Connecticut has a new boxing promoter, Forca Promotions, as middleweight Chordale Booker and featherweight Tramaine Williams highlight their first card.
The card will take place on June 6 at the Palace Theatre in Waterbury, Connecticut, and will feature two former title challengers in separate bouts.
Booker, 24-2 (12 KOs), fought for his first title against Sebastian Fundora in March 2025, losing by fourth round stoppage. The 35-year-old Booker was stopped by Austin “Ammo” Williams in 2022, losing his unbeaten record, but won six fights straight to get to the Fundora fight. In August, Stamford, Connecticut’s Booker knocked out Patrick Allotey.
“Chordale means a lot to the area,” Paul Guarino, Booker’s manager, said. “He has been a fighter in Connecticut who has crossed paths with a lot of people. The community at large wants to come out and support him as he looks to fight for a title again.”
Booker will face Issah Samir, 19-2 (16 KOs). The 36-year-old fighter from Ghana, training in Las Vegas, will return to the ring after a four-year hiatus.
“Momentum is everything in boxing,” Guarino said. “Chordale will look to win here and stay active while awaiting a big opportunity down the road. These are the type of fights that lift a fighter and give them more enthusiasm as they get to the legacy fights.”
Williams of New Haven, Connecticut, has had a rough decade. He started it off with a 2020 title loss at junior featherweight to Angel Leo. Williams, 20-3 (6 KOs), enters the bout with a fourth-round stoppage win over Aramis Solis Reyes in April. The 33-year-old Williams fights for the WBC U.S. silver title in the featherweight division against the Dominican Republic’s Dannis Aguero Arias.
Arias, 20-4 (17 KOs), is coming off back-to-back losses, with a caveat – they came to former titleholder Guillermo Rigondeaux and contender Otar Eranosyan. His loss to Eranosyan came in August via a disqualification.
“These are the type of fight cards people talk about forever in the local area,” Guarino said. “You have guys like Mike Kimbel, who is trying to position himself for a big fight, and guys like Chordale and Tramaine, who are building toward fighting for a title again.”
Meanwhile, local ticket seller junior welterweight Mike Kimbel of Waterbury will return after a year-and-a-half layoff. Kimbel, 8-0 (5 KOs), will face Felix Santana Jnr, 7-2 (3 KOs), in his first eight-round bout. Kimbel, 29, is a former MMA fighter who transitioned to boxing and, at one point, was trained by former titleholder Chad Dawson, and will fight for the New England title. Santana of Ocala, Florida, has faced the better competition of the two, but his two losses came to an undefeated fighter and a fringe contender.
“Mike has hopes of fighting on big cards in the future, and this is a very competitive bout given his experience,” Guarino said. “This is a crossroads moment for him. This is a real fight, but he is fighting at home, and these are the moments that show that you can handle the pressure that comes at the next level.”
