Bayamon, Puerto Rico’s undefeated featherweight Luis “Orlandito” del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs) left today for his training base in Newburgh, New York, to prepare for the biggest fight of his career against Vietnamese fighter Dat Nguyen (17-1, 6 KOs).
Del Valle vs. Nguyen will serve as the 10-round main event on Saturday, June 11 – the second night of blockbuster back-to-back boxing events at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City on June 10 and 11, entitled Boricua Invasion I & II.
Boricua Invasion II will be televised by Showtime as part of the series ShoBox: The New Generation.
“This is an honor, a blessing, a dream come true. I would have never thought that I would be a headliner this fast, but we are confident in our preparation and that I will get the win. My opponent always dishes out more than a hundred punches per round, and if he does that on June 11, you’re going to see fireworks,” said Del Valle, who is a cousin of former world bantamweight champion, Rafael del Valle.
Raymond Rivera, coach and manager of ‘Orlandito’ said: “Nguyen is a really good opponent, who comes to fight. I want to thank ‘Pensa’ Garcia for help in the physical preparation, ‘Golo “Gomez for opening the doors of his gym and nutritionist Cupey Carlos Espinoza because, thanks to their efforts, there will be real fireworks in this fight.”
Boricua Invasion I & II are being presented by Gary Shaw Productions and DiBella Entertainment.
Back-to-back, on June 10 and 11 (Friday and Saturday before the 2011 National Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday) at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, Gary Shaw Productions and DiBella Entertainment will present Boricua Invasion I and II, featuring members of Team Puerto Rico Boxing, the eight-man team of Puerto Rico’s future ring stars.
Friday’s Boricua Invasion I will feature the unstoppable welterweight on everybody’s “one to watch” list, Thomas “Tormenta” Dulorme (11-0, 10 KOs) vs. former world champion DeMarcus Corley; Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico’s highlight-reel welterweight KO specialist Kenny “Battlestar” Galarza (14-1, 14 KOs) vs. Puerto Rican compatriot Irving Garcia and the future superstar already fighting in main events after just two bouts, Jose “El Dulce” Pedraza (2-0, 2 KOs). The main bouts of Boricua Invasion I will be televised on ESPN Friday Night Fights.
Saturday’s Boricua Invasion II will feature four more members of Team Puerto Rico: featherweight Luis “Orlandito” Del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs) vs. Dat Nguyen; junior middleweight Jonathan “Mantequilla Gonzalez (12-0, 12 KOs); and light welterweight Sanchez vs. Arroyo. Also scheduled for action are Team Puerto Rico light welterweight Jorge “Machito” Maysonet Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs); plus a special off-TV appearance by Puerto Rico-born light welterweight Gabriel “Tito” Bracero (15-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn. The main bouts of Boricua Invasion II will be broadcast live on Showtime: The New Generation.
Tickets for Boricua Invasion I on Friday, June 10 are priced at $175, $125, $75, $45 and are available through Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone, or at any Ticketmaster outlet. On Friday, doors will open at 6:00 pm and the action starts at 6:30.
Tickets for Boricua Invasion II on Saturday, June 11 are priced at $200, $150, $85, and $55 and are available through Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone, or at any Ticketmaster outlet. On Saturday, doors will open at 7:00 pm and the action starts at 7:30.
For VIP Package tickets to both nights, please call DiBella Entertainment at 212-947-2577.
The Roseland Ballroom is located at 239 West 52nd Street in New York City.
All bouts are subject to change.
For more information, visit www.teampuertoricoboxing.com or www.latinoboxing.com. For more information on the Roseland Ballroom, visit www.roselandballroom.com.