Reigning UBF All-America champion and Rhode Island's own Nick DeLomba (13-2, 3 KOs) returns to the Twin River Event Center for the first time in more than a year to face undefeated Irish junior welterweight and two-time amateur gold medalist Ray Moylette (11-0, 4 KOs) in the eight-round headliner of CES Boxing's latest installment of the 2018 Twin River Casino Fight Series.
The event, promoted in associated with Ken Casey's Murphys Boxing, also features the return of unbeaten Providence junior welterweight Anthony Marsella Jr. (9-0, 4 KOs) and hard-hitting Sicilian heavyweight Juiseppe Cusumano (16-2, 14 KOs), plus the debut of several new faces fighting in Rhode Island for the first time.
The 28-year-old DeLomba, a Cranston native, returns to Twin River and CES Boxing for the first time since of April of 2017 when he battled New Haven's Jimmy Williams for the then-vacant WBC USNBC Welterweight Title.
Under the tutelage of R.I. ring legend Gary “Tiger” Balletto, DeLomba debuted in 2013 in unorthodox fashion with a six-round bout against Maine's Jimmy Smith. He began his career with eight consecutive wins before suffering his first career loss in September of 2015 to New Yorker Gledwin Ortiz.
The resilient DeLomba resurfaced in 2016 with critical wins over New England rivalsFreddy Sanchez and Oscar Bonilla, then upset former Golden Gloves champion Amos Cowart in a dominant, eight-round unanimous decision win later that year. DeLomba has won back-to-back fights since facing Williams, including another signature win overLouis Cruz for the then-vacant UBF title. He's won five of six overall heading into next month's showdown with the highly-decorated Moylette and is now reunited with his original promoter, Jimmy Burchfield Sr. The two sides ironed out a new promotional agreement this past spring to bring the Rhode Island native back to CES Boxing.
Born in the Irish village of Islandeady, Moylette is coached by renowned trainer Paschal Collins, the brother of former two-time WBO champion Steve Collins, who also works with Irish middleweight star Gary “Spike” O'Sullivan.
As an amateur, Moylette won gold medals at the World Youth Amatuer Boxing Championships in Mexico and the European Amateur Boxing Championships in Turkey before signing with Murphys Boxing and the United Kingdom-based Assassin Promotions. After winning his professional debut in London in March of 2017, Moylette made his United States debut at the House of Blues in Boston two weeks later, beating Maine's Matt Probin by unanimous decision.
Moylette has fought on U.S. soil seven times, most recently in June, and also boasts wins over Salem's Matt Doherty and 64-fight vet Michael Clark, whom he stopped inside of two rounds.
Marsella Jr. also finds himself in a hotly-contested regional showdown as he faces Maine's Brandon Berry (13-3-2, 8 KOs) in a six-round junior welterweight showcase. Marsella Jr. survived his toughest test to date in May against Ricardo Maldonado, scoring a late knockdown to secure the win, while Berry enters September fresh off a win over Francisco Medel last month.
Unbeaten Pawtucket, R.I., featherweight Ricky Delossantos (5-0, 1 KO) returns to face Jersey City vet Jose Ortiz (3-3-2, 1 KO) in a six-round bout and New England rivals Phil Dudley (1-1) of Warwick, R.I., and Worcester, Mass., native Ranse Andino (1-0) square off in a four-round featherweight bout.
Fighting at Twin River for the first time since joining the CES Boxing roster in the spring, Everett, Mass., lightweight Shayna Foppiano (1-0, 1 KO) battles Sarah Click (0-1) of Buzzards Bay in a four-round bout.
One of six fighters making his professional debut on the undercard, newly-acquired 6-foot-10 Nigerian heavyweight Raphael Akpejiori of Miami, a former college basketball and football player at the University of Miami, faces Omar Acosta (1-1, 1 KO) of Amarillo, Texas in a four-round heavyweight bout.
Also debuting, Fall River, Mass., junior welterweight Kris Jacobs battles Andy Aiello (1-1) of nearby Bridgewater and junior middleweights Victor Reynoso of Providence and Maurilio Alava of Ecuador make their professional debuts against one another in a four-round bout. Accomplished amateur Nicholas Briggs of Worcester makes his professional debut against fellow newcomer Jacob Wright of Decatur, Ala., in a four-round junior welterweight bout.
Cusumano returns fresh off his knockout win over
James Price in July. The 6-foot-4 right-hander has now won 14 of his last 15 bouts, including 12 by knockout, six of which have occurred in the first round. He made short work of the 6-foot-8 Price,
finishing at 1:40 of the opening round.
