World’s Strongest Man Qualifier

Hulking strongmen showcase their power and might in the first qualifier event at Mohegan Sunderek-husafell
 Many of the world’s strongest men, including defending champion and local favorite Derek Poundstone, will return to southeastern Connecticut for the World’s Strongest Man Qualifier.  These mountains of muscle and brawn will attempt to press, lift and carry thousands of pounds at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, April 25th starting at 4:00pm.  This event is part of the 2010 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition, the qualifier to the World’s Strongest Man championship event.
Tickets are $30.00 and go on sale Friday, January 29th at 10:00am through Ticketmaster.    Ticketmaster customers may log onto ticketmaster.com; call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge By Phone number 1.800.745.3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.  Tickets will also be available at the Mohegan Sun Box Office beginning on Saturday, January 30th, subject to availability.
Athletes from around the world will battle in such feats of strength as the Giant Timber Frame Carry, the Car Dead Lift and the Atlas Stones competition.  The American contingency features Derek Poundstone (Waterbury, Connecticut), 2009’s America’s Strongest Man, 2009 Arnold’s Strongman Classic Champion and 2nd place at 2008’s WSM; Brian Shaw (Denver, Colorado), 2009 World Strongman Super Series World Champion; Nick Best (Las Vegas, NV), 2010 All-American Champion; Josh Thigpen (Houston, TX), 4th place 2010 All-American Strongman Challenge and Jason Bergmann (Appleton, WI), World’s Strongest Man competitor.
Meanwhile, the roster of international competitors includes: Mark Felix (Grenada), 2nd place at 2010 All-American Strongman Challenge; Stoyan Todorchev (Bulgaria), 2nd place at 2009 World Strongman Super Series Overall Championship; Terry Hollands (United Kingdom), WSM finalist and 3rd place at the 2008 Mohegan Sun Grand Prix; Louis-Philippe Jean (Canada), Canada’s Strongest Man and 2009 World’s Strongest Man finalist and Johannes Arsjo (Sweden) Sweden’s Strongest Man. 
In the Giant Timber Frame Carry, the athletes will each attempt to lift and carry a 750-pound timber frame and carry it for 30 meters/100 feet.  Furthest or fastest time to complete course wins. The athlete will have a 60-second time limit to complete the course.
In the Car Dead Lift, the athletes will attempt to lift the rear end of a compact car with their bare hands for as many repetitions as possible in a 60-second time limit.
During the Atlas Stones portion, the athletes will attempt to lift, carry and load six stones weighing 285 – 420 pounds onto platforms. Fastest time to load all six stones (or the most stones) wins.  The athlete will have a 60-second time limit to complete all six stones. 
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.

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Weigh-in for Friday Night Fights At Mohegan Sunmanfredopunch
WHAT: Official Boxing Weigh-In
WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, January 28th
5:00 pm
Outside Mohegan Sun Box Office
Mohegan Sun
WHO: Main Events:
Peter Manfredo Jr. 33-6-0 (18 KOs) vs. Matt Vanda 42-9-0 (22 KOs)
Matt Remillard 20-0-0 (11 KOs) vs. Rafael Lora 11-1-0 (5 KOs)
IN DETAIL: Headlining the January 29th event, Peter “The Pride of Providence” Manfredo Jr. will face off against Mattremillardpunch “The Predator” Vanda in the ten-round main event for the NABF Super Middleweight Title.
The co-feature on January 29th is a featherweight showdown between Hartford’s Matt “The Sharp Shooter” Remillard and Dominican Rafael Lora in a ten round battle for the NABF Featherweight Title. The bout is a rematch of their action-packed September 19th bout, won by Remillard in a controversial fourth round stoppage, which Lora hotly disputed.

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Mohegan Sun Presents Friday Night Fights

Peter Manfredo Jr. and Matt Remillard headline title bouts on January 29thPeter Manfredo, Jr. vs Shane Benfield
World-class professional boxing will be coming live to Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, January 29th at 7:30pm as TKO Boxing Promotions, in association with Mohegan Sun, presents two North American title bouts featuring long-time New England fan favorites Peter “The Pride of Providence” Manfredo Jr. and Matt “The Sharp Shooter” Remillard. 
Tickets are $75.00, $45.00 and $30.00 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. 
Headlining the January 29th event, Peter Manfredo Jr. will face off against Matt “The Predator” Vanda in the ten-round main event for the NABF Super Middleweight Title.
 
The twenty-nine year-old Manfredo, 33-6-0 (18 KOs), is coming off a brutal first-round stoppage of veteran Ronald Weaver on November 5th in Cockeysville, Maryland. Earlier in 2009, Manfredo stopped Walid Smichet with a devastating knockout in the seventh round on April 18th at the Casino Montréal in Quebec, Canada.
 
In addition to his second place finish in the premiere season of NBC’s The Contender, Manfredo has faced world-class competition throughout his career, with many of his biggest wins coming in the New England area.Matt Remillard vs Jesus Perez
Since 2005, Manfredo has defeated Scott Pemberton, Joey Spina, Ted Muller, David Banks, Shane Benfield and Donny McCrary in bouts which have taken place near his hometown of Providence.
 
A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, 31 year-old Vanda brings a record of 42-9-0 with 22 knockouts into the battle with Manfredo. Known as “The Predator,” Vanda’s first big win of his career came on June 24, 2005, when he won a twelve-round decision over former world champion Yory Boy Campas.
 
In 2008, Vanda battled Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. twice, losing a hotly-disputed split decision in Sonora, Mexico on July 12th and losing a hard fought decision in Las Vegas on November 1st.
 
Vanda has won three in a row in 2009 against veterans Tocker Pudwill, Ted Muller and Phil Williams, all in bouts which have taken place in Minnesota.
 
The co-feature on January 29th is a featherweight showdown between Hartford’s Matt “The Sharp Shooter” Remillard and Dominican Rafael Lora in a ten round battle for the NABF Featherweight Title. The bout is a rematch of their action-packed September 19th bout, won by Remillard in a controversial fourth round stoppage, which Lora hotly disputed.
 
Twenty-three year-old Remillard, amongst the most promising prospects in boxing, has amassed an undefeated record of 20-0-0 (11 KOs), since turning professional in 2005. He went 4-0 in 2009, most recently winning a unanimous decision over veteran Marty Robbins on December 19th.
 
Now based in Irvington, New Jersey, Lora, 11-1-0 (5 KOs), was undefeated prior to the first bout with Remillard and is focused on revenge.
 
The undercard is headlined by sensational lightweight prospect Francisco “The Phenom” Contreras. A native of the Dominican Republic, 25 year-old Contreras burst onto the boxing scene in this country with a sensational first-round knockout of Gustavo Mejia on June 18th. He finished with four big wins in 2009, the last a dominating unanimous decision over veteran Marteze Logan on December 19th.
 
In a special attraction bout, hard hitting fan favorite, Adelita Irizarry makes her return to Mohegan Sun in a six round welterweight bout. A native of Hartford, Irizarry, 6-3-0 (2 KOs), won a four-round unanimous decision over Yvonne Reis on August 29, 2008 in her last bout at Mohegan Sun Arena.
 
Also making his return to the ring is popular junior lightweight newcomer Joseph “Chip” Perez.  Twenty-three year-old Perez won his pro debut on September 19th with a terrific four-round unanimous decision over Juan Zuniga. In his most recent bout Perez, 2-0-0 (1KO), stopped Lewis Crews on December 19th.
 
Rounding out the card will be undefeated Russian lightweight prospect Adam Sargysan, 13-0-0 (8 KOs), Canadian junior lightweight Arash Usmanee, 4-0-0 (2 KOs) and the pro debut of outstanding amateur prospect, junior welterweight Michael Finney of Smith Station, Alabama.
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.

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College Basketball Doubleheader Live At Mohegan Sun

University of Rhode Island vs. Oklahoma State
Central Connecticut State University vs. Holy Cross

Mohegan Sun Arena will be playing host to an exciting division 1 college basketball doubleheader this winter when the University of Rhode Island takes on Oklahoma State, followed by Central Connecticut State University battling Holy Cross.  The action takes place live on Saturday, January 2nd at 2:00pm beginning with the URI vs. Oklahoma State game followed by the CCSU vs. Holy Cross game at 5:00pm.
Tickets are $75.00, $40.00, $30.00, $15.00 and $10.00 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. 
Last season, URI and Oklahoma State faced off in the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City, with the Cowboys edging by the Rams, 86-82.
Rhode Island finished with a 23-12 record a season ago, advancing to the second round of the NIT.  Keith Cothran and Atlantic 10 Sixth “Man of the Year” Delroy James return to spark the Runnin’ Rams’ high-powered offense in 2009-10.
Oklahoma State – picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 Conference – is led by former Massachusetts head coach Travis Ford. The Cowboys compiled a 23-12 record a season ago, advancing to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
The CCSU Blue Devils enter the 2009-10 season on the heels of a 13-17 record a year ago, but they return with all but one starter from that squad.  Junior Ken Horton, an All-Conference pick a year ago as a sophomore, leads the returners that also includes captains senior Joe Seymore and junior Shemik Thompson.  Sophomore Robby Ptacek was the third leading scorer for Central as a freshman a year ago.  Along with Horton and Thompson, Ptacek averaged more than 10.0 points per game. 
Holy Cross is coming off a 2008-2009 season in which it posted an overall record of 18-14 and finished second in the Patriot League with an 11-3 mark in conference games. The Crusaders return with four starters off of that squad, including junior forward Andrew Keister and sophomore guard R.J. Evans. Keister earned first team All-Patriot League honors last season after averaging 8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting a league-best 58.8 percent (104 of 177) from the floor. Evans, the 2009 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, led the team by averaging 13.4 points per game last year, in addition to pulling down 5.2 rebounds per contest.
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.

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Scully Heads Up Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame Inductees

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.

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