Thompson vs. Willis On Battle At The Boat This Saturday

ByBoxing Press

Undefeated heavyweight prospect “Vicious” Vincent Thompson (9-0-0, 2 KOs) puts his undefeated record on the line against Jonte “Rock Steady” Willis (8-1-1, 3 KOs) at the 84th installment of the “Battle at the Boat” professional boxing series Saturday, November 5, 2011 at the Emerald Queen Casino.

Doors open at 6 pm. First fight is scheduled for 7 pm. Thompson is coming off an 8 round fight against Japans NO. 1 heavyweight Masataka Takehara (6-4-3, 2 KOs) in August. Willis just defeated journeyman Gary Gomez (19-11-2) last March. Both fighters are coming off solid wins.

Both fighters hail from the Pacific Northwest and are considered the two best local prospects in the heavyweight division. Thompson, in facing Willis, is facing the second National champion in his professional career. He beat former National Golden Glove Champion Charles Ellis by U. D. on November 13, 2010.

“This fight is huge for the Pacific Northwest” said promoter Brian Halquist. “It’s not very often that we can present 2 local heavyweight prospects as a main event. The proof is in the ticket sales – we are almost sold out!” he continued.

Thompson is known for his incredible speed and punching accuracy and he has compiled an undefeated record which is on the line against Willis.

Willis lost in front of the EQC crowd in June 4th, 2011 to Shane Andreesen (10-3-0). Willis won every round on the judges score card before being KO’d by the tough Shane Andreesen.

“A lot is on the line for both fighters” Halquist said. “Willis can’t afford another loss at this point in his career. Thompson obviously doesn’t want a loss and a win in this fight gets him closer to much bigger things.”

Thompson signed with Halquist Productions a year ago and has impressed many boxing insiders. In July, Thompson was invited to Russia by ESPN boxing analyst Teddy Roach who trains Alexander Povetkin. Prior to his WBA world heavyweight title fight against Ruslan Chagaev. Povetkin won the heavyweight title and Thompson won the respect of everyone in the training camp.

“Vincent has all the tools to rise in the heavyweight division,” Halquist said. “This is an exciting fight for Northwest boxing fans.”

The undercard features Sylvester “Doc” Barron (4-1-0, 1 KO) against tough Riverside, California heavyweight Everado Garcia (1-0-0, 1 KO) in the 5 round semi-main event.

A couple of Oregon fighters are sure to be a crowd pleaser when Springfield’s Corben Page (3-2-0) laces up against Corvallis native Alonso Brambila (Pro-Debut). Page suffered a defeat by Brambila in the amateurs and is looking to avenge that loss. Canada amateur champion Dave Petryck (2-2-1) fights EQC crowd favorite Randall Corpus (1-1-0) in a 4 round contest.