UNCASVILLE, Conn. (April 4, 2022) – The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) has announced its six-member Class of 2021 to be inducted during the 16TH annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner on Saturday night, May 21, in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun.

The CBHOF Class of 2020 consisting entirely of “Old Timers”, will also be inducted on May 21st.

Class of 2021 inductees are retired boxers Mike “Machine Gun” Oliver, of Hartford, and New Haven’s Elvin Ayala, Hartford referee Danny Schiavone, Glastonbury’s (Hartford Civic Center executive director) Frank E. Russo, Manchester trainer Jose “Papo” Colon, and New Haven manager Mike Criscio.

“The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Game is very excited to reconvene our Gala Induction Dinner after a two-year pandemic related hiatus,” CBHOF president John Laudati said. “The pandemic ‘pause’ gave the Selection Committee ample time to research boxing archives in order to support the induction of the 2020 Class of deceased boxing legends. Recognition of these deserving individuals is long overdue.”

“Our Class of 2021 is also exceptionally outstanding, as well. It is a class which truly represents the sport of boxing. Fighters, trainers, managers, promoters, and ring officials are being inducted in this class. I encourage all boxing fans to come out to Mohegan Sun on May 21st for a fantastic celebration of the accomplishments of these two worthy Hall of Fame classes.

Oliver (26-12-1, 8 KOs) first laced-up boxing gloves at the tender age of three. After excelling as an amateur boxer, Oliver captured the vacant IBO Super Bantamweight World title in 2007, taking a 12-round unanimous title from Cruz Carbajal in Boston. The gifted southpaw was also the USBA and New England title holder during his 20-year pro career.

Schiavone has developed into one of the most respected referees in boxing, having worked more than 440 fights during almost two-decade career, including seven world title bouts and more than 40 regional title fights. He has refereed bouts featuring elite fighters such as Roy Jones, Jr., Adrian Broner, David Tua, Hasim Rahman, and Vasiliy Lomanchencko. The Hofstra University graduate also refereed the 2019 Chris Arreola-Chris Kownacki fight, which set a record for most thrown punches during a heavyweight fight. Schiavone has also acted in two boxing movies, “Back in the Day” and the soon to be released “Pep” a movie about Hartford’s greatest fighter Willie Pep. Schiavone also appeared in the television series, “Gravesend.”

Back in 1974, Russo listened to the suggestion of the Hartford Civic Center concessions manager, Johnny Cesario, later a CBHOF member, to host boxing events. Russo later made future world welterweight champion and CBHOF inductee Marlon Starling the Harford Civic Center’s house fighter. More than 13,000 boxing fans attended the closed circuit showing of the first Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran fight, which was shown after a live card headlined by Starling. Russo also helped promote the pro careers of 1984 USA Olympians Pernell Whitaker, Mark Breland, Meldrick Taylor, Evander Holyfield, and Tyrell Biggs.

The 76-year-old Colon is still an active trainer, now working out of the Manchester Ring of Champions Society. A native of Puerto Rico Colon moved to the U.S. and in 1979, he worked some of New York’s most prestigious gyms, including Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn. Eighteen years later, Colon moved to Hartford, where he worked at the San Juan Center with future CBHOF inductee George Cruz. He later worked out of the Hartford Boxing Center, assisting trainer Tony Blanco in building Richie “Popeye” Rivera’s career.

Ayala burst upon the pro boxing scene in 2003, winning his first sixteen fights with a defensive style that left opponents flustered and frustrated. A 2007 draw in Carson, California with unbeaten Sergio Mora (19-0), winner of the Contender series (original) and future world middleweight champion positioned Ayala to challenge 25-0 IBF Middleweight World Champion Arthur Abraham. Abraham stopped the game Ayala in the 12th round.

Criscio progressed from a pawnbroker to a boxing manager where in 2017 he guided Chad Dawson to the WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship by way of a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision over defending champion Tomasz Adamek in Kissimmee, Florida. Criscio managed as many as 35 pro boxers, including Dawson, Alfredo Angulo, Jean Pascal, Peter Manfredo Jr., Toka Kahn Clery, Chris Avalos and the late Luis Rosa Jr.

CBHOF’s 2021 award winners will soon be announced.

The Class of 2020 inductees are boxers Jimmy Leto, Eddie Dolan, Al Gainer, and Steve Carr, as well as coach Mosey King and commissioner Barbara Dunn.

Leto, a welterweight from Hartford, had a superlative 125-29-12 record from 1924 to 1943. Managed by legendary Lou Viscusi, Leto defeated future International Boxing Hall of Famers such as Chalky Wright, Cocoa Kid and Fritzie Zivic. Leto died in 1986 at the age of 75.

Dolan not only fought in the same era as Leto, but he also defeated him in 1940. Dolan tuned pro in 1931at the age of 18 and finished his career with an 89-9-3 pro record, including victories against Cocoa Kid and Zivic. The Waterbury welterweight, who was undefeated throughout 1939, died in 1964 at 51.

After a brief pro career as a lightweight, King became the head boxing coach at Yale University in 1907. The New London native held that post until 1952, when Yale dropped boxing as a sport. King was so highly regarded that he became Connecticut’s first boxing commissioner in 1921, serving in that capacity for two years. King passed away in 1956.

Gainer was a formidable light heavyweight from New Haven who compiled a 77-23-6 (41 KOs) record from 1930-1941. Gainer defeated James J. Braddock and Tony Galento. He fought Maxie Rosenbloom to a draw and had two different win streaks of 12 and 13 fights. He died in 1973.

Fighting during the Great Depression, Carr’s career lasted only seven years, but the Meridian native retired with a 52-14-8 pro record, his most notable win versus Nathan Mann. Carr died in 1954 at the age of 41.

Newton native Dunn was a pioneer. She was named the Connecticut Commissioner of Consumer Protection in 1971, also taking on the role as the nation’s first female boxing commissioner. Her fearless regulation of the sport of boxing earned her respect throughout the boxing industry. A University of Connecticut graduate, Dunn passed away in 2017 at 90.

Tickets for the CBHOF 16th annual Gala Induction Dinner, reasonably priced at $90.00, are on sale and available to purchase by calling Sherman Cain at 860.212.9029 and Rider Productions at 860.413.9067. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by a full sit-down dinner at 7 p.m. ET.

Go online to www.ctboxinghof.org for additional information about the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame, its 16th annual Gala Inductee Dinner, event sponsorship opportunities, and past CBHOF inductees.

ABOUT CBHOF: The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame was founded in 2004 to honor and celebrate the careers of outstanding individuals involved in the sport of boxing. Its inaugural Induction Ceremony & Dinner was held in 2005. Connecticut’s rich boxing history could never have flourished if it weren’t for the achievements of those enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The CBHOF’s new location is in the Sky Casino at Mohegan Sun.

As a non-profit organization, the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame is deeply committed to keeping the fighting spirit of Connecticut thriving through various charitable contributions.

Sergey Kovalev quieted his many nay-Sayers by putting on a boxing clinic, and recapturing the WBO Light Heavyweight decision with a 12-round unanimous decision over Eleider Alvarez in a rematch that took place at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

Kovalev boxed very well as he showed consistent boxing with his jab that set up his workrate over the 36 minute fight.  Alvarez only threw 30 punches per round which did not provide him with the opportunities  to the land the big shots that propelled him to a knockout victory over Kovalev last August.

Kovalev took the advice of new trainer Buddy McGirt and took what the Alvarez gave him, which was jabbing through out the rounds and getting in his right hand which kept Alvarez on the defense.

Kovalev doubled up Alvarez on the punches landed, and won by scores of 120-108 and 116-112 to raise his mark to 33-3-1.  Alvarez is 24-1.

“We worked a lot on my jab,” Kovalev said. “Right now, I am working with {trainer} Buddy {McGirt} the way I was when I was an amateur

“After this, I want unification fights.”

Said Alvarez: “I don’t see myself as a loser tonight, but I do give him credit, especially in that 12th round. I think that he went out and proved that he wanted to win.”

Rising star, Teofimo Lopez, beat up, bloodied and battered Diego Magdaleno and stopped him in round seven of a scheduled ten-round lightweight fight.

Magdaleno’s face started chopping up in round two from the hard blows from Lopez.

In round six, Lopez landed a blistering left hook to the chin that Magdaleno to the canvas.’In round seven, Magdaleno landed two of the powerful and concussive left hooks on a beaten Magdaleno that plummeted him to the canvas at 1:08 and the fight was halted.

Lopez, 134.8 lbs of Brooklyn is 12-0 with 10 knockouts.  Magdaleno, 134.7 lbs of Las Vegas is 34-3.

“I take nothing away from Diego Magdaleno. We picked our shots, and we knew that in the later rounds, he’d drown in those deep waters,” Lopez said. “As the competition gets tougher, you will see more of what I can do. I dissected him like a surgeon.”

Oscar Valdez shook off 11 months of ring rust and stopped Carmine Tommasone in round seven to retain the WBO Featherweight title.

In round four, Valdez dropped Tommasone with a right hand.  Tommasone began to bleed from his nose.  Later in the round, Valdez sent Tommasone down with a hard jab.  In round five, Tommasone began to bleed from his mouth.  In round Round six, Valdez sent Tommasone down with a left hook.

Valdez ended things just nine seconds into round seven, Valdez dropped Tommasone with a perfect left uppecut to the chin and Tommasone went to the deck, and the fight was stopped.

Valdez, 125.8 lbs of Nogales. MEX is 25-0 with 20 knockouts.  Tommasone, 125.4 lbs of Italy is 19-1.

“I was very excited. I kind of didn’t want to get too crazy in there. It was tough the first round to get {my rhythm},” Valdez said. “But finally, I got the job done. I congratulate him. He’s a great fighter. I wish him nothing but the best.

“We started 2019 well. The sky’s the limit.”

Richard Commey stopped Isa Chaniev in the 2nd round to win the IBF Lightweight championship.

In round one, Commey landed a perfect right that dropped Chaniev hard to the canvas.  In round two, Commey rushed out and landed a perfect left hook that sent Chaniev to the deck.  Commey was all over Chaniev, and landed power shots.  As referee Laurence Cole stopped the bout, Commey added two more shots and sent Chaniev to the deck at 39 seconds.

Commey, 134.3 lbs of Accra, Ghana now will face WBA/WBO champion Vasyl Lomachenko on April 12th with a record of 28-2 with 25 knockouts.  Chaniev, 134 1/2 lbs of Russia is 13-2.

“This is everything for me. This is what I worked so hard for,” Commey said. “Finally being a world champion, I feel like I fulfilled a destiny for me.”

Next up for Commey is a potential showdown with WBA/WBO lightweight champion and pound-for-pound great Vasiliy Lomachenko. He hurt his right knuckle in the opening round, and if receives a clean bill of health, Lomachenko will be next.

“When I hit him in the first round, I hurt my right knuckle,” Commey said. “I’m going to have to get it looked at and see what happens.”

Janibek Alimkhanuly stopped Steven Martinez in round five of a scheduled eight-round middleweight bout.

In round three, Alimkhanuly dropped Martinez with a left to the body.  Alimkhanuly continied to pound away on Martinez, who had his nose bloodied in the fourth and finally was pulled out the fight 21 seconds into round five.

Alimkhanuly, 162 lbs of Kazakhstan is 5-0 with two knockouts.  Martinez, 160 1/2 lbs of Bronx, NY is 18-5.

“I showed what I was capable of against a tough opponent,” Alimkhanuly said. “I am close to world title contention. It’s going to be a big year for me in 2019. This is only the beginning of my journey.”

Enriko Gogokhia stopped Vitor Freitas in round three of their six-round junior welterweight bout.

Gogokhia dropped Freitas in the 1st round with a straight left that barely touched Freitas.  Gogikhia was cut on his forehead in round two from an accidental headbutt.  In round three, Gogokhia landed a little left to the body that put Freitas down, and the bout was stopped.

Gogokhia, 142 1/2 lbs of Georgia Republic is 10-0 with five knockouts.  Freitas, 141 lbs of Salvador, BRA is 15-4-1.

Jason Sanchez stopped Daniel Olea in round two of their scheduled eight-round featherweight bout.

Sanchez was dominant and landed a big right hand that dropped Olea and the bout was stopped at 1:35.

Sanchez, 125 1/2 of Albuquerque, NM is 14-0 with seven knockouts.  Olea, 125 1/2 of Mexico is 13-7-2.

“I wanted to be patient in there. I wasn’t necessarily looking for the knockout right away,” Sanchez said. “But the opportunity came, and I took advantage of the opening.”

In an entertaining ten-round junior middleweight scrap, Patrick Day won a unanimous decision over Ismail Iliev.

Day, 153 3/4 lbs of Freeport, NY won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 to raise his mark to 17-2-1.  Iliev, 154 lbs of Russia is 11-1-1.

Bakhram Murtazaliev stopped Elvin Ayala in round nine of their scheduled ten-round junior middleweight bout.

In round two, Murtazaliev was credited a knockdown when he landed a combination that made Ayala stumble into the ropes.

In round nine, Murtazaliev dropped Ayala with a hard right hand.  Seconds later, a follow flurry of hard power punches forced the ref to stop the bout at 2:05.

Murtazailev, 153 1/2 lbs of Russia is 15-0 with 12 knockouts.  Ayala, 154 lbs of New Haven, CT is 29-13-1.

NEW YORK CITY — Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (35-2, 29KO) earned a twelve-round split decision victory over Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (12-1, 10KO) to capture the vacant IBF Middleweight Championship, capping a night a boxing in front of 4,691 paying fans at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.  At the end of the contest, judge Julie Lederman (114-113) scored the fight for the Ukrainian, Derevyanchenko, while Tom Schreck (115-112) and Steve Weisfeld (115-112) both had it for the Brooklyn native, Jacobs.

It was a thirty-six minute violent chess match between two familiar adversaries who have sparred an estimated 300-plus rounds together.

Before the fight, both fighters shared trainers, Andre Rozier.  Rozier and Gary Stark, Sr. co-trained Derevyanchenko, while Rozier served as Jacob’s sole trainer.

When the opportunity arose for the two stablemates to square off for the vacant IBF Middleweight Title, decisions had to be made, and Derevyanchenko’s co-training duo would fracture.  Stark, Sr. took over as the lone trainer for Derevyanchenko, who now lives in Brooklyn, while Rozier stuck with Jacobs, who he has been training since he was 14.

Each fighter left their Brooklyn homes and flew out west for training camp.  Jacobs in San Carlos, CA and Derevyanchenko, in Colorado Springs, CO.

When the bell sounded tonight, under the bright lights of Broadway, both fighters knew they had a huge opportunity in front of them, and both fought like they had nothing to lose.

It didn’t take long for fireworks to explode, as late in the first round Jacobs, 31, dropped Derevyanchenko, 32, with a looping right hand that found a home behind the Ukrainian’s left ear.

The smaller Derevyanchenko, who as an amateur compiled a record of 320-90, continually worked his way inside Jacobs reach and fired off loaded shots that, at times, tested Jacob’s twin.  In an effort to keep Derevyanchenko at bay and off balance, Jacobs continually switched from orthodox to southpaw, but the machine-like former 2008 Olympian continually pressed forward, not content to be kept on the outside.

In the sixth round, Jacobs delivered a huge right uppercut as the Ukrainian fighter tried to march his way to the inside.  Although thrown with every ounce of body weight behind it, Derevyanchenko ate it well, stopping only momentarily before continuing forward, hunting for action.

“The Technician” operated in machine-like fashion, forward, forward, forward.  But when the two fighters engaged, Jacobs seemingly bested Derevyanchenko during most of their exchanges.  If he didn’t land the most punches, he landed the cleaner, more powerful ones.

The result marks the third straight victory via the scorecards for Jacobs, a osteosarcoma survivor.  During that stretch, Jacobs’ other wins have come against Luis Arias and Maciej Sulecki.

For Jacobs, this was also the first fight back inside the walls of Madison Square Garden since losing a closely contested decision to Gennady Golovkin in March 2017.  Jacobs’ only other professional defeat came via one punch KO in the fifth round of a bout with Dmitry Pirog in 2010.

This was the first fight at the Garden, first attempt at a world title, and first taste of defeat for Derevyanchenko.

After the fight, Jacobs called out fellow middleweight title holder, Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34KO).  Alvarez is fresh off signing a record $365 million 5-year, 11-fight deal with DAZN, which also has a deal with Matchroom Boxing, the promoter of Jacobs.

Explosive! Machado Blasts Evans Wins Inside 1

It took only 2:25 for Puerto Rico’s Alberto “Explosivo” Machado (21-0, 17KO) to drop Yuandale “Money Shot” Evans (20-2, 14KO) three times and retain his WBA super featherweight title.  The fight was almost over as soon as it began, as the southpaw Machado, 28, caught and dropped Evans, 29, for the first time with a crisp left cross. Cleveland’s Evans never fully recovered, and Machado, smelling blood in the water, quickly met Evans with a flurry of punches.  The Freddie Roach trained Machado then threw a left cross that opened up Evan’s guard, and then shot a nose-crushing right straight down Broadway that rocked Evans and sent him to the mat for the second time. Referee Ricky Gonzalez was generous with his ten count, trying to buy Evans all the time he could.  But the few extra seconds Evans was gifted made no difference, as Machado once again fired off vicious shots on an already groggy Evans, and then ended the fight in explosive fashion, rocketing one more right straight through Evans’ shotty guard, sending him violently to the mat for the third and final time.

It was the second fight at Madison Square Garden for Machado, and his second successful title defense.  Machado won his belt with an 8th round KO of Jezreel Corrales in October 2017.

Evans’ only other loss also came via first round stoppage in 2012 courtesy of Javier Fortuna.

Hardy Defeats Vincent Again, Claims WBO World Female Featherweight Title

In a rematch of their hotly contested 2016 bout, Heather “The Heat” Hardy (22-0, 4 KO) once again outpointed Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent (23-2, 1KO) to win the vacant WBO World Female Featherweight Title.

Fists came fast and furious throughout all ten rounds as both fighters immediately met in the center of the ring in the opening round and let their hands fly. For the most part, it was a jabless affair; a fight full of power punches thrown at a furious pace. And from the start, neither fighter was able to impose their will on the other. The longer, leaner Hardy, 37, tried her best to throw her shots from a distance, but Vincent, 39, revenge on her mind, continually bull-rushed past Hardy’s defense and landed clean blows of her own.

By the early-middle rounds, both fighter’s faces began to show evidence of being tagged repeatedly. Vincent’s face was beginning to match the color of her mostly-red trunks, while Brooklyn’s Hardy’s face began to puff and swell, and turn light pink.

The action failed to cease as the two fighter’s continued to go toe-to-toe round after round. It wasn’t until the late-middle rounds that Hardy finally gained some separation and clearly won rounds. At the end of ten, judges Glenn Feldman and Kevin Morgan scored it 97-93, while Alan Rubenstein saw it 99-91, all in favor for the new champion, Hardy.

In their previous bout, a 2016 contest in Coney Island, NY, Hardy, a former Former WBC super bantamweight and featherweight champion, eked out a majority decision, as judges turned in cards of 95-95, and 99-91 and 97-93, for “The Heat.”

It was the first fight at Madison Square Garden for Hardy, and her second fight back inside the squared circle since stepping into the octagon for a three-fight stretch from June 2017 to February 2018, amassing a 2-1 record fighting in Bellator.

For Vincent, the loss is the second of her career, both coming courtesy of Hardy.

Mati Outpoints Freeman For Second Career Win

Reshat “The Albanian Bear” Mati (2-0, 1KO) easily outpointed fellow welterweight Keasen Freeman (4-5, 2KO) to earn a unanimous decision victory.  This was the first win via the scorecards for Mati, who made his professional debut earlier this month, stopping Adan Ahumada inside 3. Mati scored a knockdown via a beautifully thrown right uppercut in round 3.  At the end of the bout, all three judges agreed on a score of 40-35 for Mati. The loss marks the fifth straight defeat for Freeman, who has also been defeated by notable names, Tyrone James and Gary Antoine Russell.

Butaev Demolishes Cosio, Jr., Retires Him In 3

Russian-born Brooklyn-transplant, Radzhab “Python” Butaev (10-8, KO) made quick work Panama’s Azael Cosio, Jr. (21-8-2, 18KO), retiring him after three rounds of their welterweight contest, originally slated to go ten.  Butaev, 24, who turned pro in 2016 after compiling an amateur record of 453-9, used his superior skill set and power to blast through Cosio’s guard and brutally batter his 37 year-old counterpart to the body and head. After the third round commenced, Cosio, Jr.’s corner decided it wasn’t their night asked referee Gary Rosato to call a halt to the contest.

The result marked the seventh time out ten career fights for the Joel Diaz-trained Butaev that ended before the fourth round.

Day Wins Hard-Earned Decision Over Veteran Ayala

Patrick Day (16-2-1, 6KO) scored a gutsy ten round unanimous decision victory, claiming the WBC Continental Americas Super-Welterweight Championship over 37 year-old former world title challenger Elvin Ayala (29-12-1, 13KO).  Early on in the bought, Ayala, a veteran with 260 professional rounds in his rear view, was able to go blow for blow with Day, occasionally catching his 26 year-old counterpart with clean punches. It didn’t take long for that to change, however, and by the third round, the younger and physically bigger Day, began began to impose his will on the aging veteran.

Round after round, Day was able to walk down Ayala and unload shots, while barely having to deflect any return fire.  In the seventh, Ayala mounted a bit of a rally, letting his hands fly more freely. The New Haven, CT native began walking forward and meeting Day halfway, gaining back some of the real estate he was willing to concede during the middle rounds.  Eventually, though, Day regained control of the contest and continued to best his foe until the final bell. When the ten rounds concluded, all judges scored the contest in favor of Day, 100-90, twice, and 99-91.

The two blemishes on Day’s record both came in 2015.  The first loss, a shocking one, came courtesy of Carlos Garcia Hernandez who stopped Day inside one.  The other loss, a UD, was to the long and lanky Alantez Fox later that year.

For Ayala, tonight’s result makes it four straight losses and six in his last seven contests.  In fairness to the tough veteran, he continually shares the ring with top-level opposition. Some fighters who have defeated Ayala during the course of his fifteen year career include Vaughn Alexander, Alantez Fox, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Curtis Stevens, David Lemieux, and Arthur Abraham.  Perhaps Ayala’s biggest professional accomplishment remains his 2007 draw with former world champion Sergio Mora.

Joyce Earns Decision In Lightweight Slugfest

In his US debut, Irish native David Oliver Joyce (9-0, 7KO) earned a hardfought unanimous decision victory over Mexico’s Jorge Rojas Zacazontetl (4-5-1, 2KO) in a six round scrap.  The two lightweights traded knockdowns early courtesy of left hooks, with Joyce dropping Zacazontetl in the first and Zacazontetl returning the favor the following round. Both fighters were willing to forego defense in favor of landing their own shots, left hooks in particular, but as the bought went on it was Joyce who continually got the better of Zacazontetl.  Toward the end of the fifth, the 30 year-old Irishman began to punish Zacazontetl, landing at will and snapping his counterpart’s head in all directions. Zacazontetl was able to survive the onslaught, the round, and the fight, but ultimately lost the decision. Judges Larry Hazzard Jr. and Kevin Morgan scored it 58-53, while Alan Rubenstein scored it 58-54, all for Joyce.

Heavyweight Prospect Jalolov Batters Wright, Retires Him In 4

DiBella Entertainment heavyweight prospect, Bakhodir Jalolov (3-0, 3KO), delivered a thorough beating to Tyrell Wright (9-3-2, 6KO), retiring him after the fourth of a scheduled six rounds.  The 6’6” southpaw used his height and reach advantage to keep Jersey City’s Wright out of range, all the while delivering violent one-two’s round after round. Jalolov, who is trained by Joel Diaz and who represented Uzbekistan at the 2016 Rio Olympics, dropped Wright midway through the fourth with a straight left hand.  Wright was able to beat referee Harvey Dock’s count, but seconds later, Jalolov opened up a huge gash over the right eye of Wright courtesy of another left. That would be the final punch of significance, as Wright’s corner informed Dock that they are stopping at the fight at the end of the fourth.

Donnelly Easily Outpoints Cervera In US Debut

Former 2016 Irish Olympian Steve Donnelly (4-0, 1KO) cruised to an easy decision against fellow super welterweight Ray Cervera (0-3) to kick off a night of fights live from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.  The 30 year-old Northern Irishman, who sported USA-themed trunks, dropped his 27 year-old counterpart three times en route to a 40-33 win on all three official scorecards.

New York, NY (October 25, 2018) Three stars on DiBella Entertainment’s roster, Long Island’s Patrick Day and amateur standouts Bakhodir Jalolov and Radzhab Butaev, will be featured on the undercard to the sensational HBO World Championship Boxing televised tripleheader set for Saturday, October 27, at the Hulu Theater from Madison Square Garden.

Tickets are on Now on Sale from TicketMaster.com priced at $46, $66, $106, $206 and $356 (ringside). Doors will open to the venue on the night of the event at 6:00 p.m. with the telecast beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Long Island’s Patrick Day (15-2-1, 6 KOs) will defend his WBC Continental Americas title against battle-tested veteran Elvin Ayala (29-11-1, 13 KOs), of New Haven, CT, in a 10-round junior middleweight clash. The 26-year-old Day, a native of Freeport, NY, is currently riding a four-fight winning streak. On July 15, 2017, Day scored his then-biggest win, a 10-round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Eric Walker in Uniondale, NY. The local fan favorite followed up that victory with a 10-round unanimous decision versus Kyrone Davis on March 3, in his most recent start in Brooklyn, NY.

Nicknamed “The Python”, the 24-year-old Radzhab Butaev is a native of Salsk, Russia. Sporting an unblemished record of 9-0 with seven knockouts, Butaev returns to action following a third-round knockout of Ramses Agaton on July 20, in Los Angeles, CA. He is trained by the renowned Joel Diaz in Riverside, CA. As an amateur, Butaev accumulated an astounding 304-12 record, with 164 knockouts. This Saturday night, Butaev will face Azael “Turbo” Cosio (21-7-2, 18 KOs), of Panama City, Panama. The upset-minded Cosio looks to return to the win column following a very close, 10-round decision loss to Jorge Fortea on April 28, in Bilbao, Spain.

Also 24 years old, Bakhodir Jalolov represented Uzbekistan at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, losing in the quarterfinals to silver medalist Joe Joyce. He was also a four-time National champion with an 84-13 amateur record. Currently 2-0 as a pro with both victories coming by knockout, the 6’6″ heavy-handed southpaw, known as “The Big Uzbek”, will face Jersey City, NJ-native Tyrell Wright (9-2-2, 6 KOs) in a scheduled six-round clash. Fighting in Brooklyn, NY, on April 21, Wright battled undefeated prospect George Arias over eight rounds losing a decision.

Both Butaev and Jalolov are co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc. and managed by Vadim Kornilov.

“Bakhodir Jalolov was one of the best amateur heavyweights in the world,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Already a superstar in his native Uzbekistan with a huge social media following and known as ‘The Big Uzbek’ for his hulking size, Jalolov has massive power in both hands and tremendous potential. With his extensive amateur experience, Jalolov stablemate Radzhab Butaev has the tools to become a world champion.

“Long Island’s Patrick Day has another opportunity to prove he is a world class junior middleweight and I expect an impressive performance in front of his hometown fan base.”

Headlining the HBO World Championship Boxing telecast, Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (34-2, 29 KOs) and fellow Brooklyn resident Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (12-0, 10 KOs) will battle in a scheduled 12-round clash for the vacant IBF World Middleweight Title. Alberto “El Explosivo” Machado (20-0, 16 KOs) will defend his WBA Super Featherweight Title against Yuandale “Money Shot” Evans (20-1, 14 KOs) in the 12-round co-feature.

Opening the telecast at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT in rematch of their epic 2016 “Fight of the Year”, Brooklyn’s Heather “The Heat” Hardy (21-0, 4 KOs) and Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent (23-1, 1 KO), of Providence, RI, will face off once again for the vacant WBO Women’s Featherweight World title in a 10-round bout.

The event is promoted by Matchroom Boxing and DiBella Entertainment in association with Fight Promotions Inc., Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions.