ESPN 8/18 Bryant Jennings vs Alexander Dimitrenko

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Veteran heavyweight contenders Bryant Jennings and Alexander Dimitrenko will take center stage when they square off in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Aug. 18 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Top Rank announced on Wednesday.

The scheduled 12-round fight will take place at the new Ocean Resort Casino, which opens on Thursday on the property previously occupied by the Revel.

In the 10-round co-feature, super middleweight contender Jesse Hart will face Mike Gavronski (24-2-1, 15 KOs).

Both fights will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10 p.m. ET with the entire card to stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET.


Jennings and Hart, both from Philadelphia, will essentially be fighting at home considering how close Philly is to Atlantic City.

After Jennings (23-2, 13 KOs), 33, lost back-to-back fights in 2015 -- a world title shot to then-unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and top contender Luis "King Kong" Ortiz -- he went idle for 20 months because of a contract beef with his former promoter. But he's been keeping busy since signing with Top Rank in mid-2017 and has won four fights in a row, most recently a one-sided 10-round decision win over Philadelphia rival Joey Dawejko on April 28.

But Dimitrenko marks a step up in competition for him since his return.

"Dimitrenko is a big, competitive fighter," the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Jennings said. "I worked very hard to gain my position in the heavyweight division. Every fight for me is a risk. While I'm confident in myself, I don't take any opponent lightly. Boxing fans can expect me to bring my best."

The 6-7, 255-pound Dimitrenko (41-3, 26 KOs) has won three fights in a row since a third-round knockout loss to former heavyweight world titleholder Joseph Parker in October 2016. Dimitrenko, a 35-year-old Russia native fighting out of Germany, will be fighting in the United States for the first time since his sixth pro fight took place in Las Vegas in 2002.

"I am looking forward to this fight, as this is an opportunity to advance in the heavyweight division," Dimitrenko said. "I love to train and push myself to the limit. I want to be great. I've never had so much fun in boxing. The fight against Jennings comes at just the right time, and I will take advantage of this opportunity."

Hart (24-1, 20 KOs), 29, is working his way toward another shot at a world title. He dropped a hard-fought decision to 168-pound titleholder Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in September and has won both of his fights since by knockout, including a seventh-round stoppage of Demond Nicholson on the same April 28 card as Jennings' last fight.

"I'm excited to be back in Atlantic City. I know that my hometown fans will show up, and I will put on a spectacular performance," said Hart, the son of 1970s middleweight contender Eugene "Cyclone" Hart. "Gavronski is a good test. He's durable, and I know this fight will be great for boxing and boxing fans."

Gavronski (24-2-1, 15 KOs), 32, of Tacoma, Washington, will be taking on the most significant opponent of his career. He is 4-0 with a no-contest since an eighth-round knockout loss to sub-.500 journeyman Dashon Johnson in November 2015.

"This is what you live for," Gavronski said. "Hart is a tough guy who can do a lot of nice things. I just think I can do them a lot better. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I am willing to fight anybody. I love the challenge."

Also on the card
  • 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson (7-0, 4 KOs), 20, of Newark, New Jersey, and one of boxing's elite prospects, will face Carlos Ruiz (16-4-2, 6 KOs), 25, of Mexico, in an eight-round featherweight bout.​
  • Former secondary junior lightweight world titlist Jason Sosa (20-3-4, 15 KOs) 30, of Camden, New Jersey, will take on Reynaldo Blanco (14-4, 8 KOs), 31, of the Dominican Republic, in an eight-rounder. Sosa will look to end a two-fight losing skid in which he lost a majority decision to former world titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa and a suffered a ninth-round knockout to Vasiliy Lomachenko in a junior lightweight world title fight.​
Other fights announced include Philadelphia bantamweight Christian Carto (15-0, 11 KOs) against Mexico's Javier Gallo (25-15-1, 13 KOs) in an eight-rounder; Atlantic City's Thomas "Cornflake" LaManna (25-2-1, 9 KOs) against Greensboro, North Carolina's Matthew Strode (25-6, 9 KOs) in an eight-round junior middleweight fights; Allentown, Pennsylvania junior lightweight prospect Joseph Adorno (7-0, 7 KOs), who is also scheduled to fight July 7, in a six-rounder against an opponent to be determined; and Ukrainian heavyweight prospect Oleksandr Teslenko (13-0, 11 KOs) against an opponent to be named in a six- or eight-round fight.​
 

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Photos: Bryant Jennings, Alexander Dimitrenko - Face To Face

Boxing is being featured for the first time at the recently opened Ocean Resort Casino (formerly Revel), which is located steps from the Atlantic City boardwalk. (photos by Mikey Williams).

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Heavyweights will take center stage on Saturday evening when Philadelphia's Bryant "B.Y." Jennings faces Alexander "Sascha" Dimitrenko in the 12-round heavyweight main event. In the co-feature, Philadelphia native Jesse "Hollywood" Hart will defend the NABF super middleweight title in a 10-rounder versus Mike Gavronski. Jennings-Dimitrenko and Hart-Gavronski will be broadcast on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET, with the entire undercard to be shown on ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

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Shakur Stevenson (7-0, 4 KOs), the 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist will headline the ESPN+ portion of the card against Carlos Ruiz (16-4-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight bout.

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The fighters and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum gathered Thursday for the final press conference. This is what they had to say.

Bob Arum

“This is a terrific card because any time you highlight Philly fighters, you’re going to get fights. Philly fighters bring the heat. They’re exciting.”

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Bryant Jennings

On whether he still has the hunger: “If you’re not hungry, you don’t eat. And if you don’t eat, then you starve. If you starve, then you die. And I want to live. I’m hungry. I didn’t eat. I need to eat. Just make sure it’s vegan. In fact, it don’t gotta be vegan because Saturday, I’m eating Russian!”

On whether he’s a different fighter following back-to-back defeats in 2015: “Every fight is a different fight. As you grow, things change. You make changes as you grow in your sport and your craft. So, yeah, I’m a different fighter.”

On fighting taller fighters like Dimitrenko: “As a kid, I was told, ‘never tell your secrets.’ You thought I was about to say something {laughing}?”

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Alexander Dimitrenko

"This is a great opportunity for me. I'm here to win this fight. I'm 36, and I have big plans. I want to win this fight. I look forward to make this fight and to show what I can."

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Jesse Hart

On his 2017 title loss to Gilberto Ramirez: “I never looked at it as a loss. I always look at it as a lesson. I think I’ve raised my IQ of boxing. It gave me a better outlook on being in that position, and I think it just gave me a lot more to look at toward the sport of boxing, not just the championship of the world. I learned a lot from that fight. That fight taught me a whole lot.”

On his father, perennial former middleweight contender Eugene “Cyclone” Hart: “{Winning a world title for him} motivates me a lot. When I’m up at 4:15 in the morning out there doing my road work, that’s the first thing that comes to my mind, getting a world title for my father. That’s the motivation. I think that’s the motivation for myself, and to be the best.”

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Mike Gavronski

On fighting so often in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington: “Because that was the only thing I could do at the time. But, you know, now I’m here, and I’m happy to be here.”

On his fighting style: "A great show. Every time out, I come to perform. I come to fight. One way or another, you’re going to love me at the end of the day.”

On his advantages against Hart: “I don’t know. These are my kind of people. Blue collar workers. The crowd will eventually be on my side. I’m pretty sure. I would hope so. And, you know, we’re running and gunning. That’s all we can do.”

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Shakur Stevenson

“When I was younger, I used to come {to Atlantic City} all the time. We used to come here for vacations and stuff, and I came here to watch the {Bernard Hopkins-Antonio Tarver} fight. I don’t know. I’m excited. I can’t wait to fight.”

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aceboon

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Top Rank is loaded with young prospects, everytime I see Joseph Adorno he's dusting someone in like a round
 
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