Tomorrow, Saturday the 22nd, CES Boxing will make it's second stop of 2023 at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. Back in January, the promotion hosted the CES Boxing Winter Brawl and put on a phenomenal show packing in the arena and displaying a lot of New England's high level boxing talent. This show seems to be even more promising with some even bigger fights with bigger stakes as well. Follow along for our CES Boxing: Championship Jackpot Breakdown. New England MMA journalist, Dylan Napoleone will be on-site for fight night and can't wait to bring you optimal coverage right HERE at New England MMA. Stay tuned to our website for live results but also New England MMA social channels as well for all things come fight night (Saturday).
Heavyweight: Harold Roy (Pro Debut) vs. Gabriel Costa (1-4)
The 21 year old Gabriel Costa welcomes Harold Roy to the squared circle for the first time of his professional career. Costa returns to the CES ring after he recorded his first professional win at the CES Winter Brawl on January 21. Costa outlasted Chad Leoncello in a 4 round decision fight where he got his had raised via split decision. Harold Roy comes in looking to start his professional career the right way. Costa did indeed fight again after his victory on January 21 when he took on Andrii Novytskyi on February 18 and lost via knockout in the first round. This bout is perfectly matched up consisting of two hungry individuals looking to find their groove early on in their professional careers.
Featherweight: Nathan Martinez (7-2) vs. Daniel Alberto Coronel (8-26-1)
New Britain, CT's Nathan Martinez returns after just about 17 months off. His last fight was in late November of 2021 when he took on Jayron Lopez (7-8-1) and lost this bout, picking up his second loss due to technical decision. He stands in front of Argentina's Daniel Coronel who comes off a win on March 18. He fought Omar Flavio Machuca (1-17) in Argentina. Coronel is a very active opponent who brings a lot of experience to the table. Nathan Martinez was very successful in his career before this layoff and looks to shake off the "ring-rust" come Saturday night. In his 7 wins, Martinez has been known to be a fighter who can finish fights quick but he is also very capable of taking his opponents into deep waters and putting a beating on them for the duration of his fights. In his 5 wins that have made it to the judges, Martinez has won each fight by unanimous decision. Martinez will look to take advantage of any mistake made of the experienced Coronel and capitalize. This fight will be very entertaining consisting of one fighter looking to make a statement in his return and another fighter very hungry to continue his win streak to two.
Welterweight: Jeff Gonzalez (2-0) vs. Yeison Berdugo (Pro Debut)
Connecticut's Jeff Gonzalez returns just about a month after picking up his second professional win. On March 25th, Gonzalez took on Jesus Salas (1-1) at another CES Boxing event and won via split decision. He will welcome professional newcomer in Rhode Island's Yeison Berdugo. Burdugo comes in with an amateur record of 4-5 with 3 KOs. Burdugo picked up each of those 4 wins at Foxwoods Casino and looks to keep the "good vibes" rolling inside of these Connecticut casinos. He stands across from the young, hungry, undefeated professional in Jeff Gonzalez who will be looking to keep the hot streak alive and improve to 3-0 early on in his career. Gonzalez has won all of his professional and amateur bouts by decision and 3/4 of Burdugo's amateur wins were by KO. This fight should be a banger with two clashing boxing styles.
Cruiserweight: Slawomir Bohdziewicz (Pro Debut) vs. Max Weslei Da Silva (Pro Debut)
Fighting out of Stamford, CT, Poland's Slawomir Bohdziewich takes on Max Wesli Da Silva. Bohdziewicz is one of the main coaches at Heavy Hitting Boxing in Stamford, CT and teaches the sport that he began in his home country of Poland. He competed in Poland for 5 years before coming to America where he has been fighting and training for 3 years. In 2022, Bohdziewicz won the heavyweight division of the Western New England and New England Golden Gloves Heavyweight Division. Across from him will be Max Weslei Da Silva, fighting out of Woburn, MA. Not much is out there for reference when it comes to Da Silva, and his Instagram is geared towards his jiu-jitsu career but it will be super exciting to see these two large and heavy-hitting Cruiserweights slug it out in both of their professional day debuts on Saturday inside the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Womens Lightweight: Stevie Jane Coleman (4-1) vs. Sarah Click (1-3-1)
New England
Coming off a majority decision win at the CES Winter Brawl, Connecticut's Stevie Jane Coleman currently rides a 4 fight win streak and returns to the CES Boxing ring on Saturday. She stands across from the Florida native in Sarah Click, coming off a unanimous decision loss just 3 weeks prior (April 1). This is super quick turn around which shows that Click is a very hungry but tough individual. According to BoxRec, her next bout is already scheduled for June 10! Stevie Jane Coleman is no easy opponent. Riding that blazing hot 4 fight win streak, Coleman brings a very quick pace with lots of power behind her punches. Back in January, she showed that her "gas-tank" never runs out, it just refuels. She brought a very fast pace with lots of energy to each and every round when he defeated the 2-2 Michaele Nogue in dominant fashion by majority decision. Fans should expect her to do no less and come forward during all 6 rounds.
Super Lightweight: Mike Kimbel (1-0) vs. Dahvon Shelton (1-1)
Waterbury's Mike "The Savage" Kimbel made his professional boxing day debut on January 21 at the CES Winter Brawl. He picked up his first win by TKO, defeating Robert Banks who came in with one professional bout under his belt. Kimbel was another fighter who showed that his cardio was there as he displayed an array of combinations but ultimately landed to the head and body of his opponent very effectively all fight before finishing Robert Banks by TKO in the fourth round. Kimbel's cardio and stamina/endurance can very well be related to his MMA experience. After recording his first win in front of a very thrilled crowd, Kimbel (5-3 MMA) took an MMA fight with the other branch of the CES fight promotion, CES MMA. He took on Daniel Arriaga and defeated him via leg kicks just :26 seconds into Round 1! A couple months back, Kimbel told New England MMA's Dylan Napoleone that his support system, coaches, and love for combat sports in general influenced him to give boxing a chance. Now, training under Head Coach and Former World Champion Chad Dawson, Kimbel prepares for his second appearance, taking on the Pawtucket native in Dahvon Shelton (1-1). Shelton has seen both sides to the story inside the ring beginning his career with a win over Carlos Galindo (0-3) and dropping his second bout by unanimous decision to Placido Hoff (1-2-1). Dahvon Shelton hasn't had a fight since 2018 but looks to bounce back and get back into the win column with a big win on Saturday night. Kimbel will bring him his toughest task yet.
Super Bantamweight: Carlos Vanegas Nunez (6-0) vs. Dominique Griffin (4-3-2)
Carlos Vagegas Nunez comes into this fight with much momentum. The 26 year-old New Yorker holds an 83% KO rate, finishing all but one of his opponents. He has great footwork and great hands. In his most recent fight (July 2022), he took on Ahmond Rayshaun Oates (1-1) and finished the fight in the first round by TKO. His opponent, Dominique Griffin, comes from Irving, Texas where he comes off a majority draw in his last fight. Back in November, Griffin fought Robert Rodriguez (10-1-1) in an absolute barn-burner. During all 6 rounds, this fight was electric. Griffin took on a high level opponent and showed that he could hang. Nunez will look to continue this hot streak and march his way to bigger opportunities while Griffin looks to notch another win after coming off what could be his best performance to date against Robert Rodriguez. These two Super Bantamweights are certainly ready to put fourth great performances and an electrifying fight.
Super Welterweight: Anthony Velasquez (12-0) vs. Rashid Stevens (6-1-1)
The undefeated Massachusetts based fighter, Anthony Velasquez (12-0) MA will return just about a month after his win at the Park Theatre in Cranston, RI where he finished Rodrigo Lopes Rodrigues in the first round by TKO. Since 2018, Velasquez has gone 12-0, winning 11 of his fights by KO/TKO. Velasquez is a 5'10" Super Welterweight with great footwork and technical striking. He will take on Rashid Stevens (6-1-1) who makes the trip from California for this bout. Both fighters are known to push the pace and finish fights. They're both super fun to watch and are certainly going to come out with a fast pace, throwing big shots. Rashid Stevens has had much of his success by finishing his opponents. He comes off a draw in his most recent bout. In November, he took on the 7-0 Damoni Cato-Cain and gave Cain a great fight though all 8 rounds. This fight ended up a majority draw but Stevens showed that he could be there with higher level competition. Velasquez will look to stay undefeated and perfect through his professional career as Stevens aims to hand Anthony his first professional loss and make a statement.
Super Welterweight: Chrordale Booker (18-1) vs. Daniel Aduku (15-2-1)
US WBC Silver Super Welterweight Title
Chordale Booker, the Super Welterweight, will make his 20th professional walk on April 22nd. Chordale is from Stamford, CT and will enter the ring at 18-1. He comes off a flawless unanimous decision victory back at the CES Winter Brawl on January 21 when he fought Angel Hernandez (17-17-3). This time, Booker will fight Ghana's Daniel Aduku (15-2-1). This will be Aduku's first fight outside of Ghana. He will come to Connecticut to take on Chordale Booker with the WBC US Title on the line. Aduku has been fighting sporadically since 2013 and has seen much success in his home country, but will now test himself in the United States against Chordale Booker, the #14 ranked NABF Super Welterweight. He has seen much success, winning every fight except his single bout in 2022 against Austin Williams (14-0) on the Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor card. Chordale Booker has since bounced back with a great performance against Angel Hernandez in January and will now look to continue 2023 with another notch in the win column on April 22 when he competes for the WBC Super Welterweight US Title. Daniel Aduku comes off a win on March 18 in his home country of Ghana. He defeated Kofi Manu (14-10) by RTD (corner stoppage) in the 5th round, proving that he is the one who deserves to come to Connecticut and take on Chordale Booker for the WBC Silver Championship.
Super Bantamweight: Tramaine Williams (20-1) vs. Elijah Pierce (16-2)
The New Haven, Connecticut native, Tramaine Williams will compete for another championship belt when he takes on Elijah Pierce (16-2) for the WBC Super Bantamweight Silver Title. He will look to add another belt to his collection but also claim his twenty-first win. He will welcome Oklahoma's Elijah Pierce to the bright lights and roaring crowd of Mohegan Sun Casino. During the weigh-ins today, fighters made it known how they felt ahead of fight night with some words before pushing each other and then pulled away from each other by security and staff. Pierce brings a record of 16-2 as he rides a 7 fight win streak. Pierce has earned this step up in competition due to his recent success, winning all 5 of his fights in 2022. Although both have been very successful, their success has come by different ways. Elijah Pierce has finished 6/8 of his last opponents while Tramaine Williams has recorded over 50% of his wins by decision. Williams is a fighter who will wear his opponents out and outlast them in terms of durability and energy. This will be a great clash of styles as Tramaine is very capable of pushing the pace and finishing fights as well. Up for grabs will be the WBC Super Bantamweight Silver Title and this fight could very well go down as one of the best inside Mohegan Sun. It will be very entertaining to see these two lock heads inside the squared circle.
