The last time Ray Lampkin, Jr. appeared on a Battle at the Boat card he handed an undefeated fighter his first career loss. He’ll look to duplicate that feat on March 17, but this time in the main event. Lampkin, who is a perfect 11-0, will square off against fellow unbeaten Giovanni Mioletti Cabrera (10-0) in a highly-anticipated junior lightweight clash at Battle at the Boat 115 at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash.
“Training has been great. I’ve been in a two-month long camp, Sugar Bert Boxing Program located in Doraville, Georgia,” Lampkin said. “The fans and EQC should expect a great night of boxing from me. (I’m going to have a) high-paced punch count. (I’m) bringing it all. I can’t afford a loss so I’ve been working and preparing for war.”
The six-bout card will also feature three additional undefeated fighters on the undercard, including Fatlum Zhuta, who will face former Contender TV show star, Walter Wright, in a 6-round super middleweight featured bout.
Tickets are available through the EQC box office and all Ticketmaster Outlets. Preliminary bouts will start at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Lampkin is coming off perhaps the biggest victory of his career after winning a unanimous decision over Joshua Davis, who brought an 11-1 record into their Oct. 19, 2017 fight in Atlanta.
Following a stellar amateur career, which saw him fight in the championship of the 2004 Olympic Trials 125 pound division against Mickey Bey, Lampkin turned pro in 2012 and made his debut at the Emerald Queen Casino.
He last fought in Tacoma in 2015 when he won a majority decision over undefeated Andres Reyes.
“Fighting in front my family, friends and fans, whether fans are there cheering for me or against me, fighting in the Pacific Northwest has always been something I wanted to do my whole career,” Lampkin said. “They bring out the best of me.”
Growing up within the Portland boxing scene, Lampkin has strong family ties to the sport. His father, Ray Lampkin, Sr., was once the top-ranked lightweight in the world and went 14 rounds with Roberto Duran in a bout for the WBA World Lightweight championship.
“Growing up in Portland in the boxing scene has gave me a lot of toughness. Coming up in the late 90s and early 2000s the Pacific Northwest had lots of fighters to look up to,” said Lampkin, who listed Portland native and former IBF world super featherweight champion, Steve Forbes, as a major influence. “Also being in the inner city gave me lots of toughness and my father has always taught me and has been a major influence my career.”
Lampkin will face Mioletti Cabrera, who has also been perfect during his professional career. The Chicago-based fighter defeated Tyrone Harris, a former USBA Lightweight champion, in his last outing on Jan. 13. Mioletti Cabrera also had a tremendous amateur career highlighted by winning the bronze medal in the 2015 Mexican nationals.
“This show features two of the best super featherweights out there,” said promoter, Brian Halquist. This fight is TV worthy and was originally scheduled to be on Showtime’s “ShoBox” series, but a scheduling issue didn’t allow it. This is a fight the Northwest fans won’t want to miss. An “O” must go!”
“I haven’t paid any attention to Mioletti Cabrera,” Lampkin said when asked about his opponent. “I’ve been focusing on me and preparing for whatever it takes to get this win.”
Battle at the Boat 115 will feature the VIP experience with 3rd Row Seats being discounted to $75 per ticket. All fans seated in in the VIP section (rows 1-3) will have an exclusive access point and a dedicated server to help create a true VIP experience.
Battle at the Boat 115 is brought to you by Brian Halquist Productions. For more information, please visitwww.halquistproductions.com and the Battle at the Boat Facebook page.
Battle at the Boat 115 Card
Saturday, March 17, 2018
10 Round Main Event – Junior Lightweights
Giovanni Mioletti Cabrera (10-0-0, 2 KOs) vs. Ray Lampkin, Jr. (11-0-0, 4 KOs)
6 Round Semi-Main Event
164 pounds: Fatlum Zhuta (5-0-1, 4 KOs) vs. Walter Wright (15-4-0, 7 KOs)
4 Round Undercard Bouts
121 pounds: Marcos Flores (1-0-0) vs. Isaiah Najera (3-2-0, KO)
135 pounds: Cris Reyes (1-0-0) vs. Nicholas Credit (debut)
154 pounds: Eduardo Torres (2-1-1, KO) vs. Dex Montenegro (1-3-0, KO)
140: pounds: Jorge Linares (2-1-0, 2 KOs) vs. Nicholaus Briannes (1-7-0)