The upcoming Boxing in Paradise VI fights, featuring seven professional bouts and five amateur ones, could be the last time all three of the territory’s champion boxers appear in the ring together, 340 Boxing officials announced at a press conference Monday.
The boxing event is scheduled for August 17 at the Mark C. Marin Center at Antilles School and because the card is so jam packed, doors will open at 6 p.m., with the official kick off an hour later. According to 340 Boxing manager Jose Rosario, this Boxing in Paradise card has already begun to draw national attention, with notable boxing experts and national media flying in to cover.
Tickets are already on sale on the boxers’ website (www.340boxing.com) but officially go on sale July 17. General admission tickets are $35 ($45 at the door) while ring side seats are $55 ($65 at the door.) All VIP tables are available for $2,500 and come with parking, officials said.
Most of the Boxing in Paradise cards have opened with either exhibition fights or amateur bouts, and this time around, spectators will get the chance to cheer on the V.I. Amateur Boxing Federation’s newest crop of decorated up-and-comers — Clayton Laurent, Tiffany Reddick, Jose Peguero, Trey Mahoney and Wilfred Todman — who officials said are either being groomed for the 2016 Olympics, or for their own professional careers.
"They are each going to be boxing fighers from abroad," Rosario said of his amateur crop. "These are opponents coming from the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and here, we treat our amateurs the same as our professionals, so the action is going to be just the same. It’s going to be one whole night of beautiful boxing."
As with every Boxing in Paradise card, the main draw is the 340 Boxing champions, who are all currently ranked within the World Boxing Council’s Top cadre of top 100 fighters.
Julius Jackson and Samuel Rogers have spent the last few months locked in heavy training routines — first heading off to Spain to spar with champ Sergio Martinez, then returning to the territory to hit the ropes in their own gym on St. Thomas — and said Monday that they are both anxious to advance their careers.
Rogers (13-0 with 7 KOs) is scheduled to face off against Bryan Baue (12-10 with 10 KOs) out of Troy, Missouri in a junior middleweight bout.
"Normally, after a fight I go back to Florida to see my wife and kids, but this time, I felt that I had some improvements to make, so I’ve been back home training for about the past five months," Rogers said at Monday’s press conference. "So, I’ve been working on some things. I feel that this fight is a pivotal turning point in my career — I’ve come to some realizations about my fighting style and some things I was doing outside the ring and I feel that the changes I’ve made have put me into another class with it comes to boxing, and also as a person."
Rogers celebrated a win in March against opponent Ivan Ziglar (7-3-1) after going six rounds under the big lights at Las Vegas’s Resorts Hotel and Casino. The bout was also featured on ESPN2’s "Friday Night Fights."
Rogers won the fight by unanimous decision (59-55, 60-54, 58-56).
Rogers’ boxing partner Julius Jackson also came home victorious in March, maintaining his undefeated record after knocking out opponent Jhonatan Ricar just 2:14 into the second round of a bout booked in March at Panama’s Hard Rock Hotel.
Julius Jackson will be facing off against Trinidad and Tobago’s Joel McRae (9-3-1 with 4 KOs) at next month’s Boxing in Paradise event, and he said Monday that he’s ready to get back into the swing of things and show off his skills.
"I think that we’re at that point in our careers where things are going to really take off — I think within our next three fights, we might even be seeing something on Showtime or HBO," he said. "And we’re definitely ready for it, we’re physically and mentally ready to take on those challenges, and with this opponent, I think his record is 9-3, and I’m going to make him look like he’s 9-3."
The only boxer without an opponent at this point is John Jackson, and that’s because 340 Boxing managers say that other fighters are "taking a second look" before stepping into the ring with him — and demanding more money for the bout.
John Jackson (16-1 with 14 KOs) appeared twice this year on ESPN2 — the second time as a co-main event against opponent Cerresso Fort (17-1-1), who he took down in eight rounds with a win by unanimous decision (77-75, 79-73, 79-73). Listening to commentators as the bout unfolded, it appeared that John Jackson’s two greatest advantages were his uppercut and right hook, which allowed him to take every round except the fourth.
"I’ve been working on a lot of stuff since that last fight," John Jackson said Monday. "I kind of fought that last fight backwards — I went looking for the knockout early and then boxed later, so I’ve been working on different things for this one, and I’m just excited to get back out there. I don’t have an opponent yet, but I’m still focused on getting ready for the fight."
Along with Rosario, 340 Boxing is headed by three time world boxing champion Julian "The Hawk" Jackson, who trains the group for each fight.
"It’s an exiciting time to have our three boxing champions back in the ring," Julian Jackson said Monday. "Boxing in the Virgin Islands is defintely rising to a new level. We expect that we’re going to have an tremendous outcome in this upcoming fight, and it’s a great opportunity now, especially in the time we’re in, to be a part of something positive. I’m hoping the entire Virgin Islands will get behind us, because what we’re doing is not not just for us, it’s for our entire community. We want our guys to shine, and I know the world now is starting to feel that way, too."
Ticket outlets for the upcoming fight are: Fat Turtlet at Yacht Haven Grande, Max Mart at Nisky Center, Fashion Source at Tutu Park Mall and XO Bar and Restaurant in Red Hook, St. Thomas.
340 Boxing is also in the process of arranging travel and hotel packages for St. Croix residents heading over the fight; more details will be released when available.
