NEW YORK CITY (November 17, 2017) — DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT will make its long-awaited return to the historic B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in midtown Manhattan with a special holiday edition BROADWAY BOXING “Season’s Beatings” card to end the year, on Thursday, December 14. The event will be headlined by junior middleweight contender PATRICK DAY defending his WBC Continental Americas title against WESLEY TUCKER and will also feature the return of former WBC world lightweight champion DEJAN ZLATICANIN.
“We’re thrilled to be back at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill promoting another great evening of boxing. This will be our first show here since March 2016 and it means a great deal to our team, particularly during the holiday season, to present such a fantastic event,” said LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment. “From top to bottom, from former world champions and today’s contenders to tomorrow’s stars, we’ve got one of the very best cards we’ve promoted as part of the BROADWAY BOXING series since we started 15 years ago. Close out the year with your friends, enjoy the holiday spirit and watch some great boxing.”
“I am thrilled to be working with Lou and the entire DiBella Entertainment team on presenting such an amazing evening of world-class boxing and entertainment,” said DENIS BENOIT, CEO of Liveco Boxing Inc. “The atmosphere at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on December 14 will be electric, and views from all angles are a knockout. With the addition of two undefeated prospects from our stable of rising stars to an already fully-stacked card, fight fans are in for a real treat!”
Tickets for the
BROADWAY BOXING event, promoted by DiBella Entertainment and presented by Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House, are currently on sale and are priced at $125, $100, $75 and $55. Tables are also available for purchase for this event, with VIP tables going for $1,000 per table (5 seats at $200 per seat), Ringside tables for $500 (5 seats at $100), and $375 tables (5 seats at $75). Tickets are available for purchase by calling the DiBella Entertainment office at (212) 947-2577. B.B. King Blues Club & Grill is located at
237 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. Doors open at
6:30pm with the first bout scheduled for
7:00pm.
The main event will see PATRICK DAY (14-2-1, 6 KOs), of Freeport, NY, defending his WBC Continental Americas title against Toledo, Ohio’s WESLEY “King Wes” TUCKER (14-1, 8 KOs) in a 10-round junior middleweight clash.
Trained by Joe Higgins, the 25-year-old Day is riding a three-bout winning streak, including decision victories against Courtney Pennington and Virgilijus Stapulionis. Most recently, Day captured the WBC Continental Americas junior middleweight title with a dominant 10-round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Eric Walker on July 15, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, near his home in Long Island, NY.
The southpaw Tucker, a 2012 National Golden Gloves runner-up with 250 amateur bouts of experience, earned a significant victory on Showtime’s ShoBox series against Edward Williams in March, but then suffered the first loss of his five-year professional career in his last bout to the undefeated Enver Halili on June 30, in Toledo, OH. Tucker, who is promoted by Salita Promotions and managed by David McWater’s Split-T Management, will make his New York debut on December 14.
Former WBC world lightweight champion DEJAN “Dynamite” ZLATICANIN (22-1, 15 KOs) will return to action in a scheduled 10-rounder. The heavy-handed Zlaticanin, who was the first native of Montenegro to win a boxing world title, suffered his only defeat in his last bout against current champion Mikey Garcia on January 28, 2017, in Las Vegas.
In a sensational battle of undefeated lightweights, Albany, New York’s “Ill” WILL MADERA (11-0, 5 KOs), squares off against WESLEY “El Bongocero” FERRER (12-0, 7 KOs), of Brooklyn, New York. The 26-year-old Madera, co-promoted by DiBella Entertainemnt and Liveco Boxing, will be making his fourth start of 2017. Fighting seven times in the Montreal area over a three-year period, Madera returned to the United States in his last fight, earning an eight-round unanimous decision against Gabriel Duluc on September 23, 2017, in Schenectady, New York. In addition to his boxing career, Madera, a father of six, works as a residential counselor at the Center for Disability Services in Albany. Managed by Tommy Gallagher, Ferrer will be fighting for the first time in 2017, following two knockout victories versus Luis Alberto Pelayo and Angel Figueroa in 2016.
Fast-rising heavyweight prospect GEORGE ARIAS (9-0, 5 KOs), of The Bronx, New York, will clash with upset-minded CURTIS HARPER (13-5, 9 KOs), of Jacksonville, FL. A native of the Dominican Republic, the 25-year-old Arias has shined brightly throughout his four victories in 2017, the two most recent taking place at Barclays Center. Trained and managed by Leon Washington Jr. and advised by Andre Rozier, Arias knocked out then-undefeated Elder Hernandez in the fourth round on July 29, and followed up with a fifth-round stoppage of Mario Heredia, on October 14. The battle-tested Harper has faced numerous heavyweight contenders, including former world title challengers Gerald Washington and Chris Arreola over his seven-year professional career.
Undefeated junior middleweight prospects will collide in a scheduled six-rounder, as Brooklyn’s HURSHIDBEK NORMATOV (4-0, 2 KOs) battles heavy-handed Puerto Rican NICKLAUS FLAZ (5-0, 4 KOs). A native of Uzbekistan, the 25-year old Normatov has quickly impressed fight fans in the United States, where all four of his professional bouts have taken place. Trained by Andre Rozier and managed by David McWater’s Split-T Management, Normatov returns to the ring following a first-round knockout of Bruce Lutchmedial on October 28, at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Fighting on the same card, the 22-year-old Flaz, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, won a dominant six-round unanimous decision versus Elie Augustama. Both Normatov and Flaz were highly touted amateurs, with Normatov competing in 324 bouts, winning the 2014 European National Championships, and Flaz compiling an 88-7 record, becoming a three-time National champion.
Junior middleweight prospect JOSE “Cheito” ROMAN (4-0, 3 KOs), of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, will appear in a scheduled four-rounder. Just 23 years old, Roman, managed by Ricardo Figueroa, won the first three bouts of his professional career by knockout and most recently won a four-round decision versus William Hill on June 3, 2017, in his US debut at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Before turning pro last year, Roman amassed a stellar amateur record of 124-17 and was a three-time National champion.
Rounding out the card, the popular “Lethal” LARRY FRYERS (5-0, 2 KOs), co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Liveco Boxing and managed by Bob Miller, will compete in a four-round welterweight clash. A native of Clones, Ireland, Fryers began boxing at 10 years old at his father’s gym, and turned pro in August 2016.
