BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Punching Grace - ECPv6.2.9//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Punching Grace X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://punchinggrace.com/en/ X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Punching Grace REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240411T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240411T190000 DTSTAMP:20240329T112613 CREATED:20240216T160001Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T145949Z UID:14060-1712862000-1712862000@punchinggrace.com SUMMARY:Bazinyan VS. Phinn DESCRIPTION:Honor at stake\nEye of the Tiger and Punching Grace present: Honor at stake: Bazinyan vs. Phinn to clash on April 11 at Montreal Casino. \nCurrent NABF super-middleweight champion Erik Bazinyan (32-0\, 23 KOs) will attempt to defend his title for the 7th time in a local fight with global implications against Shakeel Phinn (26-3-1\, 17 KOs). Pitting the best of the North Crown against that of the South Crown of the Quebec metropolis\, this duel\, fought for the honor of the province\, is scheduled for 10 rounds and will take place on April 11 at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal. The full card will be broadcast live on Punching Grace and ESPN+ starting at 7:00 PM. \nThe 168 lb division is undoubtedly one of the most competitive and exciting divisions currently. Therefore\, with the idea of offering boxing fans an exciting fight featuring two local athletes\, Montreal promoter Eye of the Tiger confirms the bout between his boxer\, current #2 WBA\, #3 WBC\, #3 WBO\, and #5 IBF contender\, Erik Bazinyan\, and the man nicknamed “The Jamaican Juggernaut\,” Shakeel Phinn. As Camille Estephan\, president of EOTTM\, points out\, the objective is to offer an exciting evening while also keeping his protégé active; \n“For us\, it’s out of the question for Erik to wait without fighting because of the bottleneck created by the current world champion\, Canelo Alvarez. So we continue our journey while seeking challenges for him\, and Shakeel Phinn is definitely one of them. I tip my hat to them for accepting the challenge because obviously\, the aspect of a local fight adds a lot of emotions. Boxing fans\, who demand these duels between the best in the country\, will certainly be the big winners. I can’t wait for this evening!” \nCurrently in a very favorable position in the rankings of the four federations and holding the NABF title in the division\, Erik Bazinyan must stay ready for any significant fight that may arise this year. It is therefore essential for him to maintain his current momentum. Since his fight against Ronald Ellis in October 2023\, which ended with a resounding knockout in the 6th round\, “Bzo” has sent a clear message to the division. He then dominated veteran Billie Facundo Godoy\, stopping him even earlier than anyone before\, ending the fight in the 3rd round. In short\, the Armenian-Canadian has reached another level in the past year\, demonstrating that his determination to win knows no bounds; \n“Phinn is a good fighter\, I’ve been training with him since the amateur ranks\, 11 years ago now. I respect him\, but it’s a sport\, and once in the ring\, there’s no more friendship. Believe me\, we will deliver quite a war! I will train very hard to keep my perfect record and take one step closer to the world title\,” says Erik Bazinyan. \nShakeel Phinn\, who also trains in Montreal\, but with Ian McKillop\, has not fought in the region since 2022. So\, for him\, it’s a return in front of a crowd where he will undoubtedly benefit from the support of many fans. Currently on a streak of five consecutive victories\, it is highly likely that Phinn will give everything he has in the ring to win the belt and Bazinyan’s rankings. Accustomed to going rounds and holding his own\, the Jamaican-Canadian can also cause an upset\, as he did in his last fight by knocking out his opponent in the first round. His rebellious and opportunistic side in the ring can be dangerous. \n“I’m delighted to have accepted this fight\, especially since it will be in Montreal. I haven’t fought here in front of my supporters for 2 years\, so when I was confirmed that it would be at the Casino\, I was doubly happy. I’ve had some great victories there; I love that venue. Fighting against Erik represents an excellent opportunity especially since we are #1 and 2 in Canada. It will undoubtedly be a fight that boxing fans will enjoy\,” adds Shakeel Phinn URL:https://punchinggrace.com/en/events/bazinyan-vs-phinn/ LOCATION:Cabaret du Casino de Montreal\, 1\, avenue du Casino\, Montréal\, Québec\, H3C 4W7\, Canada ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://punchinggrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240411_EOTTM_Web-Event_2560x1440.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240525T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240525T233000 DTSTAMP:20240329T112613 CREATED:20240327T180022Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240327T031802Z UID:14608-1716663600-1716679800@punchinggrace.com SUMMARY:Mbilli VS. Heffron DESCRIPTION:The conquest\nOn May 25th\, the world contender and new recruit of Top Rank\, Christian “Solid” Mbilli\, will attempt to continue his worldwide conquest at the Gervais Auto Center in Shawinigan. Facing him\, the powerful British puncher Mark “Kid Dynamite” Heffron will try to slow down the ascent of the Montrealer by venturing into enemy territory to snatch his WBA International and WBC Continental Americas titles. In the co-main event\, the man known as the “Lion\,” Arslanbek Makhmudov\, will risk a return to the arena against the dangerous oceanic giant who defeated him in the amateur ranks\, Junior Fa. \nThis internationally significant event will be presented by the Quebec promoter Eye of the Tiger\, in collaboration with the Cataractes and the City of Shawinigan\, and will be broadcast live on the Punching Grace and ESPN+ networks starting at 7:00 PM. \n“It’s always a source of pride to bring major fights to Mauricie\, but this time\, I can undoubtedly say we’re reaching another level. These are highly risky international fights we’ll present on May 25th\, where there will be no room for error. But\, with Mbilli and Arslanbek\, we aim for the top\, so we must be ready to face real challenges\,” says the president of Eye of the Tiger\, Camille Estephan. \nAt the heart of this highly anticipated evening\, Christian Mbilli (26-0\, 22 KOs) hopes to force his competitors in the top 10 worldwide to face him by making more noise within the super-middleweight division. That’s what he does every fight; with his stunning knockout of former #1 light heavyweight contender Nadjib Mohammedi\, his epic 8th round against Ecuadorian puncher Carlos Góngora\, and most recently\, his destruction of Australian world contender Rohan Murdock. Achieved in front of over 10\,000 spectators and several hundred thousand American listeners\, this latest victory has put Mbilli in the spotlight in the super-middleweight division and throughout the southern border. Having impressed Top Rank and the United States\, Mbilli is now heading towards a new conquest against Heffron. \n“With Heffron\, Christian is completely heading towards another style of opponent\, and this fits very well into his learning process. After making a name for himself in the United States and Australia\, it’s time for Christian to show the English what he can do\,” says Marc Ramsay\, coach and director of development at EOTTM. \n“No matter where he comes from and who he is\, my opponent will have to arrive ready because on May 25th\, I will once again demonstrate why I belong with the elite of the super-middleweights. Mark Heffron is just another boxer on my path. I respect him\, but I won’t be gentle with him\, just like with the others. I am convinced that we will deliver quite a fight in Shawinigan\, but victory is the only option for me\,” says Christian Mbilli. \nMark Heffron (30-3-1\, 24 KOs) will thus cross the Atlantic bringing with him a striking force earning him an 80% knockout ratio. Beyond his powerful rear hand\, the orthodox boxer has excellent mobility and a style that can pose problems for the current #2 WBC and WBA\, #3 IBF\, #4 WBO\, and #2 of the prestigious Ring Magazine. All the ingredients are there for an exciting fight\, as promised by the former Commonwealth champion himself. \n“I’m incredibly excited to come to Canada to face Christian Mbilli. I’ve followed his career and always thought we would eventually cross paths. We are two of the most exciting super-middleweights in the division\, so I’m not worried that fans will love the fight. As for the rest\, I wouldn’t travel to Canada if I wasn’t sure I could create a surprise and leave with the belts\, so I can simply tell you that I’m very confident\,” Heffron says without hesitation. \nA few months after his first career loss and a double hand fracture\, Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1\, 17 KOs) will step back into the ring in Shawinigan to restart his conquest of the heavyweight division. After such a defeat\, but especially such an injury\, many would have first opted for a tune-up fight\, but not the “Lion.” With his hand fully healed\, he is determined to prove that it was this injury that caused his loss and therefore\, that no heavyweight in the world can defeat him when he is healthy. To send a message to the entire heavyweight division\, he will attempt to avenge an old defeat against New Zealander Junior Fa (20-3\, 11 KOs). \nMakhmudov is thus ready to risk everything upon his return to reconquer the top of the world rankings\, where he is currently ranked 10th and 13th by the IBF and WBC. \n“Honestly\, I am happy. It’s good work on the part of my team to already secure a new big fight\, and especially a fight that will be excellent. I’ve already faced him in a very close fight that he won when we were amateurs\, so I am more than determined to avenge that defeat\,” says Makhmudov. \nJunior Fa (20-3\, 11 KOs) has also fought on the boxing card presented across the globe\, in Riyadh\, last December. In that duel\, he faced Frank Sanchez for the WBC Continental Americas titles and the WBO title in the heavyweight division. With over 100 rounds of experience in 23 fights and a size just as imposing as that of the “Lion\,” Fa has what it takes to compete with the Montreal adoptee. He is determined to replicate the feat and beat Makhmudov again. His track record has proven itself\, having fought elite athletes such as Joseph Parker with whom he went through the 12 rounds of a highly competitive fight. \nTickets will go on sale at 9:00 AM this Friday\, March 29\, on the Ovation network at www.ovation.qc.ca. The full event card\, which will also feature Mauritian adoptees Wilkens Mathieu and Mehmet Unal\, as well as Alexandre Gaumont\, Luis Santana\, Christopher Guerrero\, and Jhon Orobio\, will be unveiled at a later date. URL:https://punchinggrace.com/en/events/mbilli-vs-heffron/ LOCATION:Centre Auto Gervais\, 1 Rue Jacques-Plante\, Shawinigan\, Québec\, G9N 0B7\, Canada ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://punchinggrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240525_Punching-Grace_Web-Event_2560x1440.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR