New York, NY (August 27, 2019) Former Women’s World Champion Kali “KO Mequinonoag” Reis (15-7-1, 5 KOs), of Providence, RI, will return to battle this Thursday night, August 29, against Patricia Juarez, of Denver, CO, in a welterweight clash featured on DiBella Entertainment’s stacked Broadway Boxing card from Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, CT. The event will be live streamed exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports,starting at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT. Reis vs. Juarez will be one of three women’s bouts presented on the 109th installment of the long-running Broadway Boxing series.
In a 10-round women’s world championship bout, Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon-Espinosa (11-1, 6 KOs), of Lindenhurst, NY, will defend her WBA Super Middleweight World Title against undefeated contender Schemelle Baldwin (3-0-1, 2 KOs), of Newark, DE.
Additionally, in a six-round super bantamweight clash, popular New Haven, CT, native and former world title challenger Helen “Iron Lady” Joseph (15-3-2, 10 KOs) battles Martina Horgasz (5-3, 4 KOs), of Budapest, Hungary.
“DiBella Entertainment and UFC Fight Pass have continually shown support for women’s boxing and will feature three exciting women’s bouts on this Thursday night’s Broadway Boxing card, from Foxwoods Resort Casino,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “In the co-main event, world champion Alicia Napoleon-Espinosa will defend her title for the second time against Schemelle Baldwin and former world champion Kali Reis, of nearby Providence, RI, will continue her comeback following her competitive battle against Cecilia Braekhus last year. Also on the card, hard-hitting former world title challenger Helen Joseph will remain active, getting back into the ring for the second time this month.”
Reis fought in a high-profile women’s bout in May 2018 challenging undisputed women’s welterweight world champion Cecilia Braekhus in Carson, CA. Despite dropping the champion for the first time in her illustrious career, Reis would lose a hard-fought 10-round decision. The championship contest was the first women’s boxing bout telecast by HBO Boxing in its 45-year history. Remarkably, the fight averaged 904,000 viewers, the second highest rating by the network for boxing last year.
Reis initially made her mark in women’s boxing traveling to New Zealand in 2016, where she won the vacant WBC Women’s Middleweight Title via 10-round decision versus Maricela Cornejo. In her last start, Reis scored a sixth-round knockout of Szilvia Szabados on October 18, 2018. Victorious in the first four bouts of her professional career, Denver’s Juarez (4-1) will look to bounce back into the win column following a 10-round decision loss to undefeated Selina Barrios on September 22, 2018, in Corpus Christi, TX.
Napoleon-Espinosa will be defending her world title that she captured on March 3, 2018, with a 10-round decision against previously undefeated Femke Hermans in front of her legion of fans at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. She followed that with a 10-round world title defense against Hannah Rankin on August 4, 2018, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in Uniondale, NY. The popular Napoleon-Espinosa kicked off 2019 with a second-round knockout of Eva Bajic on April 10, in New York City.
Fighting out of Philadelphia, PA, Baldwin, a four-time Golden Gloves champion, was victorious in her first three professional bouts, with two by knockout. In her most recent start, she battled to a split decision draw against Kayla Williams on March 30, in Hockessin, DE.
A native of Nigeria, Joseph is undefeated over her last five bouts capped by a six-round decision victory versus Edina Kiss earlier this month on August 3. She challenged Jennifer Han in September 2015 for the vacant IBF Women’s Featherweight Title, losing a close 10-round decision. The 20-year-old Martina Horgasz is coming off of a six-round decision loss to undefeated prospect Rosalina Rodriguez on April 25.
Headlining the Broadway Boxing August 29 event, New England fighters Toka Kahn “T Nice” Clary (26-2, 18 KOs), a native of Liberia, now fighting out of Providence, RI, and Irvin Gonzalez (12-1, 9 KOs), of Worcester, MA, will battle in scheduled 10-round bout for the vacant WBA NABA US super featherweight title. Victorious in seven of his last eight starts, the 27-year-old Clary returns to action following a fifth-round knockout of Carlos Manuel Reyes on May 17, also at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Prior to the Reyes stoppage, Clary lost a hotly contested 12-round unanimous decision to world ranked and undefeated contender Kid Galahad on October 20, 2018, in Boston, MA. Unbeaten through his first 12 pro fights, the 23-year-old Gonzalez is determined to bounce back into the win column following his only loss to Elijah Pierce on May 17.
In the heavyweight division, Stephan “Big Shot” Shaw (11-0, 8 KOs), of St. Louis, MO, and Willie “Snake” Jake Jr. (8-2-1, 2 KOs), of Indianapolis, IN,will clash in an eight-round bout. On March 3, 2019, the heavy-handed Shaw knocked out Donovan Dennis in the third round in Columbus, OH. The upset-minded Jake Jr. will be looking to rebound following a loss to undefeated prospect Frank Sanchez Faure on January 11, in Shreveport, LA.
Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Hurshidbek “Hershey” Normatov (8-0, 3 KOs), a native of Andijan, Uzbekistan, faces tough veteran Walter “2 Guns” Wright (17-6-0, 8 KOs), of Seattle, WA, in a scheduled eight-rounder with the vacant WBA NABA US 154-pound title at stake. A resident of Brooklyn, NY, the southpaw Normatov cruised to victory in his most recent bout, earning a six-round unanimous decision versus Calvin Metcalf on April 10, in New York, NY. On June 23, 2018, Wright scored the biggest win of his professional career, winning a 12-round decision against previously undefeated Mark DeLuca, in Gilford, NH.
In the junior welterweight division, Adrian “Tonka” Sosa (11-0, 9 KOs), of Lawrence, MA, battles Rondale Hubbert (13-9-2, 8 KOs), of Minneapolis, MN, in a six-round bout. Fighting for the third time in 2019, the 24-year-old Sosa hits the ring following a first-round knockout of Benjamin Borteye on May 17.
Local junior lightweight prospect Jacob Marrero (3-0, 2 KOs), of Bridgeport, CT, will be featured in a four-round bout against the pro-debuting Juan Ibarra, of Willow Springs, NC.
Rounding out the card in a four-round junior welterweight contest, Nelson Perez (1-0, 1 KO), of Marlboro, MA, battles Devon Grant (0-1), of The Bronx, NY.
Priced at $125, $75 and $45, advance tickets for Broadway Boxing can be purchased online through the Foxwoods Box Office HERE, in person or by calling 800-200-2882. The venue is located at 350 Trolley Line Boulevard, Mashantucket, CT 06338. Doors will open to the Fox Theater at 6:30pm with the first fight scheduled for 7:30pm.The UFC FIGHT PASS® stream starts at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT with Justin Shackil, a New York Yankees Digital Host, boxing commentator Corey Erdman and former lightweight contender Brian Adams calling the action. Broadway Boxing is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and presented by Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, Christos Steak House and Gagliardi Insurance.
