Will 2013 Bring Providence Boxing Back?

I must confess that it's been a long time since I've written anything as the Providence Boxing Examiner. In truth it's been awhile since I've written anything, anywhere. In March 2012 my Wife and I welcomed our first child (a boy) into the world and being a parent is a real time commitment. As such I wasn't able to balance everything in my life and this site took a backseat. However, my New Year's Resolution for 2013 is to start writing regularly again, so welcome to the relaunch of the Providence Boxing Examiner. To get in the mood here's a few reasons why I think it's a good time to relaunch the site.

1. The "Pride" is Back -- For all his faults, Peter Manfredo Jr.,(38-7, 20 KO) is the most recognizable name in Rhode Island boxing. As such his return to the ring on November 29, 2012 from a year long "retirement" after his loss to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., is a major plus for this site. I think the Chavez Jr., fight made it clear that Manfredo Jr., was never a true "top flight" championship caliber fighter, but he's about as good as a gatekeeper as you're going to find at the middle/super middleweight. If I had to guess about Manfredo Jr.'s motivation it'd be that he wants to get to 40 professional wins and he knows that Jimmy Burchfield can sell out Twin River with him as the headliner without ever having to step into the ring with anyone truly dangerous. Manfredo Jr. is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Rayco Saunders at the end of November and there is still no word on when we can expect him back in the ring.
2. Is this the year for Vladine Biosse? -- Mr. Providence hasn't fought since July 19, 2012 but even with only two fights in 2012 it was a good year for Biosse. On May 24, 2012 Biosse went into the ring with former light heavyweight championship contender Joey Spina and boxed circles around the "KO Kid." Biosse stands at 14-1-1, he's been on television a couple of times, he's a hard worker and he's about as good as Jimmy Burchfield has in his stable as far as effort goes. Right now it looks like Biosse will be part of the January 19th show at Mohegan Sun and if that's true I think you have to expect Biosse to fight 3-5 times in 2013, get somewhere close to 18 wins heading into 2014 and start getting into the ring with some "name" opponents -- might I suggest the guy we talked about in paragraph one?
3. What's Going on With Hank Lundy? - Another CES promoted fighter, during the time when I was actively writing this site I could pick up the phone and call Lundy to find out what's going on with him. That is no longer the case, and I'm wondering what the deal is. Lundy was supposed to be fighting Lucas Matthyse on January 19th for the WBC interim light welterweight title -- that appears to be off. It seems like there is a dispute going on between Lundy and his maybe former legal representative Ivan Cohen that put the fight down. Coming out of 2012 things weren't great for Lundy but he's still an exciting fighter, he's still a top ranked light welterweight, and he's always entertaining to speak to. I am going to try and figure out what's going on with Hank in the coming days and will report back when I find something.
4. Big Six Promotions - 2012 saw the dawn of the "Big Six Promotions" era as 2004 U.S. Olympian and Providence native Jason "Big Six" Estrada launched his own brand and held a show on November 10, 2012. Estrada headlined the show and won his fourth straight fight against Galen "Bad Boy" Brown at the Rhode Island Convention Center. It will be interesting to see what type of impact, if any, Big Six Promotions has on the local landscape in 2013.
5. "Boo Boo" Ready to Breakout -- This has to be the year for Demetrius Andrade (18-0, 13 KO). In 2012 the former U.S. Olympian fought three times over the duration of 5 rounds and went 3-0. On January 25, 2013 he steps into the ring with Freddy Hernandez (30-3, 20 KO) which should be his most dangerous fight to date. Hernandez is coming off losses to Erislandy Lara and Andre Berto and a win over Luis Collazo, he is no joke. If there is going to be a "big break" for Andrade, it's going to come this year -- and as far as Providence boxers goes he is easily the most high profile and the one with the best opportunity to turn some heads in 2013.

So there you have it -- five things to watch in 2013 that should help bring this site back to life, and help revitalize the Providence Boxing scene. I have a few things I want to check out over the coming days and should have more content updating regularly. Thanks for coming back.