HEATHER “THE HEAT” HARDY HEADLINES UPCOMING DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT SPECIAL EDITION EVENT
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, AT B.B. KING BLUES CLUB & GRILL – NYC
New York, NY (12/2/14) – On Wednesday, December 3, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) will return to NYC’s famed B.B. King Blues Club & Grill for a thrilling six-bout card headlined by the always-exciting Heather “The Heat” Hardy, known as the “First Lady of DBE” and often referred to as “a female Arturo Gatti”. The card will also feature three up-and-coming prospects and former amateur stars hailing from the former Eastern Bloc, in Ivan Golub, Ivan Baranchyk and Dauren Yeleussinov, all of whom are now living and training in Brooklyn, NY, and co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc.
Following her WBC International super bantamweight title victory on October 15 and the premiere of a documentary based on her boxing career, titled “HARDY”, that was executive produced by Lou DiBella, the popular Hardy, from Brooklyn, NY, will step into the ring for the fifth time this year when she squares off against Salt Lake City’s Elizabeth Anderson, 3-5, in an eight-round junior featherweight contest. In her last bout, Hardy, 11-0 (2 KOs), expertly outboxed her opponent over 10 frames, throwing in combination, counterpunching and showing adept footwork, in what was her most impressive performance to date.
DBE-promoted New York Golden Gloves champion Louis Cruz, 9-0 (4 KOs), will see action in a six-round junior welterweight contest. Following a second-place finish at the 2011 National Golden Gloves, the 23-year-old Cruz competed in the 2012 US Olympic Trials before turning pro later that same year. The Bronx-native has already picked up four victories this year and will be determined to stay on course. Facing off against Cruz will be Rogelio Casarez, 7-2 (3 KOs), of Batesville, AR.
The 25-year-old Ukrainian Ivan Golub amassed an astonishing record of 270-32 during his amateur career. He became a five-time Ukrainian National champion, won bronze medals at the Junior World Championships in 2006 and at the World Championships in 2009. He also participated in the World Series of Boxing, winning all five of his bouts. Turning pro this past June, Golub, now 3-0 (2 KOs), is anxious to keep up the career momentum and will compete in a six-round middleweight contest against Josh Williams, 9-6 (5 KOs), of Sheridan, AR.
Also on the undercard is a rematch between undefeated DiBella Entertainment-promoted middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, 9-0-2 (5 KOs), and Lamar Harris, 8-10-4 (4 KOs), in a six-round contest. The two engaged in a captivating battle that ended in a disputed draw, on September 13, in Saint Charles, MO, near Harris’ hometown of St. Louis. The 28-year-old Littleton is a crowd pleaser with an aggressive style, originally from Chicago and now living in Miami, FL. After winning the Chicago Golden Gloves three times while accruing an amateur record of 85-20, Littleton turned pro in December 2011. He has since beaten three undefeated prospects, including the 7-0 Roberto Acevedo. In June 2014, Littleton signed an exclusive promotional agreement with DiBella Entertainment and the rematch against Harris will be his third under the DBE banner.
Belarusian-native junior welterweight Ivan Baranchyk, 1-0 (1 KO), will return to the ring less than three weeks after his professional debut on November 13. Facing Christopher Haney at the Baltimore Arena, in Baltimore, MD, Baranchyk quickly dropped his foe with a straight right then sent him to the canvas for the second and final time with a left hook just 45 seconds into the bout. Looking for his second straight victory, Baranchyk will take on Alfonso Olvera, 1-0 (1 KO), of Tucson, AZ. As an amateur, Baranchyk won gold at the 2010 Class A Vilnuse tournament, 2011 and 2013 Match Event tournament, 2011 Kostukovichi International tournament, 2011 and 2012 Soligorsk Open International tournament, 2012 Class A Liventsev tournament, 2013 Active Military tournament, 2013 Republic of Belarus Open Cup, 2014 Vitebsk University tournament in Belarus, and was an amateur champion of Belarus from 2009-2014.
Very anxious to turn pro is Kazakhstan’s 28-year-old Dauren Yeleussinov. This hard-punching southpaw had an extensive amateur career that saw him compile a 397-23 record, with more than 100 knockouts. He is a four-time National champion for Kazakhstan and has won gold twice at the Universiade Championships as well as at the National Junior Championships. On Wednesday, he will challenge Biloxi, Mississippi’s Anthony Madden, 1-5-1 (1 KO).
The event on December 3 is sponsored by Manfredi Auto Group and Everlast. Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $125, $100, $75 and $55. Tables are also available for purchase for this event, with VIP tables going for $1,000 per table (5 seats at $200 per seat), Ringside tables for $500 (5 seats at $100), and $375 tables (5 seats at $75). Tickets are available for purchase by calling the DiBella Entertainment office at (212) 947-2577. Doors open at 6:30pm with the first bout scheduled for 7:00pm.
CONTACTS:
Sean Sullivan, DiBella Entertainment: (212) 947-2577, sean@dbe1.com
Kevin Rooney Jr., DiBella Entertainment: (212) 947-2577, kevin@dbe1.com
