Fresh off the heels of the high profile signings this week of undefeated light heavyweight prospect Radivoje Kalajdzic and pro-debuting 2012 Olympian Pavlo Ischenko, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) has announced the addition of four new fighters to their ever-growing stable. Valentyn Holovko, Nick Givhan, Alex Guerrero and Yenifel Vicente have all finalized long-term agreements with the promotional outfit, and are looking to make their official DBE debuts in the near future.
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Hailing from Ukraine, the undefeated lightweight prospect Holovko (21-0, 14KO’s) made his U.S. debut in June, scoring a fifth-round TD over Gerardo Robles. Holovko is the latest Ukrainian prospect to join the co-promotional tandem of DBE and Fight Promotions Inc., which also promotes undefeated prospects Sergey Derevyanchenko, Ievgen Khytrov, Ivan Golub, Ivan Baranchyk and the aforementioned Ischenko.
Nicknamed “The Sabre”, Holovko is an exciting and aggressive come-forward fighter. With good speed and power in both hands, Holovko will be looking to make an immediate splash in the 135lb. division.
“I am excited to continue my career fighting under the DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions banners. This is a great opportunity for me to show the world who I am, and to compete against the best of the best in the lightweight division. I know I have what it takes to win a world title, and this is the team that will bring me there,” said Holovko.
Nicknamed “King Beamen”, the super lightweight prospect Givhan (15-0, 10KO’s) had a successful amateur career that included back-to-back Michigan Golden Gloves championships in 2007 and 2008.
Givhan then tried his hand in MMA before switching his focus back to boxing and embarking on his professional career in August 2012. Givhan has kept an active pace thus far throughout his three-year career, showing both good boxing ability and power.
The 29-year-old Kalamazoo, Michigan, native is looking to break into the national spotlight and show the boxing world he has what it takes to be among the elite of the talent-laden 140lb. division, and is certain that DiBella Entertainment is exactly the promotional outfit to bring him there. Givhan is scheduled to take on Freddy Durand (8-1-1) this Saturday in Michigan.
“It is an absolute blessing to have signed with DiBella Entertainment, and to now be able to take my skills to a bigger stage and progress that much quicker in my career,” said Givhan. “Lou DiBella has been in the business a long time and it feels good to be signed to someone as experienced and knowledgeable as him. My team and I have worked very hard to get to this point, but now the real work begins.”
The older brother of Fernando Guerrero, at 12-0-1, 6KO’s, Alex Guerrero is already ranked number 13 in the WBA cruiserweight world ratings.
Hailing from Salisbury, Maryland, Guerrero has been out of action since November of last year, when he scored an impressive eighth-round stoppage over Anthony Ferrante to pick up the vacant WBA NABA cruiserweight title. Guerrero is looking to get a quick win and shake off whatever ring rust he might have, and then immediately compete against the top fighters in the cruiserweight division.
“Signing with DiBella Entertainment and Dave Escalet is a defining point in my career. I know they are of the highest caliber and can get their job done.
Now I can focus on just getting my job done. The agreement has motivated me by giving my training a clear direction. DiBella Entertainment has plenty of fight dates and Lou knows the boxing business as well as anyone out there.
I recently got married, I signed with one of the top promoters in the fight game, I have my longtime trainer by my side, and I am healthy. This is just a great time in my life and my career,” said Guerrero.
The 29-year-old Vicente is easily the most experienced and well-known of the four signings. At 27-3-2, 19KO’s, the Dominican-native Vicente ran his record to 23-0-2, before making his U.S. debut in 2012, dropping a 10-round decision to highly regarded and recent world-title challenger Chris Avalos.
Vicente is 4-2 since the defeat to Avalos, with both losses coming against fellow contenders Juan Antonio Rodriguez (MD-8) and most recently IBF #3-rated Eric Hunter.
Since the loss to Hunter, Vicente has won two straight bouts, both by stoppage, and is now looking to work his way back into a significant fight in the 122lb. division.
“I am very happy to be with DBE and I know that they can take me to the next level in my career. I am a very exciting, fan-friendly fighter who loves to bring it. At 122lbs., I know that I have what it takes to become a world champion and I know that Lou will get me the opportunity to prove it,” said Vicente.
(Image credit: DiBella Entertainment)
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