Oct 5, 2009 | General News
Dinner to honor six will be held November 21st at Mohegan Sun
John Scully, who fought for two world light heavyweight titles, heads the 2009 induction class for the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame. Vito Tallarita, Sal DiMartino, Dan Cosgrove, Julie Kogon and Jack Delaney will also be inducted at the fifth annual dinner on Saturday, November 21st in Mohegan Sun’s Uncas Ballroom. The evening will be hosted by Showtime’s Steve Farhood.
Tickets for the dinner on November 21st are $75.00 and are available now by calling Mike Murtha at Mohegan Sun at 860.862.7586 or Sherman Cain at the Manchester Journal Inquirer at 1.800.237.3606 ext. 321. The evening will begin with a cocktail hour from 6:00pm – 7:00pm with dinner to follow.
Scully, 42, lost a decision to Henry Maske in Germany in an International Boxing Federation world light heavyweight title fight in 1996. He lost to Drake Thadzi in 1998 in a bout for the International Boxing Organization world title. The lifelong Windsor resident won a New England middleweight crown and was also an Eastern Regional amateur champion. Scully had a 38-11 record as a pro. Scully currently trains lightweight contender Mike Oliver.
Tallarita was the matchmaker for Marlon Starling’s first 20 pro bouts. Tallarita, who lived in Enfield after moving from Italy at age seven, was the matchmaker for all five of Sugar Ray Leonard’s bouts in New England before Leonard became a world champion. He was inducted into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996 and also did the wildly successful closed-circuit promotions of the first Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier bout and the Ali-George Foreman fight.
DiMartino, 80 and living in Florida, was the 1952 Connecticut state middleweight champ and won 27 of his first 31 pro bouts. Based in Hartford , DiMartino once beat Vic Cardell, inducted into the CBHOF in 2007. DiMartino retired in 1953 with a record of 38-11-7.
Cosgrove, 91, won 31 of 34 fights between 1934 and 1937. The Branford native had a very successful construction company and had been a prominent figure in politics in the New Haven area.
Kogon was a popular fighter out of New Haven in the 1930s and 40s. He won the New England lightweight title in 1947. He was ranked the #10 lightweight by Ring Magazine in 1944. Kogon, who died in 1986, had an 83-38-17 professional record.
Delaney won a world light heavyweight title in 1926. He relinquished his title without defending it to pursue a career as a heavyweight. He lived in Bridgeport most of his career, compiling pro wins over CBHOF inductees Maxie Rosenbloom and Lou Bogash. Delaney, who died in 1948, finished with a 77-12-1 pro record.
For more information on this and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
Oct 5, 2009 | Sports
PBR Live in the Arena Friday, October 16th – Sunday, October 18th
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) will bring the world’s best bull riders and bulls to the East Coast for the Mohegan Sun Invitational presented by Cooper Tires, the 31st and final stop in the 2009 season. The top 40 bull riders will participate in three days of non-stop competition as they all vie for the final Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) event title of the 2009 regular season. Mohegan Sun Arena will host the event with the action getting underway on Friday, October 16th at 8:00pm and continuing on Saturday, October 17th at 7:50pm and Sunday, October 18th at 12:00pm. Each rider is competing for their chance to qualify for the 2009 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas where a $1,000,000 bonus will be awarded to the 2009 PBR World Champion.
Tickets are available for as little as $10.00 and increase to $25.00, $40.00 and $75.00 on Friday, October 16th. On Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th, tickets will be $15.00, $25.00, $50.00 and $100.00. Tickets are on sale now at the Mohegan Sun Box Office and through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to Ticketmaster.com; call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge by Phone number 1.800.745.3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.
The Mohegan Sun Invitational will feature the superstars of professional bull riding including 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil); PBR superstars
J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, NC), Kody Lostroh (Longmont, CO), Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, OK), Zack Brown (Santa Fe, TX), and Ryan McConnel (Colgate, OK.); past World Champions Chris Shivers (Jonesville, LA) – 2000 & 2003 – and Mike Lee (Decatur, TX) – 2004; and PBR fan favorites Matt Bohon (Cole Camp, MO), Wiley Petersen (Fort Hall, ID), Ross Coleman (Molalla, OR), and Luke Snyder (Raymore, MO) who holds the current record for most consecutive BFTS events attended.
The elite event will consist of four rounds of competition with the first three rounds featuring the top 40 bull riders matched against the PBR’s toughest bulls. The scores from the three rides will be combined and the riders with the top 15 scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round after intermission on Sunday. In the end, the cowboy with the highest total score on four bulls will be declared the winner of the Mohegan Sun Invitational!
Mohegan Sun Arena is ranked the 4th best venue by Billboard Magazine and was the 2008 recipient of a Country Music Award for “Casino of The Year.” For more information on concerts and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
Oct 5, 2009 | Sports
Spina & Del Valle headline Halloween night fight card on October 31st
World-rated light heavyweight Joey “KO Kid” Spina plans to live up to his nickname by knocking out goblins, ghosts, former world champion Lou “Honey Boy” Del Valle and anybody (anything) else that steps into the ring Halloween night at Mohegan Sun Arena. The event begins at 7:30pm.
Tickets are $75.00, $45.00 and $25.00 and are on sale now at the Mohegan Sun Box Office and through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com; call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge By Phone number 1.800.745.3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.
Spina (25-1-1, 17 KOs), fighting out of Providence, takes on Del Valle in the 10-round main event. Joey is rated among the top 15 contenders by all four major boxing organizations – WBC #12, WBA #13, WBO #14 and IBF #15. The rugged Italian-American has defeated former world champion Carl Daniels, The Contender star Jesse Brinkley, Anwar Oshana and Manu Ntoh, among the notables.
Del Valle (36-6-1, 22 KOs), a New York southpaw, has never been stopped in 43 pro bouts. He captured the vacant WBA light heavyweight title in 1997 against European champion “Fast” Eddy Smulders by an eighth-round technical knockout. Lou, who fought Bruno Girard to a draw in their 2001 WBA title fight, went the distance with Roy Jones, Jr. (1998 WBC/WBA unification bout), Virgil Hill (1996 WBA title fight) and Girard (2002 WBA title rematch) in three other world championship matches.
“Joey Spina, pound-for-pound, remains one of the hardest-hitting fighters in the world,” promoter Jimmy Burchfield claimed. “He’s very exciting to watch and fans never know when he’s going to put his opponent to sleep with one big shot. Del Valle has a great chin, though, and he’s held his own against future Hall of Famers like Jones and Hill. A solid performance by Joey against a former world champion like Del Valle should put Spina in line for a major fight. It’s going to be a haunting experience, for sure.”
Also scheduled to fight at Fright Night At The Sun is New England and Eastern Boxing Association super bantamweight champion “Machine Gun” Mike Oliver (22-2, 7 KOs), of Hartford, against upset specialist Andre Wilson (11-3-1, 9 KOs) in the 8-round co-feature. A pair of popular, undefeated lightweight prospects are scheduled to be in action, but in 4-round separate bouts, Quincy’s (MA) Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczewski (5-0, 2 KOs) and Philadelphia’s Frank Trader (6-0, 2 KOs). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
“We will be announcing the rest of the card very soon,” Burchfield noted. “CES is excited to be returning to the beautiful Mohegan Sun. We’re encouraging fans to dress up for Halloween and enjoy an evening of boxing, entertainment and some spooky moments. Mohegan Sun is like a second home for Mike Oliver and Ryan K. has a strong fan-base within driving distance.”
Mohegan Sun Arena is ranked the 4th best venue by Billboard Magazine and was the 2008 recipient of a Country Music Award for “Casino of The Year.” For more information on concerts and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
Aug 18, 2009 | Sports
Show is Sunday, October 11th, tickets on sale now
The Lipizzaner Stallions are on their 40th Anniversary Tour in 2009 and will gallop their way to Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, October 11th at 4:00pm. Many horses and riders were brought from Europe to perform in this unique family-oriented attraction.
Tickets for the event are $35.00 and $25.00 and are on sale now at the Mohegan Sun Box Office and through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com; call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge by Phone number 1.800.745.3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.
Over the years, 25 million people throughout North and South America, Great Britain, Europe and Australia have seen this internationally-acclaimed spectacle. This year represents the 40th Anniversary season of The Lipizzaner Stallions. All new music, choreography and routines have been incorporated in this anniversary edition with a major emphasis on the historical background and foundation of the Lipizzaner breed. Also included in the performance is a segment called the “Airs Above the Ground.” These are the spectacular leaps and maneuvers once used by riders in saddle to protect and defend themselves on the battlefield, now preserved as an equestrian work of art. Harkening back to a time when the horse was a symbol of grace and majesty, The Lipizzaner Stallions are truly a great experience to be enjoyed by the entire family. One does not need to be a horse lover to enjoy “The Equestrian Treat of the Century!”
For more information on The Lipizzaner Stallions and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s entertainment schedule, call the hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
Aug 4, 2009 | Sports
Professional Bull Riders Live in the Arena Friday, October 16th – Sunday, October 18th
Mohegan Sun is excited to announce that the PBR’s 2009 Mohegan Sun Invitational presented by Cooper Tires will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, October 16th – Sunday, October 18th. On the final regular season stop of the 2009 Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) tour, the world’s best bull riders will invade Mohegan Sun Arena where they will take on some of the rankest bulls the PBR has to offer.
Tickets are available for as little as $10.00 and increase to $25.00, $40.00 and $75.00 on Friday, October 16th. On Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th, tickets will be $15.00, $25.00, $50.00 and $100.00. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 7th at 10:00am through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to Ticketmaster.com; call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge by Phone number 1.800.745.3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets may also be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Box Office starting Saturday, August 8th subject to availability.
PBR attracts over 1.7 million live attendees each year with its multi-tiered event structure including the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour designed specifically for entry -level contestants. With over 450 hours of prime time programming annually and a viewership of 100 million, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air and broadcasts on FOX, NBC, VERSUS and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, CO, with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico and prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions across the five countries.
For more information on PBR and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.
