Will Rosinsky has had an exciting career thus far, both in and out of the ring. The 27 year old, Queens native has had back to back tough bouts, one with former World Champion Kelly Pavlik, and the other, Hurricane Sandy. The FDNY EMT saw firsthand the devastation and destruction that a major natural disaster can impose on a community, especially a community as big as the New York City area. A crushing blow to the place he has called his home for his whole life, can make the disappointments in the ring, seem minuscule in comparison.

“To see firsthand just what these people were going through days after was truly tragic. As with many of us in the tri-state area, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the effects this horrible storm had on so many people.” Rosinsky said about the experience.

But that is exactly what is going to make the upcoming edition of DiBella Entertainment’s “Broadway Boxing” series, that much more special. Not only will Rosinsky get the opportunity to bounce back from the hard fought bought with Pavlik, but it comes with a cause. All proceeds from the night will go to benefit the relief efforts from Hurricane Sandy.

Will “Power” Rosinsky impressed a lot of the boxing community in the Pavlik fight, taking the fight on short notice, and then taking it to Pavlik right out of the gate, landing the cleaner and more effective shots in the first, it was clear that he wouldn’t be a pushover for Pavlik, on his comeback trail. Trading shots in the second round with the former Ring Magazine Champion, a hard chopping right caught Rosinsky, and put him on the canvas.

Quickly he rose and throughout the rest of the bout, Rosinsky and Pavlik strategically traded shots and styles it seemed. Some rounds Pavlik seemed to be controlling the action with his jab, but then it would be Rosinsky breaking through with combinations that would end with crisp power shots, and vice-versa. In the latter stages of the fight though, it may have been the short notice of the fight, and Pavlik’s championship experience that did Rosinsky in, as Pavlik seemed to pull away in the final two rounds, clinching the unanimous decision. Although clearly an upset against a world class fighter like Kelly Pavlik would have been ideal. The experience, with a fighter like that had to bring some sort of consolation to him.

This Wednesday, Rosinsky (16-2, 9KO) will square off against Otis Griffin (24-10, 10KO) a game 35 year old, who has terrific experience in the ring, against the likes of Yusef Mack, Jeff Lacy, and Danny Green. A fight that he most certainly will not take lightly, as it is the chance to get on another roll, and possibly get another Pavlik type fight in the future. And the extra motivation to shine in an evening dedicated to doing what Rosinsky does best, giving back.

DiBella Entertainment’s latest installment of the “Broadway Boxing” series will take place at the Roseland Ballroom, in New York City, this Wednesday, December 19th. As well as the proceeds from the fight going to Hurricane Sandy relief, Lou DiBella will also be having a silent auction throughout the night, featuring items from his personal collection Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000, or by calling the DiBella Entertainment office at (212) 947-2577. Tickets are priced at $125, $85, $65 and $45. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Tomasz Adamek is set to make another appearance Thursday night at Newark’s Prudential Center. The Poland native, now fighting out of Jersey City, has made a second home at “The Rock”, and The Ring Magazine number four rated Heavyweight will bring his usual raucous crowd to pack the arena when he faces off against tough brawler Vinny Maddalone (33-6 24KO).

The Queens native will certainly have his hands full as he is the next target on Adamek’s path to possible future bouts with one of the Klitschko brothers. Already some murmuring around the boxing community about Vitali Klitschko’s camp talking with the Adamek camp about a potential 2011 date, Adamek is not one to take any opponent lightly and look towards the next one.

The task for Maddalone will include the 11,000 red and white clad fans, and a fast heavyweight who seems to never be in the same spot. Maddalone acknowledges this and will try to use a high pressure offense to force Adamek to do just that. Adamek’s boxing style is one where he moves in at the right time to let off combination’s and then back out, the heavy handed Maddalone figures his best shot at winning this bout is to land something big and force the champion to slow down and allow him to use a high pressure style to knock him out.

Is Maddalone excited for this bout? You bet he is, agreeing with most experts that Adamek is the more skilled and heralded fighter, this is his chance to really leave his mark on the sport. And he’ll be damned if he doesn’t go out in a brawl.

Adamek (42-1 27KO) will head into this fight doing what he does best, adapt to the style of the fighter brought against him and use his abilities to get the victory. Trainer Roger Bloodworth says it best about this contest “This fight is heart vs. heart. Two guys who are going to leave everything they have in the ring. Everyone watching this fight is in for a real treat.”

And with a win come Thursday night, Adamek is almost all but assured a shot at one of the Klitschkos.
Promoter Main Events also has lined up an undercard featuring highly touted prospect Sadam “World Kid” Ali, Patrick “The Machine” Majewski and “Marvelous” Tarvis Simms.

Ali (10-0 6KO) will try to continue to impress as he squares off against iron chinned journeyman Manuel Guzman (7-9 3KO) in an eight round welterweight contest. Guzman’s record is not impressive, but in his last bout knocked out Adrick Butler in the second round. Ali is riding a three fight knockout streak, alongside his perfect record, and will aim to maintain that.

Majewski (14-0 9KO), an undefeated Atlantic City based Pole, will also use the crowd to his favor as he faces off against knockout artist Eddie Caminero (7-3 7KO). Majewski got a late start to his pro career at the age of 26, but remains unbeaten and hopes to grab more high profile fights in the future. All of Caminero’s victories have come by way of knockout, the latest being in the fourth round, so he provides a tough challenge to Majewski, in a similar way that Maddalone will to Adamek in the main event.

Tarvis Simms (25-1 11KO) returns to action after a fourteen month layoff when he heads into the Prudential Center to fight Willis Lockett (12-10 5KO) in a six round super middleweight fight. Simms’ journey in boxing has been a roller coaster ride thus far. The 39 year old fighter also got a late start to his pro career at 26 following an excellent amateur career which saw him win the 1993 National Golden Gloves Championship, as well as earn a victory over future world champion Jermaine Taylor along the way.

Boxing politics interfered with Simms path to a world championship, which led to a lack of fights. But Simms remained undefeated until October 2009, when he dropped his first fight to title contender Allan Green by decision. However, a determined Simms returns after signing a multi-fight deal with Main Events, and even at his age, is concentrating on obtaining the goal of becoming world champion.
Other match ups on the card include Newark’s own Angel Concepcion (3-0) against Lekan Byfield, who will be making his professional debut at Light Heavyweight. Gabriel Rosado (14-5 8KO) will square off against Jose Medina (12-8 5KO), Rosado scored an impressive victory over former world champion Kassim Ouma earlier in his career.

Jersey City’s Raymond Biggs Jr. (9-0 6KO) will have his clean record challenged by Philip McCants (8-1-1 3KO) who is on a run of six straight victories himself. Also, Philadelphia’s Bryant Jennings (4-0 2KO) will face Randy Smith, who is also making his debut, in a four round heavyweight fight.
Those that can’t make it to the area can order the bout on pay per view for $29.95.

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Saturday night at the Bally’s Event Center in Atlantic City, Jeremy “Hollywood” Bryan (14-1 7KO), continues on his path for boxing stardom. Although he won his last bout, the Paterson based junior welterweight is still looking for redemption after suffering his first career loss against Vincent Arroyo last time he was in Atlantic City, mainly because his last opponent quit after one round. It could not have been satisfying enough for “Hollywood”, who looked visibly upset that Mitchell would not continue.

The two time light welterweight National Golden Gloves champion, will be squaring off with undefeated Puerto Rican prospect Ronald Cruz (9-0 6KO) fighting out of Bethlehem, PA. The much more experienced Bryan will be the favorite heading into the bout. Even though Cruz has only been fighting for approximately five years, his raw talent surfaced quickly and caught the eye of many boxing fans in the area. Bryan certainly will not be one to take this fight lightly as he does not want the same result as last time he was in Atlantic City.

The fight will appear on the undercard on the Jorge “King” Diaz vs. Emmanuel Lucero fight which is an excellent card featuring many great fighters from around New Jersey, including recent Manny Pacquiao sparring partner Glen Tapia of Passaic. Tickets are still available for the fights, by going to the Bally’s Event Center box office, or calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or Ticketmaster.com
For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com

His name alone provides Michael Angelo Perez the perfect segue to each time he enters the ring. Just as Michelangelo provided every time he engineered another masterpiece, Perez does that with his boxing ability. Armed with an arsenal of the right skills, great work ethic, and the drive to be a champion, this Newark native has grabbed the attention of boxing experts.

Growing up in the streets of Newark isn’t the easiest thing in the world, and as with some of the boxing greats today, Perez had the perfect outlet to keep him away from the evils that surrounded him. “For my 7th birthday, my father took me down to the gym as my gift. That was it; I fell in love with it. It really kept me busy” Perez said. The humble 20 year old knows all about the paths that he could have taken in life, and acknowledges the talent that he has been blessed with, along with no shortage of confidence. “I want to become the pound for pound greatest in the world, unify the titles, and in different weight classes.”

On November 6, he will embark on one of the greatest of achievements so far in his short, yet busy career. Perez will showcase his talents on the same night Zab Judah will match up with Lucas Matthysse at the Prudential Center. The card will showcase Judah continuing his comeback, and Perez starting his own legacy. “I want to perform well out there. It’s a long time coming.” With the recent uprising in events being held in Newark, showcasing current headliners such as Judah and Tomasz Adamek, Perez aims to be right there, in a main event of his own one day.

Perez also has the eye of another former champion, not to face him in the ring, but to be alongside him on his journey to become champion. Signing to Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions is of noticeable merit for any boxer, being put in a stable of current superstars like Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins, and future stars such as Victor Ortiz and Amir Khan.

Most of Golden Boy’s clients are seemingly from the west coast, and with the recent signing of Paulie Malignaggi, it seems that De La Hoya and his partners have taken notice in the bevy of talent in the east coast, particularly in the tri-state area, and Perez hopes to be part of that east coast movement. “This is a big opportunity for boxing in the tri-state.” Perez says about the recent up rise in amount of prospects in the area.

Along with the hype and publicity that come along with being signed to the Golden Boy brand, it comes with its opportunities to give back to the community. Just like last week when De La Hoya, Malignaggi, Brooklyn’s Danny Jacobs, and Perez, amongst others, hosted a boxing clinic at the world famous Gleason’s Gym.

“It was a great experience, we taught defense, how to throw combos. It was a pleasure to work with those kids. They look at you like a role model and that is just a great feeling.” Perez noted about the experience.

With less than a month now to go until Perez’ next bout, he still awaits an opponent. So instead of concentrating on a certain style to fight against, Perez’ challenge is improving himself. “I need to stay in the ring, gain more experience. That is how I am going to get better now, testing my skills in the ring against an opponent.”

That may also be Perez’ greatest quality, he boxes to win. If he needs to be technical in a fight, he can do that, if he needs to bare down and get into a brawl, he will do that. That alongside his humbleness may just be what Perez needs to excel at the professional level. November 6th is a night that will be special for Perez and he wants to make it special for the city of Newark. “I just want to make everyone proud, my family and my city. I can’t wait.”

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com

Matt Yanofsky contributed to this report
This Saturday from Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, Tomasz Adamek looks to continue his quest up the heavyweight ranks when he battles once promising Michael Grant over twelve rounds on pay per view. With an arena full of Adamek’s passionate followers along with a bevy of local talent, the 12,000 plus fight fans expected to be on hand are in for an exciting night at “The Rock”.

Once dubbed as the next great American heavyweight, the 6’ 7” Grant, 46-3 (34 KO’s), fought through the heavyweight division with relative ease in the late 1990’s, until he was matched up against arguably the best heavyweight of the past 20 years in Lennox Lewis.

Lewis brought Grant back to earth, demolishing the Blue Bell, PA native in less than two rounds. Grant’s record is 15-2 since that night and the boxing world has learned plenty about him. His chin, heart and lack of toughness were all exposed, with both of his other defeats also coming by knockout. He has however reeled off 8 straight victories. Grant, who according to multiple reports had an outstanding training camp under Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, feels that it is his turn to become once again a factor in the heavyweight division. If he does pull out a victory, the 38 year old and 8 to 1 underdog would make a major statement while likely securing a title shot.

However, the man standing across the ring from him has different plans. Adamek (41-1 27 KO’s), of Secaucus, NJ by way of Poland, is coming off an impressive majority decision victory in California against title contender Cris Arreola. The fight was a battle throughout. Adamek had trouble early getting comfortable with the style of Arreola, but he fought brilliantly in the championship rounds to claim a victory.

Adamek must use his powerful jab and consistent movement, as displayed against Arreola, to defeat his taller opponent. If Grant is going to pull off the upset, expect him to do so by working from the outside and using his reach advantage to stifle Adamek. Interestingly enough, Grant’s trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad was Chad Dawson’s chief second when he handed Adamek his lone defeat.

In the co-main event of the evening, Joel Julio (35-4, 31 KO’s) of Colombia returns to the Garden State for the first time in nearly five years to battle Philadelphian Jamaal Davis (12-6, 6 KO’s). This will be the always entertaining Julio’s first matchup since being knocked out in a slugfest by rapidly rising Alfredo Angulo in April. In a back and fourth fight, Julio stood his ground into the 11th round until he was met with a hard right cross that decked him. Referee Raul Caiz put an end to the fight when Julio seemingly couldn’t stand on his own.

In what should be an exciting fight against a tougher than advertised Davis, expect to see some heavy shots landed in this one, and in Julio’s eyes, a knockout would help put him back on track.

2008 US Olympian Sadam Ali of Brooklyn, NY will take a step up in competition when he battles iron chinned Floridian Lenin Arroyo (20-12-1, 4 KO’s). Ali, (8-0, 4 KO’s) has been mentioned amongst boxing’s top up and comers following his ESPN2 televised victory last month.

In his most impressive performance to date, Ali showing precise punching and power in dismantling Julias Edmonds inside of three rounds. The Prudential Center crowd will certainly be on the edge of their seats, awaiting fireworks once again, from “The World Kid”.

Paterson native and former multi-time National Amateur champion Jeremy Bryan (13-1, 6 KO’s) of Paterson, NJ will look to erase the memory of his disappointing knockout loss to Vincent Arroyo, when he matches up against Pittsburgh, PA’s Daniel Mitchell (5-1-1, 2 KO’s) in the opening bout on the televised portion of the card. A gifted boxer who knows how to be aggressive when need be, Bryan was widely considered New Jersey’s best prospect prior to his lone defeat. The bout is scheduled for six rounds at junior welterweight.

The night will begin with the debuts of heralded prospects Shem Pagan and Tyrone Luckey. The heavily hyped Pagan is only one of two boxers, the other being Glen Ghany, to win five New York Golden Gloves titles. Many boxing observers see Shem as a future champion and cannot wait for him to get his professional career rolling. His debut comes against Philadelphia resident Raul Rivera (0-2) in a four round lightweight matchup.

Luckey, a three time New Jersey Golden Gloves Champion based out of Middletown, battles fellow debutant Larry Yanez of Florida in a four round junior lightweight matchup.

From top to bottom, “The Big Challenge” is clearly worth the price of admission.

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com

Carlos Vinan’s professional record doesn’t exactly stand out.

At 10-8-2 with two wins by kayo, The Newark, NJ based Ecuadorian journeyman is not regarded amongst the top fighters in the lightweight division. He has however proven to be a battle tested veteran without the luxury of hand picked fights.

When it comes down to taking a deeper look into Vinan’s losses during his 5 year career, things certainly become a bit more interesting. Carlos’ opponents that managed to defeat him came into those bouts a combined 73-9-4. The latest, Diego Magdaleno was a perfect 10-0 and is one of the more heralded prospects around. Naturally, Carlos and his team are not ones to turn down bouts with promising fighters.

“We look for fighters whose styles match up well with Carlos,” said manager Jose Rosario. “Carlos is a skilled fighter. His only problem in his closer fights is that he fights to the level of his competition. When Carlos fights an undefeated fighter, he seems to fight much better than when going against someone not as good.”

This proved to be the case on the undercard of the David Tua-Monte Barrett matchup earlier this month in Atlantic City.

Vinan was pitted as the opponent for IBF #2 rated lightweight, Anthony Mezaache. At 18-5-3 (4 KO), the Frenchman had not suffered a defeat in his past 11 matchups and spring boarded up the IBF rankings. With bigger fights on the horizon, Mezaache likely failed to realize Vinan was far better than his record indicated.

Early in the bout, Mezaache seemed to control most rounds, using his jab to keep Vinan from winning too many rounds. This was until crunch time.

In the 8th and final round, Vinan came out of the corner with a newfound energy and sent Mezaache to the canvas following a barrage of punches. Just moments later, a follow up assault forced his corner to throw in the towel 37 seconds into the round.

When asked about what was the drive behind the furious 8th round by Vinan, Rosario noted “He is not afraid to finish off fighters; we felt we were ahead in the scorecards. Carlos isn’t afraid to finish off fights. And this was the biggest fight that Carlos won.”

Another big victory of Vinan’s career was against skilled prospect, Eric Hunter, 13-1 (6 KO). At the time, the undefeated Hunter was looking for a fight, and Carlos stepped in on 15 days notice. Hunter bit off more than he could chew.

After getting knocked down in the second, Vinan outhustled the well regarded hunter over the next four rounds. Even though he appeared to be a clear cut winner, Rosario and Vinan were worried that the hometown favorite Hunter would win on the scorecards. This didn’t turn out to be the case. Vinan was awarded a split decision.

After the victory at the Tropicana against Mezaache, we look to what is next for Vinan. Rosario is hoping to get him ranked in the top 10 by the IBF and WBC, but knows that if he is, they must be careful. He is worried about some of the talent at the top of the division. Stylistically, southpaws tend to give Vinan problems, and with many tough fights behind him, he is not a young 30 years old. Either way I hope to see Vinan compete for a while longer.

He is a fan’s boxer; he is going to trade blows with the bangers and is going to show his boxing IQ against the more technical fighters. Hopefully, for all of his sacrifices fighting against undefeated boxers and other heavily favored opponents, Carlos is rewarded with a bout that is showcased in front of a large audience. With few easy fights and most of his matches taking place in his opponent’s hometown, this is something he earned.

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com