Boxing is set for another spin at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
After promoting his first show at the Wilkes-Barre casino in November, Chris Coyne announced boxing will return to the Keystone Grand Ballroom for St. Paddy’s Slugfest on March 7.
“Mohegan took about 24 hours to reach out and ask when the next scheduled show was,” Coyne said.
Kurt Scoby of Spring Brook Twp. is scheduled to compete in the main event of the 10-bout card.
“I’m happy to build a home base here,” the native of Duarte, California said. “I know all the fans will show up. I know that I can bring boxing back to Northeastern Pennsylvania and that’s one of the main reasons why I’m fighting on the card. I want to give people another reason to come out. I’m the face of boxing in NEPA.”
He was set for his first local bout on the November card until an opportunity arrived for a bigger fight scheduled for a week after the casino show.
Scoby (18-2) was picked as the replacement to fight Adam Azim of England for the WBO Inter-Continental Light-Welterweight title on the undercard of the Chris Eubank Jr.-Conor Benn rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Azim’s original opponent, Russian Zaur Abdullaev, dropped out because of visa issues and Scoby got the call three weeks before the fight.
“I’m always in the gym staying ready and I’ll never turn down an opportunity that will benefit me and my team,” Scoby said.
In front of more than 60,000 people, Scoby made it into the 12th round before getting dropped and losing by technical knockout with 59 seconds left in the bout.
“Experience is the best thing in boxing,” Scoby said. “I think I learned more that the usual boxer; I went against 60,000 fans. I went 12 rounds and I had never done 12 rounds before. I learned a lot within myself.”
Newfoundland’s Anthony Muta had his opponent for the November card drop out. A replacement could not be found in time to be sanctioned by the state athletic commission so Muta and the new opponent fought an exhibition bout before the main card.
“It was the best alternative for me,” Muta said. “It was a no-brainer. I didn’t want to have to break the news to the supporters and sponsors. And at the end of the day, I still got the experience. It was the same feeling as a real fight.”
Muta has fought professionally in Colombia and is scheduled to make his local professional debut on the card in March.
“It definitely means a lot to fight locally,” he said. “I’ve had the pleasure of going overseas and fighting but when it comes to local events obviously there’s much more at stake with friends and family there supporting you. The pressure is what makes it all the better.”
While living in Newfoundland, Muta trains out of CA Boxing Gym in Florence, New Jersey with Anthony Rodriguez and Eddie Chambers, a former heavyweight contender.
“I felt like I was limiting myself if I stayed in a bubble in Scranton,” Muta said. “Philadelphia and New Jersey have produced and still produce great fighters. I want to train with world class boxers there.”
Scranton native Ryan Wilczak is also scheduled to be on the card along with three boxers who earned knockout wins at the November show: Jesse Oltmanns of Stroudsburg, Thomas Blumenfeld of Vermont and Shakeem Williams of Easton, who scored a first-round knockout in what was his professional debut.
The card’s co-main event will feature Yohan Vasquez, whose most recent bout was against the current WBO lightweight titleholder Abdullah Mason. In a brief action-packed fight, Vasquez dropped Mason twice in the first round, but suffered an ankle injury and retired after being hit by a body shot in the second round.
Also scheduled on the card is Avious Griffin, who is represented by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. According to Coyne, if Griffin wins the March fight, he will next receive a title shot on an MVP card.
“There is no doubt that they have significant resumes,” Coyne said. “They are world-class, nationally-ranked fighters looking to get back on track and further their careers. I don’t expect many of these guys to be on a local card again. We are bringing you four world-class fighters plus the local talent. This is an HBO or Showtime-quality card.”
St. Paddy’s Slugfest
When: March 7, 7 p.m.
Where: Mohegan Pennsylvania, Route 315, Wilkes-Barre
Tickets: $60-$90. Call 570-955-8760. Purchase at Dooley’s Pub & Eatery, 120 Oak St., Old Forge; Andy’s Barbershop, 432A Hazle St., Wilkes-Barre; Dunmore Lumber, 622 S. Blakely St., Dunmore