Fists of Fury, the slogan used to christen the boxing evening at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on the evening of August 23, looks set to live up to its name.
At least that is what renowned Cuban promoter Luis de Cubas Sr. claims, who together with Leon Margules, both from Warriors Boxing, and Kris Lawrence’s The Heavyweight Factory have teamed up to organize this interesting program.
In the main event, undefeated Cubans Yosdiel Napoles and Frank Zaldivar will fight over 10 rounds for the World Boxing Council international lightweight title.
As middleweights, the Mexican twins Ari and Andrey Bonilla will make their professional boxing debut in fights where the World Boxing Association Continental Americas crown and the WBC Latin crown will be at stake.
“They are all tremendous fights,” said De Cubas Sr. “Suffice it to say that the winners will automatically move into the top 15 in the world rankings. And that has a huge impact on the upcoming fights.”
Regarding Cubas Sr., I would like to emphasize that the goal of his promoter is always to organize very close fights so that fans can enjoy a lot of back-and-forth action.
The promoter highlighted the stellar fight between Nápoles and Zaldivar.
“They are two Cubans who reflect the new style of boxing on the island, which is attacking,” said De Cubas Sr. “Cuban boxing has changed a lot. It is no longer defensive, it has adapted to the new times.”
For De Cubas Sr. the appearance of the UFC forced boxing to renew itself and be more aggressive.
“People want to see war in the ring,” the promoter explained. “That’s the influence of the UFC. And we’ve adapted to it, so on Friday night I’m sure the fans will see some tremendous fights.”
Cubas Sr. also referred to the debut of the Bonilla twins.
“I have to thank WBC President Mauricio Suleiman for giving the Bonilla twins the opportunity to fight for titles,” the promoter said. “Each of them has more than 100 amateur fights and they have the experience. That’s why they have been scheduled for 10-round fights each, even though they are debuting as professionals.”
Ari and Andrey arrived in South Florida last Wednesday after having prepared intensively in El Paso, Texas with their trainer Zamir Lozano. In the past, Lozano was part of Saul “Canelo” Álvarez’s technical team under the command of Edy Reynoso.
The twins have had a spectacular career in amateur boxing. Although they were born in Los Angeles, they grew up in Ciudad Juárez and represent Mexico. They were national and world champions.
On the other hand, De Cubas Sr. said about the fight between Nápoles and Zaldivar that it is no longer strange to see two Cubans face each other.
“Before, they didn’t want to fight each other because of a brotherhood issue,” the promoter explained. “Now things are different because there are more than 150 professional boxers on the circuit and sooner or later they find themselves on their way to the top rankings and titles.”
Program in Hollywood, Florida
Yosdiel Nápoles vs. Frank Zaldivar, lightweight, 10 rounds
Andrey Bonilla vs. Wilner Soto, rooster, 10 rounds
Ari Bonilla vs. Adrian Ibarra, super flyweight, 10 rounds
Maureen Shea vs. Judit Hachbold, super bantamweights, 8 rounds
Kevin Castillo vs. Alexy de la Cruz, lightweight, 6 rounds
Montaser Aboughaly vs. David Michel Paz, welterweight, 4 rounds
Esteban Mussio vs. Damian David Marchiano, welterweight, 4 rounds
