Chicago's rising stars on non-televised Showtime card

Top up-and-coming Windy City boxing prospects Alex Martin, Semajay Thomas, Eddie Ramirez and Jose Felix Quezada to join light heavyweight contender Andrzej "Chicago's Polish Prince" Fonfara's undercard, as he makes his "Homecoming" against France via Congo's Doudou Ngumbu in the main event of a SHOWTIME BOXING: Special Edition event on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Ill.; live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

 

In the co-feature of the SHOWTIME tripleheader, WBO World Bantamweight Champion Tomoki "El Mexicanito" Kameda (30-0, 19 KOs), of Tokyo, Japan, will make his third title defense against interim WBO Bantamweight Champion Alejandro "Payasito" Hernandez (28-10-2, 15 KOs), of Mexico City, in a 12-round battle; and former interim WBA World Featherweight Champion Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna (25-0-1, 18 KOs) of La Romana, Dominican Republic, will face Caguas, Puerto Rico's Abner "Pin" Cotto (18-2, 8 KOs) in a super featherweight 10-rounder. "The Homecoming" is presented by Warriors Boxing.

 

Tickets start at $31 and are available at Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or call: 1-800-745-3000, the Warriors Offices: 312-622-7668 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740, or visit the UIC Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.). Tickets will also be available for purchase the night of the event.

 

Welterweight Semajay Thomas (4-0, 2 KOs), 21, was a top-rated amateur boxer who won the 2009 National Championships. Thomas was ranked No. 1 in the nation and considered the top seed in the 2012 Olympic Team Trials. He finished his amateur career with a record of 64-5 with 12 KOs. As a professional, Thomas has been devastating, having fought just 10 rounds in his four professional fights.

 

Lightweight Jose Felix Quezada (3-0, 2 KOs), 19, is an enormous fan-favorite locally and a three-time State Silver Gloves Champion, three-time Chicago City-Wide Champion, two-time Regional Silver Gloves Champion and the 2009 National Junior Golden Gloves Champion. As a professional, the talented Quezada has stopped two of his three opponents.

 

Welterweight Eddie "The Barber" Ramirez (5-0, 3 KOs), 22, of Aurora, Ill., was a 2013 Chicago Golden Gloves Champion who was voted Best Boxer for the entire tournament. He was also a 2013 National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions finalist. As a professional, Ramirez has beaten his first five opponents, including 4-1 Alexis Del Bosque (UD 4) and 3-1-1 DeMarcus Rogers (KO 1).

 

Welterweight Alex Martin (6-0, 5 KOs), 25, was a 2009, 2011 and 2013 Chicago Golden Gloves Champion and a 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Alternate. Martin finished his amateur career with a 340-10 record. As a professional, Martin stopped his first five opponents before going the distance in his last fight (UD 6 over Alfred Hall in July).

 

And in a special added undercard attraction, undefeated Brooklyn, N.Y. (via Lomza, Poland) heavyweight hopeful, Adam Kownacki (7-0, 7 KOs) will put his perfect KO record on the line.

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