Travis "GW Hope" Kauffman

Allentown, PA – The first taste of adversity for a professional boxer reveals a great deal about the character of the fighter. Heavyweight prospect Travis Kauffman of Reading, PA intends to show that what hasn’t killed him will only make him stronger when he returns to the ring this Saturday, February 27th at the Rodeway Inn & Conference Center in Allentown, PA against Mike Miller of Akron, OH in the six round main event.

King’s Promotions will promote the ten-bout event that will feature both professional and amateur boxing action.

Kauffman, 18-1 (15 KO), will be making his first appearance since his first professional loss to Tony Grano in September. Ahead on the scorecards and trying to finish off his fading opponent, Kauffman was drawn in by his opponent’s dirty tactics and left himself open in the process. After taking some time to deal with the defeat, Kauffman has put the experience into perspective.

“It got me down a little bit at first,” admits Kauffman, “but I feel I’ve won bigger fights than that as an amateur. I fought with my heart instead of my head and that was my biggest mistake in that fight. I got over it in time and am now 100% focused in the gym. I still feel I have the potential to be the heavyweight champion of the world and hold the title. All this has done is strengthen my desire to prove that I am a world class fighter.”

Kauffman, a former number one ranked heavyweight amateur in the country, accrued a number of amateur accolades, including a gold medal in the 2004 PAL Nationals. The 6’3″ Kauffman was one an eight-fight knockout streak prior to the defeat but has demonstrated technical boxing skills in addition to power.

Kauffman was originally supposed to face Baltimore, MD’s Bernard Brown. Plans changed when Brown suffered from cold feet in the last 24 hours and pulled out of the fight. Stepping in on short notice is the durable Mike Miller, 6-15 (3 KO), who was the first person to extend Kauffman the distance in the pros.

“It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me, I’m ready to fight. I want to show Allentown, the entire Pennsylvania and the world that I’m still on a mission to become heavyweight champion of the world.”

In the co-featured attraction, Jason Cintron of Reading, PA will clash with Maurice Chalmers in junior-welterweight action. Cintron, 11-1, is the brother of former welterweight champion Kermit Cintron. He is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Martinus Clay at Reading’s Sovereign Center in December.

Rounding out the professional action, undefeated super-middleweight Farah Ennis (11-0, 5 KO) of Philadelphia will face Emmanuel Gonzalez of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a six round bout. Featherweight Coy Evans (6-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia, PA will face Robert DaLuz of Providence, Rhode Island in a six round bout. Middleweight Derrick Webster of Glassboro, NJ will face Pete Guthy of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in a four round bout. New York super-featherweight Emanuel Gonzalez will face Jamar Saunders of Atlanta, GA in a four round bout.

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.

Tickets are priced at $25.00, 50.00 and 65.00 and are now available at the Rodeway Inn (610-395-3731), Kingsboxing.com and the Allentown Boxing Club (Luis Melendez: 484-860-5162). A special student discount of $5.00 off any ticket price will be available at the door only along with student ID. A portion of ticket sales will be donated by King’s Promotions to the Allentown Boxing Club. Doors open at 6:00 pm; first bout starts at 6:30.

Travis "GW Hope" Kauffman

Good seats still remain for this Saturday’s fight 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 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. Also featured will be 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, 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.

Tickets are priced at $25.00, 50.00 and 65.00 and are now available at the Rodeway Inn (610-395-3731), Kingsboxing.com and the Allentown Boxing Club (Luis Melendez: 484-860-5162). Tickets will also be available at the door on Saturday. A special student discount of $5.00 off any ticket price will be available at the door only along with proof of student ID. Also, King’s Promotions has announced that a portion of proceeds from each ticket sold will be donated to the Allentown Boxing Club. Doors open at 6:00 pm; first bout starts at 6:30.
Purchase tickets online: http://allentownvsreadingboxing.eventbrite.com

Brothers Kermit & Jason Cintron

Reading, PA – Jason Cintron may have a familiar last name but boxing fans are still getting to know the Reading, PA junior welterweight. The 28-year-old Cintron aims to take another step towards asserting himself as a world class prospect when he faces Maurice Chalmer on February 27 at the Rodeway Inn & Conference Center in Allentown, PA.

The eight-round bout will be the co-featured attraction of a ten-fight professional/amateur boxing event promoted by King’s Promotions. Travis Kauffman of Reading, PA will face Bernard Brown in the main event.

Most fans know Cintron’s older brother, former welterweight champion and current junior middleweight contender Kermit Cintron. While boxing runs in his blood, it wasn’t Jason’s first love.

Cintron picked up the sweet science to stay in shape while playing football at Thadeus Stevens College of Technology in 2000. After graduating with a degree in masonry, Cintron continued to hone his craft as an amateur. He turned pro after 24 bouts and won his first ten fights before losing to unbeaten Hank Lundy of Philadelphia. He says he learned more in his sole defeat than in all of his previous combined wins.

“I learned from my mistakes,” Cintron, 11-1 (3 knockouts), says. “I was overconfident and made unnecessary mistakes. It was a good experience and now I’m back.”

Cintron rebounded with a dominant points decision over durable veteran Martinus Clay this past December and will face another experienced veteran in Chalmers. The 33-year-old Chalmers has faced mostly unbeaten opposition in his 17-fight career, including world champion Andre Berto and contenders James Kirkland and Miguel Espino. Cintron will try to measure himself up against that level of competition with an impressive win.

“I just love competition. I want to compete against the best fighters in the world because I feel I have that capability.”

Far from being overshadowed by his more famous older brother, Jason feels inspired by his brother’s success and hopes to one day reach that same plateau.

“I look up to my brother. I always see how he got up there and I know I can get up there with him. Hopefully someday we can both call ourselves world champions.”

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.

Tickets are priced at $25.00, 50.00 and 65.00 and are now available at the Rodeway Inn (610-395-3731), Kingsboxing.com and the Allentown Boxing Club (Luis Melendez: 484-860-5162). A special student discount of $5.00 off any ticket price will be available at the door only along with student ID. A portion of ticket sales will be donated by King’s Promotions to the Allentown Boxing Club. Doors open at 6:00 pm; first bout starts at 6:30.

Bragging rights will be at stake when amateur boxers from the Allentown Boxing Club challenge their counterparts from King’s Gym in Reading on Feb. 27th at the Rodeway Inn & Conference Center at Routes 22 & 309 in Allentown. It will be part of an exciting night of professional and amateur boxing presented by King’s Promotions.

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.

Tickets are priced at $25.00, 50.00 and 65.00 and are now available at the Rodeway Inn (610-395-3731), Kingsboxing.com and the Allentown Boxing Club (Luis Melendez: 484-860-5162). A special student discount of $5.00 off any ticket price will be available at the door only along with proof of student ID. Also, King’s Promotions has announced that a portion of proceeds from each ticket sold will be donated to the Allentown Boxing Club. Doors open at 6:00 pm; first bout starts at 6:30.

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