Atlantic City, NJ—Former super bantamweight world-title challenger Teon Kennedy, of Philadelphia, PA, now campaigning as a junior lightweight, makes his second start in three months when he boxes Joselito Collado, of Jamaica, Queens, NY, in the scheduled 10-round main event on Saturday evening, Aug. 24, in the Grand Ballroom at Bally’s Atlantic City.
The Kennedy-Collado contest tops a seven-fight card which will be streamed live on the internet by www.gofightlive.tv. First fight is 7.30 p.m.
Kennedy (left), 26, ended a one-year layoff June 1 at Bally’s when he scored a unanimous 10-round decision over Carlos Vinan, of Newark, NJ.
The Vinan fight was Kennedy’s first since June 9, 2012, when he was stopped in five rounds by Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux for the latter’s WBA super bantamweight world title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.
Kennedy had been struggling with the 122-pound super bantamweight limit for months and decided to skip the featherweight division (126 pounds) and fight as a junior lightweight (130).
A pro since 2007, Kennedy has a 18-7-2 record with seven knockouts.
Kennedy won the vacant USBA super bantamweight title in 2009 when he stopped Francisco Rodriguez, of Chicago, in 10 rounds at the legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia. He added the vacant NABA 122-pound belt in 2010, knocking out Alex Becerra, of Mexico, also in 10 rounds, at Bally’s Atlantic City.
His biggest win came in 2011 when he scored a pair of knockdowns and a 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Jorge Diaz, of New Brunswick, NJ, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Collado (right), 30, is originally from the Dominican Republic, where he turned pro late in 2006. He was idle in 2007, then moved his base of operations to New York in 2008 and has compiled an overall record of 13-2, 3 K0s.
The only men to beat Collado, by decision, were Casey Ramos, of Austin, TX, who was 14-0 at the time, and Jerry Belmontes, of Corpus Christi, TX, who was 16-0. Collado had Ramos down in the third round of their fight in 2011.
Collado has beaten Rafael Lora, of Irvington, NJ, and Andres Ledesma, of Miami, FL.
Junior middleweight prospect DeCarlo Perez, of Atlantic City, NJ, goes against Jamar Freeman, of Wilson, NC, in the scheduled eight-round semifinal.
Perez, 22, is 10-2-1, 4 K0s. He has been improving rapidly, winning his last four over Lenwood Dozier, of Glen Burnie, MD; Shamone Alvarez, of Atlantic City; Dante Moore, of Cleveland, OH; Julius Kennedy, of Windsor Mill, MD.
Freeman, 28, is 9-1-2, 5 K0s. He has lost only once, a questionable 10th-round knockout loss to unbeaten Samuel Rogers, of the Virgin Islands.
Five preliminary fights complete the card.
