Former heavyweight world champion Ray Mercer will be the special VIP guest for the boxing event headlined by the 12-round battle between Alberto "Explosivo" Machado (21-0, 17 KOs) and Andrew "El Chango" Cancio (19-4-2, 14 KOs) for the WBA Super Featherweight World Title. The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. and will be streamed live on DAZN - which is just $9.99 per month after a one-month free trial.

Mercer is a native of Jacksonville, Florida who earned a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. The following year Mercer began his professional career by fighting an impressive 12 times. Eventually, Mercer earned a world title opportunity and defeated Francesco Damiani for the WBO Heavyweight World Title. Mercer defended his title once against Tommy "The Duke" Morrison but lost the title in a tough fight against Larry "The Easton Assasin" Holmes. Mercer continued participating in fights against the likes of Lennox "The Lion" Lewis, Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield, Wladimir "Dr. Steelhammer" Klitschko and Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs in a professional career that lasted 20 years.

Mercer will be in attendance for this event to meet fans, sign autographs and take pictures inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center. The meet-and-greet is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket to the event.

In the night's co-feature, Rey Vargas (32-0, 22 KOs) will put his WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship on the line against Franklin Manzanilla (18-4, 17 KOs) in a 12-round battle.

Joseph "JoJo" Diaz Jr. (27-1, 14 KOs) of South El Monte, Calif. will return in a 10-round super featherweight battle against Charles Huerta (20-5, 12 KOs) of Paramount, Calif.

Genaro "El Conde" Gamez (8-0, 5 KOs) will battle against Ivan "Striker" Delgado (13-1-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight battle between a current Golden Boy prospect and an ex-Golden Boy fighter.

Oscar Duarte (15-0-1, 10 KOs) of Parral, Mexico will participate in a 10-round fight in the lightweight division.

Azat "Crazy A" Hovhannisyan (15-3, 12 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. will compete in a 10-round super bantamweight fight.

Ferdinand "Lucky Boy" Kerobyan (11-0, 6 KOs) of North Hollywood, Calif. will return in an eight-round super welterweight battle.

Hometown hero Rommel Caballero (4-0, 3 KOs) of Coachella, Calif. will open the night of action in a six-round super featherweight battle.

Opponents for the undercard fighters will be announced shortly.

Garrett Wilson, a seasoned fighter and one of the last of the old-school Philly fighters, goes against another veteran when he boxes Brian Howard in an 8-round cruiserweight bout in the main event Xcite Fight Night 3 at Parx Casino on Friday evening, March 1.

The event will mark the first of four Joe Hand’s Xcite Fight Night boxing events in 2019 at Parx Casino®. The seven-bout fight card figures to attract a huge crowd.

Wilson, who lives in South Philadelphia, has fought the best. Twelve of his 34 previous opponents were undefeated at fight time.  The combined record of his opponents stands at 397-78-19 but that did not keep him from being rated among the Top 10 cruiserweights in the world at various times during his almost 11-year career.

Known as the “Ultimate Warrior,” Wilson has competed in five different countries, nine different states and 23 cities as a pro.

“I'm an everyday blue-collar worker,” Wilson said, “with the heart of a warrior and the mindset of a champion. Talk is cheap and I got bills to pay.”

He may be one of the nicest fighters outside of the ring, always with a smile on his face, but he channels that energy differently inside the ring with half of his wins (18-15-1 record) coming by knockout.

Wilsons’ biggest wins have come over Omar Sheika, Chuck Mussachio and Andres Taylor.  The wins over Sheika and Taylor avenged a loss (Sheika) and a draw (Taylor).  Wilson currently holds the Pennsylvania State Cruiserweight Title.

Across town, Brian Howard trains at Fast Lane Boxing Gym in West Philadelphia.

“I’m blessed,” said Howard. “I feel great about my upcoming fight. It’s my first time fighting in Philadelphia and I am thankful for the opportunity to fight such a notable guy; Wilson is a champion”

Howard (13-2, 10 K0s) is a Georgia native but now calls Philadelphia his home. A pro since 2010, Howards two wins came by knockout over a pair of undefeated fighters:  Alex Guerrero in Queens, NY, and Shawndell Terell Winters in Elk Grove Village, IL.   

First fight is 7:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased tickets from the Hold My Ticket Call Center at (1-877-466-3404) and at www.parxcasino.com/entertainment.

MTK Global is delighted to announce the creation of MTK Africa, which will be headed by the world-renowned boxing trainer, manager and TV pundit Colin Nathan.

 

With the completion of the MTK Accra gym in Ghana nearing, MTK Global now has a continental headquarters based in South Africa - and award-winning fight figure Nathan is enthusiastic over the future of African boxing.

Nathan, who has already trained fellow South Africans Hekkie Budler and Moruti Mthalane to world title glory and was named the country’s Trainer of the Year in 2017, said: “There is a fortune of untapped potential here and it’s time to shine light on it.

“While African countries have had strong amateur teams, the infrastructure and boxing commissions within the professional set-up have been lacking. We currently have four legitimate male African world champions but there should be far more than that.

“MTK Africa will have a huge impact by providing the platforms on which talented fighters can showcase themselves. I’m honoured to be heading up a young, dynamic team with vision and scope.

“It was an easy choice to align with MTK Global, which is easily the biggest boxing management company in the world already. It’s quickly become a powerful brand and helps young fighters and champions alike achieve their dreams in the fight game.”

Nathan has a rich history in the sport; he became the youngest ever licensee in South African boxing history at the age of 12 having been introduced to the sport by his father, Stanley.

Nathan added: “I’ve given pretty much my whole life to boxing. It’s infectious and there is no cure! It’s a humbling and very noble sport. It’s ingrained in my family history and has always been a way of life for me.

“I believe I was put on earth for boxing and to enrich and improve lives through it. We want to make dreams come true and provide deserved and overdue opportunities for as many of the African people as possible.”