Dillon “Big Country” Carman to fight on Dec.29

By Boxing News - 12/27/2016 - Comments

Call it a late Christmas present for Canadian boxing fans.

The country’s heavyweight champion, Dillon “Big Country” Carman has been added to the December 29 event at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary, presented by Lee Baxter Promotions in conjunction with Teofista Promotions.

Carman (11-2, 10 knockouts) will take on the battle-tested Vicente Sandez (15-7, 10 KOs) in an eight round bout, which, based on the champion’s history, is sure to be a memorable one.

“We’ve had to deal with a pair of unexpected injuries to our fighters, so rather than giving the fans a diminished card, we decided to improve it,” said Baxter. “I’d like to thank Les Woods, Lennox Lewis and Global Legacy Boxing for helping put this together so quickly. It’s a real treat for the boxing fans in Calgary to get to see their country’s heavyweight champion in such an intimate environment.”

Sandez, who has tested himself against some of the division’s very best–including Edmund Gerber and former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin–is a big puncher looking to spoil the holidays for Carman.

“Big Country” is perhaps best known for a pair of nationally televised wars, in particular, his title winning performance against Eric Martel in October of 2014. After seven savage rounds and __ knockdowns, Carman managed to rally and score a chilling knockout in front of a packed house at the former Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The fight would go on to be selected unanimously as the Canadian fight of the year, and has reached cult classic status inside boxing circles.

Six months later, Carman provided more late-fight heroics with a final second stoppage of Mexican heavyweight champion Benito Quiroz in Montreal. Time of the knockout? 3:00. One of boxing’s rarest moments, a true buzzer beater.

The Mississauga, Ontario resident would make waves once again by knocking out legendary former world title challenger Donovan “Razor” Ruddock on the undercard of light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson’s title defense against Tommy Karpency.

In 2016, Carman has been on somewhat of a cross-country tour, picking up first round knockout wins in Bedford, Nova Scotia and Fredericton, New Brunswick, stopping Julien Collette and Orlando Antonio Farias respectively.

In addition to being the Canadian heavyweight champion, Carman is a leading contender for the Commonweath heavyweight strap as well, which as historically been a stepping stone for future heavyweight champions. Notable former titleholders include current IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, and perhaps most notably, his promoter, the legendary Lennox Lewis.

Carman-Sandez will serve as the co-feature on a four-fight pro card, which will be preceded by four exciting amateur bouts featuring local talent.

In the main event, world-rated super featherweight Logan Cotton McGuinness (24-0-1, 11 KOs) battles Cristian Arrazola (22-12-2, 16 KOs), as he climbs towards a possible world title opportunity in 2017.
Calgary will be represented by a pair of local prospects, as middleweight Devon Reti (5-0, 3 KOs) will take on Jesus Olivares (4-2-0, 2 KOs) and super lightweight Lukasz Wierzbicki (10-0, 5 KOs) squares off against Cesar Figueroa (6-8-1, 5 KOs).

Tickets start at $80, and are available by visiting myshowpass.com/teofistaboxingseries21/ or by phone at 403-681-0094. Doors will open to the public at 6:30 PM MST.