Three Lions Promotions present XVIII, headlined by surging WBC World Youth Lightweight Champion Pedro Bernal (9-1-2, 3KOs) of Mexico City in a ten round title defence against Australia’s Georgie Payne (5-2-0, 2KOs) at the Hamilton Convention Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Bernal upset American Manuel Jaimes (12-1-1, 10KOs) to win the crown in April and is keen to impress in his inaugural outing as champion. Bernal and Payne sit atop a stacked card, featuring six supporting bouts, including three exciting eight rounders.
Title Sponsors of the event include Revel Realty, Synergy MG and 555 CM inc alongside Presenting Sponsors, Alinea Holdings and Carmen’s Group.
A portion of proceeds from the event will go to support the Hamilton100 Bid Corporation, who are competing to bring the centenary Commonwealth Games home to their birthplace of Hamilton in 2030.
PJ Mercanti, CEO of Carmen’s Group, and Paul Paletta, CEO of Alinea Holdings say, “Three Lions Promotions Boxing events are first class productions that feature world class athletes and incredible entertainment value. We are proud to support this event in our hometown and are delighted that Hamilton100 will be a beneficiary of Saturday’s festivities.”
The Youth Championship is specifically designed to guide those first crucial steps involving title fights.
It was September 29th, 1999, when the WBC Youth World Title was disputed for the very first time, in a fight that showcased the Annual Convention of the World Boxing Council held in Moscow, Russia.
Some of the Youth champions who have strode on to conquer the full world title are: Saul “Canelo” Álvarez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. , Devin Haney, Samuel Peter, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, Chad Dawson,,, Kermit Cintrón, Timothy Bradley, Danny García, Humberto Soto, Rodolfo López,among others.
Daniel Otter, Managing Director of Three Lions Promotions, is excited to bring an international attraction like Bernal-Payne to Hamilton. “Having two young top prospects such as Pedro and George fighting for the title is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser,” explained Otter. “This will be the first world title ever held in Hamilton and the city is in for a real treat, championship boxing at its finest.”
In the co-main event, Jake Daoust (4-0-0, 3KOs) of Orangeville, Ontario, takes on fellow undefeated prospect John Mannu (5-0-1, 4KOs) of Wantirna, Australia. In addition to his four wins as a professional, Daoust was a decorated amateur, making multiple trips to the national championships.
In 2016, he halted four of his five opponents to win Canadian gold, including a stunning body-shot stoppage in the finals. Daoust also won silver in the Continental Championships and competed at the Youth World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia. Mannu stops his foes almost 70% of the time and should prove a stern test for the decorated Canadian.
In another super welterweight eight rounder, prospect Carolyn Redmond (5-0-0, 2KOs) of Guelph, Ontario, meets Mexico’s Diana Tapia (4-1-0, 2KOs) for eight rounds or less. Redmond is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over former world title contender Simone Aparecida da Silva (17-21-0, 6KOs) in May. Across the ring, Tapia avenged her only loss in March, taking a split eight round decision over the previously undefeated Citlalli Ortiz (3-1-0, 1KOs). Tapia is currently ranked #5 in the world by Boxrec.com.
In the third eight rounder on this stacked undercard, Antonio Napolitano (5-0-1, 3KOs) Saint Catharines, Ontario, looks to follow up his blood-and-guts war with Brandon Brewer in Hamilton last March with an impressive showing against well-known spoiler Victor Rangel (17-8-3, 2KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico.
Napolitano is one of the most promising middleweight prospects in North America. As an amateur, he narrowly missed a gold medal at the 2018 National Championships in Edmonton before turning professional and amassing five straight victories. Napolitano recent draw with Brewer was easily one of Canada’s top domestic fights of 2022, leaving fans clamouring for more.
Up at super middleweight, John Michael Bianco (2-0-0, 1KOs) of Mississauga, Ontario, takes on his undefeated countryman Tommy Houle (4-0-0) of Sainte-Beatrix, Quebec, for six rounds or less. Training out of Kombat Arts, Bianco quickly ascended the amateur ranks, winning provincial and national accolades, including the Tokyo 2020 Canadian Qualifier. Bianco dispatched Ivan Banach in under two rounds earlier this year, thrilling fight fans in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
New heavyweight lion Ardi Ndembo (5-0-0, 4KOs) of Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, makes his promotional and Canadian debut against Mexico’s Jorge Sevilla (4-2-1, 3KOs). Ndembo last fought in November, stopping fellow African prospect Vincent Muziri (4-2-0, 2KOs) of Zimbabwe. Both of Muziri’s losses came to Ndembo. Sevilla is a crafty heavyweight, with deceptive speed and durability – an excellent test for the 26-year-old Congolese hopeful.
In other action, Windsor’s Derek Kuchmey makes his pro debut against Hector Hurtado (4-2-0, 4KOs), who stayed the distance with Canadian prospects John Michael Bianco and Brody Blair in his last two outings.