Andre Ward (19-0, 12 KOs) will tangle with Shelby Pudwill (22-3-1, 9 KOs) of McGlauglin, S.D., in a 10-round super middleweight scrap live from Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 12. The Ward fight will air immediately following Kessler’s World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight mandatory title defense against No. 1 ranked Gusmyl Perdomo (16-2, 10 KOs) of Turmero, Venezuela, which will air on same day tape delay from MCH Messecenter Herning – Herning, Denmark and be shown live at Pechanga. Sharing the stage with Ward in Temecula will be former two-time Ring Magazine “Fighter of the Year” and multi-division world champion James ‘Lights Out’ Toney, who will be featured in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.
“There was no way we were going to allow Mikkel Kessler to have a showcase fight preceding his Super Six showdown with Andre, and not have the viewers on SHOWTIME and the fans at Pechanga witness our 2004 US Olympic gold medalist in action the same night,” Ward’s promoterDan Goossen said. “Kessler may be the champion, but Andre Ward is coming to take that title and making history.”
Goossen is referencing the Group Stage 1 matchup of Ward vs. Kessler in the celebrated Super Six World Boxing Classic, Nov. 21, 2009, live on SHOWTIME. Ward-Kessler promises to be one of the most exciting fights of the year, pitting Team USA’s only Olympic Games gold medalist from Athens 2004 against Kessler (41-1, 31 KOs), of Copenhagen, Denmark, an early favorite in the tournament.
In his last fight on Dec. 6, 2008, Pudwill, 34, beat Anthony Osbourne in Mandan, N.D., with an eighth-round knockout. Inactive in all of 2007, Pudwill suffered a loss in his fight before Osbourne to John Duddy at Madison Square Garden in 2006.
Pudwill took eight straight wins into the Duddy fight and didn’t lose for almost five years in a time-span that dated from June 2001 to March 2006.
Sharing the stage with Ward in Temecula will be former two-time Ring Magazine “Fighter of the Year” and multi-division world champion James “Lights Out” Toney, who will be featured in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout. The 40-year young native of Ann Arbor, MI now living in Sherman Oaks, CA, who doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit’, either in the ring or out of it, remains steadfast in his belief that he can become heavyweight champion of the world.
Toney (71-6-3, 43 KO), who won a hard-fought decision against rugged veteran Fres Oquendo in his last ring appearance back in December, is no stranger to Pechanga. He has turned in three impressive performances there, including a knockout victory over Jason Robinson (2002) in an IBF Cruiserweight Eliminator; a 12-round unanimous-decision verdict over Rydell Booker (2004) for the Vacant IBA Heavyweight Title and a WBC Heavyweight Elimination bout; and had former WBC Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman (2007) out-boxed and in big trouble when “Rock” informed the ringside physician that he could no longer see out of one eye and a TKO win for Toney was eventually overturned and ruled a “No Decision.”
“I love fighting and I especially love it at Pechanga,” Toney offered. “None of the Russian chumps who are posing as champions want to fight me. I am the best heavyweight boxer in the world and I will do whatever it takes to get one of those titles. But first I am going to kick some a** on September 12.”
Goossen, who also promotes Toney, said: “James believes he will not let another opportunity slip through his fingers again — even at the age of 40 — and has recommitted himself to getting into great shape. If in fact he can go into his bag of tricks and pull out a few good performances, there is no doubt that he will place himself back into the Heavyweight World Championship picture in 2010. We shall see.”
.....source
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