Allentown vs Reading Rumble

King’s Promotions returns to the Allentown area on Saturday February 27th where they will host an exciting professional and amateur boxing card at the Rodeway Inn & Conference Center at Routes 22 & 309 in Allentown. The event will consist of five professional fights featuring regional fan favorites, as well as five amateur fights featuring the Allentown Boxing Club vs Reading’s King’s Gym.

The professional fights will feature Reading's Jason Cintron vs Maurice Chalmers. Cintron (11-1), the brother of former welterweight champ Kermit Cintron, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Martinus Clay at Reading’s Sovereign Center in December. Chalmers (7-9-1) of Lynchburg, VA has faced the likes of Andre Berto and James Kirkland. Also featured will be rising heavyweight prospect Travis Kauffman (18-1) of Reading vs Bernard "Bad Ass" Brown (6-5-2) of Baltimore, MD. Kauffman is looking to rebound from a controversial loss against Tony Grano broadcast on Shobox: The Next Generation. Kauffman was recently featured as one of boxing’s “new faces” in the December issue of Ring magazine.

Bragging rights will be at stake in the amateur portion of the night when fighters from the Allentown Boxing Club challenge their counterparts from Reading’s King’s Gym. The Allentown Boxing Club was recently re-opened under the guidance of Luis Melendez, a former professional boxer and current trainer in the Allentown area. The club is currently being supported by the Weed & Seed prevention program, although that support is only for a limited time. The gym is open to ages 7 and up and presently has about 200 kids enrolled. It is Melendez's hope that the facility will provide a healthy and positive place for area youth and a place to give guidance and build confidence and self-respect. King's Gym of nearby Reading was opened in 1995 by noted boxing trainer Marshall Kauffman as a way to get youngsters off the streets and involved in more postive activities. The name "KING" stands for "Kids In Need of Guidance", and Marshall has spent years using the sport of boxing as a way for both his professional and amateur boxers to feel good about themselves - a way for them to gain confidence and pride in themselves. 2009 was a good year for King's amateurs in which six boxers won novice state Golden Glove titles, as well as the team title, at the Penna. Central Championship competition.

The amateur bouts will include the following: Erving Torres (Allentown) vs Jesus Perez (Reading); Eddie German (Allentown) vs Quincy Staples (Reading); Abriam Santos (Allentown) vs Mario Cuello (Reading); and Carlos Colon (Allentown) vs TBA.