Iman Lee moves to Phase 2 of the WBC Grand Prix Tourney with Impressive Win

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Unbeaten featherweight prospect Iman Lee (13-0, 8 KOs) won his first fight of the WBC Grand Prix of Boxing tournament on Thursday, impressively outboxing Argentina’s Juan Manuel Albornoz (4-1) over 6 rounds. Scores were 58-56 (2x) and 57-57.

The bout took place at the BLVD City Global Theater in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where 32 featherweights competed in phase 1 of the tournament live on DAZN.

The tourney, a brainchild of the late Jose Sulaiman, kicked off on Thursday with the featherweight division and continues through the weekend with super lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight brackets. The winners in each division will earn the Flame of Hope trophy and significantly raise their profile.

The tournament featured innovative changes, including open scoring after rounds 2 and 4, instant replay, and a new way of scoring that eliminated the possibility of a draw.

While Lee dominated the bout with sharp jabs and tight defense, many were surprised to hear that the judges seemed to favor the more aggressive but less effective Argentine after 2 rounds.

“Honestly, I wasn’t too focused on the open scorecards,” said Lee immediately after the bout. “I primarily focused on improving each round, one at a time until the fight was over.”

Indeed, the 25-year-old Yonkers, NY native and his corner kept cool throughout the contest, despite having a last-minute opponent named when original foe Eduardo Santiago encountered difficulties getting to Riyadh.

“I didn’t really pay too much attention to the opponent change,” said Lee. “I knew at the end of the day we still had to take care of business regardless of who’s in front of us, and that’s why we trained for any style.”

However, the 4-0 Albornoz, who fought his last 2 bouts in South Africa after beginning his career in Argentina, did surprise Lee with his pressure.

“I was a bit surprised because from film and from what we were told, he supposedly tends to move around the ring more,” admitted Lee. “But we made the necessary adjustments and got the win.”

Having won the first round of the tournament, Team Lee now has several weeks to prepare for the next phase, a showdown with Mexico’s Angel Sauceda Hinojosa in June. The 22-year-old Hinojosa improved to 12-0 (5) in phase 1 with a unanimous decision win over Maikel Ordosgoitti of Venezuela.

“I know my potential is way higher than what I showed tonight, so I’m going back to drawing board to put on a great performance in June,” stated Lee. “Overall, it was a great experience, and I’ll feel a lot better come June now that I got my feet wet.”

For more information on CES Boxing events, visit cesfights.com.

INFORMATION

About CES Boxing

CES Boxing is one of the top promotions on the East Coast. Founded in 1992 by Jimmy Burchfield Sr., CES Boxing has promoted many world class fighters, including Jamaine Ortiz, Juiseppe Cusumano, Hank Lundy, Vinny Paz, Peter Manfredo, Mariusz Wach, Jason Estrada, Matt Godfrey, Chad Dawson and Ray Oliveira. CES Boxing has promoted such super fights as “The Thriller on Triller: Tyson v Jones Jr.”, “Mayweather vs. Gotti III” and “The Contender: Manfredo v Pemberton”.

Unbeaten Featherweight Prospect Iman Lee Selected to participate in WBC Grand Prix Tournament in Riyadh

YONKERS, NY – Undefeated CES Boxing prospect Iman Lee (12-0, 8 KOs) has been officially selected to compete in the WBC Grand Prix, a groundbreaking single-elimination tournament set to begin this week at the BLVD City Global Theater in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and televised live worldwide on DAZN.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Iman,” said CES Boxing Founder Jimmy Burchfield, Sr. “This young man has the talent, the character and the skills to go all the way in this tournament. The sky’s the limit if he can bring home the trophy.”

The 25-year-old boxer from Yonkers, NY is among just 32 featherweights, mostly under 26, chosen to compete in the global boxing showcase.

“We knew just before my last fight, so I had about 2 to 3 months’ notice,” said an ecstatic Lee, who stopped Bernardo Uribe in 4 rounds on February 22. “I don’t know who we’re fighting yet. I believe we’ll find out when we get there, so we’re just preparing for any style.”

The world cup style tournament features 128 boxers from 41 countries competing across 4 divisions: heavyweight, middleweight, super lightweight and featherweight. It’s a massive opportunity for a young fighter to instantly make a mark in the sport.

“To be chosen as one of the 32 fighters in my division out of the entire world is an honor,” states Lee from his training camp at Champs Gym in New Rochelle, NY. “But I’m not just here to participate. I’m coming to win.”

The tournament will unfold in 4 segments throughout the year, with the first phase taking place this week from April 17-20. 64 6-round fights will take place over 4 days, with the winners moving on to fight again in June, August and October, culminating in a Grand Finale in December.

“We are bringing to life a tournament that will revolutionize the sport and unearth incredible new talent,” said WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, who added that the rules include open scoring and instant replay to ensure transparency and fairness. “This is the first ever event in which the young talents are going to have the opportunity to come out from unknown parts of the world to shine through the Grand Prix.”

New York, which used to be a hotbed of boxing, is having a resurgence with Teofimo Lopez and Richardson Hitchens claiming belts in the jr. welterweight division, Bruce ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington inching up the featherweight rankings and Edgar Berlanga establishing himself as a contender at Super Middleweight. While those New Yorkers have been in the spotlight for a few years, the Grand Prix figures to be the perfect conduit for Iman Lee to crash onto the world stage.

“Definitely,” says Lee when asked whether he would be ready to face the division’s best after the tourney. “If all goes well, we’re ready to compete for a world title.”

With 6-rounds to make a statement and no margin for error, every bout in Riyadh could be career defining. For Iman Lee, the path to championship greatness begins on April 17.

For more information on CES Boxing events, visit cesfights.com.

INFORMATION
About CES Boxing

CES Boxing signs 9-0 prospect Iman LeeNew Yorker makes his CES Boxing debut on May 11

YONKERS, NY – CES Boxing is proud to announce a multi-fight promotional agreement with amateur sensation and blue-chip prospect Iman Lee.

Lee, a 24-year-old Super Featherweight fighting out of Yonkers, New York, is 9-0 with 6 knockouts.

“I am thrilled to welcome Iman to the CES Boxing family,” said CES founder Jimmy Burchfield, Sr. of his latest signing. “Iman is an exceptional talent with the size, skills and pedigree to become a champion in several weight classes.”

Promoter Jimmy Burchfield wasted no time in securing a fight date for Lee, as the young fighter will be in action this Saturday, May 11 at Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino against hard-nosed veteran Luis Porozo (17-9, 6 KOs).

Tickets for ‘The Brawl at Bally’s’, a 7-bout card featuring the next generation of CES Boxing stars are quickly selling out. Purchase yours now at CESFights.com. Fans who can’t make it to Bally’s can catch the action on Swerve Combat TV on a tape delay basis.

“It feels great to sign with CES Boxing,” said Lee from his training camp in Yonkers, NY. “We were in talks with many different promoters for a while now, and I’m looking forward to showing what I can do and being as busy as possible with CES.”

Activity will not be a problem for Lee, as he is also penciled in to fight on June 15 at Mohegan Sun Arena if all goes well on Saturday. But first, the charismatic boxer must get past Porozo, a veteran fighter from Ecuador who has shared the ring with a plethora of top prospects, including Bruce Carrington, Raymond Muratalla and Henry Lebron.

“I know he fought Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington, who I fought in the amateurs,” says Lee about his opponent. “My dad sent me clips of a few people that he fought, and I watched those. He fought a few top guys in my division.”

Porozo leveraged his experience to go the distance with Lebron and was able to last 8 rounds with Carrington before succumbing to ‘Shu Shu’ in the last minute of their fight. While Porozo should serve as a good gauge of how Lee stacks up against those prospects, the Ecuadorian has 3 times as many fights as Iman.

“I don’t think there is that much of a difference in experience,” says an undaunted Lee. “Especially being that I’ve sparred with a lot of these guys and fought some of them in the amateurs. I don’t think experience will be too much of a factor.”

Indeed, Lee has had an extensive amateur career that included over 70 fights against many of the best amateurs in the country, including Carrington. The New Yorker has also worked alongside many of the best prospects and contenders in the New York area, including Richardson Hitchens, Chris Colbert, Reshat Mati, and Jahi Tucker.

In fact, boxing has been deeply embedded in the Lee family for generations. Iman’s grandfather was a fighter, as was his father. His younger brother Emanuel was 1-0 as a pro before deciding to enlist in the Air Force.

“I’ve always been around boxing from a young age, but I didn’t start training and competing until around 13,” says Lee. “It’s a family thing, but I didn’t watch too much boxing growing up. I only watched certain fighters that kind of matched my style or fighters who I looked up to, like Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward.”

Lee fought in the amateur circuit for close to 9 years before deciding to turn pro in 2021. Trained by his father, Joshua, Lee fought 9 times in 3 years and has quickly established himself as a prospect to watch.

“I would describe my style as adaptable,” says Lee, who recently added coach David McDonough of Champs Gym in Danbury, CT to the team. “I can box when I need to, but I can also fight when I need to. I think I’m a very smart and crafty fighter.”

At 5’10, Lee has a lot of room to grow. He began his amateur career at 119 lbs, but eventually settled in at super featherweight. Iman eventually sees himself moving up as high as junior welterweight. In fact, Lee believes that it will be his physical dimensions that will cause Porozo lots of trouble on Saturday.

“The key difference between us is that I’m pretty big for this weight class,” agrees Lee. “I think my size, my range and my reach will be a lot for him to handle on Saturday.”

Saturday night marks the beginning of a new chapter in Lee’s career as a CES fighter. With a promotional team behind him, Lee believes that it will culminate in several world titles.

“We’re taking it one step at a time, but the goal is to become world champion, then undisputed, and then maybe multiple weight classes,” says the ambitious Lee. “It starts on Saturday night. I’m coming to put on a show. Stay tuned and watch what we bring.”

Don’t miss “The Brawl at Bally’s” this Saturday featuring Wilson “I’ll Will” Mascarenhas against Patrick “The Mallet” Okine for the WBC US Silver Super Lightweight title and a battle of undefeated prospects as Gary “Batman” Balletto III collides with Laurent Humes for the NABF Jr. Light Heavyweight Championship. Plus, “King” Kevin Walsh continues his assault on the lightweight division and top prospect Iman Lee makes his CES Boxing debut. The action takes place at Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino. Purchase your tickets now at CESFights.com.

For more information, follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESBOXING.
INFORMATIONCES Boxing is one of the top promotions on the East Coast. Founded in 1992 by Jimmy Burchfield Sr., CES Boxing has promoted many world class fighters, including Jamaine Ortiz, Juiseppe Cusumano, Hank Lundy, Vinny Paz, Peter Manfredo, Mariusz Wach, Jason Estrada, Matt Godfrey, Chad Dawson and Ray Oliveira. CES Boxing has promoted such super fights as “The Thriller on Triller: Tyson v Jones Jr.”, “Mayweather vs. Gotti III” and “The Contender: Manfredo v Pemberton”.