A lifelong fan, Michigan boxing promoter Joe Donofrio, says he started doing professional boxing shows a couple years ago, in an effort to revive the sport in Detroit.

‘My dream was to fill the seats with fans and to get them reacquainted with boxing and the exciting fighters from the area. Get them interested again by putting local boxers in exciting fights. It worked in the 1980s. I used to go to the fights during the Thomas Hearns era and every show was a sellout, every fighter was a local celebrity and the city took pride in being one of the world’s premier locations for professional boxing.?

But when he decided to promote his own shows and get involved, Donofrio says things had changed dramatically. ‘Half empty shows, the fans had no idea who was fighting or what their story was. It was disgraceful.?

So, Donofrio set out trying to change things. He started by upping the quality of the match-ups at his Donofrio Boxing events. ‘You would go to a show in Detroit and the left side of the bout sheet won every fight, often by first-round knockout,? he explains. ‘People don’t want to watch set-ups and easy wins. They want to see competitive fights. It’s no use inflating some local kid’s record with easy wins anyway. They get destroyed when they try to graduate to the world stage.?

Next came the addition of a seemingly dead tradition. ‘I wanted to start offering a program book to fans. I felt like they might get more interested in the show if they knew who was boxing and why they were boxing. I think the Contender TV show works because they are successful at showing each fighter’s motivation and personality. So, I offer a program book that gives people something they can take home and read and get to know the fighters from their city.?

And now comes phase three of his plan: offer general admission seats for free. ‘New fans, the ones we’re hoping to attract, don’t try a night of boxing by buying a ringside seat. They get a general admission ticket and bring their families and see if they like it. We know that many of them will fall in love with boxing the way I did once upon a time, so why not offer them that chance for free? Try a night of boxing on me. I think it’s a great way to create the boxing fans we need to keep this sport alive in the area.?

And so on October 21, 2006, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Donofrio will open the doors to his ‘Ring Kings of the Palace? event, free of charge for general admission seats. ‘You can go to http://donofrioboxing.com/fightnewsvoucher.html and download a ticket. It’s that easy. We’re doing this in conjunction with FightNews.com and we’re hoping to see a full house that night. 10,000 fans that go home happy with the quality of the show and the excitement. If they enjoy themselves that night and get to know the fighters they watched, we think it’ll be easier to get them to come back for the next one.?

Fans are invited to download a free voucher and show up on fight night. For a small charge ($15), they can upgrade to premium reserve seating as well. ‘Come on out, the tickets are on me. Bring your friends. Bring your family.? Show starts at 7:00 pm.

‘Ring Kings of the Palace? Show Lineup:
Bones Will Rise From the Dead at Palace!
It is fitting that former WBA Super Bantamweight World Champion Clarence ‘Bones? Adams would choose a date ten days from Halloween to rise from the dead.

Having disappeared from the boxing world more than three years ago, after a 13-year, 51-fight career as a television and fan favorite, the Kentucky native and frequent visitor to Detroit will return to the ring on October 21 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in the main event of promoter Joe Donofrio’s ‘Ring Kings of the Palace? professional boxing event.

‘Fans in attendance are going to get a rare treat that night,? says Donofrio of Adams? appearance at the show, for which general admission seats are being offered free of charge (http://donofrioboxing.com/fightnewsvoucher.html for more information). ‘They’re going to see one of the top fighters in boxing start his comeback, as well as an exciting collection of the best young prospects from the area in competitive supporting bouts. I’m very excited to be bringing this show to Michigan boxing fans.?

32-year-old Adams (41-6-4, 19 KOs) is best known for his heart-stopping two-fight HBO-televised series with fellow star Paulie Ayala. The 122-lb warriors battled to a controversial split decision for Ayala in August 2001, which led to the equally thrilling rematch in February 2002.

Adams is scheduled to face Panamanian 50-fight veteran Armando Cordoba.

In the co-featured bout, Detroit’s own ‘Pain Server? Lanardo Tyner (13-0, 9 KOs) will look to score his fourth career victory at the Palace. The hard-punching junior welterweight’s fighting style consists of all-out aggression and fearless bravado. He couldn’t be boring if he tried. With 9 KOs in his 13 fights, Tyner’s fists seldom leave fans of the knockout unhappy.

Tyner’s opponent is the formidable Carlos ‘King? Molina (8-2-1, 4 KOs) of Appleton, Wisconsin, via Mexico. Molina is no ‘opponent.? He fought to a very controversial draw with ‘son of a legend? Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. last December in a fight that most ringsiders had him winning comfortably. He will certainly serve as Tyner’s toughest career test to date.

Also featured will be world-class lightweight/junior welterweight and ESPN2 favorite Damian ‘Damo? Fuller (25-4-1, 12 KOs) from Detroit. Fuller is a slick technician who has faced a number of the world’s best. The 29-year-old southpaw is a former world-rated IBF Inter-Continental Lightweight Champion.

And returning to the Palace in a very special women’s featherweight bout will be Grand Rapids popular Jennifer ‘The Bolivian? Salinas (8-1, 3 KOs). A flashy technician with an amazing work rate, Salinas overwhelms her opponents with her rapid fire combinations.

Rounding out the undercard will be Detroit’s comebacking former junior welterweight world-title challenger Corey Johnson (33-3-2, 11 KOs); once-beaten heavyweight Darryl Cunningham (3-1, 2 KOs) and undefeated Chicago junior middleweight Ninos Abraham (2-0).

Premium Tickets for ‘Ring Kings of the Palace? are priced at $85.00 front row, $75.00 ringside, and $50.00 VIP and are on sale now at Palacenet.com, The Palace Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. For more information on the free general admission seating, visit www.donofrioboxing.com, www.bigmediabuzz.com or www.palacenet.com. Doors will open on fight night at 6:00 pm. The action starts at 7:00 pm.