González vs. González to Headline Friday Night Fights on February 7 in Chicago
Global Boxing’s Polish Prospect Kamil Laszczyk to Face Daniel Diaz in Exciting Co-Featured Bout
Iron Mike’s Erikson Lubin in Special Attraction
Boxing Legend Mike Tyson Makes First Appearance as Promoter in the Windy City
On Friday, February 7, 2014, Mike Tyson and Garry Jonas (Iron Mike Productions), Dominic Pesoli (8 Count Productions) and Leon Margules (Warriors Boxing) will proudly present another installment of Friday Night Fights at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, and televised worldwide on ESPN Friday Night Fights.
In the night’s hard-hitting 10-round middleweight main event, Puerto Rico’s undefeated Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (17-0-1, 14 KOs) will face Monterrey, Mexico’s Norberto “Demonio” Gonzalez (20-2, 13 KOs). In the 10-round, televised co-featured bout, red-hot undefeated featherweight prospect Kamil Laszczyk (15-0, 7 KOs) of Warsaw, Poland, takes on Managua, Nicaragua’s Daniel “El General” Diaz (20-5-1, 14 KOs).
Opening the telecast will be high-profile 18-year-old welterweight prospect Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (2-0, 2 KOs), the 2012 National Golden Gloves gold medal winner and former Team USA’s #1 overall prospect for the 2016 Olympics before recently turning professional under the Iron Mike Productions promotional banner.
The opponent for his four-round fight is TBA.
Tickets for “Friday Night Fights” are priced at VIP $151, VIP Ringside $101, Ringside $76, Mezzanine $51 and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.
24-year-old Jonathan Gonzalez is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is ranked IBF #9 and WBC #11 in the world. He is a former amateur boxing standout and a 2008 Olympic representative for Puerto Rico.
Norberto “Demonio” Gonzalez is a seven-year professional who got the biggest win of his career with a surprise upset over Michael “Brazilian Rocky” Oliveira last November at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Gonzalez was undefeated in his first 16 fights and his only 2 defeats were hotly contested decisions two top fighters. The dominant win over Oliveira has put his career back on track.
22-year-old Kamil Laszczyk is a native of Warsaw, Poland, currently living in North Bergen, New Jersey. He is the WBO #3-ranked featherweight in the world. Laszczyk was 110-7 as an amateur and won six Polish National Amateur Championships. As a professional, he has already won the WBO Youth Super Featherweight, WBO Inter-Continental Featherweight and WBC Baltic Silver featherweight titles.
Nicaraguan Daniel Diaz is a nine-year professional and a former NABA Champion. In 2011, Diaz unsuccessfully challenged Koki Kameda for the WBA World Bantamweight Championship in Osaka, Japan. Most recently, he won a decision against very highly regarded Mexican contender Robert Marroquin.
“I’m looking forward to my first appearance as a promoter in Chicago at the Gonzalez vs. Gonzalez fight on February 7,” said Mike Tyson. “We have a great fight card lined up with some exciting fighters. Chicago historically has a rich boxing history and I am proud to return and bring boxing entertainment to the city that has always been good to me”.
“I’m very happy to be returning to the great city of Chicago with another fantastic show,” said Leon Margules. “I wish to thank all my partners for their continued support in returning Chicago to its glory days of boxing. I also wish to extend many thanks to the great Mike Tyson for his promotional partnership. This will be another fantastic event I am proud to be a part of”.
“Leon and I are very excited to again be working with my dear friend and legend Mike Tyson and going back to Chicago with 8 Count,” said Luis DeCubas. “UIC Pavilion is one of the best venues for boxing in this country”.
“I’m very excited to bring another great show to the loyal boxing fans of Chicagoland,” said Dominic Pesoli. “What a great way to start off the New Year with an ESPN “Friday Night Fights” event. It will be a pleasure to work again with the good friends from Warriors Boxing and my new friends from Iron Mike Productions. Let’s start off the 2014 season with some serious HEAT, because Chicago can surely use it! Please come out and enjoy the fights with us and one of boxing’s greatest legends Mike Tyson”.
On fight night, doors will open at 6:00 pm CT with the first bout scheduled for 7:00 pm. The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine, at the corner of Harrison and Racine on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago.
About Iron Mike Productions(IMP)
Previously known as Acquinity Sports, Iron Mike Productions is a full-service boxing promotion company co-founded and led by CEO Garry Jonas. In partnership with Hall of Famer Mike Tyson, IMP is committed to changing traditional boxing promotion by advocating for its fighters’ successes, inside the ring and out, throughout their professional careers and into retirement.
About Warriors Boxing
Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.
With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.
When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.
For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com
ABOUT 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS
8 Count Productions, Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.
Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world-class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, former world title challenger Edner Cherry, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.