The Future Is Now: CES Boxing Prospects

Hit It Out Of The Park In Cranston!

(June 28th) The future of Rhode Island boxing took center stage Saturday night at The Park, and it did not disappoint.

With generations of New England boxing royalty looking on from ringside—including Hall of Famer Vinny Paz, multi-time former world champion "Bad" Chad Dawson, and fellow CES Boxing legends Gary "Tiger" Balletto, Peter Manfredo Jr., Matt Godfrey, and Rich LaMontagne—the next wave of local talent delivered a statement performance at Rhode Wars 6, showing that the region’s proud boxing tradition is in very capable hands.

"This is exactly why we do what we do," said CES Boxing Founder Jimmy Burchfield Sr. "For nearly four decades, CES Boxing has been committed to developing the next generation of champions, and Saturday night showed that the future of Rhode Island boxing is incredibly bright. Will Guilmette, Tyler Macari and Kevin Mojica all took another step forward, and they're just part of a talented group of young fighters who are carrying the torch for this region."

Guilmette Turns Lights Out On Pereira
Headlining the card, Coventry super middleweight Will "The Ghost" Guilmette wasted little time making his presence felt, blasting out late replacement Andrei Pereira in just 57 seconds to improve to 3-0 with 3 knockouts.

The 24-year-old, trained by Peter Manfredo Sr., stormed across the ring from the opening bell and immediately landed a crushing right hand that sent Pereira crashing to the canvas. Although Pereira beat the count, Guilmette unleashed a relentless follow-up assault that forced referee Joe Lupino to halt the contest at the 57-second mark of the opening round.

The emphatic victory keeps Guilmette's perfect knockout streak intact and sets the stage for his return on September 26 at Bally's Twin River Casino.

"It was another step forward," said CES Boxing Founder Jimmy Burchfield Sr. "Will has all the tools, and he's only getting better. The future is bright for him."

Macari Takes His Time Against Young
The co-main event belonged to hometown favorite Tyler "My Time" Macari, who continued his impressive rise by earning the biggest learning experience of his young professional career.

The undefeated Cranston native improved to 4-0 (3 KOs) with a shutout unanimous decision over rugged St. Louis veteran Keegan Young, winning every round on the scorecards while going the four-round distance for the first time as a professional.

While Macari controlled the action throughout with his sharp boxing and superior timing, Young refused to go away, forcing the 26-year-old super welterweight to work for every minute of the contest.

For a prospect in need of valuable rounds, it was exactly the kind of experience that will help Macari as he steps up in competition.

Mojica Blasts Out Berdugo
Topping the undercard, Johnston welterweight Kevin “Kut Throat” Mojica continued to look like one of New England's most dangerous young punchers.

The Dominican-born southpaw improved to 5-0 with 5 knockouts, stopping Pawtucket's Yeison Berdugo at 2:16 of the opening round.

Mojica sent Berdugo to the canvas with a devastating left uppercut to the head late in round one. After Berdugo bravely beat the count, Mojica immediately ripped a crushing combination to the body, dropping his opponent for the full ten count and extending his perfect knockout streak.

Vargas Tops Davis In Battle Of Unbeaten New England Welterweights
Someone’s ‘O’ had to go when undefeated welterweights Victor Guerra Vargas and Raheem Davis squared off in an entertaining New England showdown.

Norwalk, Connecticut's Vargas improved to 3-0 (2 KOs) with a unanimous decision over Providence's Davis, earning identical 39-37 scorecards from all three judges.

The contest featured a fascinating contrast in styles. The shorter, pressure-oriented Vargas patiently worked his way inside against the taller, rangier Davis, who fought Vargas on even terms during the opening two rounds.

Beginning in the third, however, the 28-year-old Venezuelan began to wear Davis down, digging heavy shots to the body before following with looping hooks and overhand rights upstairs.

The fighters continued exchanging punches until the final bell, bringing the crowd to its feet in what proved to be the Fight of the Night.

Alvarado Stops Muhammad

To Set Up New England Showdown Against Chisholm
Rhode Wars 6 opened with another impressive performance from New Bedford bantamweight Josh Alvarado, who earned a second-round technical knockout over Tyreek Muhammad.

Muhammad came out aggressively, throwing punches in bunches during the opening round, but Alvarado remained composed, repeatedly landing crisp counters—including a perfectly timed pull-counter right hand that consistently split Muhammad's guard.

In round two, Alvarado connected with a devastating left hook combination to the head and body that dropped Muhammad, prompting referee Joe Lupino to wave off the contest at 2:55 of the second round.

The victory improved Alvarado to 4-1 (2 KOs) and sets up an intriguing showdown with fellow New England prospect Joseph Chisholm on July 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Rhode Wars 6 offered a glimpse into the next chapter of Rhode Island boxing, and the future is bright.

For decades, CES Boxing has launched the careers of champions who have gone on to compete on the sport's biggest stages. On Saturday night, with the legends looking on from ringside, Guilmette, Macari, Mojica, Vargas and Alvarado demonstrated that the pipeline of talent remains as strong as ever.

If the performances at The Park were any indication, the future isn't coming.  The future is now.