PHILADELPHIA (November 4, 2021)—South Philadelphia’s own favorite heavyweight Sonny Conto (7-0, 6KOs) will put his impressive undefeated streak on the line and make history when he enters the boxing ring at the new Live! Casino & Hotel in Philadelphia on Thursday, November 18 at 7 p.m. Conto will face Joel Caudle (8-5-2, 5KOs) of Raleigh, NC in a six-round heavyweight fight.

Tickets at $50, $75 and $125 on sale now and are available for purchase at https://philadelphia.livecasinohotel.com/, https://www.axs.com/ or by calling 215-364-9000. Must be 21 or older to attend.

“I love that I am fighting in my own back yard. This is a beautiful thing because all of my family and friends and home town supporters can attend,” said Conto.

Although Caudle, 31, has lost his last four fights, his opponents’ combined records were 42-0. Needless to say, he does not back down from a tough test, fighting guys like Joe Hanks (21-2), George Arias (15-0), and only being stopped by Cassius Chaney (15-0). It is clear that Caudle comes prepared to test the man in front of him.

In this instance, the 25 year old, Conto who has knocked out six of his previous seven opponents is ready for his next test.

Super lightweights Gerardo Martinez (5-1, 1 K0) of Coatesville, PA and Christopher Burgos (2-4-1) of Philadelphia, PA will battle six rounds, reigniting their rivalry from 2017. Martinez previously won a split decision over Burgos in a tough fought four-rounder.

Pro debut, light heavyweight Tunde Fatiregun of New Brunswick, NJ, will go toe-to-toe with pro debut Tariq Green of Philadelphia, PA in a four-round bout.

Highlighted on the card will be an all-Philadelphia welterweight six-round fight between Daiyaan Butt (8-1, 4K0s) and Seifullah Wise (4-7, 1K0).

There will feature a five round light heavyweight fight between Kendall Cannida (3-1, 1K0) of Philadelphia, PA against Khainell Wheeler (5-1, 5 K0s) of Bethlehem, PA.

Middleweight Bilal Quintyne of Marietta, GA who has a record of 1-0, 1K0 will face Maurice Burke of Philadelphia, PA , who is also 1-0 in a four-round bout.

Rounding out the card will be junior welterweight Jan Carlos Rivera (4-1, 4 K0s) against an opponent to be announced.

For press credentials, contact Bam McCloskey at Brittany@JoeHandPromotions.com.

ABOUT NOVEMBER 18
The main event and full November 18 fight card are to be announced. The card will consist of a minimum of seven fights with the first one beginning at 7:00 p.m. Doors to open at 6:30 p.m. The card is promoted by Joe Hand Promotions. Tickets are priced at $50, $75 and $125. Visit https://philadelphia.livecasinohotel.com/ or AXS.com for on sale dates.
Must be 21 or older to attend.

About Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia
Voted Best Overall Gaming Resort in Pennsylvania by Casino Player Magazine, Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia has transformed the South Philadelphia Stadium District into a nationally unrivaled one-stop destination to enjoy the fast-paced action of four major professional sports teams, memorable entertainment, premier dining, well-appointed hotel accommodations and world-class gaming. Conveniently located off I-95 and I-76, the facility features more than 200 luxury hotel rooms that are Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED™ with Forbes Travel Guide, a FanDuel® Sportsbook and Lounge, over 2,100 slots and electronic table games, and 150 live action table games, including a dedicated poker room. New dining and entertainment options include the Zagat-rated #1 steakhouse The Prime Rib®; Luk Fu, serving authentic Asian cuisine; Sports & Social Philly, a one-of-a-kind sports restaurant, gaming venue and social lounge; the 10th Street Market, a unique food hall featuring Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint and Guy’s Burger Joint; Philadelphia-favorites Lorenzo and Sons Pizza, Termini Bros. Bakery and Sang Kee Noodle Bar & Kitchen; Morty’s Deli and Luckie’s Liquor. A spirited nightlife scene at Center Bar and R Bar rounds out the Live! experience. The property offers more than 15,000-square-feet of customizable meeting and event space, as well as ample, secure parking. Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia was developed and remains owned and managed by Stadium Casino RE, LLC, an affiliate of The Cordish Companies,?the premier developer of Live!?dining, entertainment, gaming, hotel and sports-anchored destinations in the country. For reservations, call 1-833-472-5483 or visit?Philadelphia.LiveCasinoHotel.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – @livecasinophl

PHILADELPHIA (October 7, 2021)—South Philadelphia heavyweight fighter Sonny Conto (7-0, 6KOs) will put his impressive undefeated streak on the line and make history when he enters the boxing ring at the new Live! Casino & Hotel in Philadelphia, a mere couple miles from his home, on Thursday, November 18 at 7 p.m. It will be the first live boxing event at the newly-opened 1,000 plus seat Live! Event Center. Conto will face Ed Fountain (12-8, 5 K0s) of St. Louis, MO in a six round heavyweight fight.

Tickets at $50, $75 and $125 on sale now and are available for purchase at https://philadelphia.livecasinohotel.com/, https://www.axs.com/ or by calling 215-364-9000. Must be 21 or older to attend.

Super lightweights Gerardo Martinez (5-1, 1 K0) of Coatesville, PA and Christopher Burgos (2-4-1) of Philadelphia, PA will battle six rounds reigniting their rivalry from 2017. Martinez previously won a split decision over Burgos in a tough fought four rounder.

Former World Super Middleweight Champion Charles “The Hatchet” Brewer Sr.’s son, light heavyweight Charles Brewer Jr (1-0, 1K0), of Pennsauken, NJ will make his return to the ring to face pro debut Tariq Green of Philadelphia, PA in a four-round bout.

Also highlighted on the card will be Philadelphia welterweight Daiyaan Butt (8-1, 4K0s) in a six-round bout against an opponent to be announced.

There will feature a five round light heavyweight fight between Kendall Cannida (3-1, 1K0) of Philadelphia, PA against Khainell Wheeler (5-1, 5 K0s) of Bethlehem, PA.

PHILADELPHIA (September 23, 2021) — Joe Hand Promotions and Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia today announced that professional boxing will debut at the new Live! Event Center on Thursday, November 18, 2021.

The event will feature exciting matchups with Super Lightweight SHINARD BUNCH (16-1-1, 14K0s) and South Philly’s own, Heavyweight SONNY CONTO (7-0, 6K0s) headlining the card in separate bouts.

Promoter Joe Hand, Sr. is working with advisor International Boxing Hall of Famer J Russell Peltz to ensure entertaining fights and competitive matchups. With their combined experience of over 100 years, they know that the secret to the ultimate boxing experience is to put Philadelphia fighters in front of a local crowd. Zac Pomilio will be matching the full card to be announced.

“In my 50 years in the boxing business, I have had the opportunity to put together many shows in South Philly and have always enjoyed them the most. Having the opportunity to work with a high-quality partner like Live! Casino is a very exciting time for us here at Joe Hand Promotions,” said Joe Hand, Sr.

“Boxing has always been a premier sport with a proud legacy in the Philadelphia region, so we are excited to partner with Joe Hand, Sr. and the team at Joe Hands Promotions to usher in a new chapter of Philadelphia boxing,” said Joe Billhimer, Executive Vice President of Cordish Gaming Group and Live! Casinos. “We look forward to welcoming boxing fans to Live! Philadelphia for many years to come.”

ABOUT NOVEMBER 18
The main event and full November 18 fight card are to be announced. The card will consist of a minimum of seven fights with the first one beginning at 7:00 p.m. Doors to open at 6:30 p.m. The card is promoted by Joe Hand Promotions.

Tickets are priced at $50, $75 and $125. Visit LiveCasinoHotel.com or AXS.com for on sale dates.

Must be 21 or older to attend.

NEW YORK (April 11, 2021)-Sonny Conto remained perfect as he dismantled Waldo Cortes inside of one-round of their scheduled four-round heavyweight bout at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In the opening frame, Conto landed a booming right hand that was preceded by a jab that sent Cortes plummeting down to the canvas, and the fight was stopped 101 seconds into the bout.

Conto, who was making his first start in 15 months, looked very sharp in his brief appearance. Conto of Philadelphia, raised his record to 7-0 with six knockouts. Cortes of Phoenix, Arizona is 6-4.

Conto is managed by Split-T Management, and is promoted by Top Rank

(Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)

Joe Smith Jr. pounded out a hard fought 12-round majority decision over Maxim Vlasov to win the WBO Light Heavyweight title at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma

In round one, Smith was cut over his right eye from a punch of Valsov. The two fought hard, taking turns winning rounds. Everytime one of the fighters would gain advantage, the adversary would come back and seize control of the action. Smith landed several hard shots and seemed to have Vlasov in trouble. Vlasov was crafty throughout.

Smith landed 226 of 888 punches; Vlasov was 214 of 863.

Both guys were marked up facially, but in the end, it was Smith who by scores of 115-113, 115-112 and 114-114.

Smith, 174 lbs of Long Island, NY is 27-3. Vlasov, 175 lbs of Russia is 45-4.

Smith said, “It’s a great feeling. It was definitely a close, tough fight. I give it to Vlasov. Great fighter. He really put on a great show tonight and toughed it out. I believe that round where I hurt him there… I believe he had his head down, and I should’ve got the knockout. I think I would’ve got the stoppage in {the 11th} round, but he pulled it off and made it out on his feet. I believe I got the victory tonight because they saw I landed the harder shots. He landed a lot of punches. It was a great fight.

“I want the other belts. I want the big fights out there. Now I gotta get back in the gym and keep working on my technique and stuff. I believe I’m going to start unifying belts.”

Vlasov disagrees with Smith’s assessment of the fight and believes the world title should be going home to Russia.

“This was a very hard-fought, competitive fight,” Vlasov said. “I thought I was winning rounds and was well ahead. Against the aggressive style of Joe Smith, I came forward the entire fight. I felt confident I was winning and was securing rounds in the bank with the judges. I never felt that I was behind at any stage of the fight. This was my opportunity to show the world I was a world champion, and I did that, and Joe Smith knows I did that.” 

Ajagba Destroys Howard in 3

Efe Ajagba viciously stopped Brian Howard in round three of their scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

In round three, Ajagba landed a huge right hand that twisted Howard completely around as he fell hard the canvas with his legs wrapped up underneath him.

Ajagba, 236 lbs of Nigeria is 15-0 with 12 knockouts. Howard, 218 lbs of Lake Wells, FL is 15-5.

Ajagba said, “I felt good. I tried to pick the punches, use the jab. This guy is very slick sometimes. I tried to do the job. He was shaky, so when I went back to the corner after the first round, my coach told me to take my time, start with the body, leave the head.
 
“I trained for this fight, took my time, started with my boxing foundation, and came back strong. This camp was the best one for me, the best camp ever in my boxing career.
 
 “It’s my time to shine, so I’m coming for the heavyweights.”

Jared Anderson remained perfect by stopping Jeremiah Karpency in round two of a scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Anderson landed a perfect right to the body that sent Karpency down to the canvas. In round two, it was another right to the body that sent Karpency to a knee for the 10-count at 34 seconds.

Anderson, 253.8 ls of Toledo, OH is 9-0 with nine knockouts. Karpency, 226.6 lbs of Adah, PA is 16-3-1.

Anderson said,  “I knew he was going to find a spot to fall. I respect him for getting in there and showing up today. It’s a man’s sport. I’m just grateful to be here, thankful for the opportunity.

“I {saw} the shot. His hands kept going up. I kept throwing my jab, looking for openings, feinting, moving around the ring, and it just came. It was a good shot, and he didn’t want to get back up.

“Everybody who says they’re the biggest and the baddest, come see ‘Big ‘Baby’ then.

“I want to thank Toledo, my city. A lot of them came out to Oklahoma, and I wanted to put on a show for them. I can’t wait for what is next.

Albert Bell remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Manuel Rey Rojas in a junior lightweight bout.

In round two, Rojas was cut on the outside of his right eye. In round two, a headbutt opened up a cut on the left side of his head.

Bell landed 114 of 392 punches; Rojas was 94 of 383.

Bell, 132.2 lbs of Toledo, OH won by scores of 78-74 on all cards and is now 18-0. Rojas, 132 lbs of Dallas, TX is 20-5.

Robson Conceicao stopped Jesus Antonio Ahumada in round seven of a scheduled eight-round junior lightweight bout.

In round five, Ahumada started to bleed and have a lot of swelling on his face. In round seven, Conceicao landed a hard left that put Ahumada down. Ahumada got to his feet, but the fight was stopped at 1:20.

Conceicao, 128.4 lbs of Bahia, BRA is now 16-0 with eight knockouts. Ahumada, 129 lbs of Mexico is 17-4.

Trey Lippe Morrison stopped Jason Bergman in round three of a scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout, when Bergman could not continue due to a leg injury.

Bergman seemed to have scored a knockdown in round one when he landed a left hand that put Morrison on the deck, but it was ruled no-knockdown.

In round three, Bergman seemed to have twisted his ankle and fell to the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 1:27.

Morrison, 225.8 lbs of Tulsa is now 17-0 with 17 knockouts. Bergamn, 256 lbs of Adah, PA is now 27-20-2.

Duke Ragan won a six-round unanimous decision over Charles Clark in a featherweight bout.

Ragan, 125.8 lbs of Cincinnati, OH won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 4-0. Clark, 126.6 lbs of Dallas, TX is 3-7-1.

Jeremiah Milton stopped Jayvone Dafney in the 1st round of their four-round heavyweight bout.

Milton landed a booming right that made Dafney prone on the top rope and the fight was stopped at 1:19.

Milton, 231.8 lbs of Tulsa, OK is 3-0 with three knockouts. Dafney, 226 lbs of McComb, MS is 2-3.

Sonny Conto Knocked out Waldo Cortes in the opening round of their scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

Conto landed a booming right hand that sent Cortes plummeting to the canvas, and the fight was stopped at 1:41.

Conto, 230.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 7-0 with six knockouts. Cortes, 262 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 6-4.

NEW YORK (April 9, 2021)-Tomorrow night at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, undefeated heavyweight prospect Sonny Conto returns to the ring when he takes on Waldo Cortes in a scheduled four-round bout.

Conto is managed by Split-T Management and is promoted by Top Rank.

The fight will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 5:30 PM ET.

Conto of Philadelphia, has a record of 6-0 with five knockouts, and is making his 1st ring appearance since stopping Curtis Head in one round on January 11, 2020 in Atlantic City.

Cortes, of Arizona is 6-3 with three knockouts, who himself is coming off a 1st round stoppage of Daviante Jones on October 29th. He also holds a win over then-undefeated Kingsley Ibeh.

At Friday’s weigh-in Conto weighed in at 230.4 lbs. Cortes was 262.

Photo By Mikey Williams (Top Rank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK (February 20, 2021) – Four fighters under the Split-T Management banner will see action on two different shoes

In Las Vegas, undefeated Heavyweight Sonny Conto returns to take on Waldo Cortes in a four-round bout; undefeated middleweight Javier Martinez takes on Billy Wagner in a four-round bout; Omar Rosario battles Uriel Villanueva in a junior welterweight tussle. Those bouts will be contested at at the MGM Grand Conference Center, AKA “The Bubble”, and streamed live on ESPN+ at 6:30 PM RT.

Welterweight contender Ivan Golub takes on Luis Eduardo Florez in a bout scheduled for eight-rounds at the Carible Royale.in Orlando, Florida.

Conto of Philadelphia has a record of 6-0 with five knockouts.

Photo Credit: Mikey Williams /Top Rank via Getty Images

The 25 year-old Conto is coming off a 1st round stoppage over Curtis Head on January 11, 2020 in Atlantic City.

Cortes of Arizona is 6-3 with three knockouts, and sports a win over Kingsley Ibeh. Cortes is coming off a 1st round stoppage over Daviante Jones on October 29th.

Conto weighed 221.5 lbs at Friday’s weigh-in. Cortes was 255.5 lbs.

Martinez of Milwaukee is 2-0.

The 25 year-old Martinez is coming off a unanimous decision over Rance Ward on August 29th.

Martinez was the 2020 Olympic Trial Champion at middleweight. He was also a five-time National Champion, and the number-one ranked fighter at 165 pounds in the USA Boxing Rankings, Martinez’s selection as an Olympic alternate despite his victory at the trials and various international experience caused shock-waves through the amateur system.

Photo Credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images

Wagner of Great Falls, Montana, has a record of 3-1 with one knockout.

He has a win over Andrew Whitfield, and is won his last two fights, including his last bout when defeated 16-fight veteran Sean Gee on January 25, 2020.

Martinez weighed 161 lbs; Wagner weighed 160 lbs.

Rosario of Caguas, Puerto Rico, has a record of 2-0.

The 23 year-old Rosario is coming off a unanimous decision win over Matt Gaver on October 2nd in Kissimmee, Florida.

Photo Credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images

guidance of Tim VanNewhouse.

Conto, Martinez and Rosario are promoted by Top Rank.

Golub of Brooklyn, New York is on the cusp of a major opportunity, as he sports an impressive mark of 18-1 with 14 knockouts.

The 32 year-old Golub is a seven-year professional.

He has racked up a slew of an impressive wins over Kirk Huff (3-0), Tyson Harrison (2-0), Kendal Mena (20-2), Juan Rodriguez Jr. (12-3), Marlon Aguas (9-0) and James Stevenson (23-2). Golub has won five straight contests, with the latest being a 10th round stoppage over Janer Gonzalez (19-2-1) on November 15, 2019 to make the 2nd defense of his WBC USNBC Welterweight title.

Florez of Colombia is 25-17 with 21 knockouts.

The 33 year-old is a 10 year-veteran, and has a 1st round knockout over current WBC Super Featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt (21-0 at the time).

Florez has shared the ring with world champions Jamel Herring and Regis Prograis.

Golub weighed in a 149.6 lbs. Florez was 150.4 lbs.

Golub is promoted by DiBella Entertainment.

Bethlehem, PA (February 20, 2020)-A terrific main has been signed that will feature undefeated Martino Jules and three-time Olympian Anvar Yunusov in an eight-round bout for the NABA U.S. Featherweight title that will top a big night of action on Saturday, March 14th at The Wind Creek Bethlehem Event Center.

The card is promoted by King’s Promotions.

Jules of nearby Allentown, PA has a record of 9-0 with two knockouts and has become a local fan-favorite.

Jules, 22 has wins over undefeated fighters Malik Loften and Felix Sosa, and is coming off a 1st round stoppage over 40-fight veteran, Pablo Capul on February 8th in Allentown, Pa.

Yunusov of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, represented his country in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Since turning professional, the 33 year-old Yunusov has compiled a record of 8-1 with four knockouts.

Yunusov captures the USBF Silver Junior Lightweight title with an eight-round unanimous decision over Carlos Colon (5-1). Yunusov is coming off his 1st professional blemish, which was a controversial 11-round split decision defeat to undefeated Hector Luis Garcia on July 27th in Garcia’s home of the Dominican Republic.

In six-round bouts:

Another local favorite in Jonathan Rodriguez (8-0, 3 KOs) of Bethlehem, Pa takes on an opponent to be named.

Undefeated heavyweight sensation, Sonny Conto (6-0, 5 KOs) of Philadelphia fights Guillermo Del Rio (2-3-1, 2 KOs) of Mexico.

Poindexter Knight Jr. (6-0, 3 KOs) of Philadelphia fights Terrance Williams (5-4-1, 1 KO) of Harrisburg, Pa in a junior middleweight contest.

James Bernadin (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of Lancaster, Pa, squares off with Osvaldo Morales (4-0, 2 KOs) of Harrisburg, Pa in a battle of undefeated junior lightweights.

Khainell Wheeler (4-0, 4 KOs) of Bethlehem, Pa. fights Vincent Baccus (4-2, 3 KOs) of Okmulgee, OK in a super middleweight affair.

Christian Bermudez (1-0) of Brooklyn fights Nicholas Baez (0-1) of Pearl River, NY in a lightweight contest.

Kashin Hutchinson (7-5, 1 KO) of Reading, Pa. fights Roy McGill (6-4, 3 KOs) of Harrisburg in a welteweight fight.

In four-round fights:

Jahdon Ervin of Pottsville, PA makes his pro debut against Roudley Lolo of Harisburg in a middleweight contest.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by King’s Promotions, are priced at $35,$50, $70 and $100, not including applicable service charges and taxes and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

NEW YORK (January 15, 2020) – , Split-T Management’s emerging heavyweight t prospect, Sonny Conto remained perfect with a 1st round stoppage over Curtis Head at the Etess Arena inside the Hard Rock Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.

The bout, which took place on Saturday night, served as the Atlantic City debut for Conto saw the Philadelphia native wisely target the ample body of Head, as he scored two knockdowns from body shots. The 2nd knocked down forced Head to take the 10-count at 2:08.

Conto of Philadelphia raised his mark to 6-0 with five knockouts. Conto has kept a busy schedule as he has been able to have hand raised those six times in an 11-month period.

Conto is promoted by Top Rank.

NEW YORK (January 11, 2020) – Tonight, Split-T Management’s undefeated heavyweight prospect Sonny Conto will look to remain perfect when he takes on Curtis Head in a four round bout at the Etess Arena in the Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Atlantic City.

Conto will look to start his 2nd professional year and carry the momentum of excellent rookie campaign that saw Conto go 5-0 with four big knockouts.

The 23 year-old native of Philadelphia will be making his debut in the famed boardwalk fight town, as he fought four-times in his hometown and once in Las Vegas.

Conto is coming off a 1st round stoppage over Steve Lyons on October 18th in Philadelphia.

Head of Inkster, Michigan, has a record of 5-4 with three knockouts.

Head has a victory over previously undefeated Armonte Summers and is coming off a decision loss to undefeated Hasim Rahman Jr. (7-0) on June 22nd.

Conto weighed 218 lbs. at Friday’s weigh-in. Head checked in at 271.6.

The fight will be streamed live on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 PM ET.

Conto is promoted by Top Rank.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Dec. 5, 2019)– Rob “Bravo” Brant’s quest to regain a world title will begin on the Boardwalk. Brant, a former middleweight world champion, will make his ring return against former super middleweight world title challenger Habib “Wild Hurricane” Ahmed Saturday, Jan 11 as the co-feature to the Jesse Hart-Joe Smith Jr. main event at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena (ESPN & streaming on the ESPN App (Spanish), 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

Brant is fighting for the first time losing his belt via second-round stoppage to Ryota Murata, the man he upset to win the WBA middleweight title in October 2018. Following the Murata defeat, Brant enlisted the services of trainer/manager Brian “BoMac” McIntyre and has been training alongside pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford, WBO junior lightweight world champion Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring and former junior welterweight world champion Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker.

“I am excited to be back fighting under the Top Rank banner with a new team,” Brant said. “Training in Colorado Springs has shown me what it’s like to work with a coaching staff that have mastered their craft. I am expecting a tough fight with Ahmed, as he has proven to be a dangerous Ghanaian fighter. I’m confident my team will train me to showcase my talent. There hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I haven’t thought about regaining my title. None of that happens until I conquer the task at hand. I will reign again as a world champion.”

“This is a great opportunity to prove I am a middleweight to watch,” Ahmed said. “Super middleweight was not my natural weight, and I feel fresher and more powerful since moving down in weight. Rob Brant and his team made the wrong choice for a comeback opponent. I am coming to shock the boxing world and earn another world title shot.”

Brant (25-2, 17 KOs), from St. Paul, Minn., authored one of the biggest upsets of 2018 when he bested Murata over 12 scintillating rounds in Las Vegas. He threw 1,262 punches that evening and followed up his title-winning effort with a dominant 11^th-round TKO over Khasan Baysangurov in Hinckley, Minn. In July, he traveled to Osaka, Japan, and Murata flipped the script, engaging in a toe-to-toe battle that lasted 5 minutes, 34 seconds. Murata landed 64 power punches in the second round before referee Luis Pabon stopped the bout.

Ahmed (27-1-1, 18 KOs), from Accra, Ghana, is best known for his February 2018 title challenge against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, which ended via sixth-round TKO defeat. He moved down to middleweight in May, notching a shutout eight-round decision over Juan De Angel in Biloxi, Miss. Ahmed has been training in Miami recently and has sparred with the likes of former world champion Andre Dirrell.

The ESPN+ undercard stream, which begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, will include the following bouts:

• The fighting Adorno brothers will once again appear on the same undercard. Older brother Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno (14-0, 12 KOs) will face Hector Garcia (14-7-3, 8 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout, while 18-year-old Jeremy “Magic Hands” Adorno (3-0, 1 KO) will battle Artrimus Sartor (4-3, 1 KO) in a four-rounder at super bantamweight.
   
• South Jersey native Chris “Sandman” Thomas (13-1-1, 8 KOs) will fight for the sixth time as a pro in Atlantic City versus Samir Barbosa (37-16-3, 26 KOs) in a six-rounder at super middleweight.
   
• Shinard Bunch (4-1, 4 KOs), the fighting pride of Trenton, N.J., will take on Dennis Okoth (4-2-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round welterweight tilt. Bunch’s only defeat came via close decision in August to unbeaten prospect Paul Kroll.
   
• Heavyweight prospect Sonny “The Bronco” Conto (5-0, 4 KOs), who hails from South Philadelphia, will make his Atlantic City debut in a four-rounder against an opponent to be named.
   
• Xander Zayas (2-0, 2 KOs), the 17-year-old welterweight fresh off a first-round TKO Nov. 30 in Las Vegas, will see action in a four-rounder against Antonio Duarte (2-2, 0 KOs). Zayas, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, won 11 national amateur titles before signing a pro contract with Top Rank at the age of 16. 

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Star Boxing, tickets priced at $100, $60, $40 and $25 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com and www.hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com.  

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Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, thousands of college sports events (including football and basketball) from more than a dozen sports at 20 conferences, hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, Bundesliga – beginning in 2020, EFL Championship and Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, exclusive ESPN+ Original series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.

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NEW YORK (October 21, 2019)–Split-T Management’s Sonny Conto remained undefeated with a stoppage after the 1st round over Steve Lyons in a bout that took place this past Friday night at The Liacouras Center in Conto’s hometown of Philadelphia.

Conto dominated the action against the 11-fight veteran as he used his jab and right hand effectively to the point that Lyons did not want anymore punishment from the 23 year-old Conto.

With the win, the South Philadelphia native upped his perfect mark to 5-0 with four knockouts. Lyons of Larose, Louisiana was the most experienced foe of Conto’s young career is now 5-6.

Conto is promoted by Top Rank

PHILADELPHIA-– Artur Beterbiev not only kept his perfect knockout streak in-tact, but he unified two light heavyweight titles with an emphatic 10th round stoppage over Oleksandr Gvozdyk to retain his IBF and win the WBC crowns.

It was a close fight with each guy taking turns winning round’s. Gvozdyk was trying to box from the outside where Beterbiev was looking for power shits throughout the fight.

Towards the end of round one, Beterbiev threw Gvozdyk to the canvas. It was initally ruled a knockdown, but state commissioner Greg Sirb ruled a push. Both showed why this fight was viewed as a pick-em fight on paper as the fight was fought at an extreme high-level of class.

The fight started going Beterbiev’s way in round nine as he landed hard shots on a tired Gvozdyk. In round ten, Gvozdyk gave in as he was sent to the canvas three times by the still hard punching Beterbiev, and referee Gary Rosato stopped the bout at 2:49.

Beterbiev, 174.5 lbs of Montreal is 15-0 with 15 knockouts. Gvozdyk, 174,3 lbs of Khartov, UKR is 17-1.

“We work in the gym We work hard, and we have some targets,” Beterbiev said. “My first target, second target and other one comes soon.

“It doesn’t matter {who I fight next.} Anyone. I’m focused on title, not on name.”

Kudratillo Abdukakhorov won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world champion Luis Collazo in a welterweight bout.

In round eight, Collazo started to bleed from around the left eye. In round nine, Collazo suffered a nasty cut over his right eye, and the bout was stopped.

When the scores were announced, it was Abdukakhorov won by 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93, and is now 17-0. Collazo, 146.4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 39-8.

“I am the IBF No. 1 contender, and I would like to fight for the title fight next,” Abdukakhorov said. “I wanted to fight Errol Spence Jr., but unfortunately he got in a car accident. I wish him a speedy recovery, and if he’s ready to fight soon, I would like to fight him. If he has to vacate the title, then I will fight whoever they put in front of me.”

Collazo injured his biceps in the fifth round and was unable to throw his left hand much throughout the second half of the fight.

“Hey, it is what it is. This is part of the sport,” Collazo said. “We’ll see what’s next.”

Sonny Conto remained perfect by stopping Steve Lyons after round one of their four round heavyweight bout.

Conto won the 1st round, and Lyons did not come out after the round.

Conto, 214.1bs of Philadelphia is 5-0 with four knockouts. Lyons, 201.9 lbs of Louisiana is 5-6.

Jospeh Adorno scored an explosive 2nd round stoppage over Damian Sosa in a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Adorno decked Sosa with a hard right. Adorno finished the fight a round later when he hammered Sosa to the ground along the ropes and the fight was stopped at 1:39.

Adorno, 136.8 lbs of Allentown, PA is 14-0 with 12 knockouts. Sosa, 134.7 lbs of Argentina is 9-3.

Julian Rodriguez scored a hard one-punch knockout over Leonardo Donorio in the 6th and final scheduled round of their super lightweight fight

Rodriguez leveled Donaorio with a vicious left hook that sent him to the canvas. Donorio got to his feet, but referee Benjy Esteves stopped the bout at 2:29.

Rodriguez, 142.6 lbs of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ is now 18-0 with 12 knockouts. Donorio, 139.4 lbs of Philippines is now 17-17-3.

Jeremy Adorno won a four-round unanimous decision over Misael Reyes in a super bantamweight bout.

In round two, Adorno dropped Reyes with a hard counter left uppercut off the ropes.

Adorno, 121.1 lbs of Allentown, PA won by scores of 40-35 twice and 38-37 to raise his perfect mark to 3-0. Reyes, 121.2 lbs of Kansas City is 1-3.

Josue Vargas won an eight-round unanimous decision over Johnny Rodriguez in a super lightweight bout.

Vragas, 140.2 lbs of Bronx, NY won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 15-1. Rodriguez, 140.5 lbs of Denver is 9-5-1.

Michael Seals needed jut 98 seconds to obliterate Elio Trosch in their scheduled eight-round light heavyweight bout.

Seals landed a powerful right hand that sent Trosch down for the count.

Seals, 174.6 lbs of Atlanta is 24-2 with 18 knockouts. Trosch, 173.2 lbs of Santiago Del Estero, ARG is 14-7-2.

NEW YORK (October 18, 2019)–Undefeated Philadelphia Heavyweight Sonny Conto fights at home for the 4th time in five outings when he takes on Steve Lyons TONIGHT at The Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University.

Conto is managed by Split-T Management and promoted by Top Rank.

The bout will be part of the Oleksandr Gvozdyk – Artur Beterbiev Light Heavyweight Unification fight.

Conto has a record of 4-0 with three knockouts, has been impressive in each of his fights as he continues to show different qualities of his game with each fight.

The 23 year-old with be fighting for the 5th time in eight months. Conto is coming off his 1st distance fight when Guillermo Del Rio on August 10th at the same building that Friday’s fight will take place.

This past Sunday, Conto took part in the annual Columbus Day Parade in South Philadelphia.

Photo By Joe Barbuto

“Everything is good, and camp went great, I love fighting in front of my fan base, the continue to support me. I feel like I am improving with each fight. I am just looking to stay behind my jab, don’t rush anything and stay poised, and the knockout will come. My father instructs me and keeps me calm. We come up with a gameplan, and I execute it it. We always have a plan B if Plan A doesn’t work. I am always ready for whatever happens in there.

Conto weighed in at 214.1 lbs. Lyons was 201.9

PHILADELPHIA (July 31, 2019) — Former super featherweight world champion Jason Sosa won’t have to travel far for his next assignment. The native of Camden, New Jersey, will make the short drive to Philadelphia to face veteran Haskell Lydell Rhodes in a 10-round super featherweight bout Saturday, Aug. 10 at the Liacouras Center.

Sosa-Rhodes will be the co-feature to the Carl Frampton-Emmanuel Dominguez featherweight clash and will stream live on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

The undercard will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

“I was supposed to fight July 19 against Erick De Leon, but he got injured. That doesn’t matter now. I’m ready for Rhodes,” Sosa said. “I couldn’t care less as long as my team prepares me to fight that person I’m scheduled to fight. That’s all I care about.”

“I’m going to show everyone watching on ESPN+ and all the great boxing enthusiasts in Philly that Haskell Lydell Rhodes is a top fighter,” Rhodes said. “Jason Sosa is a former world champion, and that has motivated me to show what I’m made of.

“Yes, this is short notice, but I’m an old-school guy. I’m in the gym every day.”

Sosa (22-3-4, 15 KOs) was the sport’s “Cinderella Man” of 2016, as he knocked out WBA world super featherweight champion Javier Fortuna in the 11th round of an all-action bout. Later that year, he defended the title in Monte Carlo with a unanimous decision over Stephen Smith. Back-to-back defeats to Vasiliy Lomachenko and Yuriorkis Gamboa halted Sosa’s momentum, but he has won two in a row, most recently grinding out a 10-round unanimous decision over Moises Delgadillo on Jan. 18 in Verona, New York. Rhodes (27-3-1, 13 KOs), who is now based in Las Vegas, is an eight-year pro who has never been stopped in 31 professional bouts. An Oklahoma native, Rhodes is 4-1 since an 0-2-1 skid that included competitive decision losses to Sergey Lipinets and Edner Cherry.

The following bouts are scheduled for the undercard stream:

• The long-awaited professional debut of two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez will come against Adan Gonzales (4-2-2, 2 KOs) in a four-round featherweight bout.
• South Philadelphia-born heavyweight puncher Sonny “The Bronco” Conto (3-0, 3 KOs) will take on Guillermo Del Rio (2-2-1, 2 KOs) in a four-rounder. Conto was one of Tyson Fury’s chief sparring partners for Fury’s June 15 bout against Tom Schwarz. Conto stopped Daniel Infante in two rounds on the Fury-Schwarz card in Las Vegas.
• Middleweight sensation Edgar Berlanga (11-0, 11 KOs), who has 11 straight first-round knockouts to begin his career, will face an opponent to be named in an eight-rounder.
• Donald Smith (9-0, 6 KOs), a 5-foot-11 southpaw featherweight from Philadelphia, will look to notch his second victory of the year against Abdur-Raheem Abdullah (3-2, 0 KOs) in a six-rounder.
• Paul “The Punisher” Kroll (4-0, 4 KOs) will look to thrill the hometown fans versus fellow unbeaten Shinard Bunch (2-0, 2 KOs) in a six-round super welterweight bout. Kroll, who turned pro last August, has three first-round knockouts on his ledger.
• Jeremy “Magic Hands” Adorno (1-0, 0 KOs) will fight the upset-minded Fernando Robles (2-1, 0 KOs) in a four-round super bantamweight bout.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Peltz Boxing and Queensberry Promotions, tickets priced at $100, $55 and $35 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased at the Liacouras Center Box Office and www.liacourascenter.com, or by calling Peltz Boxing at 215-765-0922.

Use the hashtags #FramptonDominguez and #SosaRhodes to join the conversation on social media.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

NEW YORK (July 16, 2019)-South Philly’s Sonny Conto, fresh off throwing the first pitch at tonight’s Phillies game, will be featured on Fox 29’s Good Day Philadelphia live tomorrow morning at 7:45 and 8:30 – find out how he made the switch from playing baseball in high school and college to becoming Philadelphia’s real life Rocky!

Hear Sonny talk about how he’s preparing for his August 10th bout under the lights of Temple University’s Liacouras Center.
Tune in at 7:45 on Fox 29 tomorrow morning! 

Conto is managed by Split-T Management and promoted by Top Rank.

NEW YORK (July 16, 2019)–Undefeated Heavyweight Prospect Sonny Conto will return to his roots, and throw at the ceremonial 1st pitch at TONIGHT’S Philadelphia Phillies – Los Angeles Dodgers game at Citizens Bank Park.

The 1st pitch will be part of The Phillies Italian Heritage Celebration.

The 23 year-old Conto of South Philadelphia has a record of 3-0 with three knockouts.

Conto was an acclaimed baseball pitcher, who pitched for Rowan College, in Gloucester County. Conto, helped his team make it to the NJCAA Division III World Series, where his team placed 3rd.

Conto had a minuscule ERA of 0.73 and had two saves.

“This is a blessing, and I am thankful for the opportunity,” said Conto. “I did not expect something like this so early in my career.”

“My goal was always to pitch in the Major Leagues, but then I got into a car accident, and then I turned my focus towards boxing,” said the former relief pitcher.

Conto is managed by Split-T Management and promoted by Top Rank. He will look for win number-four on Saturday August 10th when he takes on Guillermo Del Rio at The Liacouras Center in Philadelphia..

NEW YORK (June 17, 2019) –On Saturday night, Split-T Management’s Sonny Conto made it three consecutive stoppage wins to begin his career as he got rid of Daniel Infante in the 2nd round of their heavyweight bout that took place at The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Once-again, Conto was dominant as he had Infante in trouble from the opening bell. In the opening frame, Conto wobbled Infante to the point to where Infante was administered a standing-eight count. In round two, Conto dropped Infante, and the bout was stopped midway through the referee’s count.

Conto raised his perfect mark to 3-0 with three knockouts.

“Sonny looked terrific on Saturday night,” said Tim VanNewhouse of Split-T Management. “He is progressing very nicely. He is very composed and we expect big things from Sonny in the heavyweight division.”

The 23 year-old Conto was a two-time Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Champion as well as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 National Golden Gloves and a Bronze Medalist in the 2017 National Golden Gloves.

Photos by Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Conto is promoted by Top Rank.

NEW YORK (June 15, 2019) –TONIGHT!!! Split-T Management’s Sonny Conto will look for his 3rd consecutive win (and knockout) when he takes on Daniel Infante on at The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The bout will take place on the Tyson Fury – Tom Schwarz undercard.

Conto has spent the last couple weeks in Las Vegas in the camp of Fury.

Conto (2-0, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia, who turned professional on February 8th with a 1st round stoppage over Jimmie Levins in his hometown of Philadelphia. He followed that up with another 1st round stoppage over Omar Acosta on March 30th in the same 2300 Arena ring.

The 23 year-old Conto was a two-time Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Champion as well as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 National Golden Gloves and a Bronze Medalist in the 2017 National Golden Gloves.

Infante of Youngstown, Ohio has a record of 1-1 and his coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Roney Hines on May 11th.

Conto weighed 214.4 lbs at Friday’s weigh-in. Infante Weighed 221.5

Conto is promoted by Top Rank.

LAS VEGAS (May 29, 2019) — Jesse “Hollywood” Hart and Sullivan Barrera understand high stakes and are coming to Las Vegas, intent on cashing in with a potential world title shot on the line. Hart and Barrera will square off in a 10-round light heavyweight bout Saturday, June 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Hart-Barrera will serve as the co-feature to lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s title defense against unbeaten German challenger Tom Schwarz.

Fury-Schwarz and Hart-Barrera will stream live in the United States exclusively on ESPN+ — the leading multi-sport streaming service – beginning at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.

The undercard will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST/4:00 p.m. PST and will showcase undefeated 2016 Olympian Mikaela Mayer (10-0, 4 KOs), who will fight former world title challenger Lizbeth Crespo (13-4, 3 KOs) in a 10-round super featherweight bout.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and SES Boxing, tickets priced at $500, $300, $100 and $50 are on sale now can be purchased online through axs.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts box office.

“On June 15, I’m coming to knock him out,” Hart said. “I refuse to lose. This is a legacy fight. I want the big names. I need a big name, and Barrera is the name. I don’t want to just win and coast to some boring decision. I’m coming to prove to the world that I can fight with these bigger guys. After I knock Barrera out, I’m coming for all the champions. The light heavyweights better watch out because ‘Hollywood’ Hart is here.”

“I am excited to face Jesse Hart, a great fighter who has also been in there with world champions,” Barrera said. “This is a must-win fight. Simple as that. Camp has been great for me, and I am looking forward to June 15. It’s going to be a great card, and I am going to show everyone in Las Vegas and watching on ESPN+ what I’m truly made of.”

Hart (25-2, 21 KOs) had two cracks at the WBO super middleweight world title, losing a pair of close decisions to longtime champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. The Ramirez rematch, which took place last December in Corpus Christi, Texas, was a bruising affair that saw Hart rally in the second half before losing a majority decision. Eleven of Hart’s last 12 victories have come via knockout, and he hopes to carry that power up to the light heavyweight ranks. The Philadelphia native fought on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao undercard in 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, knocking out Mike Jimenez in six rounds.

Barrera (22-2, 14 KOs), from Cuba, defected to the United States in 2009 and turned pro later that year. The Miami-based bruiser won the first 17 bouts of his career before dropping a decision to pound-for-pound great Andre Ward. A perennial contender, Barrera holds victories over Joe Smith Jr., Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, Karo Murat and former super middleweight world champion Jeff Lacy. He challenged Dmitry Bivol for a light heavyweight world title last year and fought valiantly before being stopped in the 12^th and final round.

Mayer is one of female boxing’s rising stars and has dominated her opposition as a professional. She went 6-0 in 2018, winning the NABF belt on August 25 with a shutout decision over the previously undefeated Vanessa Bradford. She made her 2019 debut February 15 in Hinckley, Minnesota, outclassing Yareli Larios over eight rounds. Crespo fought IBF featherweight world champion Jennifer Han in February 2018, dropping a tightly contested unanimous decision.

“It’s been a dream of mine to see women fighting alongside marquee names like Tyson Fury, and I’m grateful to be fighting at the MGM Grand on June 15,” Mayer said. “There’s still a lot the world hasn’t seen when it comes to my style and I’m ready to show everyone something special.”

In addition to Mayer-Crespo, the ESPN2/ESPN Deportes undercard broadcast will also include the following fights:

• Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (3-0, 3 KOs), a 6-foot-6 heavyweight who represented his native Italy at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will return in a six-rounder.
   
• Featherweight Isaac Lowe (17-0-3, 6 KOs), a stablemate of Fury’s, will fight an opponent to be named in a 10-rounder.
   
• Top super middleweight prospect Cem “Champ” Kilic (13-0, 8 KOs) will see action in an eight-rounder against an opponent to be determined.
   
• Sonny Conto (2-0, 2 KOs), as big-punching heavyweight from Philadelphia, will make his Las Vegas debut in a four-rounder. Conto’s two professional fights — both first-round knockouts — have lasted a total of 3:30.
   
• German heavyweight prospect Peter Kadiru (3-0, 1 KO) will fight an opponent to be named in a six-rounder.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Sign-up to ESPN+ at www.espnplus.com.

Use the hashtags #FurySchwarz and #HartBarrera to join the conversation on social media.

About Top Rank
Innovation has been the standard at Top Rank since it was established in 1966 by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. The boxing industry’s leading promotional company, Top Rank has shaped, developed, and promoted the careers of top international pay-per-view superstars and Hall of Famers, including Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Aaron Pryor, Alexis Arguello, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales, Terence Crawford, and Vasiliy Lomachenko. 

Top Rank has promoted some of the most memorable fights in the sport’s history, including 26 Ali events, Leonard vs. Hearns, Pryor vs. Arguello, Duran vs. Leonard, Hagler vs. Hearns, Leonard vs. Hagler, Foreman vs. Holyfield, Morales vs. Barrera, De La Hoya vs. Trinidad, and the most lucrative fight in boxing history, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. In addition to the previously mentioned super fights, Top Rank possesses one of the largest sports libraries, which includes nearly 10,000 fights.

Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors, and television networks, Top Rank has been an architect of boxing’s global growth by staging high-profile events in landmark settings around the world, including Madison Square Garden, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Staples Center, Wembley Arena, Araneta Coliseum, The Venetian Macao, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, The “Fabulous” Forum, and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans and embracing 21^st century technological advancements to distribute world-class fights and shoulder programming across a variety of platforms.

About Queensberry Promotions 
Queensberry Promotions is the promotional vehicle of Hall of Fame Promoter Frank Warren.

Frank Warren has promoted some of the sport of boxing’s biggest names in his 35+ year career including the likes of Prince Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe, Mike Tyson, Frank Bruno and Ricky Hatton; as well as current stars Tyson Fury, Billy Joe Saunders, Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton.

Some of the events promoted by Frank Warren during his illustrious career include Frank Bruno v Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium, David Haye v Derek Chisora at Upton Park, Ricky Hatton v Kostya Tszyu at Manchester Arena, Prince Naseem Hamed v Kevin Kelley at Madison Square Garden and Joe Calzaghe v Mikkel Kessler at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

Queensberry Promotions has a long-term exclusive deal in the UK to promote boxing events on BT Sport, the sport broadcast platform of telecoms giant BT.

About MTK Global
MTK Global is the world’s foremost fighter management company. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it was founded in September 2012 by two-time European boxing champion, Matthew Macklin.

MTK Global delivers a wide range of support and services including career development, legal, media, endorsements and sponsorships to more than a hundred professional fighters. It provides boxing shows, events and training gyms in various locations worldwide: Marbella, Spain, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, United Kingdom, Johannesburg, South Africa, Sta. Catarina, Brazil and Sydney, Australia.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

About MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also has been home to annual events including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Latin GRAMMY Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Frozen Fury NHL pre-season games hosted by the Los Angeles Kings.

NEW YORK (April 2, 2019)–Over the weekend, two highly regarded prospects under the Split-T Management stable, welterweight Mark Dawson Jr. and heavyweight Sonny Conto remained undefeated with victories in their hometown of Philadelphia.

On Friday night at SugarHouse Casino, Dawson took a unanimous decision over Jordan Morales in a six-round bout.

Dawson dropped Morales in round two with a left hook, and he never looked back as he kept Morales on end of his jab that Dawson followed up with some nice straight lefts.

Dawson, who was a former Youth National Champion and a quarterfinalist in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, has a record of 6-0-1.

Conto scored his 2nd straight 1st round knockout when he blasted out Omar Acosta on Saturday night at 2300 Arena.

The 23 year-old Conto landed a devastating left hook that nailed Acosta on the chin, that sent Acosta to the deck, and the bout was was stopped 75 seconds into the contest.

With the win Conto, a two-time Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Champion as well as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 National Golden Gloves and a Bronze Medalist in the 2017 National Golden Gloves, will now head to Las Vegas and fight on the Tyson Fury – Tom Schwarz undercard on June 15th.

PHILADELPHIA–Oleksandt Gvodyk retained the WBC Light Heavyweight title with a 5th round stoppage over Doudou Ngumbu after Ngumbu could not continue due to a leg cramp.

Gvozdyk controlled the distance trough the abbreviated contest, with the rare occasion of Ngumbu trying to dive in. In round five, Ngumbu started hopping around injured, and it was ruled he could not continue at the 58 second mark.

Gvozdyk, 174.7 lbs of Ukraine is now 17-0 with 14 knockouts. Ngumbu, 174.3 of Toulouse, FRA is 38-9.

“It wasn’t what I expected, but I did my best,” Gvozdyk said. “Sometimes this happens in the sport of boxing. It is what it is.

“My goal is to unify titles. I will wait to see what my team tells me to do next.”

Egidjust Kavaliauskas and ray Robinson battled to a ten-round draw in a welterweight bout.

It was a nip and tuck battle that each guy take turns pushing the action.

Robinson took a card 97-93 ans two cards read even at 95-95.

Kavaliauskas, 146.1 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 21-0-1. Robinson, 145.8 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-3-1.

“I won the fight, and I won it clearly,” Kavaliauskas said. “The judges did not agree, and I can’t control what fight they were watching. I still want to fight for a world title because I consider this fight a victory. I am still undefeated, and I know I can beat all of the champions in the welterweight division.”

“I think everyone in Philadelphia knows I won this fight,” Robinson said. “At the end of the night, I know I beat him. I’m the last person to beat Terence Crawford in the amateurs, and that’s the fight I want.”

Sonny Conto destroyed Omar Acosta in under a round of their scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

Conto landed hard punches that backed Acosta into the corner, and then landed a wicked left hook that sent Acosta down. Acotsa got to his feet but wobbled, and the fight was stopped at 1:15.

Conto, 217.1 lbs of Philadelphia is 2-0 with two fist round knockouts. Acosta, 206.6 lbs of Hereford, TX is 1-6.

Jose Lopez stopped Askhat Ualikhanov after round six of their scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

Lopez landed hard shots throughout and had Ualikhanov in trouble several times before the fight was halted.

Lopez, 141.5 lbs Humacao, PR is now 12-1 with 10 knockouts. Ualikhanov, 141.3 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 4-2.

Joshafat Ortiz stopped James Thomas in round of their scheduled six-round super featherweight bout.

Ortiz dropped Thomas with a hard right, and the bout was stoped at 2:53.

Ortiz, 129.6 lbs of Reading, PA is 6-0 with four knockouts. Thomas, 130.3 lbs of Grand Rapids, MI is 6-5.

Juan Ruiz upset Frederick Lawson by scoring a 4th round stoppage in a scheduled eight-round super welterweight bout.

Ruiz seemed to have dropped Lawson in round four, but it was a ruled a slip. Lawson was groggy, and he took a flurry of punches on the ropes, and the bout was stopped at 1:16 of round four.

Ruiz, 149.5 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 22-4 with 14 knockouts. Lawson, 146.7 lbs of Accra, GHA is 27-2.

Christian Mbolli went the distance for the 1st time and pounded out a eight-round unanimous decision over Humberto Gutierrez in a super middleweight bout.

Mbilli, 163.3 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 twice, and is now 14-0. Gutierrez 165.5 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 33-8-2.

Kudratillo Abudukakhorov won a 12-round unanimous decision over Keita Obara in an IBF Welterweight elimination bout.

Abudukakhorov, 145.8 lbs of Kuala Lumpor, MAL won by scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113 and is now 16-0. Obara, 146.4 lbs of Tokyo, JPN is 20-4-1.

Cassius Chaney stopped Christian Mariscal in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Chaney registered two knockdowns, and the fight was stopped at 2:16.

Chaney, 248.6 lbs of new London, CT is 15-0 with nine knockouts. Mariscal, 251.2 lbs of Tijuna, MX is 12-3.

Jeremy Adorno made a successful pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Sebastian Baltazar in a super bantamweight contest.

Adorno, 120.1 lbs of Allentown, PA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 1-0. Baltazar, 120.3 lbs of Tacoma, WA is 1-4.

Donald Smith remained undefeated with a 4th round knockout over Jose Antonio Martinez in a scheduled six-round super featherweight bout.

Smith registered a knockdown in round one. In round four, Smith landed a perfect counter left that plummeted Martinez to the canvas. The back of Martinez head hit the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 2:01.

Smithm 126.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 9-0 with six knockouts. Jose Antonio Martinez, 127.5 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 11-18.

NEW YORK (March 29, 2019)–This weekend, three highly regarded members of the Split-T Management stable will look to shine in their hometown of Philadelphia.

On Friday night, undefeated welterweight Mark Dawson Jr. will look to stay undefeated when he takes on Jordan Morales in a six-round bout at SugarHouse Casino.

The next night, right down the road at 2300 Arena, welterweight Ray Robinson battles top-rated contender Egidijus Kavaliauskas in a ten-round bout that will be seen live on ESPN at 10 PM ET.

Earlier in the evening, undefeated heavyweight prospect, Sonny Conto takes on Omar Acosta in a four-round bout that will be streamed on ESPN +.

Dawson, who was former Youth National Champion and a quarterfinalist in the 2016 US Olympic Trials, has a perfect 5-0-1 with three knockouts, will make his 2019 debut will be making his 2nd consecutive appearance at SugarHouse Casino. He will now face Morales, who will be facing his 8th undefeated opponent in 10 outings.

The Dawson vs. Morales fight can be seen live on the King’s Boxing Facebook page.

Robinson, 24-3 with 12 knockouts has racked up wins over the likes of Sherzodbek Alimjanov (22-2), Aslanbek Kozoev (25-0-1), Ray Narh (26-2), Alberto Morales (11-1-1), former U.S. Olympian Terrance Cauthen (36-7) & Darnell Jiles Jr. (8-0-1) all while capturing the Interim NABA, USBA & NABO Welterweight titles.

Ray has a golden opportunity in a nationally televised contest to upend the number-one ranked Kavaliauskas (21-0, 17 KOs), and put himself in position for a major world title bout in 2019.

Conto (1-0, 1 KO) will return to 2300 Arena, where he made his pro debut on February 8th with a 1st round stoppage over Jimmie Levins.

In that fight, Conto, who was was a two-time Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Champion as well as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 National Golden Gloves and a Bronze Medalist in the 2017 National Golden Gloves, thrilled his huge cheering section, who will undoubtedly be there to support the South Philadelphia native on Saturday night.

NEW YORK (February 11, 2019)-Heavyweight Sonny Conto made a successful pro debut as he took out Jimmie Levins in the first round this past Friday night at 2300 Arena in Conto’s hometown of Philadelphia.

Conto put Levins on the canvas four-times in the opening frame, but for some reason the referee ruled slips. The 4th time Levins hit the canvas, it was from a vicious body shot, and the fight was halted at 2:19.

“Getting that 1st one out of the way is important. My father told me that this is my professional debut, but this is noting new. I have been doing this since I was 10 years-old. The hometown crowd was amazing, and it was a great opportunity. I can’t wait until the next one,” said Conto.

The 22 year-old Conto was was a two-time Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Champion as well as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 National Golden Gloves and a Bronze Medalist in the 2017 National Golden Gloves, is managed by Split-T Management, and is promoted by Top Rank.

PHILADELPHIA–Victor Ruiz stunned a sold out 2300 Arena crowd with one perfect left hand as he stopped hometown favorite Christian Carto in round two of their scheduled eight-round bantamweight fight.

Ruiz landed a perfect left hand that sent the back of Carto’s head thumping off the canvas. Carto’s leg momentarily quivered and the bout was immediately halted at 1:56.

Carto was removed from the arena on a stretcher.

Ruiz, 115.5 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 23-10-1 with 16 knockouts. Carto, 118.6 lbs of Philadelphia is 17-1.

Marcel Rivers won a six-round unanimous decision over Derrick Whitley in a battle of undefeated welterweights.

Rivers, 144.7 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 58-56 on all cards and is now 7-0. Whitley, 148.3 lbs of Springfield, MA is 4-1-1.

Alejandro Jimenez and Edgar Cortes battled to a six-round split draw in a bantamweight contest.

Each fighter took a card a card 58-56 while a 3rd card read even at 57-57.

Jimenez, 119.2 lbs of New Hope, PA is 4-0-1. Cortes, 119.5 lbs of Vineland, NJ is 6-4-1.

Darmani Rock stopped Steven Lyons in round four of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

In round four, Rock opened up with a hard combination to the body that sent Lyons to the canvas in the corner. Lyons sat in the corner until referee Benjy Esteves reached the ten-count at 1:20.

Rock, 273.3 lbs of Philadelphia is 14-0 with nine knockouts. Lyons, 209.7 lbs of Houma, LA is 5-4.

Sonny Conto made a successful pro debut by stopping Jimmie Levins in the 1st round of their scheduled four round haveyweight bout.

Conto seemed to drop Levins four-times in thr opening frame, but for some reason they were all ruled slips. Levins was limping around the ring and upon the 4th time on the canvas, the fight was stopped due to injury at 2:19.

Conto, 215.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 1-0 with one knockout. Levins, 219.2 lbs of Buffalo, NY is 0-5.

Gerardo Martinez won a four-round majority decision over Osnel Charles in a junior welterweight bout.

In round two, Martinez began to bleed from his nose.

Martinez, 136.7 lbs of Coatsviille, PA won by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38 and is now 4-1. Charles, 140.3 lbof Atlantic City is 12-19-1.

Jonathan Torres won a four-round unanimous decision over Dallas Holden in a bantamweight bout.

Torres, 118.5 lbs of Bethlehem, PA won by shutout scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 2-0. Holden, 119.6 lbs of Atlantic City 1-4.

NEW YORK (February 8, 2019)-TONIGHT, Heralded amateur, heavyweight Sonny Conto will make his long-waited pro debut at 2300 Arena in his hometown of Philadelphia.

Conto, 22 years-old will take on Jimmie Levins in a four-round bout.

“I feel like a champ. All of the hard work is done. This is the moment that I have been waiting for. I am anxious. I am excited, said Conto.

“I have been thinking about this moment since I started boxing. This is just the beginning. Philly has a strong root of fighters. I am proud to represent Philadelphia, South Philadelphia. I am from right on 9th Street, where they did the Rocky Movie.”

“I do not feel any pressure fighting at home. I rise to the occasion with pressure.”

“Dave McWater is the best manager in the world. Top Rank is the best promoter in the world. I feel like I will do big things with each of them.”

Conto was a two-time Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Champion as well as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 National Golden Gloves and a Bronze Medalist in the 2017 National Golden Gloves.

Conto weighed in at 215.4 lbs, while Levins was 219.2 at Thursday’s weigh-in.

Below is the fight week media day interview and media work out videos.

(Jan. 3, 2019) — Top Rank is proud to announce it has signed two of the East Coast’s brightest amateur stars — Puerto Rican-born super bantamweight Jeremy “Magic Hands” Adorno and South Philadelphia-born heavyweight Sonny Conto — to multi-year contracts.

Conto and Adorno will make their professional debuts in four-round bouts Friday, Feb. 8 at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on the “Philly Special” card promoted by Michelle Rosado’s Raging Babe. Adorno, who currently lives in Allentown, Pa., is the younger brother of Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, one of the sport’s top prospects.

“Signing with Top Rank is the beginning of my dreams becoming a reality,” Conto said. “There is no better place to make my professional debut than Philadelphia.”

“I’m really excited to have such a special person and fighter sign with the best promotional company in boxing,” said David McWater, Conto’s manager. “He is a superstar in the making.”

“I feel blessed to be signed with boxing’s best promotional company,” Adorno said. “Making my pro debut in Philadelphia in front of my family members and friends is a dream come true. My brother and I are going to take over the sport of boxing and give the fans a lot of action and excitement.”

“I’m thrilled to have Jeremy Adorno and Sonny Conto debut on my ‘Philly Special’ card,” Rosado said. “We’re in Conto’s backyard in South Philly, and we’re close to Adorno’s fans in Allentown. They were both outstanding amateurs with dedicated followings, which will make the card that much more special.”

Conto, 22, was a two-time Pennsylvania Golden Gloves champion, a silver medalist at the 2018 National Golden Gloves, and a bronze medalist at the 2017 National Golden Gloves. Before turning to boxing full-time, he was a decorated collegiate pitcher who helped lead Rowan College at Gloucester County to the NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series. A 6-foot-4 puncher, Conto will appear on the ESPN family of networks in 2019.

Adorno, who turns 18 on Jan. 9, won more than 100 bouts in the unpaid ranks. A member of USA Boxing through 2018, he captured titles at the National Silver Gloves, Ringside World Championships, and the 2017 USA Boxing Youth National Championships. He will train alongside his brother and father/trainer, Anibal Adorno.

NEW YORK (January 2, 2019) — Split-T Management is pleased to announce the signing of top amateur heavyweight Sonny Conto to a management contract.

Conto, 22 years-old of Philadelphia, PA was a two-time Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Champion as well as a Silver Medalist in the 2018 National Golden Gloves and a Bronze Medalist in the 2017 National Golden Gloves.

A natural athlete, Conto was an acclaimed baseball pitcher, who pitched for Rowan College, in Gloucester County. Conto, helped his team make it to the Junior College World Series, where his team placed 3rd.

“I am very excited to turn professional,” said Conto. I signed with Split-T Management because they are the best at managing their fighters and they also made me feel like family. I can’t wait to give all my fans a great career, and show them the real “Rocky.” The boxing world can expect to see exciting fights from me, and the next great Italian fighter to come out of Philadelphia, PA.”

“The 1st time I saw Sonny, I knew that I wanted to sign him. He has the rare combination of power and Charisma that doesn’t come often,” said David McWater of Split-T Management.

There will be a major announcement about Conto’s future in the very near future.