Glory 21 San Diego features biggest & best fighters in kickboxing

(l to r) The headliners of Friday's Glory 21 show in San Diego. All photos: Jim Wyatt

Four of the headliners from Friday’s Glory 21 Kickboxing show in San Diego pose for photo at the weigh-ins Thursday at the Holiday Inn Bayside in Point Loma. The kickboxers in the Heavyweight Qualification Tournament, (l to r) Chi Lewis Parry, Maurice Johnson, Demoreo Dennis and Xavier Vigney. Photo: J. Wyatt

The weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s Glory 21 and Glory SuperFight Series San Diego event at the Valley View Casino Center on Sports Arena Boulevard in the Point Loma section of San Diego were held today, Thursday, May 7, 2015 at the Bayside Holiday Inn on North Harbor Drive. The six-fight card for Glory 21, including the Glory Middleweight World Championship fight and one-night, four-man Heavyweight Qualification Tournament will air live tomorrow evening, May 8 on Spike TV at 11/10c from the Valley View Casino Center.

Glory 21 weigh-in rsults

Middleweight Championship Main Event:

(top, l to r) Artem Levin, the champion and Simon Marcus the challenger.

On Friday evening, Artem “The Lion” Levin (185.8 lbs.) from the Boxing Club in La Jolla, San Diego Calif. by way of Prokopyevski, Russia will defend his title against Simon Marcus (184.6 lbs., 42-2-1), a gentleman who went undefeated in his first 40 fights, one of only a very few people who ever defeated Levin.

After winning the title at the Last Man Standing tournament in 2014, Levin will now be making his first defense. As mentioned the two gents met previously under the Lion Fight banner with Marcus earning the victory under their Muay Thai rules.

Levin, who tends to be a fun-loving showboat, is married and has one child “Lev” (translated “Lion”), spoke through his trusted friend Artem Sharoshkin, the owner of The Boxing Club, “After making my 180 degree change from the coal mining town of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia to the sunnier climes of beautiful San Diego, what can you not say.”

Welterweight Co-Main Event:

(bottom) Raymond “The Real Deal” Daniels (l) from Sun Valley, Calif., will be taking on the shorter Justin “Raw Deal” Baesman.

The 35 year-old Raymond “The Real Deal” Daniels (169.4 lbs.) from Sun Valley, Calif., will be taking on the much shorter Justin “Raw Deal” Baesman (169.4 lbs., 16-7, 4 KOs) from Pittsburg, Calif. who got stopped in his last bout against Randall Wallace on March 21, 2015 at GKO 3. Also, on April 4, 2014, Baesman ended up in a draw with San Diego’s Herman Terrado from the Undisputed Fitness Gym in San Diego’s Downtown.

The featured Middleweight Military bout:

(top) In a Glory Military battle it will be Kyle Stewart (l) versus Devon Goodale.

A Marine, with three tours of duty in Afghanistan, Kyle Stewart (185.4 lbs.) will be going up against a Navy Medic Devin Goodale (183 lbs.) who trains at the Alliance Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

Heavyweight Qualification Tournament bout:

Chi Lewis-Parry, who stands 6’10” tall, weighs 248.6 lbs., is 12-0 in both MMA and Muay Thai, will be going up against 27 year-old, 6’3” Demoreo Dennis

(top, l to r) Chi Lewis-Parry, Demoreo Dennis

The 31 year-old Chi Lewis-Parry, who stands 6’10” tall and weighs 248.6 lbs., is 12-0 in both MMA and Muay Thai. He will be going up against 27 year-old, 6’3” Demoreo Dennis (248.4 lbs., 9-4, with 7 KOs) from the tornado besieged Oklahoma City area. At one time, the amazing Dennis weighed in at 450 lbs.

Heavyweight Qualification Tournament Bout:

Xavier Vigney (252.8 lbs.) from the bay area of San Francisco first started out in football, then switched to the fighting sports where he’s been for the last six years, either boxing (2-0 as a pro boxer and big fan of Felix Trinidad) or in Muay Thai where he’s 6-1 with 6 KOs. Vigney will face the always affable 34 year-old, 6’9” Maurice Jackson

(top) Xavier Vigney (r) is set to face Maurice Jackson.

The 25 year-old Xavier Vigney (252.8 lbs.) from the San Francisco Bay area first started out in football, then switched to the fighting sports where he’s been for the last six years, either boxing (2-0 as a pro boxer and a big fan of Felix Trinidad) or in Muay Thai where he’s now 6-1 with 6 KOs. Vigney will face the always tough but affable 34 year-old, 6’9” Maurice Jackson (273.4 lbs.) who has five children and lives in Cedar City, Utah.

The winner of this bracket receives a spot in Glory’s heavyweight contender tournament later this year.

GLORY SUPERFIGHT SERIES SAN DIEGO

On Thursday, May 7, 2015, Mike Lemaire (l) from the Art of Eight Training Center in Kearny Mesa, S. D., Calif. and his opponent Casey “Go Green” Greene from Simi Valley, Calif. complete their weigh-in requirement for Friday night’s show.

Midddleweight Bout: Mike Lemaire (187 lbs.) is from the Art of Eight Training Center in Kearny Mesa, S. D., Calif. His opponent is Casey “Go Green” Greene from Simi Valley, Calif. (186.2 lbs.), truly an entertainer, stated he took this fight on just a few days notice. Over the years Simi Valley’s reputation has taken several hits – first there was that acquittal of the police officers who beat up Rodney King and later it was the setting for the movie Joe Dirt about an abandoned boy with the mullet.

(top) In a 185 pound catchweight match, it will be Giga Chikadze (l) vs. Ken Tran.

Catchweight Bout: 185 lbs.) The 26 year-old Giga Chikadze, from the country of Georgia, 32-3 got a very early start in the fighting disciplines since his father was a judo instructor. As a youngster he went through most every discipline as if it were part of a school curriculum. His opponent, the 31 year-old Ken Tran from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, will certainly have his work cut out for him.

(top) In a heavyweight clash, it will be Ashley Epps (l) vs. Maurice Greene.

Heavyweight Bout: Ashley Epps (249.6 lbs.) is a product of the Blue Ocean Fighting Team of San Diego with their Kru Alex Palma. His opponent, the 6’7” Maurice “The Pirate” Greene (241.2 lbs.) from Evanston, Illinois certainly looks the part of a pirate with his full beard, plus he’s lost considerable weight (24 lbs.) to get ready for this fight

(bottom, right, l to r) heavyweights Andre Walker and Manny Mancha.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Andre Walker (204 lbs.) vs. Manny Mancha (205 lbs.) The 6’2” Mancha from Fresno, Calif., a southpaw, is another great inspirational story – to prepare for this fight, he lost over 100 pounds.

(l to r) welterweights Omari Boyd and Chris Carradus. All photos: Jim Wyatt

Welterweight Bout: In this one, 31 year-old Omari Boyd (171 lbs.) with a record of 38-3 is from Nashville, Tenn. He has a degree in Civil Engineering. His opponent, Chris Carradus (4-2) from Huntington Beach, Calif. (169.6 lbs.) has put some weight on his 6’1” frame.

In the Preliminaries, they have five fighters coming from the closest gym to the Valley View Center, The Arena gym which is basically on the other side of the fence that separates the two very facilities.

(l to r) Julio Aguilera from Dan Henderson's Team Quest Gym and Jefferson Creighton from The Arena.

(l to r) Julio Aguilera from the Dan Henderson Team Quest Gym and Jefferson Creighton from The Arena in Point Loma.

Bout 1 has 26 year-old Julio Aguilera (155 lbs.), an assistant manager at the Dan Henderson Gym, Temecula, Calif. going up against 19 year-old Jefferson Creighton (155 lbs.) of The Arena.

(l to r) Ben Roberts of the El Cajon Undisputed Fitness Gym and James Ewton of The Arena, Point Loma.

Bout 2 has Benjamin Roberts (2-0-1 in Muay Thai, 170 lbs.) of the Undisputed Fitness gym in El Cajon going up against James Ewton (170 lbs.) of The Arena.

Antonio Arango (l) of the Valor Fight Club, Logan Heights going up against Alex Trinidad (r) of The Arena, Point Loma.

Bout 3 has Antonio Arango (145 lbs.) of the Valor Fight Club, Logan Heights, going up against Alex Trinidad (145 lbs.) of The Arena, Point Loma, who just recently won the Arch Angel of Vista’s Lightweight Championship.