[NEF PRESS RELEASE]
Milford, New Hampshire (June 25, 2021) – New England Fights (NEF) returns with its next event, “NEF 44: Back in Black,” on August 21, 2021, at the Hampshire Dome in Milford, New Hampshire. The show will feature both mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and kickboxing fights. Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of an amateur middleweight fight to the card. Carlton Charles (3-2) will meet Josh Banks (0-0) at a fight weight of 185 pounds.
Carlton Charles, now representing Recon Fitness based in Westbrook, Maine, was a standout athlete on the football field. He played for Windham High School in Windham, Maine and later coached the team to a state championship as an assistant in 2009. Charles went on to play for the Division 1 University of Maine Black Bears.
He made his MMA debut in the summer of 2017 at “NEF 30” with a blistering knockout of Josh Jones (2-4) just 23 seconds into the first round. Charles would follow up that performance with a 12 second knockout of Delmarkis Edwards in early 2018 at “NEF 32.”
After making an unsuccessful challenge for the NEF Amateur Welterweight Title against Duncan Smith (5-3) at “NEF 34,” Charles picked up a victory in his last fight on a card in the Granite State in the spring of 2019. The fight against Banks will mark Charles’ return to cage action after a 28-month absence.
"Man, I'm just excited to get back in there and with NEF making its first appearance in NH, there's no better time,” said Charles. “It's been awhile since anyone has been able to get the opportunity to compete, so I feel blessed with this chance. For me, it's been over two years now due to an injury in 2019 and then the pandemic shutting other opportunities down. I don't know much about my opponent, other than he comes from a great gym that will have him ready to compete. I'm thankful to my coaches and his team for this opportunity. As usual, I am coming to put on a show and I know my opponent will be game. I wish him a healthy camp so we can both be at full strength for ourselves, families, and of course the fans!"
Josh Banks will be making his debut at “NEF 44.” Banks represents the Regiment Training Center based in Fall River, Massachusetts where he trains alongside UFC veteran and former NEF Professional Cruiserweight Champion Yorgan De Castro (6-3).
Tickets for “NEF 44: Back in Black” are on sale now at www.NewEnglandFights.com/Tickets/. The MMA and kickboxing event will take place at the Hampshire Dome in Milford, New Hampshire on Saturday, August 21, 2021, with a bell-time of 7 pm.