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.

White Plains, NY (October 14, 2024) – Star Boxing’s Daniel ‘El Gallo’ Gonzalez (22-4-1. 7KO) put on a masterpiece performance and upset, as he headlined Saturday’s (October 12) event at the Prudential Center against hometown favorite Michael ‘Slick’ Anderson (24-4-1, 18KO).

From the opening bell, Gonzalez displayed versatility with his lateral movements and skillful breakdown of the crafty & durable veteran. Flurry after flurry helped Gonzalez earn the near shutout decision. The Official Scorecards read (100-90, 100-90, & 99-91), securing Gonzalez the impressive unanimous decision. This dominant performance was Gonzalez’s biggest win of his career and positions Gonzalez for some big opportunites.

The exciting show at the Prudential Center (Newark N.J.) Saturday was promoted by Rising Star Promotions in association with Star Boxing.

NEWARK, N.J. — A high stakes welterweight showdown will headline the next installment of Brick City Fight Night Series on Saturday, October 12as local favorite Michael “Slick” Anderson faces Daniel “El Gallo” Gonzalez of Queens, N.Y. in a ten round bout.

Brick City Fight Night Series will be presented by Rising Star Promotions and Prudential Center, with twelve bouts scheduled, from the flyweight division up to the heavyweights. Tickets, priced at $306, $231, $121, and $60, are on sale now and can be purchased at www.prucenter.com or www.Ticketmaster.com.

Anderson (24-3-1, 18 knockouts) is riding a seven fight win streak, including six straight knockouts, underscoring the Newark native’s punching power and exciting style. Anderson was last in the ring in December, knocking out Eudy Bernardo in five rounds at Prudential Center.

“People will always doubt you but they have to remember that your opponent still has to get punched in the face,” said Anderson.

Gonzalez (21-4-1, 7 KOs) of the Woodhaven section of Queens will be the most experienced opponent that Anderson has faced in his 18-year career, having previously went the ten round distance with former WBO junior welterweight titleholder Chris Algieri in a close but losing decision.

In the co-featured bout, two bantamweights will fight for the opportunity to become a top contender in the 118-pound division.

“This fight is a great opportunity to test my skills. I am fighting a tough guy but I know I can beat anyone because my will and grit is unmatched. My resume and my experience with top tier opposition will be the difference when he faces my caliber of fighter. I’m too strong and I am ready for war. I know I will leave with the big win on October 12,” said Gonzalez, who is promoted by Star Boxing.

“This is a true crossroads fight between two veterans in the game. Despite Mike Anderson age, he’s never been at the level that Danny González has fighting on ESPN and DAZN, but when the lights come on, we’ll see him  show up,” said Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna, President of Rising Star Promotions and WBA Middleweight Gold World Champion. “I commend the both of them for taking the challenge at this stage of their careers.”

“This should be an exciting fight and a fan-friendly night at a terrific venue. Danny Gonzalez has always shown the heart of a lion and has given us so many memorable fights. We look forward to another tenacious performance by Danny against Michael Anderson in a true crossroads fight for these two worthy veterans,” said Joe DeGuardia, President of Star Boxing.

In the co-featured bout, hometown favorite Emmanuel “Salserito” Rodriguez (15-2, 8 KOs) of Newark, N.J. will face Brooklyn’s Khalid Twaiti (13-0, 5 KOs) in a ten round bout, with the USBA Regional and WBA Fedalatin titles up for grabs.

New Jersey bragging rights will be at stake as unbeaten prospects Gabriel Gerena and “Dangerous” Danny Gonzalez meet in a six round junior welterweight bout. Gerena (6-0, 5 KOs) of Piscataway, N.J. is riding a three fight knockout streak, while Gonzalez (3-0, 3 KOs) of Iselin, N.J. has knocked out all of his opponents to date, including a third round stoppage of Zachary Davis last Saturday in Carteret.

Both fighters are former amateur champions, with Gonzalez winning the 2023 N.J. Golden Gloves title at 147 pounds, and Gerena representing the state at the 2021 National Golden Gloves tournament.

The rest of the card will feature other top talent from the New Jersey and New York areas, including Anthony Johns (8-1, 6 KOs) of Newark in an eight round flyweight bout, Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga (15-1, 15 KOs) of Edgewater, N.J., Terell Bostic (12-2, 2 KOs) of Wyandanch, N.Y. facing Michael Lee (10-3, 7 KOs) of Jersey City in an eight round bout, plus Paul Bamba (16-3, 15 KOs) of New York City, Ghandi Romain (4-1, 4 KOs) of Irvington, N.J., Kahshad Elliot (2-0, 2 KOs) of Plainfield, N.J., Jean Pierre Valencia (1-0, 1 KO) of Irvington, N.J., Keith Colon (1-0, 1 KO) of Newark and Justin Palmieri (2-0, 1 KO) of Maple Shade, N.J. in separate bouts.

Two New Jersey heavyweights will make their professional debuts against one another as Erasmo Rosado Jr. of Paterson faces Woodbury’s Douglas Walsh.

Brick City Fight Night Series is proudly partnering with the Greater Newark Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, The City of Newark Office of Violence Prevention, González Tullio & Blache, LLC and Trifecta Sports for this event.

Doors for Brick City Fight Night Series open at 6 p.m., with the first bout scheduled to begin at 6:10 p.m.

*All bouts are subject to change*

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.

ABOUT STAR BOXING ®

For three decades Star Boxing has consistently delivered boxing events of the highest caliber that attract loyal fans from all corners of the globe.  Star Boxing has promoted events at practically every locale and on every network. From the Antonio Tarver – Roy Jones trilogy to the meteoric rise of Chris Algieri and Joe Smith Jr. through the critically acclaimed Rockin’ Fights Paramount Series, Star Boxing continues to develop world rated contenders and red-hot prospects into future world champions. Founded by its Hall of Fame promoter, Joe DeGuardia, an attorney, former boxer and respected boxing leader, Star Boxing has become revered worldwide throughout the industry for its credibility, integrity, and exciting fights.