BROOKLYN (October 29, 2015) – Former world champion and Brooklyn-native Yuri Foreman (32-2, 9 KOs) will return to the ring for the first time since 2013 as part of a stacked undercard featuring a diverse group of fighters from across the boroughs and regions of New York on Saturday, December 5 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The slew of additional talented fighters featured on the card include undefeated rising star from Staten Island and 2012 U.S. Olympian “Sir” Marcus Browne (16-0, 12 KOs), undefeated Brooklyn-native Heather “The Heat” Hardy (14-0, 3 KOs) and Queens’ firefighter Will “Power” Rosinsky (19-2, 10 KOs) who takes on Long Island’s Joe Smith Jr. (19-1, 16 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight contest.
“Fans will want to arrive at Barclays Center early on December 5th as we have a tremendous undercard on hand for the live audience featuring neighborhood rivalries and talented fighters of multiple nationalities and backgrounds,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Polish-American Will Rosinsky, of Queens, faces off against Irish-American Joe Smith, of Long Island. Former champion and Italian American top-rated contender Chris Algieri, of Huntington, Long Island challenges tough Ecuadorian Erick Bone.
“The popular Irish-American Heather ‘The Heat’ Hardy has become a staple at Barclays Center and will compete in her fifth appearance at the venue. Another former champion and an ordained Orthodox Rabbi, Yuri Foreman will make his long awaited ring return following the completion of his rabbinical studies. Staten Island’s unbeaten light heavyweight prospect and former Olympian ‘Sir’ Marcus Browne will look to continue his streak of impressive performances as well.”
The loaded lineup of fights will precede the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader headlined by the all-Brooklyn battle between middleweight world champion Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (30-1, 27 KOs) and former world champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (32-0-1, 23 KOs). ). In the co-feature, WBA Featherweight World Champion Jesus Cuellar (27-1, 21 KOs) will face exciting Puerto Rican contender Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo (26-4, 16 KOs).
Long Island’s Chris Algieri (20-2, 8 KOs) will return to Barclays Center and square off against Erick Bone (16-2, 8 KOs) in a previously announced undercard bout. Algieri and Smith Jr. are both promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
Tickets for the live event start at $50, not including applicable fees, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.
This Monday, Nov. 2, a special media-op will take place outside of Barclays Center followed by a luncheon with the fighters announced in this release. Additional details are forthcoming.
An ordained rabbi, Foreman moved to Brooklyn from Belarus at a young age and found solace inside the legendary Gleason’s Gym. Foreman was sensational in winning the first 27 fights of his career before he defeated Daniel Santos in November 2009 to capture a super welterweight world title. While he lost an all-New York showdown with Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium in 2010, Foreman won the last four fights of his career before retiring in 2013. Now the 35-year-old returns to the ring to fight in front of his hometown fans.
A 2012 U.S. Olympian, Browne has been very impressive since making his pro debut in November 2011. The 24-year-old Staten Island-native has put together a big 2015 with victories over Cornelius White and Aaron Pryor Jr. before he knocked out former world champion Gabriel Campillo in the first round in September. Browne will be making his 10th career start at Barclays Center, the most of any fighter.
A popular Brooklyn fighter who competed in Barclays Center’s first-ever professional female boxing match last year, Hardy has become a staple at the arena since. On December 5, she will be making her fourth consecutive appearance at Barclays Center. A little over two years after her pro debut, Hardy won an international title belt in the super bantamweight division in October 2014. In 2015, she defeated Noemi Bosques and Renata Domsodi leading up to her third fight of the year in December.
Residing in Ozone Park, New York while also serving as a firefighter in Queens, Rosinsky is seeking is fourth consecutive victory. The 30-year-old won the U.S. Amateur Championship at light heavyweight in 2005, was a four-time New York Golden Gloves champion and began his pro career with 14 straight wins. His only defeats were to Edwin Rodriguez and former world champion Kelly Pavlik. He enters the December 5 contest having taken down Paul Gonsalves and Shujaa El Amin to start 2015.
At 26-years-old, Smith Jr. is looking to continue to make a name for himself in the division. The 2008 New York Golden Gloves champion picked up victories over veterans Michael Gbenga, Oti Griffin and Tyrell Henrix in 2014 before adding two more triumphs to his ledger in 2015. The Long Island-native has racked up 13 wins in a row and will be making his Barclays Center debut on December 5.
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