New Jersey's Thomas LaManna and the Dominican Republic's Juan Carlos Abreu will step into the ring this Saturday in a middleweight contest at Bally’s Atlantic City in New Jersey. Lamanna, who has experience in world title fights, will have the opportunity to fight for this gold belt and intends to achieve the goal as the star fighter of the night. LaManna, who is also a promoter, has a record of 37 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw and 16 knockouts. The 32-year old comes in on a seven-fight winning streak, four of which have been by knockout and has not lost since 2021 when he succumbed to current middleweight title holder Erislandy Lara.
Abreu, age 36, has 26 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw and 24 knockouts on his record. The native of La Romana has lost to current IBF champion Jaron Ennis, and more recently, to Charles Conwell at junior middleweight.
ON THE SHAME SHOW:
Amateur standout Jean Pierre Valencia will make his professional debut this Saturday, June 8th when he faces Patrick Bernard Harris in a four-round junior middleweight bout at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 24 year-old Valencia resides in Irvington, N.J. He won numerous championships at 165 pounds as an amateur, including a bronze medal at the 2023 National Golden Gloves, a New Jersey Golden Gloves title, two New Jersey Diamond Gloves titles, and the New York Boxing Tournament title. Valencia, who was born in Esmeraldas, Ecuador and raised in Barcelona, Spain, came to America two years ago with the dream of becoming a professional boxer. Now that moment is finally upon him.
“I feel very excited. I can’t stop thinking about the moment and I repeat it over and over in my head, the way I want to win that fight and make an impact in the world of boxing. This is the birth of something great,” said Valencia.
Valencia is co-managed by former pro boxer Chris Murphy and Ryan Songalia, while Songalia is also his head trainer alongside conditioning coach Aaron Watson.
His opponent will be Partrick Bernard Harris, age 26, of Cooperas Cove, Texas. Harris has a record of 1-4 (1 knockout) and is coming off a second round knockout win in April. Harris has been stopped just once in his professional career and has shown to be a durable and competitive opponent.
Valencia-Harris will be part of a card promoted by Main Events that will be headlined by a middleweight bout between Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna and Juan Carlos Abreu. Other bouts slated for the card include Gabriel Gerena vs. Lyle McFarlane, Carlos Rosario vs. Terell Bostic, Saleh Ali vs. Michael Ruiz, Chiara Dituri vs. Perla Lomeli.
