"SUPER MARIO" PRESKAR STAYS UNDEFEATED Croatian heavyweight boxer, 22-year-old Super Mario Preskar, blitzed his way to 11th win keeping his undefeated record last Saturday, November 4, 2006 in Phoenix, Arizona. Preskar, who is 61 and weighed 216 lbs., knocked out Gene Valdez who weighed 215 lbs. and came in with a record of 6-2 with 6 consecutive KO wins in a row. Approximately 12,000 in attendance witnessed Preskar barrage. Knocking down Valdez with a powerful left right combination in the first minute, Preskar stalked his opponent and finished the onslaught with a left right again at 1minute and 58 seconds of the first round. The right was so powerful that even though it landed on the glove it knocked down Valdez. Referee mercifully stopped the carnage. Fans went wild, as Preskar showed resemblance of once famous pugilist. I came in ready. All the hard work paid of. I just want to keep fighting. Manager/trainer Leonard Pijetraj was extremely happy. Mario continues to improve every fight. He is finally starting to show what he does during arduous training. He is capable of this type performance every time. He is a born fighter, with an inside style, but all the boxing skills of someone who has been boxing since the age of nine, said Pijetraj who at one time trained Croatian boxers such as Zeljko Mavrovic, Branko Sobot, Alen Bodor, Stjepan Bozic, Danijel Kalanj and Vedran Akrap. We are going to continue raise the level of Marios opponents, and in the near future Mario will be fighting a lefty southpaw, finished Pijetraj, who thanked local Croats Ivan Radic, Niko Moric and Pave Milicevic who attended the match. After the fight Team Mario Preskar was treated to late supper by Niko Moric at the John Henry Restaurant owned by Neven Bajlo. Preskar, who is under promotional agreement with legendary promoter Don King has a record of 11 wins (7 by knockout) 1 draw and 0 losses. Croatian TV (HTV) televised the match. In the main event former heavyweight Champion Shannon The Cannon Briggs with a record of (48-4-1) regained his title by knocking down and out of the ring Belarussian Sergei White Wolf Liakhovich (23-2) with one second left in the last round of the 12 round Championship Fight. Briggs, the new World Boxing Organization Champ is from Brooklyn, N.Y. * This article will appear in Croatian Chronicle No. 48. November 8, 2006 VJN
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