“CLASH OF THE TITANS” SHOWCASES MN BOXERS IN FARGO THIS SATURDAY
Danny Pruneda of Toros Boxing will promote his first of what he hopes will be many boxing shows to come to the Fargo, ND area on Saturday night. “Clash of the Titans will feature Minnesota boxers including Saint Paul’s Leo Medel, Cory Thompson of Alexandria, Rondale Hubbert of Minneapolis, and Jake Henriksen of Glyndon. Amateur boxing will kick off the action before the six pro bouts begin.
The main event features Rogue Boxing Gym owner Jake Henriksen (3-6) in a battle against 15 year ring veteran Yancy Cuellar (3-10) in a six round super middleweight clash. Both legends of the Fargo area, Henriksen and Cuellar expect to put on a war for the local fans. Cuellar is riding a two fight win streak into the bout which a victory over former Minnesota state middleweight champion Chris Holt in 2019. Henriksen looks to get back on track after a tough loss to surging middleweight Sona Akale this past July.
“I am absolutely jacked to fight in the main event!” said Henriksen. “No bad blood between me and Yancy but I definitely want to put on a show for the home crowd and show off my hard work. Danny Pruneda has put a ton of work in for this show, it’s definitely going to be an exciting show from start to finish. This is a great step in the right direction for pro North Dakota boxers. It’s nice to not have to travel and fight other promotions studs!”
Former Minnesota state super lightweight champion Rondale “Give Em Hell” Hubbert (13-18-3, 8 KO’s) will box in the co-featured bout against prospect tester Ray Chacon (8-43-1) of California. Hubbert last fought Shawn West to a controversial draw back in September. The 33-year-old Hubbert appeared to dominate but the Iowa judges somehow found reason to score rounds for West, who is tough in his own right. Still, Hubbert should have had his hand raised that night. Up for grabs in that fight was the vacant Mid America super lightweight title. If all goes as planned, Hubbert will then head to Philadelphia to battle another prospect in Joshafat Ortiz (7-0) on December 11th.
“I’ve been working hard and deserve this win!” exclaimed Hubbert. “I just need to go out there and get it”.
Nordic Warriors Boxing Academy (Alexandria, MN) owner Corey Thompson (2-0) is excited to return to action. Thompson made his pro debut in 2012, followed that with a win in 2016 and makes his third professional boxing feature in four round 175 pound bout. Thompson says that he was scheduled to face LaQuan Williams before his opponent fell through recently. Thompson says that he is now set to face an experienced MMA fighter who has turned out to be Andres Murray of Grand Forks, ND.
“I don’t really care too much about who I fight, I’m just focusing on what I can control, being the best fighter possible” said Thompson when asked bout his opponent. “This fight is at cruiserweight because I couldn’t get any light heavweights to agree to fight me. I will be a completely different boxer from the 70 amateur and 2 pro boxing matches that I have. I haven’t completed in 5 years, which has given me time to study the sport, learn the finer details and become wiser. I hope to fight 4 times in 2022. My sister, Codie Holt, will actually be competing on the amateur portion of the card. She has won 3 fights in a row and is the daughter of former Mn Middleweight champion Chris Holt.”
Leo Medel (3-0) of CMB Boxing weighed in at 169 pounds for his fight against Cheyenne Ziegler (3-16) who was two pounds heavier during last night’s weigh-ins at 171
” I’m ready to finish the year strong with this fight and then get some rest” said Medel. “We are already scheduled to have another fight sometime in February and start the new year strong as well. Hopefully next year we can get a few more fights than we did in 2021. I’m excited to see what next year brings!”
Travis Mcollugh of North Dakota (1-8) battles Matt Friesen (1-1) in a light heavyweight bout and Lorenzo Cardona Jr. makes his debut against Jacob Fox (3-9) in other action.