Long Island heavyweight turf war: Madison vs. McKnight

Posted on | September 20, 2008 | No Comments

Pawel Wolak headlines “Havoc At The Hilton,” Sept. 26 at Huntington Hilton Hotel

NEW YORK CITY (September 19, 2008) – Long Island bragging rights will be on the line September 26, when New York State heavyweight champion Darrell Madison squares off against Elfair “The Wyandanch Warrior” McKnight, in the six-round co-feature on “Havoc At The Hilton.”

Polish power punching light middleweight Pawel “Raging Bull” Wolak (21-1, 14 KOs) headlines “Havoc At The Hilton,” promoted by Bob Duffy’s Ring Promotions, against former WBF title challenger Chad Greenleaf (10-10-1, 4 KOs) at the Huntington Hilton Hotel. Pro Active Boxing, Co. is one of the sponsors.

Madison (10-1, 3 KOs), three-time New York Golden Gloves champion fighting out of Central Islip, rides a nine-fight win streak into his turf war showdown against four-time New York Golden Gloves titlist McKnight (2-7-2), who hails from Wyandanch.

“It’s a hometown rivalry,” Madison describes his fight against McKnight. “He was the man – four-time Golden Gloves champion — when I was in the amateur. I used to tell Elfair that someday I was going to beat him and he’d say he’d kill me. I’m going to take the Long Island heavyweight torch from him on September 26th. We know each other and owe this fight to each other. He is one very tough guy who fought Yacoubou Moutakilou, two-time National amateur champion, almost an Olympian, in his sixth pro fight and Kevin Johnson in his seventh. He’s no slouch.”

Madison has been one of Guillermo Jones’ sparring partners at Don King’s training camp in Ohio. “Camp has been real good,” Madison explained. “Guillermo has a fight September 27 in Germany. I’ve been improving my punching co-ordination, ring generalship and patience as I step-up each fight. In a 1 ½-2 years, I hope to be mentioned in the top 10. I want more power into my shots and improve by knockout ratio. I want to show people that I’m the complete package – I can box and punch.”

On the undercard, hometown Plainview favorite welterweight Tommy “The Razor” Raione (11-1, 3 KOs) faces Henry White, Jr. (2-2-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round bout. Brooklyn light heavyweight Will Rosinsky (1-0, 1 KO), three-time U.S. National Golden Gloves champion, will be showcased in a four-rounder against upset-minded Michael “The Snake” Ciccone (1-4).

In a four-round heavyweight match, Egyptian-born Ahmed Samir (2-0) takes on tough Andrew “Came To Fight” Hutchinson (2-9-2). Samir was 198-13 as an amateur, 85-10 in international matches, including gold-medal performances in the 2007 All-African Games, 2007 Arab Championships and 2006 Jordan International Championships. Ahmed came to the U.S. to participate in the 2007 World Amateur Championships, but he abandoned the Egyptian national Team to turn pro and start a new life in Brooklyn.

Also on the undercard in four-round bouts, Patchogue welterweight Leon Green (4-1, 1 KO) meets Rakeem Carter (0-4), of Albany; welterweight Chris Algeri (3-0, 2 KOs) fights fellow New Yorker Clarence Smith (0-1); Brooklyn light welterweight Pablo Tejeda (2-8-1) returns against Broderick Antoine (3-6-1, 2 KOs), of Troy (NY); Albany middleweight Andy Mejias (2-0, 1 KO) tangles with Karl Desravines (1-0), of Brooklyn .

Light middleweight Lambros Karaolides, fighting out of Astoria Queens, is scheduled to make his pro debut against TBA. All bouts and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets are priced at $100.00 (Golden Ringside), $75.00 (Ringside) and $40.00 (General Admission). VIP tables of 10 are $1500. To purchase tickets go to www.ringpromotions.com or call 516.313.2304. Doors open at 6:30 PM, first bout at 7:30 PM.

-RP-