Steven Butler scored an explosive first round stoppage over Steve Rolls in a scheduled 10-round middleweight bout at Casino Montreal in Montreal, Canada.

Butler landed a huge right to the head froze Rolls defenseless on the ropes. Butler landed two more left hooks as the referee stopped the fight at 1:05.

Butler, 160 lbs of Montreal is 34-4-1 with 28 knockouts. Rolls, 159 lbs of Toronto is 22-4.

Iglesias Destroys Coceres in 1

Osleys Iglesias took out former world title challenger Marcelo Coceres in the opening round of their 10-round super middleweight bout.

Iglesias landed one shot to the temple that put Coceres down. Coceres tried to get to his feet, but could not and the fight was over at 2:06.

Iglesias, 168.9 lbs of Berlin, GER is 10-0 with nine knockouts. Coceres, 166.5 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 32-7-1.

Lepage-Joanisse wins WBC Heavyweight Title

In a slugfest, Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse won the vacant WBC Heavyweight title with a 10-round split decision over Abril Vidal.

In round three, Lepage- Joanisse began to bleed from her nose. The two traded heavy shots throughout the entertaining scrap.

Lepage-Joanisse, 173.3 lbs of Saint Andre-Auccin, QUE won by scores of 97-93 twice while Vidall took a card 96-94.

LePage-Joanisse is now 7-1. Vidal, 170.7 lbs of Centenario, ARG is 10-2.

Arthur Biyarslanov stopped Cristian Palma in round three of their eight-round junior welterweight fight.

At the end of round two, Biyarslanov dropped Palma with a right hook to the body. In round three, it was another right hook to the body that put Palma down and the fight was stopped at 3:00.

Biyarslanov, 142 lbs of Toronto is 14-0 with 12 knockouts. Palma, 141 lbs of Lautato, CHL is 33-14-2

Luis Santana stopped Emiliano Garcia in round two of the eight-round lightweight battle.

In round one, Santana dropped Garcia with a left hook to the head. At the end of the round, Santana put Garcia down again, but was ruled a low blow after the bell. In round two, Santana dumped Garcia on the canvas with a powerful left for the 10-count at 1:31.

Santana, 136.9 lbs of Montreal is 11-0 with five knockouts. Garcia, 135.3 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 19-10-1.

Mehmet Unal remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Facundo Galovar in a light heavyweight contest.

Unal, 17.7 lbs of Montreal won by tallies of 80-72 twice and 79-73 and is now 9-0. Galovar, 176.9 lbs of Yabo Buena, ARG is 15-11-2.

Jhon Orobio stopped Cristian Gonzalez in round two of their six-round lightweight fight.

In round two, Orobio dropped Gonzalez with a jab to the body. Gonzalez was sent to the canvas for a second time with a right to the body and the fight was stopped at 2:51.

Orobio, 134.3 lbs of Montreal is 7-0 with seven knockouts. Gonzalez, 133.9 lbs of Buenos Aires, ARG is 12-20-1.

Wilkens Mathieu remained undefeated with a second round stoppage over Patrick Fiala in a super middleweight bout.

In round two, Mathieu dropped Fiala with a left hook. Mathieu finished off Fiala with a barrage of punches and the bout was stopped at 1:57.

Mathieu, 171.2 lbs of Quebec City, CAN us 8-0 with five knockouts. Fiala, 171.1 lbs of CZE is 8-5-2.

San Jose, Costa Rica (July 16, 2019) WBA Super Welterweight Women’s World Champion Hanna “La Amazona Black” Gabriels (19-2-1, 11 KOs) returns home Tomorrow, Wednesday night, July 17 to defend her world title against undefeated contender Abril Vidal (8-0, 3 KOs), of Neuquen, Argentina. The world title defense held at the Gimnasio Nacional in San Juan, Costa Rica, will headline an outstanding four-bout international edition of DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing live streaming exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. Broadway Boxing is presented by Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, Christos Steak House and Gagliardi Insurance.

Gabriels vs. Vidal will be the first of three women’s world title fights streamed live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS® over the next six weeks, demonstrating the strong level of commitment that the streaming service has toward women’s combat sports.

“I’m thrilled that UFC Fight Pass is already showing its openness to showcasing world class women’s boxing,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Tomorrow night, Hanna Gabriels will kick off the first of three women’s world championship main events to be streamed by UFC Fight Pass over the next six weeks. I’m excited about this Wednesday night’s show at 8:00pm ET as well as the Broadway Boxing events that will follow on August 1 and August 29.”

Commentating on the Gabriels-Vidal world title bout will be WBA Super Middleweight World Champion Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon-Espinosa, who also fights under the DBE banner. She will be defending her title in the main event of a Broadway Boxing event, streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS® on Thursday, August 29, at Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, CT.

On August 2, UFC FIGHT PASS® will stream the WBC Super Featherweight World Title bout between champion Eva Wahlstrom and challenger Ronica Jeffrey from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, promoted by Roy Jones Jr. Promotions.

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In addition to her highly anticipated hometown world title defense this week, Gabriel was also appointed by the United Nations Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as a “High Profile Collaborator” with the mission of working for people in need in Costa Rica.

With this appointment, Gabriels joined an important list of personalities that includes Angelina Jolie, Ben Stiller, Natalia Lafourcade and Juanes.

“This assignment from the United Nations Commission for Refugees is an incredible honor for me. These appointments are not given out lightly and it is of great importance to me. I truly believe we are all citizens of the world and I’m very proud to do my part in helping people in need,” said Gabriels.

“When I fought in Nicaragua, I explained to the people there about wanting to bring all people together and to raise my voice for the over seventy million refugees around the world. I see what people around the world are going through and I want to be a voice to help them, to bring awareness to this issue.”

Speaking about her fight on Wednesday night, Gabriels stated, “It’s a privilege to fight at home in front of my family and friends. I get so much support fighting in Costa Rica. I know that Vidal is a skilled counterpuncher and very talented at fighting backward, however I believe my footwork and power will give her trouble. I’ve become a much better fighter just in the last two years.”

“After the Vidal fight, I want to unify the titles at 154 pounds either against Ewa Piatkowska, who has the WBC belt, or Marie Eve Dicaire, who has the IBF belt. Then I want a rematch in the United States against Claressa Shields, but this time at 154 pounds, which is my natural weight.”

NEW YORK, NY (07/12/19) – DiBella Entertainment will host a three-part Broadway Boxing summer series, all exclusively live streamed on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. The action begins on Wednesday, July 17, with a special international edition from San Jose, Costa Rica, headlined by WBA world champion and local sensation Hanna Gabriels defending her world title, as well as top-rated super featherweight contender O’Shaquie Foster and undefeated heavyweight contender Trey Lippe Morrison, the son of former heavyweight champion Tommy “The Duke” Morrison.

DiBella Entertainment will also present Broadway Boxing events on UFC Fight Pass on August 1, from Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and August 29, from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

WBA super welterweight world champion Gabriels (19-2-1, 11 KOs), of Alajuela, Costa Rica, will defend her crown for the fourth time in front of her hometown fans at the Gimnasio Nacional against WBA #2 rated contender Abril Argentina Vidal (8-0, 3 KOs) in a 10-round contest.

Gabriels defeated Sarah Dwyer via unanimous decision in defense of her WBA title, in her last fight on January 26. Overall, Gabriels is a three-time, two-division world champion. She previously held the WBO title at welterweight and twice at super welterweight.

In June 2018, Gabriels became the only person to ever knock down unified world champion Claressa Shields, despite losing a competitive decision.

Vidal is a 20-year-old unbeaten Argentinean, who has amassed an impressive resume in only 15 months as a professional. The world title challenge will be Vidal’s fourth fight in a busy 2019 that has seen her win the Argentinean and South American championships in separate bouts. In her last fight on June 8, Vidal earned an impressive unanimous decision victory against the experienced, three-time world title challenger Yamila Reynoso.

“Hanna Gabriels is one of the top pound-for-pound talents in the women’s boxing game and a star in Costa Rica,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “I am thrilled to bring her title defense to her rabid fans while exposing this great champion to the worldwide subscriber base of UFC Fight Pass.”

WBC #9 rated Foster (15-2, 9 KOs), of Houston, TX, will vie for the vacant WBA Fedecentro title in the 10-round co-feature against Lima, Peru’s Jesus Bravo (19-1-1, 17 KOs).

Foster is coming off of a huge 2018 that saw him explode into the world ratings. In September 2018, Foster handed highly touted Spaniard Jon Fernandez his first loss in a sensational nationally televised performance to capture the WBC Silver super featherweight title. Before that, in April, Foster won an impressive unanimous decision against contender Frank De Alba. All told, Foster is riding a five-fight win streak versus competition with a combined record of 71-16-6. Before his 2012 pro debut, Foster was also a highly accomplished amateur, with a 94-12 record, winning numerous Ringside National Championships, Houston Golden Gloves tournaments and PAL National tournaments, as well as participating in the 2012 Olympic Trials.

The 24-year-old heavy-hitting Bravo has knockout wins against previously unbeaten prospects Bryan Mercado and Cesar Diaz. His only loss came last year via controversial majority decision against Rafael Hernandez, challenging for the WBA Fedebol featherweight belt.

Heavyweight knockout artist Trey Lippe Morrison (15-0, 15 KOs), of Tulsa, OK, will end a near 13-month ring absence, due to injury, taking on Pedro Rodriguez (10-1, 4 KOs), of Venezuela. Trey Lippe will be fighting outside of the United States for the first time as a pro in his sixteenth pro bout, something it took his legendary father 50 fights to do.

Rodriguez’ lone defeat came in March on points to former Russian National champion Artem Suslenkov.

The August 1 event will feature middleweight contenders Eric Walker and Ievgen Khytrov, as well as welterweight contender Ivan Golub. The August 29 event will feature a title defense by WBA super middleweight women’s world champion Alicia Napoleon, as well as the return of top contender Toka Kahn-Clary. Full details on both cards will be announced shortly.

“The Broadway Boxing summer series will be a parade of world champions, present and future, in some of the biggest fights of their careers,” said DiBella. “This commitment to quality is what has always set Broadway Boxing apart as a premier boxing series in the USA and, as of July 17, internationally as well.”