GODFREY SCHOOLS HAWK
NABF cruiserweight champ Matt Godfrey (19-1, 10 KOs) outclassed previously unbeaten, but untested Shawn Hawk (18-1, 16 KOs) over ten rounds on Friday night at “The Arena” (formerly known as the New Alhambra) in South Philadelphia. Godfrey easily outboxed Hawk, coasting to an uninspiring 99-91, 97-93, 98-92 verdict.

“Hard Hittin’” Chris Henry (24-2, 19 KOs)
put a halt on the win streak of highly regarded light
heavyweight Shaun George (18-3-2, 9 KOs) dropping him twice en-route to a convincing sixth round TKO.

GODFREY 200 - SHAWN HAWK 198

GODFREY SPEAKS IN PHILI!!!
Photo By: Lewis Blieman

On July 8th at the FOX & HOUND ON 1501 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, held a major press conference in conjunction to one of the biggest boxing shows in Philadelphia that will take place two nights later at The Arena in South Philadelphia.

Matt Godfrey-- "Philly is like a second home to me"
"He (Hawk) doesnt know how to lose and I am looking forward to the challenge"
"When I get on the national spotlight I tend to pick it up"

Jimmy Burchfield "Chris Henry Realizes yhis is a big opportunity"
"He knows this will put him back in the top-ten"
"He is ready and he doesnt feel he can lose this fight"
"He thinks that George will be over confident"

Godfrey plans to ground Hawk in July 10 ESPN2 FNF main event

PROVIDENCE (June 23, 2009) -- NABF and SNBC cruiserweight champion, Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey, plans to showcase his arsenal of skills July 10, headlining ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, against unbeaten Shawn “The Sioux Warrior” Hawk.

In a battle of full blooded Native Americans, Godfrey (18-1, 10 KOs), rated No. 6 by the WBC and No. 7 by the IBF, is a Wampanoag who will be fighting in the 10-round main event against a Sioux, Hawk (18-0-1, 16 KOs).

The 28-year-old Godfrey, rated No. 10-ranked by
The Ring magazine, has had his three most impressive performances fighting on ESPN FNF, knocking out Emmanuel Nwodo, Felix Cora, Jr. and Shaun George.

“I’ve got to prove to everybody watching on national television and others overseas that I am what I say – the best cruiserweight in the world without a world title,” Providence native Godfrey said. “I’m fighting a tough opponent like Hawk on ESPN gives me a step up in terms of being recognized as one of the top five names in the cruiserweight division.

“It’s a dangerous fight because Hawk is unbeaten, 16 knockouts in 18 fights. He doesn’t know how to lose. He’s training with all the confidence that he’s going to show everybody on national television that he’s a top cruiserweight. But he’s never fought anybody with my skills in the amateurs, pros or even sparring. On July 10th everybody will see.”

CES announces Godfrey-Hawk
headlining July 10 ESPN2 FNF show

PROVIDENCE (June 18, 2009) --
Two of the best young cruiserweights in the world, Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey and Shawn “The Sioux Warrior” Hawk, have been on a collision course and lead promoter Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES) officially announced
today that Godfrey-Hawk will headline the July 10th ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show.

Godfrey (18-1, 10 KOs), rated No. 6 by the WBC and No. 7 by the IBF, will defend his NABF and SNBC belts against unbeaten challenger Hawk (18-0-1, 16 KOs) in the 10-round main event.

“Both of these cruiserweights were highly successful amateurs and now they are two of the top young contenders in the division,” CES president Jimmy Burchfield said. “Both are Native Americans, too. When Matt won the first Sovereign Nation Boxing Council (SNBC) belt, Shawn fought on the same card last November at 4 Bears Casino in North Dakota. This is the match-up American boxing fans want to see – two top fighters in against each other. Matt and Shawn have wanted to fight each other for a long time and now it’s finally going to happen.”

The Ring magazine’s No. 10-ranked Godfrey, who has Narragansett blood in his family, had a 194-23 amateur record, capturing six national championships, four open tournaments including the 2004 Everlast U.S. Championships, plus two in the Junior Olympics. He was a Bronze medal winner at the 2001 Pan-American Games, Silver Medalist in all four of that year’s national major tournaments – National Golden Gloves, PAL (Police Athletic League), U.S. Championships and U.S. Challenge -- and six-time New England Golden Gloves champion.

As a pro, three of the 28-year-old Godfrey’s most impressive performances have been knockouts of Emmanuel Nwodo, Felix Cora, Jr. and Shaun George on ESPN. His lone loss was by 12-round decision 15 months ago in a WBC title eliminator to Rudolf Kraj in Germany, in which, Godfrey came on strong down the stretch only to run out of rounds.

Hawk, 25, is a full-blooded Sioux who comes from Crow Creek Reservation, North Dakota, which is the poorest Native American reservation in the country. Shawn had a 108-12 amateur record, including victories in four national championships, highlighted by a gold-medal performance at the National PAL Tournament when he was 14.