NEWARK, N.J. — “Brick City Fight Night Series” returned to Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, October 12, bringing excitement and thrills to “The Rock.” The event drew a crowd of 3,647 fans, marking the return of club show boxing to North Jersey.
In the main event, Daniel “El Gallo” Gonzalez scored the biggest victory of his career, defeating Michael “Slick” Anderson by unanimous decision in their ten-round welterweight fight. Gonzalez (22-4-1, 7 knockouts) of Queens, N.Y. showed off brilliant boxing and footwork to offset the aggression of the Newark native Anderson (24-4-1, 18 KOs) to win by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91.
“It was a crazy night of upsets, knockouts and young fighters daring to be great. That’s what boxing is all about. I’m excited for the future of ‘Brick City Fight Night Series’ at Prudential Center,” said Thomas “Cornflake LaManna, whose Rising Star Promotions company promoted the event along with Prudential Center in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
“I’m just thankful for everyone doing their part, from the venue staff to the Rising Star Promotions team and the fighters. Can’t wait to come back in the beginning of 2025.”
In the co-featured bout, Khalid “Pure Gold” Twaiti scored by far the biggest victory of his career, knocking down Emmanuel “Salserito” Rodriguez once en route to a unanimous decision victory in their ten round bantamweight fight. Twaiti (14-0, 5 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y. earned the victory by scores of 99-91, 99-91 and 98-91, while Rodriguez (15-3, 8 KOs) saw his winning streak snapped at two.
In one of the most explosive outcomes of the night, “Dangerous” Danny Gonzalez (4-0, 4 KOs) of Iselin, N.J. dropped Gabriel Gerena (6-1, 5 KOs) of Piscataway, N.J. with an explosive left hook to score a first round technical knockout at the 2:07 mark.
Popular heavyweight Kristian Prenga (16-1, 16 KOs) kept his 100% knockout streak alive, stopping the more experienced Joey Dawejko (28-13-4, 16 KOs) at the :41 mark of round five of their eight round bout. The fight was stopped after Dawejko complained of an injury to his left bicep after throwing a punch, forcing the ringside doctor to halt the bout.
Anthony “Big Back” Johns (9-1, 6 KOs) put on a thrilling performance for his hometown fans, defeating well-traveled journeyman Edwin Reyes (8-9-3, 5 KOs) by a six round majority decision. One judge scored the fight even at 57-57, while the other two had it 60-54 and 59-55 for Johns.
Popular junior middleweight prospect Jean Pierre Valencia (2-0, 2 KOs) of Irvington, N.J. scored the first knockout of the night, dropping Cody Jenkins (0-4) for the ten count with a left hook to the body at the 1:49 mark of the first round to remain undefeated in his pro career.
Other results:
Kahshad Elliot KO-2 Edwin Charip
Muhammad Noori UD-4 Michael Ruiz
Damian Tinnerello TKO-2 John Hawks
Erasmo Rosado Jr. KO-1 Douglas Walsh
Justin Palmieri UD-4 Zachary Davis
Keith Colon KO-1 Robert Munn
About Rising Star Promotions: Since 2015, it has been Rising Star Promotions’ mission to give fight fans the best value for their ticket dollars by putting on exciting, quality boxing events that showcase local and regional talent. President, WBA Gold Middleweight World Champion Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna has created numerous boxing series’ like Atlantic City Fight Night, Boardwalk Boxing, Brick City Fight Night and Beltway Battles, seeking to bring back the glamor and buzz that boxing boasted in years past, while honoring the rich history of the sport and reaffirming our commitment to producing the best match-ups the area market has to offer. For more information about Rising Star Promotions, visit https://www.rspboxing.com/ and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About Prudential Center
Prudential Center is the world-class sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Opened in October 2007, the state-of-the-art arena is the home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) three-time Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall University’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball program, and more than 210 concerts, family shows and special events each year. Ranked in the Top 5 worldwide by Pollstar, Billboard and Venues Today, Prudential Center is recognized as one of the premier venues in the United States, and hosts over 2 million guests annually. For more information about Prudential Center, visit https://www.prucenter.com/ and follow the arena on Facebook, X and Instagram @PruCenter. Prudential Center is a HBSE property.
