Grand Friday Night Fights, Pro Boxing

One of the top casino boxing series in the country for the last decade, Grand Casino Hinckley’s “Grand Friday Night Fights”, returns on October 22^nd after a 19-month hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Event organizer and Rapacz Boxing head Cory Rapacz joined MinnesotaBoxing.com to preview the scheduled 8 fight card.

Main Event – Super Middleweights – 8 Rounds

Ryan Adams (8-2 6KOs) St. Louis, MO vs. Caleb Hernandez (6-0 6KOs) Schereville, IN

Cory Rapacz: “I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Grand Casino Hinckley and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe again to bring back the ‘Grand Friday Night Fights’ series. I’m looking forward to getting the Minnesota boxing community back together. These events have created a family atmosphere between the regular managers, commissioners, fighters, trainers and everyone else associated with these shows. People from all over the country constantly tell us that ‘Grand Friday Night Fights’ is one of their favorite events to work on and travel to. With the amateur programs they are building at Meshakwad Community Center and the continued support of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe I think the sky is the limit for where this series can go in the future.

Over the years we’ve built one of the most successful casino series and prospect development platforms in the United States. I don’t think the impact that ‘Grand Friday Night Fights’ has had on the Minnesota fight scene can be overstated and how big it is to have it back. Minnesota has celebrated 3 different fighters winning world titles in the last few years and all those fighters came up competing in the ring at Grand Casino. Combined they were 24-0 fighting in Hinckley and gained invaluable experience for their careers. I can’t wait to see what the next generation does with their opportunities!

We had a different main event planned for this show but unfortunately that fell through, so in the spirit of what the ‘Grand Friday Night Fights’ series has been we went out and matched two of the best super middleweight prospects in the Midwest. Ryan Adams vs. Caleb Hernandez is going to be an excellent fight that I believe is going to give the crowd their money’s worth. Adams recently upset an undefeated prospect to win the NABA-US Super Middleweight title and Hernandez is coming off a career best win by stopping Mike Montoya in Chicago. Both fighters and their teams are embracing the opportunity to steal the show and potentially become a fixture at Grand Casino moving forward.

6 Rounds – Heavyweights

Tim Taggart Jr (5-4-2 2KOs) Hinckley, MN vs. James Dancing Bull (4-0-1 2KOs) Minot, ND

Cory Rapacz: “Mark this one down for fight of the night! Tim Taggart, one of my favorite all-action fighters of the ‘Grand Friday Night Fights’ series, is making his return after a decade out of the ring and he isn’t taking the easy route. Tim has bulked up to heavyweight and has gotten back into the boxing mindset while coaching the youth teams at Meshakwad Community Center in Hinckley. At 33 years old he’s still young for the heavyweight division. Dancing Bull is still undefeated and no stranger to going on the road and taking tough fights. Two years ago, he traveled to Wisconsin and fought Ryan Watson to a draw and has definitely been the more active of the two. I personally can’t wait for this one.

Rematch – 6 Rounds – Light Middleweights

Daniel Huffman (4-1-1 1KO) Duluth, MN vs. Nick Compton (2-4) Minneapolis, MN

Cory Rapacz: “When I first reached out to Zack Walters for this event the first fight he brought up that he wanted to get done was this rematch. Compton handed Huffman his first defeat a year and a half ago in Minneapolis and wants to prove it was no fluke….Huffman wants his shot at revenge. I love local fights and local rivalries and can’t wait to see if Huffman can make the adjustments or if Compton will get the job done again.

5 Rounds – Jr Lightweights

Rayshaun Thomas (3-0 1KO) San Bernardino, CA vs. Don Stewart (2-5 2KOs) St. Louis, MO

Cory Rapacz: “Rayshaun Thomas is a fighter signed to Minnesota-based management company One-Two Boxing and has some interesting local ties. Thomas is good friends with Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison and we are hoping he will be in the house on October 22^nd during their bye week. Thomas went to Mexico twice during the pandemic and defeated tough opponents and looks poised to burst onto the scene. Stewart is coming in from St. Louis and hoping to spoil the party.”

4 Rounds – Heavyweights

Colton Warner (2-0 1KO) Apple Valley, MN vs. Blaine Perrigo (1-1 1KO) St. Louis, MO

Cory Rapacz: “Colton Warner got a lot of attention this summer working in camp with current heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and trainer Sugar Hill out in Las Vegas. I know Colton’s ring return has been a long time coming and his family has received a lot of attention with the announcement that his brother Hunter has retired from professional hockey to also pursue a career as a professional heavyweight boxer. Standing in Warner’s way will be 6’3 280 Blaine Perrigo who already has a first round KO win on his resumé. I’m hoping this fight is a good gauge to see how much Warner has improved or if Perrigo is going to send him back to the drawing board.”

6 Rounds – Jr Lightweights

Jesse Walters (5-0 3KOs) Duluth, MN vs. Tyrome Jones (5-8-1 2KOs) South Bend, IN

Cory Rapacz: “I love this fight. This is exactly the type of fight you want to see a young prospect take early in their career. Jones is a crafty veteran southpaw with a lot of talented fighters on his record including a KO over undefeated Shamar Fulton in Philadelphia. Jesse’s performance here is going to dictate what kind of path Zack Walters puts his career on for 2022. Jesse is one of the names that could lead Minnesota boxing through this next decade so to me that makes this a can’t miss fight for sure.”

6 Rounds – Middlweights

Antonio Woods (7-0 6KOs) Minneapolis, MN vs. Brandon Baue (16-24 11KOs) Troy, MO

Cory Rapacz: “Antonio Woods is an Iowa transplant who is now making his home in Minneapolis and training under the guidance of former Minnesota Jr Middleweight Champion Corey Rodriguez. To me, Woods is the definition of a prospect that gets it. He’s got the right management with Eric Hinderaker of One-Two Boxing, made the move to get the right training with Rodriguez and has shown the commitment it takes outside the ring. I believe he’s going to be a factor in the Minnesota fight scene for quite some time but first he has to get through Brandon Baue. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of issues the veteran can give Woods as he works his way down to the 154 lb division.”

4 Rounds – Heavyweights

Colin Sangster (2-1 1KO) Thunder Bay, ON vs. Vincent Downwind (0-2) Rice Lake, WI

Cory Rapacz: “I’m excited for this one. From all accounts Vinnie is looking great in the gym and nobody blew my phone up like Sangster to get on this show so that tells me both guys are coming to fight! This should be a good, evenly matched heavyweight scrap that the fans will enjoy. I’m thinking we may see this one more than one time.”

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