Boxing News Boxing News
Mike Stewart, of New Castle, DE, and Robert Frankel, of Denver, CO, meet in the 10-round junior welterweight main event Friday evening, Oct. 5, at the New Alhambra, Swanson & Ritner Streets, next to Forman Mills, in South Philadelphia. First of seven fights at 7.30 p.m.
Stewart, 29, has a 42-6-3 record, 23 knockouts, but has had it rough in 2007, going 2-1-1 and losing his biggest fight, a 10-round points loss to Enrique Colin, of Guasave, Mexico, last March 2 at the New Alhambra.
In fact, the New Alhambra may not be Stewart’s favorite arena as he has lost two out of three fights in the 1,300-seat building. He was beaten on points there in 2005 by Juan Carlos Rubio and scored a 2004 knockout there over Juan Carlos Escobar.
In other fights this year, Stewart out-pointed Sebastien Hamel, of Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, and Scott Ball, of Rochester, MN. He also was involved in a three-round No Contest against Darien Ford, of New Orleans, LA, when an accidental head butt suffered by Stewart ended matters in the third round.
Stewart needs to win and to look impressive against Frankel if he hopes to climb back into the world rankings and command the type of money he received in 2004 when he boxed Sharmba Mitchell and Ricky Hatton in Manchester, England.
Frankel, 27, has a 20-7-1 record with four knockouts since turning pro in 2003. This will mark Frankel’s second trip to the East Coast. He boxed unbeaten Dmitriy Salita, of New York, late in 2005, scoring a first-round knockdown before eventually being stopped in the seventh round of a scheduled 10-round fight.
Frankel has won his last two, including a 10-round decision over previously unbeaten Mike Gonzalez, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, in his last fight June 21at the San Manuel Casino in Highland, CA.
Earlier this year Frankel drew with Rafael Ortiz, of Lebanon, OR, and KO’d Jorge Alberto Reyes, of El Paso, TX.
Power-punching welterweight Mike Jones, of North Philadelphia, who has knocked out all 10 of his opponents, and heavyweight Big John Poore, of Upper Darby, PA, who is 18-2, 18 KOs, highlight the undercard when they appear in separate eight-round fights.
Four additional fights complete the program.
Tickets priced at $40, $55 and $65 are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc. (215-765-0922) or at www.peltzboxing.com.
CN8 will televise the Stewart-Frankel bout as well as others on the card to over seven million homes from Maine to Maryland as part of a two-hour delayed telecast on Saturday evening, Oct. 6, at 9.30 pm. The card also will be available through Comcast Video on Demand.
