PRESS RELEASE: Banner Promotions and Hitz Boxing Promotions will present ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights on July 22, 2005, at the Allstate Arena, located at 6920 N. Mannheim Road in Rosemont, Illinois. In the twelve-round main event, Art Simonyan, 14-1-1, with 7 knockouts, a native of Armenia now based in Glendale, California, will defend a regional featherweight title against former WBO junior featherweight titlist Agapito Sanchez, 36-9-2, with 21 knockouts, of Brooklyn, New York by way of the Dominican Republic.

 

Now 29 years old, Simonyan is rated #21 by Boxingtalk at 122 pounds. He challenged IBF junior featherweight champion Israel Vazquez in his last fight on December 28, 2004 but was stopped in the fifth round. He was undefeated in fifteen previous fights, which included a win in an elimination bout for the IBF’s mandatory position in May, 2004.

 

Sanchez, 35 years old, is unrated by Boxingtalk but ranked #10 by the IBF. He is experienced at the top levels of competition and has impressive wins to his credit against Oscar Larios, who currently holds the WBC super bantamweight world title, and former IBF lightweight titlist Javier Jauregui.

 

The co-featured bout will feature rising prospect “Irish” John Duddy, 10-0, with 9 knockouts, of Queens, New York, in an eight-round round junior middleweight fight against veteran Pat “Cat” Coleman, 29-11, with 20 knockouts, of Rockford, Illinois. Four more fights are scheduled to complete the card. All fights are subject to change without notice.