Boxcino 2014 champions, Willie Monroe Jr. and Petr Petrov to be featured in co main events on Friday, January 16, 2015

Philadelphia, PA (November 6, 2014)--On Friday night, January 16, 2015, the two champions from the Boxcino 2014 tournament will be featured in co-main events as part of an ESPN Friday Night Fights telecast at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

In one main event, middleweight Willie Monroe Jr. will making his first appearance since capturing the Boxcino crown.

In the second co-feature, the Boxcino 2014 lightweight champion Petr Petrov will also be in action.

The ten-round fights will be be contested for Monroe’s and Petrov’s NABA & NABO titles.

Monroe of Rochester, New York has a record of 18-1 with six knockouts and is riding an eight-fight win streak.

He is currently number-three by the WBA and number-seven by the WBO.

He catapulted up the rankings on the strength of his Boxcino tournament win where he defeated Donatas Bondorovas, previously undefeated Vitalii Kopylenko and in the finals he won a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Brandon Adams in a bout that took place on May 23 at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino.

Petrov of Madrid, Spain has a record of 35-4-2 with 17 knockouts and has won three in a row which won him the Boxcino Lightweight tournament.

In the first round of Boxcino, Petrov was very workmanlike in defeating previously undefeated Fedor Papazov.  He then took out Chris Rudd in four rounds in their semifinal bout.

In the finals, Petrov looked sensational by stopping Fernando Carcamo in the 8th round to not only win the Boxcino tournament but in the process, he won the NABA & NABO titles.  The win also surged Petrov to the number-three ranking by the WBA and number-seven by the WBO.

“We are excited to start the year with Willie and Petr on ESPN,”said Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo.

“They are coming back to the same venue where they won their titles.  This is going to be a big year for both of them and on January 16, 2015 they will continue their quests to become world champions.”

“After winning last years’ Boxcino tournament, we are very excited to again have Willie Monroe Jr. and Petr Petrov back on our network,” said John Campagna, Director of Programming at ESPN. “After last year’s event, both fighters proved that they deserve to be in the conversation when discussing the top fighters in both the middleweight and lightweight divisions.”

Host of the January 16th bouts, the Oneida Indian Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino continues to distinguish itself as a premier destination for professional sporting events, including nationally-televised boxing matches and PGA-level golf. The January 16th fight will mark Turning Stone’s 13th nationally televised boxing event in less than two years, helping establish the resort as a mecca for knockout televised fights. Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have promoted televised fight cards at the resort within the last year and Turning Stone has hosted televised boxing events on ESPN, Showtime, HBO, and NBC in the last two years. Located in Upstate New York, the four-season resort offers world-class entertainment and gaming, prestigious restaurants, luxury spa facilities, and award-winning accommodations.Tickets for the January 16th ESPN Friday Night Fights at Turning Stone are on sale now at the Turning Stone box office, in person or by calling 315.361.7469, or online at Ticketmaster. Tickets are $60 for ringside seats, $35, $25, and are subject to additional fees. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., with the first bout scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The live ESPN telecast starts at 9pm.