***Edgar Santana versus Luis Rodriguez in Jr. Welterweight Main Event, Plus Former World Champion Randall Bailey at BB King Blues Club; Card Will Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month***
New York (October 1, 2008) – DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing series returns to New York City on Wednesday, October 22 at BB King Blues Club in Times Square. In the ten-round main event, local favorite Edgar Santana, from Spanish Harlem, takes on Monterrey, Mexico’s Luis Rodriguez, and former WBO world champion Randall Bailey battles Kpakop Allotey.
Originally from Manati, Puerto Rico, the ever-popular Santana (25-3, 15 KOs), a winner of 18 out of 19 bouts over the last five years, is poised to become a world-rated contender, but must first overcome the formidable Rodriguez (22-2, 13 KOs), who has won seven out of eight and made a strong showing during a points defeat to Francisco Figueroa in a bid for the NABF belt on May 14 in NYC.
Former WBO junior welterweight world champion Bailey (37-6, 34 KOs) from Miami, Florida, continues to be one of the most feared punchers in the 140 pound division – having iced Anthony Mora to pick up the vacant WBC Latino jr. welterweight title in January and scoring a first-round knockout over Dario Esalas on the last Broadway Boxing card at BB King Blues Club on August 6th. The 34-year-old Bailey will take on Silver Spring, Maryland’s Allotey (14-5, 12 KOs) in a ten rounder. Of Ghanaian descent, Allotey arrives with extensive big fight experience, having just won the vacant WBA Pan African lightweight belt via TKO 5 over Gabriel Phakula on August 4 in Accra, Ghana.
Also on the October 22 show, Staten Island’s Gary Stark Jr. returns to action for the first time since avenging a May 2007 loss to Andres Ledesma by unanimously outpointing Ledesma at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom on March 5. Stark Jr. (21-2, 8 KOs) will be in ten-round junior featherweight action.
In addition, two-time NY Golden Gloves champion and 2008 National Golden Gloves champion Tor Hamer, a recent Penn State graduate, will make his pro debut at heavyweight versus Joe Rabotte (2-3, 1 KO). Hamer is one of the newest members of the DBE team.
Rounding out the seven bout card will be light heavyweight Will Rosinsky (1-0, 1 KO) from Queens; Brooklyn’s Philip Jackson Benson in a middleweight pro debut versus Robert Harris from Youngstown, Ohio; and super middleweight Hajra Sujak (1-0) from the Bronx.
DiBella Entertainmnet is partnering with Everlast for Breast Cancer Awareness month. “DBE is happy to support the effort to find a cure for breast cancer. I’ve been personally touched by this disease. My sister is a breast cancer survivor,” said DBE president Lou DiBella.
DiBella Entertainment and Everlast are both proud to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation who is committed through research to finding a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime. To support this initiative and promote awareness, Everlast will display a pink canvas and corner cushions at the event and every fighter on the card will be outfitted in Pink Everlast Pro Fight Gloves.
Tickets for Broadway Boxing priced at $200 (VIP Table), $150 (ringside table, ringside seats), $100 (floor tables, floor seats, stage seats), $70 (general admission) are currently on sale. They are available by calling DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577. For more information on Broadway Boxing, please visit DiBella entertainment on the web at www.dbe1.com.