Chandler boxer fights for belts Saturday at Celebrity Theater

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Dante “The Inferno” Stone said he’s going to “put on a show” on Saturday, June 20.

Stone, a Chandler resident, was speaking in a social media promotional video ahead of his heavyweight title boxing match against Kingsley Ibeh at the Celebrity Theater in east Phoenix.

Stone is 21-2 with 13 knockouts and is coming off the loss that ended his 21-match winning streak.

Saturday’s main event, slated for 9 p.m., will be for three belts: the WBC FECARBOX, the WBA Continental Americas and the Arizona State heavyweight titles.

Stone, 31, is still improving, and knows he needs to continue to refine his skills.

“I could have tried to throw harder,” Stone said in an interview after a 2025 fight. “It’s important to move around, but sometimes, a heavyweight just needs to hit hard.”

Stone last fought in October 2025, losing to then-undefeated Kevin Ramirez in the semifinals of the WBC Grand Prix tournament series in Riyadh.

He and Ibeh have a fair amount in common. Ibeh is 16-3-1, made his debut about a year after Stone and the two Valley-based fighters have both fought about the same number of bouts, though Stone has logged many more total rounds.

Ibeh, who was born in Nigeria, made his pro debut about a year after Stone.

Both are coming off a loss, with Ibeh losing to 26-1 Jarrell Miller in Madison Square Garden in New York in January.

The boxers haven’t fought each other yet but have three common opponents. Both Stone and Ibeh have beaten the veteran Terrell James Woods and Derek Saul Cardenas Perez and bounced back from losses to Waldo Cortes Acosta to defeat him later.
Ibeh fought four times in the “MGM Grand Bubble” during heavy sports COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021.

The Celebrity Theater is a familiar venue to both Valley boxers, though Ibeh’s fought there only once. Stone made his debut there in 2018, losing to a nearly-as-green Cortes Acosta, and has fought at the Celebrity five other times since.

One of those times was six months after his debut, also against Cortes Acosta.

The first fight on the undercard starts when doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $91.50 and can be purchased by clicking here.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.