Latest News

By Jody Kohn
Pro Boxing Insider

In Western New York, there was also a big fight this weekend as U.S. light heavyweight kickboxing champion Amer Abdallah took on the European champion James Wallis in Lockport, NY.  With a victory, Abdallah, the 5th ranked fighter in the world, who is trained by Jeff Mayweather, among others, would put himself in line for a shot at the world title.

Things didn’t get off to a great start on Friday, when Wallis missed weight by 8 pounds, but the sides worked things out, and the show would go on.

Amer gave us his take on what happened following the weigh in.

”Upon him coming in 8 lbs over the contracted weight I wasn’t happy. We had a private meeting and I looked him in the eyes and asked him directly why he was over. The travel, jet lag and change in environment shut his body down. I believed him. My team asked that he go out and lose as much as he could in the next 2 hours and come back to weigh in. I made a decision against the will of my top advisors to take the fight as is. I was confident enough in winning the fight & didn’t want anyone saying he was too weak, drained or anything like that. I went with my gut feelings on that one… In the end, we didn’t fine or penalize him. I just wanted to fight.”

The bout started somewhat tentatively, with not much happening in the first couple of rounds besides Abdallah chasing Wallis around the ring.

The third round saw things start to get more interesting, as Abdallah started to assert himself, catching Wallis with a kick to the head that really started to slow the Brit down.

The fourth through sixth rounds saw more of the same, with Abdallah more often than not getting the better of the exchanges.

However, in the seventh, he suffered a cut which could have potentially caused a problem for the hometown favorite.

As the fight entered the latter stages, Wallis lost a point following an illegal blow to the back.  However, Abdallah did not seemed bothered by it, and both fighters shared a hug entering the tenth and final round.

The tenth was all Abdallah, as he dominated the round and ultimately the fight, as he earned a unanimous decision from the judges.

With the win, Abdallah improved his record to 15-0, and now has that world title shot in his sites.

“The WKA in an open letter last month told us after this win, it will line us up for a world title fight.  So we won the fight, we have an Intercontinental title. The next step up is the world title, so we will sit back and watch the offers come in, and we will make a decision based on what comes in at this point,” Abdallah said.

Click here to see the original article

East Niagara Post

TOWN OF LOCKPORT — A packed house watched Saturday night as Lockport’s own Amer Abdallah won his 15th World Kickboxing Association match, winning with it the title of Intercontinental Champion.

Abdallah’s main event bout with James Wallis (19-6) of Swansea, Wales went the distance, to the surprise of many in the crowd, especially after Wallis missed weight as of Friday night’s weigh-in.

The European light heavyweight champ weighed in at 195 for the Cruiserweight bout, six pounds over the upper limit, while Abdallah, the U.S. light heavyweight champ representing WNY MMA and the Mayweather Boxing Club, had weighed in at 184 and was visibly in better shape.

The bout got off to a moderate start, with Abdallah chasing Wallis around the ring in the first round, peppering him with right and left kicks to the stomach. Things started to heat up in the third round, when sweat started flying with every kick — and there were a lot of them and Wallis seemed to slow down after a blow to the head.

After what appeared to be an evenly matched fourth round, Abdallah landed several kicks in a row in the fifth. Wallis missed what would have been a thunderous roundhouse to the head — had he landed it — in the sixth. Abdallah got a significant cut on his left eye in the seventh round.

In the ninth round, the referee took a point from Wallis for a hit in the back. Abdallah showed no animosity over the illegal hit, however, as the fighters joked and hugged going into the 10th and final round.

Abdallah knocked Wallis into the ropes in the 10th and seemed to have found something when he did. From that point, Abdallah owned Wallis and the judges rewarded him with the win.

Earlier bouts

Fight 1 – Quamaine Austin of Buffalo was declared the winner over Toronto, Ontario’s Kenrick Kamil by split decision in a fight sponsored by ADPRO Sports.

Fight 2 –  Lockport High School’s Tyler Rodier lost to Paton Campbell of Whitby, Ontario by unanimous decision despite a third-round attack by Rodier. The crowd cheered loudly when after the fight ended, Abdallah came to the ring and lifted Rodier’s arm in congratulation. The judges disagreed and Campbell was pronounced the victor in the Dominic Saraceno-sponsored fight.

Fight 3 – Scott Skinner of Buffalo won a unanimous decision over Craig Diego of Auburn thank largely to his aggressiveness from the first bell, kicking from a few seconds into the match. Diego took a tumble at Skinner’s hands about half way through the first round and nearly took a second as the bell ending the first round neared. The second round was considerably more even and Skinner was essentially out of steam by the end of the third round. Sponsored by ADPRO Sports.

Fight 4 – Ian Niblett of Whitby, Ontario lost by unanimous decision to Timothy Allen of Auburn in a bout was sponsored by Pizza Oven.

Fight 5 – Michael Nicholson of Kitchener, Ontario took a split decision over Mueyaid Ashkar or Liverpool. Both fighters came out with energy, using that energy to kick the other, each landing their fair share in the first round. In the third round, Nicholson responded to his coach’s words of encouragement and was rewarded with the win. The bout was sponsored by KJMotorsports.com.

Fight 6 – Lockport’s Erick Plumeri won over Aleks Trajeski of Toronto, Ontario by unanimous decision with each of the three judged giving Plumeri the victory by a score of 27-30. Off the opening bell, Plumeri was on the offense and kept Trajeski on the ropes for most of the first round. Trajeski found some life in the intermission between the first and second rounds, but Plumeri didn’t let him keep it for long, taking control of the match again quickly. It was all Plumeri all the time in the third, leaving little doubt of the unanimous decision in the All Metal Works sponsored fight.

Plumeri was named the fighter of the night in a poll done of the crowd by text message.

Fight 7 – After a brief intermission, Amenzee Omozuwa of Toronto, Ontario vs. Damiana Adrello of Liverpool fought like girls — the kind of girls you would never want to fight. Omozuwa’s flower-draped entrance was hardly a good indication of the ferocity she showed during the bout, backing Adrello into the corner on numerous occasions. Omozuwa won the victory for her efforts by unanimous decision in the bout sponsored by ADPRO Sports.

Fight 8 – Kendrick Huston of Lockport won over the much larger Kory Howell of Auburn. The hometown boy had momentum in the first round but Howell took a nice stand, cornering Huston with about 15 seconds to go in the first round. Again in the second round, Howell took charge towards the end, dropping Huston with a sweeping leg kick. In the third round, Huston came out as a man on a mission finally overcoming Howell’s size with his own agility in a super heavyweight fight sponsored by Pizza Oven.

Fight 9 – Jordan Graham of Belleville, Ontario, couldn’t handle Luay Ashkar of Liverpool, losing the bout by unanimous decision. Following a fairly even first round, Ashkar took the offensive in the second round, landing some dangerous combinations to the Canadian’s head. In the fourth round, Ashkar worked Graham’s left leg, sending him to the mat in obvious agony on four occasions. Graham got in a few shots of his own in the fifth round, including an illegal elbow to the back of the head. In the end, Ashkar had landed too many combinations for Graham in the fight that was sponsored by KJMotorsports.com.

Fight 10 –  Ed Rodgers of Buffalo came after Andre Carroll of Lockport with a speed and ferocity not shown by any other fighter on Saturday night’s card, landing blow after blow to Carroll’s head while the crowd chanted “Eddie!” After three rounds, Rodgers was the victor by majority decision. The bout was sponsored by Mulvey Construction.

Fight 11 – Joe Taylor of Lockport knocked out Fred Baldwin of Newfane less than a minute into the first round, much to the delight of the Lockport crowd. Sponsored by All Metal Works.

Click here to see the original article

Saturday Night’s Opponent is European Champ

East Niagara Post

TOWN OF LOCKPORT — Amer Abdallah’s latest opponent is also one of the best he’s faced.

Still, the World Kickboxing Association United States Light Heavyweight camp doesn’t think he’ll have any trouble winning Saturday night when he faces the UK’s James Wallis, European champion. In fact, he doesn’t think the fight will go the full 10 rounds.

In April, Abdallah was named the WKA’s fifth-ranked Cruiserweight in the world. Along with that annoucnement, Abdallah was told that a win Saturday night makes him eligible for a shot at the world kickboxing title.

The 36-year-old Abdallah has been training extensively. He flew to Las Vegas to train with Jeff Mayweather, uncle of world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather was with Abdallah Wednesday night when his team held an open practice, inviting the public to watch him at work. Abdallah appeared to be in perfect shape as he did two-minute drills, punching into Mayweather’s pads and later kicking into a padded suit worn by Ahmed Imamovic.

A couple dozen watched the open practice at the Lockport Athletic and Fitness Center. More than a thousand are expected to watch Saturday night’s fight at the Kenan Center Arena.

The card also includes Lockport’s Joe “Son of a Legend” Taylor, Luay “Arabian Nightmare” Ashkar, Kendrick Huston, Eric Pulmeri, Andre Carroll, Lockport High School senior Tyler Rodier, Sweet Home junior Brandon Freiburger, Ed Rodgers, Dylan Sullivan, and popular women’s kickboxer, Damiana Andrello.

Tickets for the “International Warfare” event, presented by Lace Up Promotions, are available on ticketfly.com. General admission seating is $25. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the opening bell at 7.

Abdallah Makes Final Preparations for Saturday’s Historic Bout

By John D’Onofrio
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

You couldn’t miss the flashes of lightning and claps of thunder on Wednesday night — and I’m not talking about the weather.

Lockport professional light heavyweight Amer Abdallah lit up his trainers with thunderous punches and kicks throughout Wednesday’s open training session at the Lockport Athletic & Fitness Center on South Transit Road.

Abdallah and other fighters showcased will be featured on Saturday’s inter-continental fight card at the Kenan Center Arena. The main event pits WKA United States Light Heavyweight champion Abdallah verses European champion James Wallis (19-5) of the United Kingdom.

LA&FC owner and Abdallah strength and conditioning coach Greg Jones greeted dozens in attendance, as a half dozen fighters in the Lace Up Promotions stable worked with their trainers.

The hard-hitting, undefeated Abdallah (14-0), the No. 5 ranked cruiserweight in the world, predicts Saturday’s main event won’t go the distance.

“It’s scheduled for 10 rounds, but you know, I don’t like judges’ decisions,” Abdallah said, after working out with his trainer, Jeff Mayweather, uncle of world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“I feel strong, I’m ready and I’ve never felt better in my life. My opponent’s a good mover and a good kicker and puncher — definitely one of the two or three best fighters I’ve ever fought,” Abdallah said.

“We’re ready for the best James Wallis that comes. The most important thing is he’s fighting the best Amer Abdallah.”

Abdallah worked briefly with his trainer, Jeff Mayweather, landing booming punches and leg kicks that echoed off the walls.

Mayweather, who arrived in Lockport from his Las Vegas gym two weeks ago, said his fighter’s ready to rumble.

“Amer’s looking real strong — real sharp. He’s focused,” Mayweather said. “He’s in one of those fighter’s moods — almost everything ticks him off right now — but that’s a good thing. He’s in great shape physically and mentally. We watched a little footage on Wallis and he seems to be a runner, so we’ve got to cut the ring down and force him to fight.”

Among others on the fight card include Lockport’s Joe Taylor, Kendrick Huston, Eric Pulmeri, Andre Carroll and Lockport High School senior Tyler Rodier; Buffalo’s Ed Rodgers and Sweet Home junior Brandon Freiburger; and popular women’s kickboxer, Damiana Andrello of Syracuse.

The knockout specialist and hometown favorite Taylor makes another triumphant return to the ring, boasting a 3-0 record, with three KOs. Joining the former semi-pro football star will be his usual entourage of youth football players representing Lockport Little Loop Football.

“I’ve been training very hard — working on my kicking with Corey (Webster, trainer),” Taylor said. “I want to show people that yes, I can punch, but I can kick, too.”

Huston makes the transition from trainer to fighter, in another hometown return to the ring. Huston has 14 career bouts under his belt and will fight Corey Howell in a heavyweight bout.

“It feels great to be back. I feel like a million bucks,” said Huston, 32. “I’ve been working hard. I’m not the trainer any more, I’m the trainee. The biggest difference is my weight. I was 253 pounds when I started this. Now I’m down to 222.

“My plan is to stay calm and use my jab to keep him off me. I know he out-weighs me by about 100 pounds,” Huston said.
Pulmeri has been fighting locally for about a decade. He said a win on Saturday could propel him to a pro contract. He’ll be fighting Canadian Andy Upchurch in a light heavyweight bout.

Rodier, who makes his ring debut at 150 pounds, said it’s been a dream of his to climb into the ring, after having watched and admired Abdallah for years.

“I’ve watched Amer growing up in Lockport and I’m so glad that my mom met him and told him about me and got me started. I’m excited and ready to fight,” said Rodier, who will take on Toronto’s Jendrell Patton.

Andrello, the daughter of undefeated professional champions Jim and Kim Andrello of Syracuse, will make her comeback to the ring against Toronto’s Amenzee Omonzawa.

Among others attending Wednesday’s open training session were Brian Marciniak from BoxerSponsors.com, local photographer/musician Dave “Doc” Stockton, photographer Jay Stoos from Lace-Up Promotions and sponsor Jeff Folckemer from Local Edge Media.

Saturday’s event is being co-sponsored by Mulvey Construction (Tim Mulvey), ADPRO Sports, All Metal Works (Dominick Cilliberto), KJ Motorsports.com (Kyle Brent), Cain, Witlin, Dry Accountants (Scott Cain), Executive Landscaping (Tony Butera), Lock34 (Brian Junke) and Pizza Oven (John Rinaldo).

Click here to see the original article

United States Light Heavyweight Kickboxing champion Amer Abdallah (14-0) has finally received the news he’s been awaiting his entire career. Last month the World Kickboxing Association informed the Western New York native that he is currently the No.5 ranked kickboxer in the world and with a win on June 7 he will be placed as the mandatory challenger for the world title. “This has been a lifelong dream of mine and it’s now within arms reach.” Abdallah stated.

His next challenge will be the biggest fight of his career against European champion James Wallis of the United Kingdom, who also holds the International Kickboxing Federation’s world title. “This will be the biggest fight of Amer’s career in terms of importance and the opposition” stated Team Abdallah Manager Ahmed Imamovic. “He started his training camp in Las Vegas with Jeff Mayweather at the infamous Mayweather Boxing Club and is finishing it here in WNY with Corey Webster of WNY MMA and Greg Jones of Lockport Athletic & Fitness. Rest assured, he’ll be ready.”

Abdallah recently returned from an international press tour promoting the fight in the Middle East. “I was humbled at the amount of international press we received, and everywhere I went was proud to say I’m from a small town in WNY called Lockport.” Abdallah added.

Also on the star-studded lineup are local Golden Gloves champion Joe “Son of a Legend” Taylor who will look to continue his impressive undefeated winning streak as well as heavyweight powerhouse Ed Rodgers who will make his debut. Lightweight champion and undefeated Luay “The Arabian Nightmare” Ashkar and local favorite Eric Plumeri are also scheduled with exciting bouts.

The event dubbed “International Warfare” will be held at the Kenan Arena in Lockport, with tickets available through Ticketfly.com or locally at the Lockport Athletic & Fitness club (716.439.5232).