The event will be comprised of four boxing fights and three MMA fights. It is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with the doors set to open at 5 p.m.
It will be the first boxing and MMA fight that Minnesota has ever put on.
"I think we are starting to see a paradigm shift in the whole market," said Tony Grygelko, who has owned and operated Seconds Out promotions since 2006 "Boxing was dead for a long time here in Minnesota. We are really starting to build it back up. Now that our company is getting involved in MMA, we're really excited about building this sport up, too. I think we can make some things really happen positively with MMA."
LeVesseur and Clark will be the final two MMA fights on the event card.
Marcus LeVesseur (Photo/The Guillotine)LeVesseur is widely considered to be one of the top wrestlers the state of Minnesota has ever produced. Prior to his collegiate mat dominance, LeVesseur was a four-time Minnesota state high school champion with a dazzling 218-12 record while competing for Minneapolis Roosevelt and Bloomington Kennedy. He owns the longest consecutive wins streak in the history of the Minnesota State High School League with 141.
"Marcus LeVesseur is incredibly talented," said Grygelko, who wrestled at Augsburg before becoming a professional boxer. "The kid is so gifted. It doesn't matter what he does. I think he could be a gymnast and be a world champion. He has some sick skill."
Grygelko's father-in-law, Ron Lyke, who is one of the top boxing trainers in the world and one of the most respected men in the industry, has also come away extremely impressed by what he has seen thus far from LeVesseur, who goes by the nickname "The Prospect."
"We brought Ron over a few times to see Marcus fight and he was just like, 'Wow, that kid is phenomenal,'" said Grygelko. "He said that he would love to work with somebody like that. Normally, when you get a top trainer like that … not that they aren't looking for talent, but it's not too often that they say, 'Hey, I would love to work with this guy.' But he was like, 'Wow, I'm just blown away by how talented the kid is. I would love to help him with his striking. I could really help the kid become a top fighter.'"
Joey Clark (Photo/Sherdog.com)"Marcus LeVesseur is tough," said Clark, who goes by the nickname "The Sandman". "He takes his wrestling credentials with him to the MMA world. He's ready to go to the next level. He just needs to pull the pin and go. I don't think he should be held back any longer. I think he should just take the next step and go to the next level. He could be phenomenal."
Clark, a former U.S. Marines Greco-Roman wrestler who placed everywhere from fourth to eighth at the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials, is ready for his middleweight fight against Lacy.
"I feel prepared for it," said the 31-year-old Clark, who is the older brother of Greco-Roman Olympic hopeful Jake Clark. "He's more just a stand up and bang guy. I feel that with my wrestling experience, once I get inside to the body, I should be able to capitalize and win the fight."
The event card will also feature some accomplished local boxers, including Caleb Truax, who has a 4-0 record with three knockouts, and Kenny Kost, who sports a 13-3 record with six knockouts.
"Caleb Truax is kind of the Minnesota kid who everyone thinks is going to win the world title," said Grygelko. "He has all the skill and all the power. He graduated from the University Minnesota with a political science degree. He has looked good and is one of the top prospects in the nation right now at super middleweight."
Seconds Out Promotions has put on seven boxing events since November of 2006. One of the shows, on January 12, 2007, which took place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, was the highest grossing boxing event in Minnesota history. Seconds Out Promotions also brought in the Showtime Cable Network on April 6, 2007.
Because of the fact that boxing fights often take longer to develop than MMA fights, Grygelko felt it was important to wait a while before exposing boxing fans to MMA.
"What I didn't want to do is expose boxing fans to MMA right away," said Grygelko. "I wanted to try to slowly expose them to it with good fights. Joey Clark vs. B.J. Lacy and Marcus LeVesseur vs. Bryant Clark are really good fights that should be very entertaining. I think it's great for the sport of MMA."
Tickets prices for "Evolution" are $45 for ringside seats, $35 for reserved seating, and $25 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at 651.989.5151. For more information, visit www.soboxing.com.
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