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Gabriel Bracero-Dmitriy Salita Look To Nov. 9 NYC Showdown

Published

11 years ago

October 3, 2013

The Sweet Science

BRACERO-SALITA SPECIAL EDITION BROADWAY BOXING

PRESSER PHOTOS AND QUOTES AVIATOR SPORTS AND EVENTS CENTER

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9^TH

L-R: SHEMUEL PAGAN, HEATHER HARDY, GABRIEL BRACERO, KEVIN ROONEY, DMITRIY SALITA, JUNIOR YOUNAN

New York, NY (10/3/13) – On Thursday at the beautiful Marco Polo Ristorante in downtown Brooklyn, DiBella Entertainment hosted the initial press conference to announce the highly anticipated 10-round welterweight showdown between fellow Brooklynites Gabriel “Tito” Bracero (22-1, 4KO’s) and Dmitriy “Star of David” Salita (35-1-1, 18KO’s). The bout, which has been talked about for years and represents the biggest Broadway Boxing main event in its 10-plus-year existence and arguably the most significant fight to be made for New York boxing fans, will be staged Saturday, November 9, at the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn.

Below are quotes and photos from the presser, which, in addition to Bracero and Salita and their camps, included fellow Brooklyn-natives and DBE-promoted prospects Shemuel “The Chosen One” Pagan (3-0, 1KO), Heather “The Heat” Hardy (6-0, 1KO) and Junior “Sugar Boy” Younan (pro debut), all of whom will be on the card November 9^th.

KEVIN ROONEY JR. – DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT:

I want to thank everyone for coming out today for the announcement of this special edition Broadway Boxing card that will take place on November 9^th. This is a tremendous card from top to bottom, culminating with this excellent main event between Gabe and Dmitriy. This is by far the biggest fight in the history of Broadway Boxing and a very significant fight for NY boxing fans. This fight has been in the works for a very long time and has been talked about throughout the NY boxing scene for many years. Before I introduce the main event participants, I would like to introduce some of the undercard fighters who are here on the dais with me, who, like Gabe and Dmitriy, are fellow Brooklynites.

We have Shemuel Pagan, who we just recently signed to an exclusive co-promotional agreement with 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions. We are very excited to be working with Shemuel and seeing his career develop in the pro ranks. He was a terrific amateur, having won the NY Golden Gloves an astonishing five times and is an incredible young talent.

We also have with us today a girl that Lou (DiBella) has claimed to be NYC’s breakthrough female boxer and who continues to impress, with her army of adoring fans growing each and every outing. She is currently 6-0, 1KO, as a professional and we are honored to have her as part of the DBE roster, Heather “The Heat” Hardy.

Last, I would like to introduce to everyone the newest member to the DBE roster and someone who we envision very, very big things for in the future. He won every title and tournament imaginable as an amateur and is being guided by the same management team as pound-for-pounder Andre Ward. He turns 18 years old next week and we are looking forward to celebrating a special birthday with an impressive victory on November 9^th. Please welcome blue-chip prospect Junior “Sugar Boy” Younan.

GABRIEL BRACERO:

I am very exited sitting here today. I literally have the chills, I am that excited. This has been a fight that has been talked about for a very long time. I have known Dmitriy for many years. Outside of the ring, we are friends, but come November 9^th, that all goes out the window. It’s business time. November 9is an opportunity for both of us. We are both in our thirties and we both have one loss on our records. This is an important fight not only for me and Dmitriy, but also for the fans. This is an opportunity for me not to only make a statement but to move on to the next level. I have been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time. I am very confident, and I am not here to be disrespectful, but there is no doubt in my mind that I will be handling my business come November 9th.

DMITRIY SALITA:

It is a great honor to be here today and to be able to participate in this fight on November 9 ^th.This is a true crossroads, NYC neighborhood battle. There hasn’t been a fight this big here in a very long time. I have been seeking a fight like this for a while now. No one has stepped up to the plate, but Gabe did. I have a lot of respect for Gabe, I know what type of fighter he is, I know he is a warrior, but I am very focused and there is no doubt in my mind that I will come out victorious come November 9th.

JUNIOR YOUNAN:

I am honored to be able to make my pro debut on this card. I grew up watching these guys fight, so to be able to fight underneath them is truly something special for me. No offense to anyone up here, but I am stealing the show come November 9^th. I have been waiting for this day for my entire life. I have been working really hard and I just can’t wait to get in that ring on November 9^th and shine.

JOSH DUBIN – YOUNAN’S ADVISOR:

I told James Prince about this young man when he was 13 years old. I was watching him spar Paulie Malignaggi who was a world champion at the time and Junior was more than holding his own. I made a promise to his father years ago that when he was ready to turn pro, I would be there to guide him in that path. He has big expectations that he knows he has to live up to. I don’t think we could have picked a different promoter or promotional company to work with that knows the New York fight scene better, or that knows how to build young stars in the New York area better and we couldn’t be any happier to be associated with DiBella Entertainment. This is a longtime coming and we are very excited that this day is finally here.

HEATHER HARDY:

I feel blessed to be able to be up here with all of these great fighters and to be able to represent females in this sport. Lou has always been a very big supporter of female boxing, so it is an honor that I can call him my promoter. I grew up not too far from the Aviator, so trust me the Hardy Army is going to be even bigger and louder for this show and I can’t wait to get in there and perform in my hometown on November 9^th.

SHEMUEL PAGAN:

I am truly honored and want to thank God for giving me this opportunity. I am Puerto Rican, but I practice Jewish faith, so if I had to pick a winner between Gabe (Puerto-Rican) and Dmitriy (Jewish), I would have to call it a draw. But seriously, I am just looking to put on a great performance and show everyone the talent that I have.

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $125, $85, $65 and $45, and can be purchased by calling the DiBella Entertainment office at (212) 947-2577. After pre-sale, only a limited number of tickets are currently left at each price point so act fast as this event will be sold out!

PHOTO CREDIT: DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT/ED DILLER

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The Sweet Science

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Articles

Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

8 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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