Manfredo stops Smichet in 7th!!!

MONTREAL (April 18, 2009) – Former world title challenger Peter Manfredo, Jr. knocked out tough Tunisian veteran Walid “Tempete de Sable” Smichet in the seventh round of today’s scheduled 10-round co-feature at Montreal Casino

The 28-year-old Manfredo (32-6, 16 KOs), star of The Contender, Season I, got his career back on the right track with a strong performance against Smichet (20-6-3, 14 KOs), who had been knocked out only once in 28 prior pro fights, by Renan St. Juste in 2006. Manfredo accomplished what neither unbeaten world title contender John Duddy nor Canadian middleweight champion Sebastien Demers had been able to do in their 10 and 12 round fights, respectively, against Smichet.

“It was a nice win and good confidence builder,” Manfredo remarked. “I hurt him in the third and after that I knew I could hurt him anytime. He was tough, though, and came back fighting. I hurt him again in the sixth and knew that it was only a matter of time. I was bigger, stronger and better than him and proved it today, not only to the fans, but to myself. I’m a top-level performer who only had three weeks to get ready for this fight. I’m coming down to middleweight and I want Duddy. Today, I did what he couldn’t do and plan on being ringside Friday night (vs. Billy Lyell in Newark, NJ) for his fight.”

Manfredo recently reunited with his original promoter, Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc., who said after the fight, “What a victory! A war, back-and-forth action, but Peter boxed beautifully and stuck with his game plan. He hurt Smichet a number of times, picking him apart, throughout the fight. It was a devastating punch; knockout of the year candidate.”

Manfredo floored Smichet in the third, staggered in the sixth, and put him to sleep with a vicious left hook at the end of the seventh.

“A great win,” Manfredo’s manager Larry Army added. “We couldn’t be happier with his comeback fight. The middleweight division is ripe for Peter’s pickings.” (Photo by: Emily Harney)

Manfredo and Smichet weigh in!

Manfredo Jr. 166.11 lbs.
Smichet 166.9 lbs.

Manfredo goes back to the future
Fights Walid Smichet Saturday in Montreal

PROVIDENCE (April 15, 2009) – Former world title challenger Peter Manfredo, Jr., free from his promotional contract ties with the Tournament of Contenders, has gone back to the future, hooking-up with his original promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, and fighting against Walid “Tempete de Sable” Smichet this Saturday afternoon at Montreal Casino.

Manfredo (31-6, 16 KOs), 28, faces Schmidt (20-5-3, 14 KOs) in the10-round co-feature that has career-determining implications for both fighters. Manfredo, star of The Contender, Season I, plans to work his way down to the middleweight division, although this bout is at 168-pounds.

“I only had three weeks to get ready for this fight, so making it for 168 is a trade off, I guess, for fighting this guy in his backyard,” Manfredo

explained. “I feel good about dropping my weight to 160. I was too small as a super middleweight and I’ll be just right at middleweight. I won’t be a huge middleweight like Kelly Pavlik, but look at Sergio Mora. I beat him our second fight (Mora won a controversial decision); he beat me the first fight. He won a world title at 154 and now he’s fighting Pavlik for the middleweight title. I see myself as better, or at least the equal of Mora. I know I can be world champion. I have to rebuild but I’m a fighter and that’s what we do….fight! Walid may not be a world champion, but he’s a tough competitor who can fight. Everybody saw what he did to (John) Duddy (Smichet busted-up Duddy, who received 30-plus stitches and lost out on a $1.45 million fight against Pavlik).”

Burchfield, president of Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), signed Manfredo in 2000 and masterfully moved Peter to 21-0 in 3 ½ years, including wins against former world champion Frankie Randall and The Contender III eventual winner Grady Brewer, as well as The Contender I star Anthony Bonsante, before agreeing to release “The Pride of Providence” in order to participate in The Contender, in which, Manfredo reached the season finale against Mora. For the past three years, CES worked in association with the Tournament of Contenders, outside of the television reality series, on behalf of Manfredo.

“We’re picking-up where we left off,” an excited Burchfield said about getting back with

Manfredo. “Peter is still one of the most marketable fighters in the world. He’s only 28 and wants to be world champion There’s a lot of upside. We had just signed a 3-year promotional contract and passed the CES ceremonial torch from Vinny Paz to Peter, when he asked for permission to fight on The Contender. He was the NABO champion and No. 3 in the WBO, but Peter’s like a son to me, and I couldn’t stop him from getting a shot at a $1-million prize for his family. That experience helped him become a household name in boxing circles. Our plan now calls for him to fight outside of New England for awhile, possibly one time in Italy, before fighting back at home. We have targeted (John) Duddy at middleweight.”

Nothing happens for Manfredo, however, unless he gets past Smichet, the former Canadian middleweight title-holder who has knocked-off previously unbeaten Matt O’Brien, fought a draw with Donny McCrary, and been in tough against Sebastien Demers and Duddy.

“He is a tough, hard-nosed, come forward fighter,” Manfredo’s father/head trainer Peter Manfredo, Sr. broke-down Smichet. “He is easy to figure out. Peter needs fight smart – box, angles, double-up on his jab, and work behind it. He can’t stand in front of him or it’s going to be a much harder fight. Everyone saw what this guy did to Duddy. You can’t get in too close with him because he has a nice right hand. I give a lot of credit to his trainer, Otis Grant.”

All of Manfredo’s pro losses have been to world champions or world-class fighters --Joe Calzaghe, Mora (twice), Jeff Lacy, Sakio Bika and Alfonso Gomez – and half were of them super middleweight. Peter is on his way down to 160 pounds with Duddy clearly in his sights.

“Duddy’s a great guy, unbeaten contender and a big draw,” Manfredo concluded. “We could make a lot of money for each other, Italian versus Irishman, in a great fight for fans like (Arturo) Gatti and (Micky) Ward. If that fight doesn’t happen there’s guys like Demers and others, but I have to take care of Smichet first and show people I still have it.

MANFREDO - SMICHET
FIGHT PREVIEW
By Michael Parente

PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Nearly five years after his appearance on “The Contender” reality series brought him fame and fortune most fighters could only dream of, “The Pride Of Providence” is back where it all started.

Peter Manfredo Jr. will return to the ring Friday for the first time since losing to Sakio Bika in November when he faces veteran middleweight Walid Smichet in a 10-round showdown at the Montreal Casino in Quebec – a fight Manfredo Jr. took on just three weeks’ notice.

No longer affiliated with “The Contender” – the show recently released him from his contract upon his request – Manfredo Jr. is once again part of promoter Jimmy Burchfield’s stable at Classic Entertainment & Sports, where he began his career nine years ago.

“I started with Jimmy and I’m honored to end with him,” Manfredo Jr. said earlier this week while training at Manfredo’s Gym in Pawtucket under the tutelage of his father, Peter Manfredo Sr. “I feel relieved because he’s a big part of who I am and how far I’ve gotten.”

Manfredo Jr. admits his loss to Bika in November – a brutal, third-round knockout in which referee Ricky Gonzalez mercifully stopped the fight as Bika pummeled Manfredo against the ropes – should’ve been his third strike. Bika walked off with the vacant IBO super middleweight title, leaving Manfredo Jr. 0-for-3 in marquee fights, including his disputed knockout loss to Joe Calzaghe in April of 2007 and a close, unanimous decision loss to well-known veteran Jeff Lacy eight months later at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Following the loss to Bika at The Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, rumors began circulating that Manfredo Jr. would retire at the age of 28.

They were right – sort of.

“I’m retired at 168 pounds,” he said. “I don’t think I can be a world champion at 68. The guys are just too big and strong. Can I compete with the guys? Yeah, but I haven’t beaten them yet. I feel I have the best shot to be a world champion at middleweight.”

The loss to Bika opened his eyes.

“I prepared myself so well for the fight and I was so ready,” he said. “I thought I could beat this guy and I should’ve beat this guy. I still believe I can beat him. I just went in there with the wrong game plan. I wanted to fight him. It was in my hometown and my friends and family were there. I wanted to knock him out. I wanted to be impressive. My balls got in the way of my brains, obviously, and it didn’t happen the way it should’ve happened.

“It kind of destroyed me because it was the third big shot I’d gotten.”

After three big losses at 168, the decision to drop back down to 160 was a no-brainer, both from a competitive and financial standpoint. Manfredo Jr. will fight Smichet at 168 and gradually shed eight pounds within the next year to officially complete his return to middleweight. The Manfredo camp is ultimately eyeing a fight against unbeaten Irish middleweight John Duddy (26-0, 17 knockouts), who beat Smichet by majority decision in February of 2008.

“He will definitely be more competitive at this weight class. There’s big, big guys at 168 – real strong guys,” Manfredo Sr. said. “At 160, there’s a lot of nice names where we can make a lot of money.”

His success on “The Contender,” in which he reached the finals against former WBC title-holder Sergio Mora – along with his subsequent split-decision loss to Mora in a disputed rematch – coaxed Manfredo Jr. into making the jump to super middleweight. He actually considered retiring after the second loss to Mora, but decided instead to test the waters in a new, albeit more competitive, weight class.

“I was so frustrated with the fight and I didn’t know if I wanted to fight anymore,” Manfredo Jr. said. “I remember Jimmy being there and he said, ‘Peter, whatever you want to do is fine by me.’ I was just so fed up with ‘The Contender.’ I felt they fixed the fight because [Mora] was their Golden Boy. I felt they weren’t going to use me at middleweight. [Mora] was going to be their main man and I was going to be second, so I moved up to [super] middleweight.”

Manfredo Jr. enjoyed immediate success at a heavier weight, knocking out Scott Pemberton and Joey Spina in 2006 to earn a shot at Calzaghe’s WBO super middleweight title in Wales. “The Pride Of Providence” never got comfortable against Calzaghe and referee Terry O'Connor stopped the fight 1:30 into the third round despite the fact Manfredo Jr. never appeared hurt under the pressure of Calzaghe’s constant flurries.

“Everything happened so fast,” Manfredo Jr. said. “Now, after losing to these big names and big guys, you start to realize, ‘Listen, I can stay here and get beat up by these champions. Sure, I can beat the middle class guys. I can beat he [Donny] McCrarys and I can beat the up-and-comers, but when I get to that championship level I’m not beating those guys.’

“I’m at a disadvantage. I’m too small. I’m 5-9, so I figured after this Bika fight, ‘Hey, this is my last chance.’ I retired at 168. If I’m going to make a real serious run at it, it’s got to be at middleweight, so here I am, taking on Walid Smichet.”

This won’t be a cakewalk for Manfredo Jr. Smichet is 20-5-3 with 14 knockouts, but “The Pride Of Providence” wants to return with a bang in order to set the stage for what he hopes will be a productive year both in and outside the ring.

“My whole goal is to pay my house off and set my family up,” he said. “I like the fact my wife can stay home and raise my kids. I’m old-fashioned. That’s old-school. I feel that’s missing in today’s world and I want to stick by that.

“I want to make the best I can make out of it for the last couple of years I have left. I believe one good year of winning to rebuild my career is what it’s going to take before people start calling me out again. I want to start building myself up by the end of the year and start getting the noise again that Manfredo’s back at middleweight.”

The Manfredo name will certainly help, as will the reunion with Burchfield and CES. After five years, the “Pride” is finally back where it all began – back in Providence and back at middleweight, ready for perhaps one last shot at that elusive world title.

“Jimmy’s looking out for the best interest of my kid,” Manfredo Sr. said. “We started out with Jimmy and we’ve already got a real big name in the boxing game. No matter where we go, we’re known because of ‘The Contender’ and Jimmy’s got a lot of connections. Jimmy can move us. That’s what we need.

“We can make a lot of money and we can make some noise. Hopefully, we can bring boxing back the way we did before. We sell out arenas around here and we’re probably the only one who can do it.”