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SHOBOX on Showtime Estrada vs. Suleymanoglu Kayongo vs. Ojeda
July 15, 2004 Chumash Casino Resort Santa Ynez, California 11pm ET/PT*
Line-up: USBA Welterweight Title Bout - Vacant (12 Rds) David
Estrada (16-1, 8 KO's) vs. Nurhan Suleymanoglu (14-0,
6 KO's) Mohammed
Kayongo (10-0, 7 KO's) vs. Jose Antonio Ojeda (9-3, 6 KO's) _____________________________________________
NEW YORK - For a young boxer who has worked with current and former world champions Fernando Vargas, Sharmba Mitchell, Andrew "Six Heads'' Lewis and Zab Judah, as well as contenders Angel Manfredy and Souleymane M'Baye, David Estrada has anything but a sparring partner's mentality.
"I am not there just to get paid and survive," Estrada (16-1, eight KOs) said. "For me, sparring is about gaining
experience. Working with these great champions showed me that I can adapt
to any style.'' Nurhan Suleymanoglu (14-0, six KOs) for the vacant United States Boxing Association (USBA) welterweight crown Thursday, July 15, on "ShoBox: The New Generation" on SHOWTIME. In the co-feature, unbeaten Ugandan Mohammed Kayongo will take on Jose Antonio Ojeda in an eight-round welterweight bout.
SHOWTIME will televise the Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, promoted doubleheader live at 11 p.m. ET/PT* from Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif. The telecast represents the 47th in the popular "ShoBox" series,
which debuted on SHOWTIME in July 2001. registered
a four-round decision over Tyrone Handy in Aurora, Ill. an amateur loss by winning an eight-round split decision over Joel Salas (10-2-1 going in) in Miami.
Salas maintained a busier pace, but Estrada consistently landed the harder punches. Penalized one point in the fourth for low blows, Salas was staggered twice in the sixth and cut over the left eye in the seventh by an accidental clash of heads. In a brutal slugfest that repeatedly brought the fans to their feet, Estrada triumphed by the scores 78-73, 77-74 and 75-76.
In his initial 2003 outing, Estrada tallied a 10-round unanimous decision over FECARBOX 154-pound champion Armando Velardez (14-1 going in) in a non-title fight from Las Vegas.
Velardez floored his opponent 30 seconds into the fight from a right hand. Estrada then rallied to score a knockdown in the third, although replays showed Velardez was tripped. Fuller got stronger as the bout progressed
and averaged nearly 100 punches per round to win 96-92 on all three
scorecards. undefeated contenders, on "ShoBox." Smith dominated both inside and outside en route to winning a unanimous decision by the scores 98-92, 97-92 and 97-93. While his speed and movement were the difference, Smith utilized an impressive body attack during the first six rounds to build an insurmountable lead.
Most recently, Estrada scored a second-round knockdown en route to garnering a fifth-round TKO over Nelson Manchego (11-3-1 going in) on May 25, 2004, in Miami.
"I was born in Chicago," Estrada said. "I moved to Miami and lived there for a couple of years, then went back to Chicago and lived there for a few years. I went to high school in Miami. After high school, I moved to Texas
for a year before moving back to Chicago. I moved back to Miami in March
2002.'' Gym.
A native of Kazakhstan, Suleymanoglu earned a number of Russian titles during his amateur career. He moved to Turkey shortly before the 1992 Olympics and represented the country at the Barcelona Games. Four years later, Suleymanoglu earned a silver medal at the '96 Atlanta Olympics.
Suleymanoglu made his professional debut at age 30 on April 19, 2001, and defeated Abel Hernandez across four rounds in Houston.
Following 13 consecutive victories to open his pro career, Suleymanoglu captured the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) FEDECENTRO super welterweight title in his 2004 debut on Jan. 15 with a 12-round unanimous decision over Jesus Soto. The judges scored the contest 118-108 and 117-109 (twice).
In his most recent outing, Suleymanoglu took on Archak Ter-Meliksetian in Temecula, Calif. With 38 seconds remaining in the sixth, Suleymanoglu rocked his opponent with a right-left combination to the head. A riveting right hand to the chin dropped Ter-Meliksetian in the neutral corner, ending the fight.
Having grown up in a boxing neighborhood in Uganda, Kayongo has the sport in his blood. His older brother was in the fight game before a car accident ended his life prematurely when Kayongo was 11. Inspired, "The African Express" has been battling ever since.
"I love boxing," Kayongo said. "I have been boxing since I was a kid. It is all I know. When I am done in the ring, I want to be a promoter. I do not want to get out of boxing completely. I want to stay all my life."
Two weeks after Kayongo moved from Uganda to the US, he made his professional debut at age 22 on April 4, 2003, and stopped Tony Howard in the opening round in St. Paul, Minn.
Following eight victories in his rookie campaign, Kayongo opened 2004 with a six-round victory over Marteze Logan on Jan. 16 in Minneapolis, Minn.
More than two months after defeating Logan, "The African Assassin" shot down Isander Lacen on March 27 in Bowler, Wis., when Lacen's corner threw in the towel in the fifth round. Kayongo located openings for his powerful
punches and alternated effective head and body shots that left Lacen
helpless on the ropes. Barraza match on Jan. 15, 2004, replaced a middleweight scrap between Ian Gardner and Julio Cesar De La Cruz. Their scheduled 10-round bout was scratched when De La Cruz failed his medical examination.
Sensing the moment in the initial SHOWTIME "ShoBox" telecast of 2004, Ojeda won a good-action fight when the referee, upon the request of Barraza's corner, halted matters at the conclusion of the third round. Ojeda dominated the bout from the outset.
In his professional debut on Feb. 25, 2000, Ojeda scored a second-round knockout over LeAngelo Smith in Valencia, Calif.
Ojeda, who will make his third Santa Ynez appearance, tallied a six-round unanimous decision in his last bout against Steven Ham on May 6, 2004, from Glen Burnie, Md. The judges scored the contest 59-55 (twice)
and 58-56. producer of the telecast is Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.
For information on "ShoBox: The New Generation" and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios, records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at
The Chumash Casino Resort is located in Santa Barbara County, Calif., between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. In its 190,000 square foot facility, the Chumash Casino Resort offers Las Vegas-style gaming, 24-hours seven days a week.
*Tape Delayed on the West Coast
- Press Release issued by Showtime's Shobox 7/1/04 (with a little editing from us - color, highlights).
Card subject to change
(7/8/04)
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