Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard
Takes Aim at Top Featherweights
Conn. Fighter Now Rated No. 13 by the World Boxing Council

MANCHESTER, Conn. (Jan. 3, 2010) – NABF featherweight champion Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard has taken aim at the top featherweights in the world as he prepares for a breakout 2010.

The 23-year-old Remillard (20-0, 11KOs), fighting out of Manchester (CT), fought four times last year, winning three by knockout. He captured the vacant NABF title September 19, stopping previously unbeaten Rafael “The Dominican Man” Lora (11-0, 5 KOs) for the vacant crown in the fourth round. Remillard is slated to defend his NABF strap January 29 in a rematch against Lora at Mohegan Sun.

Remillard recently closed out 2009 in Knoxville, winning a 6-round decision against veteran Marty Robin.

“I was in transition last year and I feel comfortable with TKO Boxing,” Remillard said. “My career is where it needs to be and being ranked No. 13 says a lot about where I’ve come in the past year.

“I know I can fight, but I’ve learned how to set-up a game plan, boxing more, but I know I can always bang if I get in a bad situation. You don’t last long in this game getting hit a lot. I’m boxing more for my career. Now, I’m setting-up punches in the first round to take out my opponent in the sixth.”

Remillard, the former WBC Youth and USNBC titlist, has cracked the WBC ratings for the first time and he’s presently No. 13, the second-highest ranked American behind No. 11 Cornelius Lock. The WBC featherweight champion may be a Dominican, Elio Rojas, but Matt realizes the way to the top in this highly competitive division goes through a host of Mexican warriors. The top 4 featherweight contenders in the WBC are all Mexicans – (in order) Israel Vasquez, Juan Carlos Burgos, Guty Espades, Jr. and Johnny Gonzalez – and four of the next 10 are also Mexicans.

“I’m really looking forward to 2010,” Remillard concluded. “The NABF title means more than its Youth title and winning that belt has helped move me up in the WBC ratings. I know to move forward in the featherweight division I’ll need to beat some of these great Mexican fighters. I let my promoter and manager (Bret Hallenbeck) worry about that stuff. They’ve been doing a great job and gotten me ranked at No. 13. I trust them to make the right decisions and I just concentrate on fighting. I’m still young and soaking-up knowledge all the time. I’m looking to make 2010 my year.”

CONTACT: Bob Trieger, Full Court Press, 978.664.4482, bobtfcp@hotmail.com

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 Peter Manfredo and Matt Remilliard Headline TKO Boxing’s
Full Card at Mohegun Sun January 29th

World class professional boxing hits the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut on Saturday, January 29th as TKO Boxing Promotions presents two world title bouts featuring longtime New England fan favorites, Peter “THE PRIDE OF PROVIDENCE” Manfredo Jr. and Matt “THE SHARP SHOOTER” Remillard.

Tickets priced at $80.00, $50.00 and $35.00 are now on sale at the Mohegan Sun Casino Box Office and through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.com, phone 1-800-745-3000). Doors on the evening of the event will open at 6:30pm with the first bell at 7:30pm. (Ticket prices include a $5.00 facility fee.)

Said Chet Koerner, President of TKO Boxing Promotions “We’re thrilled to bring a world class professional boxing card to one of the premier gaming destinations in the country and we truly look forward to working with the Mohegan Sun team in making this an outstanding evening.”

Headlining the January 29th event, Peter Manfredo Jr. will face off against Matt “THE PREDATOR” Vanda in the ten round main event for the NABF Title.

The 29 year old Manfredo, 33-6-0 (18KO’s), is coming off a brutal first round stoppage of veteran Ronald Weaver on November 5th in Cockeysville, Maryland. Earlier in 2009, Manfredo stopped Walid Smichet with a devastating knockout in the seventh round on April 18th at the Montreal Casino in Quebec, Canada.

In addition to his second place finish in the premier season of NBC’s The Contender, Manfredo has faced world class competition throughout his career, with many of his biggest wins coming in the New England area.

Since 2005, Manfredo has defeated Scott Pemberton, Joey Spina, Ted Muller, David Banks, Shane Benfield and Donny McCrary in bouts which have taken place near his hometown of Providence.

A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, the 31 year old Vanda brings a record of 42-9-0 with 22 knockouts into the battle with Manfredo. Known as “THE PREDATOR”, Vanda’s first big win of his career came on June 24, 2005, when he won a twelve round decision over former world champion Yory Boy Campas at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

In 2008, Vanda battled Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. twice, losing a hotly disputed split decision in Sonora, Mexico on July 12th and losing a hard fought decision in Las Vegas on November 1st.

Vanda has won three in a row in 2009 against veterans Tocker Pudwill, Ted Muller and Phil Williams, all in bouts which have taken place in Minnesota.

The co-feature on January 29th is a featherweight showdown between Hartford’s Matt “THE SHARP SHOOTER” Remillard and Dominican Rafael Lora in a ten round battle for the NABF Title. The bout is a rematch of their action packed September 19th bout in South Windsor, CT, won by Remillard in a controversial fourth round stoppage, which Lora hotly disputed.

The 23 year old Remillard, amongst the most promising prospects in boxing, has amassed an undefeated record of 20-0-0 (11KO’s), since turning professional in 2005. He went 4-0 in 2009, most recently winning a unanimous decision over veteran Marty Robbins in Knoxville, Tennessee on December 19th.

Now based in Irvington, New Jersey, Lora, 11-1-0 (5KO’s), was undefeated prior to the first bout with Remillard and is focused on revenge after the first bout.

The undercard is headlined by sensational lightweight prospect Francisco “THE PHENOM” Contreras. A native of the Dominican Republic, 25 year old Contreras burst onto the boxing scene in this country with a sensational first round knockout of Gustavo Mejia on June 18th in Baltimore, MD. He finished with four big wins in 2009, the last a dominating unanimous decision over veteran Marteze Logan on December 19th in Knoxville, Tennessee.

In a special attraction bout, hard hitting fan favorite, Adelita Irizarry makes her return to the Mohegan Sun Casino in a six round welterweight bout. A native of Hartford, Irizarry, 6-3-0 (2KO’s), won a four round unanimous decision over Yvonne Reis on August 29, 2008 in her last bout at the Mohegan Sun Casino.

Also making his return to the ring is popular junior lightweight newcomer Joseph “CHIP” Perez. The 23 year old Perez won his pro debut on September 19th with a terrific four round unanimous decision over Juan Zuniga in South Windsor. In his most recent bout Perez, 2-0-0 (1KO), stopped Lewis Crews on December 19th in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Rounding out the card will be undefeated Russian lightweight prospect Adam Sargysan, 13-0-0 (8KO’s), Canadian junior lightweight Arash Usmanee, 4-0-0 (2KO’s) and the pro debut of outstanding amateur prospect, junior welterweight Michael Finney of Smith Station, Alabama.

ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN CASINO
A world at play and a world to its own, Mohegan Sun Casino, created in 1996 by the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, is one of the world's most amazing destinations with some of New England’s finest dining, hotel accommodations, retail shopping, live entertainment and sporting events. It is also host to the fabulous Kids Quest/Cyber Quest family entertainment facility, a luxurious day spa, convention center and meeting facility, as well as two major entertainment venues with seating from 300 to 10,000. People from across the globe come to see live concerts with some of today's top headliners, along with major sporting events including Mohegan Sun's very own WNBA team, the Connecticut Sun.

ABOUT TKO BOXING PROMOTIONS
Formed in early 2008, Chet Koerner’s Las Vegas based TKO BOXING Promotions, originators of the “HOMETOWN HEROES TO WORLD CHAMPIONS” national boxing series, stable includes; heavyweight Lenroy Thomas, cruiserweight Andres Taylor, super middleweights Joey Gilbert and Fedor Chudinov, middleweights Peter Manfredo Jr., Elvin Ayala, Albert Onolunose, James Countryman, Dmitry Chudinov and J’Leon Love, junior middleweights Bastie Samir, welterweights Demetrius Hopkins, Juan Buendia, Raul Tovar, David Garcia, Bradley Blankenship and Mikael Zewski, junior welterweights Francisco Contreras, Joseph Elegele and Hastings Bwalya, lightweights Edner Cherry, Rolando Reyes, Mickey Bey Jr., Terence Crawford and Fidel Maldonado Jr., featherweights Matt Remillard, Carney Bowman, Dat Nguyen, Delvin Placencia, Rafael Lora, Maxwell Awaku and Robert Rodriguez, super bantamweights Rafael Valenzuela, bantamweight Leo Santa Cruz and flyweight Rayonta Whitfield

For tickets call 1-800-745-3000 or (click here)