Wilmington, DE - Michael "No Joke" Stewart, current USBA Junior Welterweight champion, will be the main attraction on August 26th at Kahunaville restaurant and bar in Wilmington, Delaware. Because Stewart has signed to fight Ricky Hatton, promoter Frank Warren put the kaibash on "No Joke" boxing in a main event. Rather, Stewart will spar with Chucky T in an exhibition bout. In many ways this is going to be better entertainment for the fans. Consider that Stewart did not have an opponent signed two weeks ago, so whoever would have been in would not be as sharp as your normal main event fighter. Also, this exhibition will give a partial insight into the training regimen that pugilists must undertake everyday, even when no upcoming bout is on docket. So it's just like another day in the gym for Stewart and that will give Warren a warm and fuzzy feeling and the fans at Kahunaville a few more rounds of action.
Keith Stoffer, Stewart's manager said "Frank Warren would not let us do this fight or we'd jeopardize the Hatton fight. But I've seen Chucky T and Michael go to war in sparring" so it may be more entertaining than a real bout, "if they brought an opponent in he may not be ready and Michael would knock him out early." This way everyone should see a more entertaining attraction. "Mike's older brother, Rich is on the card and he can really fight. I am looking forward to his fight and Leroy Fountain and Tom Cameron are on there too" added Stoffer.
Stewart holds #4 ranking in the IBF division, while Hatton is #3. They are fighting in October for the vacant #1 spot and a mandatory challenger position with the winner of the November IBF championship bout between Sharmba Mitchell and champion, Kostya Tszyu. Steward lost to Mitchell earlier this year, but he recently bounced back with a TKO of Carlos Escobar of Mexico that increased record to 36-2-2 with 20 KO's.
"This is a great way to show the country that Kahunaville and Delaware not only hold title fights, but many of these exemplary fighters, including Stewart, grew up in Delaware," said Kahunaville's Greg Bogart.
The event, which begins at 7pm (doors open at 6pm), will include other prominent fighters such as Tom "the Ripper" Cameron and Leroy Fountain all prepared to put their records on the line in front of thousands of fans. Cameron is a heavyweight slugger and Fountain is a slick boxing southpaw welterweight. Fans will get a bit of every style on this card.
The show is promoted by Henry Milligan Promotions. Henry, a fan favorite of Delaware fight fans when he boxed in the 80's and 90's, has hired Nick Tiberi as the matchmaker. Boxingtalk's Larry Tornambe will be the ring announcer. Tickets will be $50 for ringside seats and $30 for general admission in advance. At the door, they will be $60 for ringside and $35 for general admission. All tickets can be bought online at Ticketmaster or at Kahunaville.
