FRIDAY NIGHT F(R)IGHTS:  PROFESSIONAL BOXING RETURNS TO
NEW YORK’S CAPITAL CITY WITH HALLOWEEN EVENT AT
REFURBISHED WASHINGTON AVENUE ARMORY 

Albany, N.Y. – Local boxing promoter Lisa Elovich and Pugnacious Promotions will stage the next Capital Region fight card at the refurbished Washington Avenue Armory, in Albany, N.Y., at a Halloween event on Friday, October 28, 2005.   

Marking the return of the sport to New York’s capital city, which hosted many fights in the 80s and 90s, “Friday Night F(r)ights at the Armory” will feature local fighters in competitive bouts, including heavyweight Shannon Miller (11-1, 6 KOs, Troy, N.Y.), heavyweight Gary Wilcox (18-3-1, 6 KOs, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), junior middleweight Tony Marshall (37-12-3, 13 KOs, Albany, N.Y.), junior welterweight Wayland Willingham (7-0, 4 KOs, Albany, N.Y.) and welterweight Hervey Medina (3-0-1, Highland, NY). 

The city has witnessed its share of boxing history, hosting fights of hall of fame boxers like Sandy Sadler and Sugar Ray Robinson and the early fights in the career of Mike Tyson.  The Armory has a long history hosting boxing, as well as being home court to Albany’s Continental Basketball Association Patroons, who will return in November 2005. 

 “We are thrilled to help bring a first-class pro boxing event back to the Armory and New York’s capital,” said promoter Lisa Elovich, of Pugnacious Promotions.  “We’ve planned a great show at a site where a lot more boxing fans can come out to see their local fighters.” 

“I am looking forward to making pro boxing a regular event at the Armory and delighted to be working with Lisa Elovich and Pugnacious Promotions,” said Jim Coyne, vice president and general manager of the Washington Avenue Armory.  “The Armory is an excellent place for fans to see sporting events like boxing.” 

The Armory represents a milestone for the promotional group, with seating capacity nearly double that of venues for its previous Capital Region boxing shows.   The additional seats will make it possible for all local boxing fans and others curious about the sport to witness it live.  

 “The seat increase does represent some risk, so we hope there is as much community support in Albany for the boxers as there was in Saratoga for our last two shows,” said Elovich. “The costs to run a boxing show at a smaller venue require higher ticket prices.  Because of the large turnout for the first two shows, we felt comfortable trying a larger venue.  With so many seats, we can afford to offer the majority of the tickets at lower prices.” 

Tickets go on sale September 30th at the Armory box office, (518) 694-7160, or through Ticketmaster by phone (518-476-1000), at any outlet or online at www.ticketmaster.com.  General Admission tickets will cost $20, Reserved, $30, Ringside, $75 and first two rows, $100.  Corporate tables are also available for groups of 10, with additional services. 

Pugnacious Promotions’ first two shows – at the Saratoga Springs City Center on August 19^th and at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on May 13^th – were both very well received.  The last show featured the fight ranked second in the “Top Five Fights” of 2005 on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights, the heavyweight match-up between local favorite Shannon Miller, Troy, N.Y., and power puncher Vinny Maddalone (25-2, 18 KOs), of Flushing, Queens.  Though Maddalone won the fight by TKO in the fifth round, Miller had won three out of four rounds on ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas’ scorecard and had drawn even on the scorecards of the judges at ringside.  Fans also saw Saratoga’s Gary Wilcox in his return to the ring as a heavyweight.  At our first event, which marked the return of pro boxing to the Capital Region, a sell-out crowd saw Frank Houghtaling, of Colonie, earn a welterweight title belt and Albany’s Tony Marshall win a thriller by TKO.