DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing series travels to Worcester, MA, for the third time in as many years on Saturday, August 20, 2011, with a spectacular night of fights to be held at the beautiful converted opera hall, Mechanics Hall. The main event features unbeaten hometown hero Edwin Rodriguez, returning to the ring after a seven month layoff.
Headlining the undercard is former WBA junior middleweight champion Joachim Alcine (32-2, 19 KOs), along with a heavyweight bout between unbeaten prospect Kelvin Price (10-0, 6 KO) taking on Worcester native Rashad Minor (4-1, 3 KOs) Also seeing action are a slew of local favorites: junior lightweight Ryan Kielczewski (10-0, 2 KOs), female heavyweight Sonya Lamonakis (5-0, 1 KO), super bantamweight Luis Rosa (7-0, 5 KOs), junior welterweight Gabriel Duluc (1-0, 1 KO) and heavyweight Keith Bianchini (2-1, 1 KO).
Worcester’s own super middleweight prospect Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (18-0, 13 KOs), 26, comes home in his return to the ring, ending a seven-month hiatus while he recovered from an injury he incurred in his last fight. Rodriguez is an exciting power-puncher, who is currently highly ranked by all the major sanctioning organizations, at #8 by the IBF and IBO, #11 by the WBA, and #13 by the WBC and WBO. His two biggest pro victories have come in his last two fights.
Appearing on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” on January 14, Rodriguez won a hard-fought 10-round unanimous decision over Aaron Pryor Jr., at Mallory Square in Key West, FL, in which he had to overcome a shoulder injury, having suffered a torn rotator cuff as early as the second round. Two months earlier, Rodriguez dominated James McGirt Jr. over nine rounds before forcing the stoppage, in a bout televised by Showtime. The victory earned Rodriguez the WBC USNBC belt.
Former WBA junior middleweight champion Joachim Alcine, is a Haitian-born Canadian who is a technical boxer with a crowd-pleasing style. When he steps back into the ring on August 20, he’ll be ending a 13-month layoff, following a first round stoppage defeat to Alfredo Angulo, on July 17, 2010. After eight years as an amateur in which he acquired a record of 42-6, Alcine turned pro on May 28, 1999, with a TKO1 over Louis Bouchard in Montreal. He quickly gained a following by fighting on the undercard of popular Canadian stars and with local television airing his early fights; and in his 13th bout on May 25, 2002, Alcine was featured on Showtime’s “ShoBox: The New Generation,” outboxing the experienced Marcos Primera over 12 rounds for the IBA belt. He would go on to win several other fringe titles including the Canadian title, WBA Fedelatin, NABA, WBC International, and WBA Fedecentro belts, while defeating the likes of Stephan Ouellet, Carlos Bojorquez and Carl Daniels. On July 7, 2007, Alcine became the first to defeat the crafty Travis Simms to garner the WBA 154lb. crown. He defended it once with a 12th-round TKO over Alfonso Mosquera before losing it to Daniel Santos. Alcine had two comeback victories, winning decisions over Eric Mitchell in 10, and Christophe Canclaux in 12, prior to the Angulo defeat.
Sonya Lamonakis,a native of Greece, is a sixth-grade teacher at Harlem’s Family Academy, who trains at the famed Gleason’s Gym. A four-time New York Golden Gloves champion, Sonya turned pro with a TKO2 over Kasondra Hardnette at Mechanics Hall, on June 24 of last year. Lamonakis is an all-action fighter who attracts a lot of fans. Last time out, Sonya chopped down the towering Gigi Jackson to earn a four-round unanimous decision, on April 16 at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.
Ryan Kielczewski, known as the “Polish Prince,” a junior lightweight from Quincy, MA, was a runner-up at the 2008 National Golden Gloves Tournament in the 125-pound division, and has since built a passionate following in the New England area since turning pro on August 6 of that year. After winning a unanimous six-round decision over Willshaun Boxley on a Broadway Boxing card at BB King Blues Club on February 9, Kielczewski last fought on April 16, winning an eight-round decision over Robert DaLuz at the National Guard Armory in Dorchester, MA.
Junior featherweight Luis Rosa,of New Haven, CT, is coming off a six-round majority decision win over Shawn Nichol, on June 18. His previous victory on April 16 was impressive as he stopped Joseliz Cepeda, a former amateur champion, in five rounds on the Berto-Ortiz undercard.
Heavyweight prospect Kelvin “Price is Right” Price, of Iberia, LA, turned pro, after a brief amateur campaign, in 2007, under the tutelage of Roy Jones Sr. Standing at 6’7”, Price is a powerful puncher, with five of his six knockouts coming in the first round. On May 15, 2010, Price scored his most noteworthy win, earning a six-round split decision over previously undefeated local favorite Tor Hamer, at Madison Square Garden. In his most recent bout, on April 8, Price decisioned Ija Flappingeagle in Laredeo, TX. On this card, he’ll take on Worcester’s Rashad Minor, who last fought at Mechanics Hall on June 24, 2011, winning a four-round decision.
Talented junior welterweight Gabriel DuLuc, of Worcester, will be looking to build on his last victory when he turned pro on a Broadway Boxing card on March 29, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Joel Alarcon, at BB King Blues Club.
Popular Worcester heavyweight Keith Bianchini, 2-1 (1 KO), is a corrections officer at Walpole state prison. He will attempt to rebound from a decision loss he suffered in July.
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It will be a battle for home state supremacy on August 20 when Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez puts his unbeaten record on the line in the main event of Broadway Boxing from Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. Rodriguez (18-0, 13 KOs), a Worcester native, will battle another local favorite, Chris Traetti (10-2, 6 KOs), who hails from just down the road in Quincy.
