Light welterweight prospect Danny “Bhoy” O’Connor (21-1, 7 KOs) returns to the ring Thursday night, September 12, to headline the 12th annual Fight To Educate (FTE) Pro-Am boxing event, at Verizon Wireless Center in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Fight To Educate, presented in part this year by Alrich Cabinet, is a unique charity event that combines a love of sports with the vision of assisting children and seniors in need, who with fundraisers like this could be ‘down for the count.’ During the past 11 years, Fight To Educate has raised more than $500,000 in donations benefitting local New Hampshire non-profit organizations.
This year’s attending Boxing Legends are two-time world light welterweight champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Aaron “Hawk” Pryor (39-1, 25 KOs), former World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini (29-5, 23 KOs), and two-division (welterweight & light welterweight) world champion James “Buddy” McGirt (73-6-1, 48 KOs).
“We are extremely excited about the forthcoming 12th annual FTE extravaganza,” FTE Chairperson Stephen Singer said. “In addition to hosting such iconic boxing legends such as Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini and Aaron ‘Hawk’ Pryor at the event, our card promises an incredible night of heart-pounding action.”
O’Connor, fighting out of Framingham, Massachusetts, will be fighting in his record-setting fifth FTE event. The southpaw, co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Warriors Boxing, made his professional debut on the 2008 FTE card and participated the following three years. He is 4-0 in FTE fights, winning each by knockout.
The 28-year-old Irish-American is riding a seven-fight win streak, which started at the 2011 FTE, since two-time world title challenger Ronnie Shields joined his corner as head trainer. O’Connor’s popularity has sky-rocketed since Kenny Casey, founder and front-man for the world-renown Dropkick Murphys band, became his manager last year.
Undefeated light middleweight Chris Gilbert, fighting out of Windsor, Vermont, is no stranger to the FTE. He will be fighting in his third straight FTE event having won his two previous FTE fights by stoppage.
