Staff Reports
NIAGARA FALLS — Niagara Falls’ James Ventry will get a chance to fight in front of hometown fans as part of the Brawl in the Falls, a professional boxing card that’s slated for the Seneca Niagara Events Center on Nov. 15.
The event, which will start at 7 p.m., will have seven fights in the lineup.
Ventry had won six of his 12 professional fights heading into a fight late Thursday night against Trenton Titsworth at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. His opponent for the card has yet to be determined.
While Ventry gives the card a Niagara Falls flavor, he’s hardly the only Western New Yorker on the card. Buffalo native Paul Marinaccio will be part of the night’s main event — a meeting with Michael Grant for the North American Boxing Association United States title. Marinaccio, 41, has a lifetime record of 24-3-3, but has one won four of his last seven fights.
Meanwhile, Grant has won six straight fights and will bring a 44-3-0 record into the fight. The Chicago native is 6-foot-7 and 86-inch reach. Among his three losses is a 2000 defeat at the hands of then-WBC and IBF heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis.
Ross Thompson, another Buffalo native, will also be on the card in a bout that’s scheduled for six rounds. Thompson’s opponent, Jameel Wilson, had a 13-15-3 overall record, but hasn’t won in his last dozen fights. Thompson, hasn’t fared much better in recent fights. He’s lost five straight, including a unanimous decision loss to Kelly Pavlik in 2004.
FIGHT NIGHT
• WHAT: Seven-fight professional boxing card
• WHO: Niagara Falls’ James Ventry vs. TBD; Paul Marinaccio (24-3-3) vs. Michael Grant (44-3-0)
• WHEN: Nov. 15
