On Wednesday, July 23, at NYC’s famed B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, DiBella Entertainment will return with another edition of its popular and long-running Broadway Boxing series.
Headlining the card will be the much-anticipated return and NYC/DBE debut of former title challenger Patrick “The Punisher” Hyland (27-1, 12KO’s), of Ireland, squaring off against Noel Echevarria (11-3, 6KO’s) in an eight-round junior lightweight matchup. Hyland has been out of the ring since losing a 12-round decision to Javier Fortuna in December 2012, due to promotional problems with his former promoter.
Hyland officially joined the DBE roster in May and is now ready to resume his career and showcase his skills in front of NYC’s diehard Irish boxing fan base, as he looks to once again make another run at a world title opportunity.
Also fighting in separate feature bouts on the card will be middleweights Avtandil Khurtsidze (27-2-2, 16KO’s), Ivan Golub (1-0) and the eagerly awaited debut of former amateur phenom Sergey Derevyanchenko.
Khurtsidze has been out of the ring for just over two and half years after having VISA and promotional issues in his adopted home of Ukraine. Now living and training in Los Angeles, Khurtsidze is raring to get back into the ring to get his career back under way. Khurtsidze is currently riding a four-bout winning streak since dropping an extremely close decision to former WBA and WBO interim world middleweight champion Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam. Khurtsidze is set to see action against Canada’s Richard Reittie (11-3-1, 7KO’s) in an eight-round middleweight matchup.
Golub, who made his official professional debut on June 27, by winning a dominant four-round shutout decision over Javon Wright, was an outstanding amateur in his native Ukraine. The 25-year-old was a five-time Ukrainian National Champion and also won bronze medals at the Junior World Championships in 2006 and the World Championships in 2009, amassing a record of 270-32 in the process. Golub has also competed in the World Series of Boxing, going a perfect 5-0. The heavy-handed southpaw is now living and training in Brooklyn, NY, and is expected to become a staple on DBE’s Broadway Boxing series. Golub is set to see action against the always tough and extremely durable Azamat Umarzoda in a six-round middleweight bout.
Upon the signing of the 2008 Olympian Derevyanchenko, promoter Lou DiBella stated, “Sergey is one of the most decorated amateurs in the world and absolutely one of the best middleweight prospects in all of boxing. We feel that in one year’s time, he will be ready to fight on the highest levels in boxing.”
Derevyanchenko had an astounding amateur career, which saw him compile an incredible 390-20 record, as well as represent his native Ukraine at the 2008 Olympics and win a bronze medal at the 2007 Amateur World Championships. Like Golub, Derevyanchenko also fought in the World Series of Boxing, where he posted a 23-1 overall record and was the 2012 WSB Team Champion and 2011 and 2012 WSB Individual Champion. Derevyanchenko’s career is expected to see a meteoric rise and anything less than a world championship would be a disappointment for the 28-year-old middleweight. Derevyanchenko will face off against Cromwell Gordon in a six-round middleweight matchup.
Also seeing action on the card will be DBE’s former NY Golden Gloves champions and Long Island-natives Joe Smith Jr. (15-1, 12KO’s) and Patrick Day (7-0-1, 4KO’s). The promising up-and-coming prospects are both looking to improve to a perfect 3-0 thus far in 2014. Smith is set to square off against Tyrell Hendrix (11-4-1, 4KO’s) in an eight-round light heavyweight matchup, while Day takes on Brad Jackson (15-9-1, 7KO’s) in a six-round junior middleweight bout.
Rounding out the card will be Queens-native Danny Gonzalez (5-0-1, 3KO’s) taking on Ray Velez (3-4-1, 1KO) in a rematch of their absolute war back in February of this year, when the two junior welterweights do battle in what promises to be six action-packed rounds.
Tickets for the event on July 23 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.
