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Home » Ricky Delossantos injured, out of Edward Vazquez bout as Twin River show goes on

Ricky Delossantos injured, out of Edward Vazquez bout as Twin River show goes on

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Undefeated featherweight prospect Ricky Delossantos has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout Thursday at Twin River Casino Hotel due to a strained intercostal muscle, CES Boxing announced Monday.

Delossantos (9-0, 1 KO), a Pawtucket, RI, native, sustained the injury during training camp in preparation for his scheduled eight-round bout against fellow unbeaten prospect Edward Vazquez (7-0, 1 KO) of Fort Worth, TX. An intercostal muscle strain is an injury affecting the muscles between two or more ribs.

Thursday’s event is headlined by the return of Providence native Toka Kahn Clary (27-2, 18 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight main event bout against Mexican challenger Dennis Contreras (21-10-1, 19 KOs).

Massachusetts rivals Ray Oliveira Jr. (8-3, 1 KO) of New Bedford and Springfield’s Derrick Whitley Jr. (6-1-1) face one another in a special six-round welterweight attraction and undefeated Providence super welterweight Lamont Powell (5-0, 1 KO) steps up to battle the dangerous Carlos Huerta(6-5-2, 3 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico, in a six-round bout. CES Boxing President and CEO Jimmy Burchfield Sr. said plans are in place to reschedule the Delossantos-Vazquez bout for a later date.

“Given the severity of the injury, I did not feel comfortable with Ricky stepping into the ring in the toughest fight of his career and risking the possibility of further aggravating the injury and missing even more time down the road,” Burchfield said.

“We sought out multiple opinions, and I accompanied Ricky this morning to see an orthopedic surgeon. After seeking out a third opinion and examining all the facts, it became increasingly obvious he would be unable to fight. As important as this fight was to both sides, nothing is more important than the long-term health of the fighters. This was a difficult decision, but a necessary one.

“We encourage anyone who’s a fight fan to come out and join us Thursday night. This event is loaded from top to bottom, starting with Toka Kahn Clary’s long-awaited homecoming, plus the return of several of New England’s top prospects, including Lamont Powell and Elijah Peixoto, and Ricky will be in attendance to greet his fans. Our No. 1 goal is to put on a world-class event Thursday and I’m confident we’re well on our way to another sold-out show.”

“After putting together one of the best camps of my career in what was to be my biggest, most important fight, I sustained an injury that will prevent me from competing Thursday night,” Delossantos said.

“We did everything we could, including seeking second and third opinions from doctors and specialists. This is a tough pill to swallow, but it’s God’s plan, and I won’t let it stop me on my journey. I am thankful for everyone who has supported me along the way. Even though I am not fighting, I will be in attendance Thursday rooting on my teammates, many of whom I came up with in the amateurs, and I encourage everyone to join me for what is going to be a great night of boxing. I’ll be signing autographs, passing out shirts and taking pictures with my fans.”

Another potential show-stopper Thursday is the six-round welterweight battle between Marqus Bates (7-3, 5 KOs) of Taunton, MA and crafty Culpeper, VA, vet Roque Zapata (6-3-5). Unbeaten Providence super welterweight Anthony Concepcion (4-0-1, 4 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line in a four-round bout against 11-fight vet Martez Jackson (4-4-3, 2 KOs) of Valdosta, GA.

Thursday’s card also features the professional debut of Pawtucket super middleweight Hassler Chacon in a four-round bout against Brazilian Raush Manfio of Florida in addition to the return of East Providence, RI, native and decorated amateur Elijah Peixoto (2-0, 1 KO) in his third professional bout as he faces Philadelphia native Zaymar Brothers (0-1-1) in a four-round super lightweight bout. The 24-year-old Peixoto won four Southern New England Golden Gloves titles as an amateur and amassed an impressive 119-27 record that also included a trip to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers.