Coming out party for young lions Jason Estrada & Aaron Williams

Posted on | April 3, 2008 | No Comments

ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, April 4 at Twin River Event Center, RI
Rocky Marciano and Zak DeOssie to be honored

PROVIDENCE (April 2, 2008) – CES stable-mates Jason “Big Six” Estrada and “Awesome” Aaron Williams are planning coming out parties Friday night (April 4) on the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights card, “Heavy Hitters,” promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), live from Twin River Events Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

2004 U.S. Olympian Estrada (11-1, 2 KOs) fights former NABO/NABA/WBC Continental Americas heavyweight champion Lance “Mount” Whitaker (32-4-1, 27 KOs) in the 10-round main even, while 21-year-old Williams (16-0-1, 11 KOs) also faces his stiffest test to date, ex-NABO cruiserweight title-holder Andre “Tombstone” Purlette (40-2, 35 KOs), in the 8-round co-feature.

The 6’ 8” Whitaker has beaten former world champions Oleg Maskaev and Al “Ice” Cole, as well as previously undefeated Robert Davis (22-0), and 2-time world title challenger Monte Barrett.

“I don’t care if he’s 6’ 8” because we’re not playing basketball,” the 27-year-old Estrada said. “(Mike) Tyson proved height doesn’t matter in heavyweight boxing. I have the kind of hand speed Whitaker’s never seen before. I fought a taller boxer in the amateurs – a 6-9 Cuban – and I beat him in Cuba. I’ll be putting pressure on him from the start. I’ll be going forward and he’ll be going backwards. I’m going to keep beating him to the punch. I’ll out-hustle him. I’m younger, stronger faster, quicker and more motivated. Fighting on ESPN2 in the main event is one more step I need to take. This is my moment. I’ve been waiting for this chance.”

Purlette may have more than twice as many knockouts as Williams has had pro fights, but the prodigy is far from intimidated. “I’ve known him a long time,” 9-time U.S. national amateur champion Williams noted. “We’ve sparred back in the day. He’s going to come to fight and it’s going to be a very interesting fight – youth versus a veteran. Fans are going to see a young, fast kid moving up in the cruiserweight ranks in Aaron Williams. Fighting on ESPN2 in the co-feature means a lot to me. Not only am I an ESPN-caliber fighter, I am also getting closer to being a main event fighter.”

The great Rocky Marciano will be posthumously inducted into the CES Ring of Honor in a special ceremony with his brother, Peter, accepting on behalf of the Marciano family. Marciano (49-0) fought 28 times in Providence, winning 24 by knockout.

Former Brown University football star, Super Bowl champion New York Giants linebacker/special team player Zak DeOssie, will also be honored.

Providence’s dangerous light heavyweight Joey “KO Kid” Spina (21-1-1, 15 KOs) takes on Quebec Boxing Council champion David Whittom (10-5-1, 6 KOs) in a 6-round bout. Also on the undercard is light heavyweight “Irish” Joey McCreedy (7-1, 5 KOs) versus “Hurricane” Henry Mayes (6-5-1, 4 KOs) in a 6-rounder, Russian super middleweight Andrey Nevsky (4-0, 3 KOs) against Fitzgerald Johnson (1-3, 1 KO), and flyweight Isander Beauchamp (4-0, 1 KO) tangles with pro debuting Rob Bell. Exciting Philadelphia super lightweight “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (10-0-1, 6 KOs) has been added to the card.

Tickets for “Heavy Hitters” are priced at $35.00 (ADA stage seating only), $40.00, $50.00, (Bronze), $75.00 (Silver), $100.00 (Gold) and $150.00 (Jimmy’s Platinum Club) and are available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going on line at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Twin River Event Center (100 Twin River Road, Lincoln, RI), or any TicketMaster location. Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or Twin River Events Center (877.82.RIVER/ www.twinriver.com) for more information. Doors open at 6 PM/ET, first bout at 7 PM/ET.

(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Heavy Hitters.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied at all times by an adult and they must enter through the West entrance.)