Caleb “Golden” Truax (18,1,1)has been added to RDS Promotions September 22 card at the Crown Plaza in Saint Paul MN. Word is that it will be and 8 round fight with opponent to be name. Exciting stuff for MN boxing! Much more on this and entire show to come.
And as always Check out all the talk on The Leagues Facebook page I keep the web site as current as possible but honestly the page is the place to be.
Here is the June 16 card as it stands today. Boxrec.com Hyatt, Minneapolis MN.
Promoter RDS
Jason Litzau (28,3) vs TBA 8 rounds
Brad Patraw (7,4) vs Dustin Mason (3,0) 6 rounds
Aaron Green (5,0) vs TJ Gibson (1,2) 6 rounds
Don Tierney (4,4) vs Bobby Butters (1,1) 5 rounds
Rob Brant (debut) vs Cheyenne Ziegler (3,7) 4 rounds
Silas Ortley (4,13) vs Stephen Watt (Debut) 4 rounds
Aaron Green land huge right (Green fights June 16) photo Courtesy, Jesse Kelley, MinnesotaBoxing.com
Really looking forward to seeing Jason Litzau back in action in MN. Patraw vs Mason has been brewing ever since Mason turned pro, should be fireworks. Green vs Gibson may be Green’s stiffest challenge yet (Gibson KOed Al Sands last fall). Everyone is excited to see what amateur standout Rob Brant will do as a pro…..
Here is the June 23 card as it stands today. Boxrec.com June 23, Black Bear Casino, Carlton, MN.
Jungle Boy and Draw Events
Al Sands (3,1) vs TBA ? rounds
Cerresso Fort (12,0,1) vs Dave Peterson (13,0) ? rounds
Michael Faulk (2,1) vs Richard Hargraves (2,0,1) ? rounds
Davalance Depoe (Debut) vs John Kingbird (Debut) ? rounds
Jerome LeBarge (Debut) vs Matthew Karaja (Debut) ? rounds
Fort vs Peterson could be interesting, new weight for Fort and Peterson has only one fight since 2009. Sands will look to continue to rebuild from his stunning loss to Gibson last fall, his handlers got him a quick win and it will be interesting to see what they feel he is ready for. Faulk has been in training camps with some of the best, love to see what he has. The rest of the card is unknowns. Tried all the normal fight information sites but nothing, have to go and find out…..
RDS is promoting the June 16 show. Jason Litzau (28,3) and Antonio Johnson have both said they are also fighting in separate bouts on this card. Here is the card as it stands.
Dustin Mason (right) delivering a huge right. Courtesy Jesse Kelley, MinnesotaBoxing.com
Cory Rapacz (matchmaker for RDS) informed me last night that that June 16th show will feature most of the same fights secured for the May 12 show that was moved due to the main event falling off. This extra time will allow for a quality main event replacement….
Jason “The American Boy” Litzau (28,3) has said he is now fighting on RDS’s June 16 show at the Hyatt in Minneapolis MN… Without being informed by RDS or Cory Rapacz, I can only assume this will have something to do with the new main event…. But there are other exciting rumors out there as well.
Most of the the fighters that were to have fought May 12 are quite upbeat about the date change to June 16. A date move is much better than a date cancel. Green, Patraw, Mason, and Brant are all looking forward to taking care of business June 16….. Dustin Mason has told me he is going to maintain weight and take this time to even further sharpen his readiness…
Vicente Alfaro (5,1) is training hard looking to get in on one of these upcoming midwest cards. It’s been over a year since Alfaro has had the opportunity to display his skills in the ring and he is more than ready to be given that chance…
Jungle Boy Promotions card set for June 23 has not announced any new fights for their card. Cerresso Fort (12,0,1) vs Dave Peterson (13,0) will headline. Michael Faulk (2,1) is said to be fighting as well as Al Sands (3,1). Sands is coming off of a tune-up win and looks to be who the promotion is trying to build upon….
Still waiting on a time table for Andy “Kaos” Kolle’s (25,3) hand… We will keep you posted….
T-Rex Promotions still looking towards July/August for their next show…
Love major PPV fight weeks, Mayweather/Cotto only days away…. There are rumors of some MN guys fighting on the undercards of some of this summers biggest shows…. Hoping for details in the near future…
With May 12 only a few weeks out, problems came up with several of the scheduled fights including the main event. Instead of canceling, RDS has chosen to move the date to June 16 and the Event will still be held at the Hyatt in Minneapolis MN. The plan is to keep the same general line-up but add a new main event. Look to still see the Debut of Robert Brant, Brad Patraw vs Dustin Mason, Aaron Green and more. We will keep you posted as more information comes out about June 16th’s fights.
NOTES:
Boxing has not been this hot in the upper midwest for years. Tomorrow night brings what Minnesota fight fans have been waiting a long time for, a very winnable and competitive nationally televised fight. Caleb “Golden” Truax (18,0,1) gets his chance to shine in the bright lights against a man in Jermain Taylor who many think is a shadow of his former world class self. Now I don’t know about all of that, Taylor will be tough and he and his team look at this fight as just another step back to where they feel they rightly belong, in talks of title fights…. Most know my pick on this one, but I will save that for tomorrow along with a few last quotes from Truax…. weigh photos and weights from fightnews.com
RJ "T-Rex" Laase (8,1) sport The League T
April 7 in the twin ports brought out close to 1500 fans to see local favorites Andy “Kaos” Kolle (25,3), RJ “T-Rex” Laase (8,1) and T-Rex Promotions debut show. And the beautiful part is, as one of Minnesota’s premier match makers put it, Cory Rapacz, “the show was the best over all show put on in northern MN in years.” From production to action it will be hard to beat that total package.
RDS and Cory Rapacz have a great show of their own scheduled for May 12 at the Hyatt in Minneapolis MN. The Main event is reason enough to get out to this one. Wilton Hilario and Jeremy McLaurin fight it out for super featherweight supremacy. The much talked about and long awaited debut of one of the nation’s best amateur fighters Robert Brant has boxing people buzzing. Most observers seem to think he will translate his immense amateur success into Professional stardom, but one fight at a time, lol… Also fighting will be Aaron “Gorilla” Green (5,0), the bad blood match between “Bad” Brad Patraw (7,4) and Dustin “Bull Dog” Mason (3,0), Donny Drama and Tony Lee in separate bouts…
June could bring up to 3 professional boxing cards to the three state area of MN, WI, and ND. It looks like 2 of the shows will be June 23, one at Black Bear Casino featuring Dave Peterson (13,0) vs Cerresso Fort (12,0,1), also featuring Al Sands (2,1). The other looks to be in the twin cities and possibly having Winston Anderson and RJ Laase fighting. There is yet another rumored card, but that is all I know of it. This is boxing so all you see on June could change by May.
T-Rex Promotions looks to get back in action in July/August as well as a brand new promoter. Good times indeed….
Todd Bechthold
As has been reported in several interviews with Aaron Green, his moniker, Gorillla comes from the knowledge that “Gorillas are powerful, mild-mannered, intelligent and protective animals”. I had the great fortune to manage Green through his first three fights and can tell you he is one of the best guys you will ever meet. Don’t let his quiet manor fool you, it is all respect and humility. This 6 foot 4 inch, 275lb heavyweight is not one to self promote and would rather let people see his skills in the ring.
Mr. Green surrounds himself with a great team, his Trainer Pete Daszkiewicz and second Lisa Bauch have done great work. His wife Fran helps with management along with new team members, Promoter RDS and matchmaker Cory Rapacz.
None of Green’s fights have gone further than the 2nd round and the first four were finished in the first. I really think its going to be several fights down the road before we really see Gorilla Green tested, and thats not because of and easy diet of foes, but I am just not sure they will find anyone who can truly compete with him until he gets to 10 or more fights and other prospects are also ready and willing to test themselves against the best up and coming heavies. Aaron’s last fight in superior WI was his greatest test to date fighting a guy with literally hundreds of fights, around 40 were boxing events.
Aaron “Gorilla” Green will again be entering the ring May 12 at the Hyatt in Minneapolis MN. From all I have heard he will be taking another nice step forward in competition and will be must see action from the big man. The May 12 card looks pretty stacked from top to bottom so be sure to get in contact with Team Green for tickets. You do not want to miss the rise of the gentle giant…..
Todd Bechthold
Rumors are flying and all signs point to an exciting next few months for fans of Minnesota boxing. Our purpose here is not to break news, sometimes letting things out can ruin a good thing, but all signs point to big fights for Cerresso Fort and Caleb Truax in the near future. RDS Boxing is looking at several dates in the next couple of months and T-Rex Promotions has a date set for April 7 featuring many of Minnesota’s favorites, including; Andy Kolle, RJ Laase, Aaron Green, Dustin Mason, Tyler Hultin and more.
Fort’s stock is looking to be on the rise. His drawing power was on display February 24 in headlining the Armory show in St. Paul. Along with his ever-growing popularity, Fort has also been growing his gym, Element Boxing and Fitness LLC. Hoping the rumors are true and we see Fort on an even larger stage…..
Caleb Truax has been on the sidelines ever since his biggest win to date, May 27 2012. His name has been involved in several possibilities since that time, most notably a national tv fight on showtime. Truax was only weeks away from the fight when Brandon “Flawless” Gonzales pulled out due to injury. Talk has been of a tune-up fight for Truax but recent rumors have him preparing for anything but. Again, we have our fingers crossed for a big move from Truax very soon….
RDS Boxing’s first promotion packed the Armory in St. Paul February 24. Word is that they are ready to continue that success in short order. I have heard of dates as early as April for their next show, along with something in May. Lets hope one of those happens….
RJ “T-Rex” Laase’s promotion, T-Rex Promotions has a card set for April 7 at Wessman Arena in Superior WI. At this time, Andy “Kaos” Kolle (24,3) is set to headline this event. Laase’s fight is very close to being announced and I cant wait… Also on the card are Aaron “Gorilla” Green, coming off of his impressive first round victory in February. Rounding out the show are, Dustin Mason, Tyler Hultin, and Winston Anderson…….
Vanda (left) Kolle (right), Courtesy SnapLocally.com
Hinckley Grand Casino hosted another night of great boxing action. There was all out war between Tyler Hultin and Tim Taggart, Hector Orozco stunned the crowd with a huge upset, Gary Eyer showed to be a beast at 126, and Andy Kolle added more proof to why most people have him as one of Minnesota’s finest and somebody who should soon be making a splash on the national scene. Oh yeah, and the ring came crashing down two fights into the night. I heard reports that last night was the largest selling boxing event Hinckley Grand Casino has had and the volume of the fans during Eyer/Patraw and Kolle/Vanda sure seem to attest to that. Below is a quick rundown of last nights events. Laura Zink will also have a report coming later today or tomorrow with more pictures and comments from some of the fighters.
Tyler Hultin Draw Tim Taggart (D48,47Hultin/48,47Taggart/48,48) – Probably the fight of the night. Andy Kolle was right when he predicted that you wouldn’t want to close your eyes for even a second in this one. This fight started with bad intentions in every pop, both guys were seemingly looking for the home run from the get-go. As the fight progressed both fighters seemed to find their fight. Taggart was sticking to trying to overpower with almost every shot while Hultin was using superior boxing skill. During round 4 Hultin went for the fences and the force of his swing put him on his backside and was ruled a slip. As rounds 4 and 5 went on both fighters lost much of the zip on their punches but were still working hard. I had the fight 3 rounds to 2 in favor of Hultin but had no problem with it being ruled a Draw. Great fight.
Copp (left) Tierney (right) Courtesy SnapLocally.com
Don Tierney over Dan Copp (SD40,36Tierney/40,36Copp/39,38Tiernery) – This was a back and forth fight with Donny Drama using better boxing skill and stiffer shots to win the day. It was not a pretty fight but both guys went after it even as they were lacking in strength and stamina towards the end.
Eyer (right) landing a huge right, Courtesy SnapLocally.com
Gary Eyer over Brad Patraw (TKO 1:16 2nd) -” Take my breathaway” , That was Eyer’s entrance music for this night and thats just what he did to the fans and Patraw. For the time that it was going on, it was all action. Eyer looked very strong at his new weight and put Patraw down three times in the one and a half rounds they fought. Patraw landed some good shots of his own but Eyer was just overpowering. Some fans were disappointed with the stoppage as was Patraw and his trainers, but talking to several ringside officials, they agreed with the stoppage stating a fighters safety comes first. All action while it lasted, fun fight. It will be interesting to see what is next for Gary “Take My Breath Away” Eyer.
Hector Orozco
Hector Orozco over Jeremy McLaurin (UD60,54/58,56/59,55) – To me, this fight looked a lot like their first bout and add two rounds. Orozco looked even more smothering this time and would not stay out of McLaurins face. Many were surprised that like the last fight McLaurin did not use his big height and reach advantage, but in talking with McLaurin it seems Orozco never gave him an opportunity to get that distance. The fight was Hector Orozco stalking McLaurin around the ring for 6 rounds. Jeremy McLaurin did land some big shots but not enough and not nearly enough of the jab. Great win for Orozco.
Andy "Kaos" Kolle, Courtesy SnapLocally.com
Andy Kolle over Matt Vanda (UD99,92/97,93/99,92) – Andy “Kaos” Kolle left little doubt last night as to who the best middleweight in the state is. He not only retained his title but almost won every round on many peoples scorecards. I had it 9 rounds to 1 or 8 rounds to 2, to be fair a couple rounds were close. The fight was not like Kolle/Vanda one, Kolle was a machine that fired in straight hard lines and Vanda could never get it figured out. To Vanda’s credit, he was there all night long eating and throwing punches. Most of the fight was Vanda trying to work through Kolles defence while Kolle was shooting a great jab and hard straight lefts. By the last few rounds Vanda’s corner was yelling for the KO as they knew Kolle was way ahead on the scorecards. After the fight Kolle stated his wish to campaign at 154 nationally but also understanding that givin his size, and southpaw stance it is still an uphill climb. Id love to see Kolle get an opportunity with a John Duddy or Julio Cesar Chaves Jr but I’m not too sure if they would be willing to step in with him.
MSC, RDS, and Hickley Grand Casino worked together again to put on a great show even with a ring collapse.
“MSC/RDS Card In Hinckley to Have Large Duluth Presence”
The Midwest Sports Council/RDS Boxing card taking place at Grand Casino Hinckley features one of the most anticipated rematches in Minnesota history as Duluth’s Andy “Kaos” Kolle defends his state title for the first time in a middleweight fight against Matt “The Predator Vanda.”
Andy Kolle (left), Courtesy SnapLocally.com
Fight fans from the Twin Ports will not only have Kolle to cheer on as undefeated Duluth lightweight “Stone Cold” Gary Eyer has recently agreed to appear on the card against an opponent to be named. Also appearing on the card will be Fergus Falls, Minnesota’s Tyler Hultin who also fights out of Horton’s Gym in Duluth. Hultin has verbally agreed to fight Tim Taggart of Hinckley, MN in a 5 round bout at 160 lbs. Taggart, as many will remember, fought out of Horton’s gym for a brief period two years ago.
MSC matchmaker Cory Rapacz said, “We’re very excited to be featuring this much talent from the Twin Ports on this card. We all know Andy Kolle’s talent, but I think the fans are going to get a real good show with the Hultin vs. Taggart fight as well. I think Tyler is next in the line of great Minnesota fighters to come out of Fergus Falls. Zach Walters had a fantastic career, Kolle is on top of the state right now and it’s obvious that Hultin has the type of charisma and talent to follow in their footsteps.”
Gary Eyer (right), Courtesy SnapLocally.com
With rumblings of a potential fight between Gary Eyer and undefeated Minnesota lightweight Jeremy McLaurin flying around the state, the two will be featured in separate bouts on this card. “These two will definitely fight. It makes a ton of sense to happen this year, but right now it’s not something either side is wild about. They’re both coming off real tough fights and I think they each want one more bout before going head-to-head. Both will be featured in good fights on the card and we’ve already had preliminary discussions about them possibly meeting in Duluth in either the late Spring or early Summer.”
Jeremy McLaurin lands to the body, Courtesy of SnapLocally.com
Andy Kolle and Tyler Hultin will unofficially kick off press for April 2nd‘s show when they square off in an 8 round public workout this Thursday night at Grandma’s in Duluth at the end of the “USA vs. Canada” Golden Gloves card. Rapacz said, “What a great way to unofficially kick off promotion for this thing! Anyone who has ever worked out with Andy Kolle knows he will not take it easy on Hultin. I’m going to do my best to make the trip up there to support this show. It doesn’t hurt that one of Minnesota’s most exciting fighters, Gary Eyer, is going to see some action either!”
The rest of the card in Hinckley will feature rising prospect Javontae Starks in his first six round bout, amatuer star Jamal James in his pro debut and many more fights. The final card should be finalized in the coming days. “This is the start of some great things.” Rapacz said. “We’re hoping this is the start of a great working relationship with Chuck, Carinda and everyone at Horton’s Gym. Issues we’ve had in the past have been worked out and we’re all moving forward. Already this year we’ve seen Andy Kolle’s return to the Twin Cities and we’ve already had discussions of Javontae Starks’ debut in the Twin Ports. I think this is a real exciting time to be a fan of Minnesota boxing.”