until after this fight, but I have the talent to beat them.”
“I want to be recognized after I stop fighting, like Evander, who everybody knows, likes and respects.”
Peter Manfredo, Sr., Kahn-Clary’s head trainer: “Toka is a top prospect who is becoming a contender. A lot of fighters don’t even get to this point. This fight is a major opportunity to get him closer to where he wants to be, not just a world champion, but for his name to be remembered in boxing. He wants to be a legend. He has to remain focused because this is the first time he’ll have a big crowd behind him.”
Fabio Turchi (Italian Amateur Champion): “Everybody here has been great, very hospitable. It’s such a great honor for me to fight in America with its great boxing tradition. I want to have a great fight to be embraced by Americans, especially here in Rhode Island. It’s beautiful having so many Italians, that gives me and added push to win.”
Nick DeLomba: “This opportunity means the world to me because I’ll be showcasing my talents in front of my hometown fans. An impressive win will, hopefully, get me to the next level, in TV fights against bigger names.”
Evander Holyfield being interviewed at today’s open workout in Cranston, RI by the three network affiliates.
Holyfield will host the final press conference tomorrow (Wed.), starting at 1 p.m. ET, at Ladder 133 Sports Bar and Grill (133 Douglas Avenue) in Smith Hill, RI.
A public weigh in will be held Thursday, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET (on scale at 4), at The Strand Ballroom and Theatre.
Real Deal Sports & Entertainment is proud to partner with Medical Arts Radiology (www.medicalartsradiology.com) and Venum (www.venum.com).