NEW HAVEN’S LUIS ROSA JR. FACES JAPAN’S RYOSUKE IWASA IN IBF JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR ON BROADWAY BOXING - Boxing News - Boxing, UFC and MMA News, Fight Results, Schedule, Rankings, Videos and More

New York, NY (11/18/16) – Tomorrow, DiBella Entertainment will return to the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, CT, for the latest installment of its popular Broadway Boxing series, presented by Cedars Mediterranean Foods, Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House. New Haven’s undefeated Luis Rosa Jr. (22-0, 10 KOs) will headline the card facing Japan’s Ryosuke Iwasa (22-2, 14 KOs), in an IBF junior featherweight world title eliminator scheduled for 12 rounds.

Opening up the event will be a six-bout amateur card presented by the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) featuring boxers from the United States Military Academy (West Point), United States Coast Guard Academy, University of Massachusetts, University of Connecticut and Trinity College.

As an added bonus, boxing fans in attendance will not have to worry about missing the highly anticipated Kovalev-Ward light heavyweight championship pay-per-view, as the event will be shown live on Foxwoods property that night as well.

Tickets for the November 19 Broadway Boxing event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Teiken Promotions and presented by Cedars Mediterranean Foods, Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House, are priced at $125, $75 and $45. Tickets can be purchased online at Foxwoods.com, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-200-2882, or visiting the Foxwoods box office. Doors open at 6:30pm, with the first fight scheduled for 7:00pm.

“New Haven’s Luis Rosa Jr. headlines Saturday’s action-packed Broadway Boxing at Foxwoods Resort Casino against Japan’s Ryosuke Iwasa in an IBF junior featherweight world title eliminator,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “The loaded undercard features the New England heavyweight championship, Russian prodigy Radzhab Butaev vying for the NABF junior middleweight title in his fourth pro bout, Army Reserve Captain Boyd Melson fighting to raise awareness for Staten Island’s heroin epidemic, as well as other local prospects. The event will open with amateur bouts staged by the NCBA and fans in attendance will also be able to watch the Kovalev-Ward pay-per-view broadcast that will be shown live on-site.”

Trained by his father Luis Sr. and managed by his mother Marilyn and Mike Criscio, 25-year-old Puerto Rican Luis Rosa Jr. was an accomplished amateur who quickly built a local fan base upon turning pro. After establishing himself as a formidable prospect, Rosa burst onto the national scene in 2014 with signature victories over the highly regarded Jorge Diaz on ESPN and the top-rated Orlando Del Valle on HBO Latino. A perfect 4-0 last year, including a fifth-round stoppage over Jonathan Perez on ESPN, Rosa, now ranked no. 7 by the IBF, is determined to prove against Iwasa that he is ready to win a world title and conquer the junior featherweight division.

“I know Iwasa has faced good competition, but I’m looking to do damage quick and end the fight early,” said Rosa. “I’m going for the knockout. I know he’s a slick southpaw, but he’s a bit basic and I will take advantage of that. The world title is within my reach and there’s nothing that will stop me from achieving my ultimate goal. I am ready to take over the junior featherweight division.”

Japanese southpaw Ryosuke Iwasa, from Kashiwa, Chiba, rated no. 3 by the IBF, turned pro in 2008 at age 18 following a successful 60-6 amateur career that included winning the High School, Interscholastic and National Festival titles. As a pro, he has won the Japanese and OPBF bantamweight belts. After losing to Englishman Lee Haskins for the interim IBF world bantamweight championship in his only fight outside of Japan, Iwasa moved up to junior featherweight. He has earned three impressive wins since then and will be making his US debut against Rosa.

“I would like to thank DiBella Entertainment, Teiken Promotions and Celes Boxing for this opportunity,” said Iwasa. “I had a great training camp in Japan and am in the best condition of my career. I have been here in Mashantucket for a few days and am fully acclimated, no jet lag issues. I am excited to be fighting in the United States for the first time. It has been my dream to fight here and I am very motivated for this bout.”

Army Reserve Captain and middleweight Boyd Melson (15-1-1, 4 KOs), of White Plains, NY, last fought in May of 2015, seizing the WBC USNBC 154lb. title with a victory over Mike Ruiz. Though happy in retirement, Melson felt compelled to return to action for a very important cause. As fatal drug overdoses are on the rise, Melson is fighting to bring awareness to the heroin epidemic currently plaguing the borough of Staten Island. Throughout his pro career, Melson regularly donated his fight purses to stem cell research via the Fight To Walk foundation. However, his purse for Saturday’s eight-round bout against Brooklyn’s Courtney Pennington (8-4-1, 4 KOs) will be donated to Big Vision, a nonprofit that helps those battling addiction. Melson, who graduated from West Point as a Lieutenant, made it to the Olympic trials in 2004 and 2008 as an amateur, and won the 2004 World Military Boxing Championships as well. Turning pro in 2010, Melson’s only loss came in a 2012 war against the unbeaten Delen Parsley, in which both boxers hit the canvas.

Popular heavyweight prospect Alexis Santos (16-1, 14 KOs), of Lawrence, MA, will square off against local rival Jesse Barboza (11-2-1, 7 KOs), of Hyannis, MA, with the vacant New England heavyweight championship at stake, scheduled for eight rounds. Santos had a brief amateur career ending with an 18-2 record and two New England Golden Gloves titles. Barboza, also a successful amateur, was a three-time New England Golden Gloves champion. With a style better suited for the professional ranks, six of Santos’ 14 knockouts since his 2009 debut have come in the first round. His only loss came to Daniel Martz, having suffered a torn ACL in the opening round. However, Santos avenged that defeat on April 9, with a seventh-round knockout of Martz to win the IBO International heavyweight crown.

Russian amateur prodigy Radzhab Butaev (3-0, 3 KOs), co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc. and managed by Vadim Kornilov, will challenge for the NABF junior middleweight title against the experienced Hungarian Gabor Gorbics (22-3, 13 KOs), of Budapest. The 22-year-old Butaev, born in Salsk, Russia, and now living in Los Angeles, was a highly accomplished amateur, having compiled an incredible 304-12 record, with 164 knockouts. He participated in the World Series of Boxing as well, finishing at 9-1. Gorbics is a former Hungarian junior welterweight and welterweight and Slovakian welterweight champion, who also has a 35-3 record as a kickboxer. Gorbics has wins over six undefeated opponents and has never been stopped in his three losses. Incredibly active, he has already fought 12 times this year.

Debuting in April, 18-year-old local favorite Mykquan Williams (4-0, 3 KOs), of East Hartford, CT, will seek his fifth straight victory at Foxwoods, in a four-round welterweight bout versus Puerto Rican Jimmy Rosario (2-3, 1 KO). Williams was a decorated amateur with a 45-13 record, highlighted by three gold-medal performances at the Ringside World Championships, in addition to winning the PAL Tournament and Silver Gloves Championships. Rosario has never been stopped and has a win over 3-0 Hector Rivera in his last bout in September.

A native of County Cork, Ireland, former Irish National champion Noel Murphy (6-0, 2 KOs), now living and training in Yonkers, NY, will box Mohamed Allam (3-1, 1 KO), of Holyoke, MA, in a junior middleweight bout scheduled for six rounds. Allam is coming off a six-round unanimous decision victory over 4-0 prospect Travis Demko in May.

Following a first-round stoppage victory in his July pro debut, middleweight Christopher Davis-Fogg (1-0, 1 KO), of Framingham, MA, will also be on the card in a four-round bout versus Quincy Brown (1-3), of Milbrook, AL. Davis-Fogg was a three-time Rocky Marciano Tournament winner and a Lowell Golden Gloves champion as an amateur.