Tickets on sale now for July 8 title fight at Savvis
By Glenn McBrady
For the St. Louis American
The last time Don King held a press conference at the Savvis Center to kick off the promotion of a world title fight featuring hometown hero Cory Spinks, the master was in rare form, serenading and seducing the captive downtown crowd that had gathered in the arena’s stands with pedestrian interest.
King’s sublime performance that day was an hour-long conga line of zingers and sound bites that marked the first step towards selling a record number of tickets for an indoor boxing match; and as Cory made his magical ring walk with rap star Nelly several weeks later on that brisk February evening in 2005, St. Louis would be back on the boxing map, despite the fact that Brooklyn native Zab Judah would rain on the parade by wrestling a trio of welterweight belts from Spinks’ grasp.
The deposed champ’s road to recovery from his knockout loss that night would stretch longer than anyone could have anticipated, and after an extended vacation and the ironing out of contract squabbles between Team Spinks and Don King Productions, the dais was erected once again in the more intimate atrium setting at the Savvis last Friday for the announcement of the impending junior middleweight title fight on July 8 between the challenger Spinks and 154-pound king Roman “Made In Hell” Karmazin in an event dubbed “Gateway To Glory”.
The crowd inside the sun-splashed lobby was modest and the tone of King’s song and dance was dialed down a notch during an address that may have mirrored the importance of this “crossroads” fight in Spinks’ career. Even with the move up in weight, a back-to-back loss would sabotage St. Louis’ favorite boxing son’s stock and limit the prospect of big paydays.
Adding to the drama is the fact that in the talent-rich junior middleweight division that boasts such bankable names as De La Hoya, Quartey and Vargas, Karmazin is far from a light touch, having shocked Uganda’s Kassim Ouma last July by pounding out a convincing unanimous decision.
Raised in poverty on the lean streets of St. Petersburg, Russia, the nearly six foot tall Karmazin has made a career out of traveling to and winning in other fighters’ hostile hometowns and stated that he will fight “any champion, any time, any place.”
It’s a mindset that has carried him through a professional campaign that has included 21 knockouts over the course of forging a record of 31-1-1. His only loss came via a controversial decision against Spain’s Javier Castillejo in Madrid.
For the most part, Spinks and his trainer Kevin Cunningham seemed relieved to finally get the chance to put the events of February 5, 2005 behind them.
Cory looked rejuvenated, and as he took to the podium to address the assembly, it seemed as though his batteries had been completely recharged and the competitive fires were burning again.
King kept the details of the undercard close to the vest, but Cunningham’s entire stable of exceptional undefeated talent will all get in on the fun, including Danny Williams (3-0, 3 ko’s), Lamar Harris (3-0, 2 ko’s) and welterweight Devon Alexander (8-0), who will battle for his first professional title.
Regardless of how the card on July 8 fills out, the main event between Spinks and Karmazin will provide high drama as Spinks looks to redeem himself and show his fans and his city that he is an elite champion they can still be proud to call their own.
Tickets to the “Gateway To Glory” championship boxing card at the Savvis Center on July 8 are on sale now and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers or by calling (314) 421-4400.
