Latest news with #HardRockCasinoRockford
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Latino vendors to showcase at expanded 2025 South Main Mercado in Rockford
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The South Main Mercado, a celebration of Rockford's Latino community, will take place again in 2025. In 2023, the Mercado (Spanish for 'market') was held at the Ethnic Heritage Museum, 1129 S Main Street. In 2024, the event expanded to include a variety of Latino vendors, including food trucks and merchandise booths, to bring awareness of Latino-led businesses in the area. The 2025 event will be presented by Hard Rock Casino Rockford and held at 917 S. Main Street on Sunday, June 8th from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Nicor Community Initiative Stage will see performances from Spanish rock, mariachi, folk dancers, and DJ Tornado. A family fun zone will be hosted by the Rockford Park District, including games and interactive activities, including face-painting and a crafting corner. The International Soccer League of Rockford will host fast-paced 3v3 futsal games. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
First Hard Rock Casino Rockford boxing event draws big crowd and big punches
ROCKFORD (WTVO/WQRF) — Hard Rock Casino Rockford promised to deliver to entertainment. It has. Saturday night it delivered the first live sporting event at the time boxing was held at the Hard Rock Live venue inside the casino. Promoter Bobby Hitz of Hitz Boxing brought in World Boxing Association were seven fights in all that played out in front of a sold-out crowd. Spectators could see the action in the ring and on two large video screens. The first ever fight there went to Marlon Harrington. He won an eight-round decision in the Super Welterweight fighters cleaned up. Rani Jalomo, Lukas Moldenhauer and Everett Olivares all won big on TKOs in the first roundThere was also a women's bout. That was no contest either. Amateur World Champion Talia Halvorsen, making her pro debut, destroyed Jina Bynum. Look for Halvorsen to do big things in her fights, the two men who made this event happen, Hitz and Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate addressed the connected with Rockford's great boxing tradition when they brought into the ring several of Rockford's current and past boxing greats to recognize them. Those men included 1988 Olympic bronze medalist Kenny Gould, and former North American Boxing Federation welterweight champion Pat 'Cat' main event featured 14-0 pro heavyweight Deontae Pettigrew of Chicago. He laid out Richard Lartey in the second round with a big right-left combination. That win gave Pettigrew the vacant WBA Continental told me he enjoyed his time in Rockford the past few days.'Absolutely. I've had a great time here from the press conference to the weigh-in, to the the fight man. They've been nothing but hospitable. A great team here. A great ambiance, a great everything. I had a ball.'Hitz told me he was very pleased with how the event went.'I think tonight was a smashing success at Hard Rock!'So how long before we see another night of fights at Hard Rock Rockford?'We're going to sit back down. We're going to regroup. We're going to talk about the pluses and the minuses of tonight, and we're going to put together another blockbuster show sometime very soon,' said Hitz. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hard Rock Casino Rockford to host first live professional boxing event
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Since opening last year, Hard Rock Casino Rockford has hosted events ranging from concerts to banquets. But now, it's preparing for the arrival of professional boxing this weekend. 'This is our first live sporting event that we're gonna host here at Hard Rock Live,' President Geno Iafrate said at a press conference on Monday. Heavyweight fighters Deonte Pettigrew and Richard Lartey will take to the ring in the first World Boxing Association event in Rockford history, going head to head for the WBA Continental Championship. 'I put a lot of work in,' Pettigrew said. 'Like my promoter said, this guy (Lartey) is not to be taken lightly. He's a very, very, very dangerous opponent. He's a massive man, like myself. So we took this very seriously.' The event will feature the professional debut of Rockford native Jonathan Cruz. The match begins Saturday, April 19th at 5 p.m. Tickets are available on or at the Hard Rock Live . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
