By: Sean Crose
Lou DiBella’s Broadway Boxing series will be returning to BB King’s Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan this coming Wednesday night. Noel Murphy, from Woodlawn, New York – by way of Cork, Ireland, will be facing Mikkel Lespierre, from Brooklyn – by way of Trinidad, for the USNBC welterweight championship in the ten round main event. Murphy, who is said to be confused with Canelo Alvarez due to his red hair, has a record of 12-0, while Lespierre has an 18-0-1 record of his own. Although neither man possesses stunning knockout power (Murphy has stopped just two of his opponents, while Lespierre has only stopped eight of his), each one has been proactively furthering his respective career.
In 2017, for instance, Lespierre battled three times, his most recent fight having gone down in December. Murphy, on the other hand, fought a throwback-style five times last year, his most recent bout having been last October. Promoter Lou DiBella, of DiBella Entertainment points out that both boxers have energetic fan bases, which should make for a good environment come fight night in Times Square. “Our main event,” he says, “is a terrific crosstown battle between two undefeated welterweights, Noel Muphy and Mikkel LesPierre, both of whom will have very loud and passionate fan bases on hand.”
“I’m delighted for this opportunity to headline a show at BB King Blues Club @ Grill in Times Square, New York,” Murphy says. “Mikkel LesPierre is a difficult opponent, but these are the types of fights I want.” Needless to say, LesPierre himself eager to get it on Wednesday evening.
“I have been overlooked my whole career,” he says. “However, I did it my way. It’s chess, not checkers and I’m here to stay.”
Undefeated super featherweight Jon Fernandez will also be on the card. The 14-0 Spaniard has stopped all but two of his opponents within the distance and will face the 28-8-3 Fatio Fassinou of Maryland, by way of Benin, in a ten rounder.
In other action, super featherweight Jude Franklin will put his 6-0 record on the line when the Brooklynite battles the 16-7-2 Italian slugger Floriano Pagliaria in a six round affair. Heavyweight Oleksandr Teslenko, 11-0 will also look to impress when the Canadian (by way of the Ukraine) KO artist tries to stop his tenth opponent within the distance. Teslenko will be facing the 6-2-1 Keenan Hickman of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in an eight round throwdown.
“We’re very excited,” says DiBella, “to return to our Manhattan home at BB King Blues Club & Grill for another action-packed card