Promoter Bobby Hitz of Hitz Boxing will continue his yearly tradition of doing a boxing event on Thanksgiving Eve with his final "Fight Night at the Horseshoe" instalment of the year on a very special date: Wednesday, November 21, 2012, at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.

Packed with local and international talent, Hitz's remarkably popular Horseshoe shows never fail to deliver on action or old-school boxing glitz. Add in the fact that his annual Black Wednesday galas are "the place to be" in the Chicago every year on that day and a very special evening of world-class professional boxing is assured.

In the night's eight-round main event, Hitz will unveil his new heavyweight contender, Andrey Fedosov (22-2, 18 KOs) the former WBC Youth Heavyweight Champion from Hollywood, California, via Shuya, Russia. In his Horseshoe debut, Fedosov will face comebacking former NABA Champion "Rockin" Rodney Moore (17-6-2, 7 KOs) from Houston, Texas.

Also scheduled for battle that night are a couple of undefeated area cruiserweights who love to mix it up, as Chicago's Dimar "Strongman" Ortuz (5-0, 3 KOs) will return from his sensational victory over formerly undefeated Donta Woods at the last Horseshoe event to face UFC veteran and power-punching slugger Terry Martin (5-0, 5 KOs), also from Chicago. Given their styles and in-ring ferocity, the rugged pair is scheduled for six, but a distance fight is highly improbable.

In another notable six-round encounter, Chicago (via Lithuania) middleweight slugger Donatas Bondorovas (15-3-1, 4 KOs) will take on Evansville, Indiana's "King" David Thomas (10-2-2, 8 KOs).

The huge undercard (12 bouts are scheduled in total) will feature such popular local names as promising super middleweight prospect Mike "Hollywood" Jimenez (7-0, 4 KOs), who will go six rounds, and Pacquiao sparring partner and undefeated knockout sensation Abdulai "The Classiq" Amidu (20-0, 17 KOs) also going six.

Also featured will be four-round fights for Frankie "Time Bomb" Scalise (4-1, 4 KOs), Genaro Mendez (4-1, 3 KOs), kickboxing and Golden Gloves champ Simon "The Punisher" Buettner (2-0, 2 KOs), Russell "Rocky" Fiore (6-2-1, 6 KOs) and, making their pro-debuts, "Irish" Jimmy Murphy and Jonathan Manos.   

Complete match-ups will be announced shortly.

The high-class atmosphere and luxurious surroundings the Horseshoe has to offer make their boxing shows a Las Vegas-style night of boxing that Chicago-area fans don't have to get on a plane to enjoy.     

The Horseshoe Casino has an intimate, comfortable venue with luxurious seats, a spectacular gaming area, free parking, exquisite food and all the amenities -- and is just 20 minutes from Downtown Chicago.

Tickets are priced at $90 Ringside & $40 Orchestra and available at all Ticketmaster outlets and ticketmaster.com.

All bouts are subject to change.

On fight night, doors open 6:00 pm and the action starts at 7:00.

Lausanne, Switzerland - The APB/WSB workshop in Incheon, South Korea, which sees the world's best Referees & Judges take part in a five-day intensive training course, made history yesterday as seven of its finest were awarded 5-star status following a stringent selection process.

DR Wu with the seven 5-Star R&Js

Michael Gallagher from Ireland, England's Mik Basi, Kazakh Rakhymzhan Rysbayev, Mariusz Gorny from Poland, Russia's Vladislav Malyshev, Argentinean Gerardo Poggi, and Mrs Kheira Sidi Yakoub from Algeria were all rewarded for their achievements and as the outstanding candidates for selection, were unveiled as the first ever AIBA 5-Star Referee & Judges by AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.

"This is a significant moment in the history of our sport as we appoint the very first AIBA 5-Star Referees & Judges. We truly appreciate their long years of service and dedication to officiating during international Elite AIBA competitions", Dr Wu said before adding, "These appointments mean that these R&Js are now full-time AIBA officials and we will be using their skills and knowledge on a regular basis at the very best Elite AOB, APB and WSB competitions, as well as for various trainings and educational programs".

These seven officials were carefully selected by a panel of experts with the strict criteria of entry based on their qualifications (only 3-Star R&Js were considered), experience and career records. This 5-Star status qualifies them to: 

 

officiate in Elite AOB (AIBA Olympic Boxing), APB (AIBA Professional Boxing) and WSB (World Series of Boxing) competitions;

    take part in all AIBA meetings and events related to R&J aspects as a Presenter or Instructor;

    act as an R&J Instructor for any educational program held in AIBA Academies, International, Continental and National R&J Seminar and conduct the examination to certify R&Js at different levels;

    take part in developing the R&J examination, manuals, guidelines, etc.;

    act as the R&J Captain at Elite AIBA Competitions;

    act as an AIBA Ambassador to represent AIBA in all aspects related to R&J work.

Mik Basi, who took the Olympic Oath at London 2012 on behalf of all the officials at the Games' Opening Ceremony, stated, "It is a huge privilege to become a 5-Star R&J and to be a part of this groundbreaking innovation by AIBA. I am very much looking forward to this new challenge".

Kheira Sidi Yakoub, who boasts one of the best records in the world and refereed the Women's Middleweight (75kg) final at the London 2012 Olympic Games, was overjoyed at receiving her certificate, beaming as she declared, "I am entirely ready for this mission, it is the culmination of all the hard work I have put into my career as a referee".

Irishman Michael Gallagher, the recipient of the prestigious AIBA R&J of the Year award over the past two years, said of his appointment, "It is a fantastic honour to be a part of this group of elite referees, these are exciting times for AIBA with WSB Season III and the launch of APB next year".

These views were shared by Kazakhstan's Rakhymzhan Rysbayev, also one of the stand-out referees at the London 2012 Olympic Games as he added, "I have been officiating for 11 years and since AIBA's new governance in 2006 there has been a lot of progress and innovation in boxing, also related to R&Js, it is a very positive movement".

"To become a 5-Star R&J is the pinnacle of my career so far. AIBA's new project, APB, will revolutionise the sport and I cannot wait to be a part of it", stated Vladislav Malyshev, Russia's top R&J. Veteran AIBA referee Mariusz Gorny, who has travelled the world officiating Elite AOB competitions and WSB matches was bestowed with the Best R&J award at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Milan 2009 echoed that sentiment by saying, "Today is a very important moment in my life. The last 10 years I have refereed parallel to a job that I was not passionate about but now I am a full-time AIBA Referee & Judge, it is an amazing feeling. It is a job that carries great responsibility and it is a privilege to be selected, a dream come true".

Argentina Gerardo Poggi, the youngest of those appointed at 33, was very proud to be selected as part of this elite group of R&Js, declaring, "I will continue to work extremely hard to bring the best refereeing to competitions. APB is the dawn of something special in boxing".

These seven are only the beginning as AIBA is planning to increase the number of elite R&Js through further workshops and various training programs worldwide in order to have more full time officials in the future. The APB/WSB workshop in Incheon continues until Saturday 3 November.

In the eight-round featured bout last Friday evening at Dr Roque Nido Stella Coliseum in Guayama, Puerto Rico, Team Puerto Rico lightweight prospect Jorge "Machito" Maysonet Jr., (10-0, 9 KOs) demolished opponent Ramesis Gil (8-5-5, 5 KOs) by way of a first-round KO.

From the beginning of the fight, Maysonet came out very aggressive, connecting with left and right hooks to the face and body of Gil, who went down on three occasions. The referee seen that Gil was unstable to continue and the fight was halted at the 1:23 mark.

Maysonet has recorded multiple first round knockouts and many critics are saying he could be the next super-star to come out of Puerto Rico.

"Earlier this year, Ramesis was victorious against very good unbeaten fighters, but he had never faced someone like me as you can see by the results," said Maysonet who is promoted by Warriors Boxing, Universal Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions.

"Tonight's knockout victory shows my talent is for real and my goal is to bring excitement to my fans in Puerto Rico. The entire lightweight division better take notice because I'm coming to conquer."