LOCAL BOXERS PREPARED FOR FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS

7 professional boxing bouts are scheduled to take place this Friday night at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN. With Robert Brand and Al Sands both falling off the show, it is a handful of Minnesota boxing’s next generation of up and comers that will be gunning for fight of the night honors.
DeLorien Caraway will box in his first main event against a tough Philadelphia fighter Jerome Rodriguez. Caraway is coming off the best win of his pro career last time out in Hinckley.
Ve Shawn Owens steps up against Romon Barber in a highly anticipated match. Barber has given many good fighters all they could handle.
RJ Laase says he is looking to get back on track following a war against Benito Tovar last year. Joe Amouta will try to continue his winning streak against one of Minnesota’s top MMA fighters Travis Perzynski.
Prospect Celso Ramirez takes on tough and determined Ryan Soft of South Dakota in another fun matchup.
Circle of discipline’s Richard Quinterio takes on  Jeff Farmer and BJ Lacy of Minneapolis and Duluth’s Anthony Palmisano  meet in a cruiserweight fight to start the nights action off.
Words from some of the combatants can be read below. The entire card and record details can be seen by CLICKING HERE

DeLorien Caraway sharing his thoughts on his opponent Jerome Rodriguez: He’s a tough Philly kid and we have history. We’ve been in the ring before but I vaguely remember the sparring session because it happened over two years ago. Like I told my team, I expect a fire fight. All in all, he’s a better opponent then my last one and I’m 100% prepared.

RJ Laase on his last fight against Tovar and upcoming fight versus Jacob Fox: I feel good and excited to be back. Training for this fight has been fun. Like every fight, I’ve put in a lot work and sacrifice into preparation. I’m more than ready to fight and looking forward to putting on a good show. I’ve had a couple set backs the last couple times out. My last fight with Tovar is a tough pill to swallow. I’ve watched the video numerous times and don’t see what 5 rounds the judges can argue he won. I felt I swept the first 5 rounds, 6 could go either way and he edged the 7th and 8th. I was very disappointed in the job that the referee displayed that evening. I was hit low 5 times throughout the fight with the ref making 3 official breaks in the action to only warn him to keep them up. Now, I’m not a rocket scientist or playing the excuses game but come on man. How many official warnings do you give a guy? Aside from that, I can’t take anything away from Tovar. He came to fight and got the nod. I hope to get that win back in the future. As for the Fox fight, I’m not taking this cat lightly. I treat all of my opponents the same when it comes to training and preparation, like they’re undefeated and protecting their “0”. He may not have a pretty record but he’s been matched tough and he’s a durable guy to make my return against. I don’t plan on letting this one go to cards.

Ve Shawn Owens on training camp and his opponent Romon Barber: This fight for me is huge. I have been in training mode for 2 months. I was expecting a fight before that didn’t go through, and when I heard I had a possible match at Grand Casino Hinckley which is one of the biggest Casino’s in Minnesota, I jumped right on! Training has been excellent. I was already in fight shape and the camp we have up north was just a bonus for this match up. The guy I am facing is known all over Minnesota and beat some good fighters from here. We are prepared for his straight ahead relentless attack and knockout power. When I got the call that I’m facing Romon Barber, I began studying his style day and night. We can honestly say this is the perfect test for me and my biggest.

Celso “EL NIÑO” Ramirez on training camp and Friday’s fight: Training camp has gone great. We worked hard like always. What I know about my opponent is that he’s coming ready to fight and this should be a tough one. What I expect for fight night is the same thing as my other five, just that I will come and do my job. All the hard work was put in and now it’s  show time. Keep calm and check the forecast because EL NIÑO is hitting the Casino on Friday! Don’t forget your umbrella and rain coat!