Chordale Booker: The Gift Returns to Mohegan Sun Arena

STAMFORD, CT – Chordale “The Gift” Booker (22-1, 10 KOs) returns to Mohegan Sun Arena for the 5th time in 6 fights on June 15th, taking on Argentina’s Brian Chavez (14-4, 5 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight contest. 

The bout is CES Boxing’s main event for “Championship Jackpot 2024,” a Father’s Day weekend doubleheader consisting of 11 pro bouts that follow the “Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Invitational,” an amateur showcase featuring many of the best young pugilists in the country.

“Championship Jackpot 2024” tickets are available at CESFights and Ticketmaster beginning at just $72. Don’t miss the chance to see the best professional and amateur fighters live in this special ‘two events for the price of one’ offer.

For Stamford’s Booker, fighting regularly at Mohegan Sun Arena has enabled him to develop a loyal fanbase who have come out in droves to support their hometown hero.

“I think it’s very important to fight at home,” says Booker.  “The fanbase shows that people are interested and care about the performances I put on, and that’s why I try to make sure I always entertain them, give them my best and go for the knockout.  Not that I’m going to be reckless, but letting my hands go instead of going out there to out point the guy, because I have the skills to do that too, but I like taking the risk and going for the knockout. I love that my fans really appreciate that.”

This strategy has led to 3 knockouts in 5 fights in front of a sold-out arena as the 33-year-old inches towards a world title shot.  Not bad for a fighter who is realistic about his punching power. 

“I know I’m not a one punch knockout type of guy,” concedes the humble Booker.  “I don’t have the power of a Tyson, Tank or Wilder.  I’m just not that kind of puncher, so I had to learn more about the craft to become a better fighter, set things up, and deliver the shots that end the fight.”

On June 15th, Chordale Booker makes the move 6 pounds north to the middleweight division, where he has had a handful of fights over his 8-year career.  The move came after Booker missed weight for his WBC USA Super Welterweight title defense on February 3 against Greg Vendetti.  Booker won a wide unanimous decision that night, but he realized that his days as a junior middleweight were over.

“That was honestly a tough fight stylistically,” admits Booker.  “Vendetti’s kind of like an old school fighter in the way he would tip his head over and position himself down low, kind of like a Jack Dempsey.  It made it tough to throw punches exactly where he was going to be, but I figured it out through the rounds and started to place some shots and catch him while he was ducking.”

Where Vendetti was a hardnosed pressure fighter, Booker’s opponent on June 15 will present a different puzzle, as the fleet footed Brian Chavez may force ‘The Gift’ to bring the fight to him.

“I’m going to show that he doesn’t belong in the ring with me,” says a confident Booker.  “From the videos I’ve seen, he’s more of a boxer. He wants to try to move his feet, move his head. I had 137 amateur fights, and he doesn’t look like anything I haven’t seen before. There’s nothing special that stands out to me about him, so I’m going to go in there and do what I want. I’m gonna see what he has, what punches he’s looking for, and after that, I’m gonna take him out.”

In preparation for this fight, the dedicated southpaw drove to Philadelphia several times a week, where he was able to train alongside one of the best fighters in the world in Jaron “Boots” Ennis. 

“I came up with him in the amateurs, and I knew it would be the best work,” says Booker of the experience. “Boots is a top talent.  I have the best lefty in front of me and I’m preparing for the best version of Chavez, so come the 15th, if this guy is not Boots, I should win big.”

A big win will set Booker up for the fights he craves, including a rematch with the only man to defeat him in Austin “Ammo” Williams.

“Every time Ammo fights, I watch,” confesses Booker of Williams, who suffered an 11th round TKO loss to Hamzah Sheeraz on June 1st.  “I definitely want that back as a competitor, not anything malicious towards him as a person.  Hamzah Sheeraz saw all the same things that any other fighter sees about Ammo: he’s mainly an athlete who can punch.  Sometimes that’s not enough, someone figures out that you’re a one trick pony and if they can get past being hurt, you have a problem. I got hurt in my fight against him and I couldn’t get past that. Sheeraz got hurt in their fight and he got past it and he figured, ‘alright, I just got to watch out for his left hand and I’ll be able to wear him down,’ because usually the guys who have power don’t have as much boxing ability.”

With Williams suffering his first defeat, the time may be right to run that fight back.  If not, the Stamford native will pursue a coveted world title shot against any of the middleweight champions.

“I would fight Erislandy Lara, Carlos Adames or Janibek Alimkhanuly,” says Booker when asked which middleweight champion he would target.  “Me and Adames would be an action-packed fight, but I do think Janibek is the toughest opponent out of them and I’m for fighting the best.  For me, it’s not just about winning a championship. I actually want to know if I’m the best or how close to it I am and what I need to do to be the best. I wish more fighters would do that so we could get the fights and the opportunities we want, so there’s no preference on who I would fight.”
While there will be plenty of time to consider that scenario on Sunday morning, Booker first must take care of business against Brian Chavez on the 15th. 

“The June 15 fight will answer some questions about what I can do with a guy I feel like I’m superior to as far as boxing skills,” says Booker.  “I can say all the things that I want about him and any other fighter, but until I get in the ring with them, see what they have and how I win the fight will tell me what I really need to know about them, myself, and what I need to work on.  I’m preparing for the best version of him by putting myself in uncomfortable situations, going into other people’s gyms and trying to box the best guys.  Putting it all on the line, so that when I hang them up one day, I know I did everything I could.”