Boxing & MMA at Expo Center Saturday

May, 14, 2009 , by Brittain

Will “W.W.II” Wilson trains at LA Boxing in Cary for his upcoming match on May 16th. Photo by Ben McKeown

Paul Marinaccio has lived in Raleigh for 12 years now. Some know him as “The Italian Hitman”. He stands at 6’ 3” with a record of 24 wins, 5 losses, and 3 draws as a world-class heavyweight. And he’s just promoting this event.

On Saturday, May 16th, the “Battle at the Expo” will take place at Raleigh’s own Exposition Center at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. Fights will start promptly at 7:30 pm with doors opening at 6:30 pm. The event, which will be Raleigh’s first hybrid boxing/MMA (aka “mixed martial arts” or cage fighting) event is being brought to you by Marinaccio’s own JawBreaker Promotions Inc.

Saturday’s event doesn’t seem to be holding back any punches. “For our first show, we’re coming out swinging,” says Marinaccio, who has prepared an impressive list of fights including local and international competitors. Twenty-five year old Vitaliy Demyanenko comes to Raleigh via Almaty, Kazakhstan and is currently ranked 35th in the world and is quickly moving up with an undefeated record of 16 wins with 11 knockouts. Demyanenko will face Paul “The Truth” Delgado out of Atlanta, GA for the WBO Asia Pacific Title.

The headline event features your friendly neighborhood world-class heavyweight fighter, Donnell Holmes, a North Carolina native and Raleigh resident with an undefeated record comprised of 30 wins, 26 of those by knockout. Holmes, aka “The Real Touch of Sleep” will square off against Ryan Thompson of East Cleveland, OH for the World Boxing Foundation All-Americas Title.

The hybrid boxing/MMA event will also feature a depth of local talent, spanning a cast of MMA fighters and featuring the boxing prowess of Will “WWII” Wilson. Wilson, a native of North Carolina got his start in boxing around Fayetteville but has moved to Raleigh since beginning his professional career.

Tickets can be bought online at http://www.rapidfitness.com/may16fight.html or in person at Rapid Fitness (rapidfitness.com) located at 7101 Glenwood Ave. in Raleigh or at LA Boxing (http://www.laboxing.com/cary) at 935 N Harrison Ave. in Cary. Tickets will also be available at the event beginning at 5 pm.