LOADED BROADWAY BOXING CARD ANNOUNCED FOR APRIL 4 FEATURING FORMER WORLD CHAMPION YURI FOREMAN AND CONTENDERS GABRIEL BRACERO, LUIS DEL VALLE AND WBA #6 RATED WELTERWEIGHT IONUT "JO JO" DAN DBE & 50 CENT'S SMS PROMOTIONS TOP PROSPECTS HIGHLIGHT UNDERCARD

 On Thursday, April 4, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) will return to Roseland Ballroom for the latest installment of its Broadway Boxing series.  The stacked 11-bout card will feature a number of DBE's top young prospects and contenders including former WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman, 29-2, 8KO's, Luis "Orlandito" Del Valle (16-1, 11KO's) and WBC #6-rated welterweight Ionut "Jo Jo" Dan Ion (30-2, 17KO's).  Also appearing on the card in separate bouts will be two of 50 Cent's fighters out of his SMS Promotions stable, Luis Olivares and Donte Strayhorn.    

"Our event on April 4 is possibly the most talent-laden Broadway Boxing card we have ever staged," stated promoter Lou DiBella.  "From top to bottom, this card features an amazing array of talent including former world champion Yuri Foreman and title contenders Jo Jo Dan, Gabriel Bracero and Luis Del Valle. We are also featuring some of the most promising prospects on our DBE roster, as well as two of 50 Cent's SMS Promotions young stars.  50 will be in attendance with his fighters, truly making this a can't-miss card for New York fight fans."

"Both Luis and Donte have the skills to be very successful in boxing," said Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. "I'm excited to have them on the upcoming Broadway Boxing card and to see their progression in the sport. I'm glad they are a part of SMS Promotions."

After a two-year hiatus from the ring, the popular Brooklynite Foreman signed a promotional contract with DBE earlier this year and quickly returned to action, winning a six-round shutout decision over Brendan Baue on the DBE-promoted card on January 23, at BB King Blues Club.  Foreman looked rejuvenated against Baue, boxing beautifully throughout their six-round contest, as his surgically repaired knee seemed to be a thing of the past.  The 32-year-old Foreman is looking to reposition himself for a significant fight in the junior middleweight division some time before the end of 2013.  Foreman's bout is scheduled for six rounds against an opponent TBA.

Making his fourth straight appearance at Roseland Ballroom will be fellow Brooklynite and junior welterweight contender Gabriel "Tito" Bracero (21-1, 4KO's).  After dropping a decision in an absolute war to former world champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley on January 21, 2012, Bracero has reeled off three consecutive victories as he looks to reposition himself in line for another significant fight in the junior welterweight division. Bracero will see action in an eight-round bout against an opponent TBA.

Looking to put himself back into the win column after suffering his first pro defeat in a decision loss to multiple world champion Vic Darchinyan will be Puerto Rico's Luis "Orlandito" Del Valle (16-1, 11KO's).  The 26-year-old Del Valle, who made a name for himself early in his career fighting on DBE's popular Broadway Boxing series, looked as though he was ready for a world title opportunity before being derailed by the longtime top-rated world champion and now resurgent contender Darchinyan on HBO's Boxing After Dark on September 29, 2012. Since the defeat, Darchinyan has relocated his training camp from Puerto Rico to Mexico and is now training at the famed Romanza Boxing gym in Mexico City, Mexico, under the watchful eye of Hall-of-Fame trainer Nacho Beristain.

Fighting for the second time under the DBE banner will be the former two-time world title challenger Ion. The former NABA light welterweight champion Ion, a native of Romania, but now living and training in Montreal, Canada, has only two losses as a professional both coming in world title bouts to former WBC welterweight champion Selcuk Aydin. In those bouts, Ion traveled into Aydin's backyard and put forth a great effort in two equally action-packed fights, only to come up on the wrong end of two very close decisions.  Aydin went on to lose his title to 2012 "Fighter of the Year" candidate Robert Guerrero, who just recently defended his championship with a brutal 12-round unanimous decision over Andre Berto.   

In his DBE debut in December of last year, Ion scored a devastating fifth-round TKO over Franklin Gonzalez.  Rated as the number six welterweight in the WBA world ratings, Ion hopes to secure another title shot sometime this year.  Both Ion and Del Valle's bouts are scheduled for eight rounds against opponents TBA.

Additional bouts on the card and opponents for Foreman, Bracero, Del Valle and Ion will be announced very shortly.

 ♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Team Puerto Rico ShoBox Show at Roseland Ballroom, NYC, Saturday June 11th, ‏

Saturday's Boricua Invasion II will feature four more members of Team Puerto Rico: featherweight Luis "Orlandito" Del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs) vs. Dat Nguyen; junior middleweight Jonathan "Mantequilla Gonzalez (12-0, 12 KOs); and light welterweight Sanchez vs. Arroyo. Also scheduled for action are Team Puerto Rico light welterweight Jorge "Machito" Maysonet Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs); plus a special off-TV appearance by Puerto Rico-born light welterweight Gabriel "Tito" Bracero (15-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn. The main bouts of Boricua Invasion II will be broadcast live on Showtime: The New Generation.



On the undercard, team member Jorge “Machito” Maysonet Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs), the promising son of former world title challenger Jorge Maysonet Sr., will look to stay unbeaten in a light welterweight four-rounder, Cupey Alto, Puerto Rico’s undefeated junior middleweight Elieser Gonzalez (11-0, 6 KOs), Bronx, New York super bantamweight Raul Lopez (5-1, 3 KOs) and undefeated Puerto Rican women’s sensation Amanda Serrano (9-0-1, 5 KOs) will all see action.





EL Boxing Empress See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

Gabriel Bracero, to be highlighted on tonight's episode of ShoBox: The New Generation, featured in the New York Times

His Second Chance May Be Fighter’s Last

Gabriel Bracero built an impressive professional boxing record: five victories and no losses.

He also built an ugly criminal record: attempted murder, aggravated assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

As a price, he spent almost six years in prison. Since his release in January 2009, he has improved his record to 16-0.

“I’m not proud of my past,” Bracero said, “but it’s something I have to live with.”

From Jake LaMotta and Sonny Liston to Mike Tyson and Bernard Hopkins, boxing has always attracted, and often forgiven, a criminal element. Some, like Liston, appear to show no remorse. Some offer their later boxing careers as redemption tales.

“The guy was miserable, just angry and ignorant,” said Bracero, a 30-year-old junior welterweight from Brooklyn, as he described his younger self. “He was always running with the wrong crowd. I’m glad that guy is dead.”

Credible or not, embraceable or not, Bracero will have to be reckoned with in the ring. His trainer hopes he will get a title shot next year.

Last Saturday morning in Gleason’s Gym, the boxing cathedral beneath the Brooklyn Bridge where Tyson unleashed fistfuls of demonic rage, Bracero leaned on the ropes and flashed a choirboy smile at the gym rats scurrying past him, many of whom called him Champ, although he has never won a professional title.

“Many of these people have known me since I was a little kid, they know my story, they know the hell I’ve been through,” Bracero said. “By calling me Champ, I think they are acknowledging the fact that I have had to overcome many obstacles just to get to where I am today.”

Bracero will face Guillermo Valdes at Roseland in Manhattan on Saturday, the second half of a two-day card that begins Friday and features mostly Puerto Rican fighters.

“Gabe is a crowd-pleasing brawler with a huge Puerto Rican following,” said Lou DiBella, the promoter who represents Bracero. “Since he’s come out of prison, he has resonated with many people in the community, especially fellow Puerto Ricans, who see him as the underdog.”Bracero was 8 when he began training as a boxer in a gym in the hardscrabble Sunset Park neighborhood where he grew up and now lives with his wife, Iris, and four children. He was introduced to the sport by his father, Hilergio Bracero, who fought in the Golden Gloves boxing tournament in the 1970s.

(Luis Del Valle, Gabriel “Tito” Bracero and Jonathan Gonzalez/photo by Keisha Morrisey)

“We could see early on that Gabe just had this special gift,” said Elsa Centeno, Bracero’s mother. “My three other sons gave boxing a try, but Gabe, it was like he was born to do this.”

At age 11, Bracero won a Junior Olympic championship, and he capped his amateur career by twice winning the Golden Gloves at 139 pounds, first as a 17-year-old novice in 1998, and a year later in the open division.

“The most important thing I saw in him was that he was fearless,” said the veteran trainer Tommy Gallagher, who began training and managing Bracero after his second Golden Gloves title.

“I saw in him a champion’s attitude,” Gallagher said of the 5-foot-7 ½ Bracero. “If you look into his little black eyes, he has that you-have-to-kill-me-to-beat-me attitude. I was impressed with that attitude.”

But Bracero often took his attitude to the streets, becoming every bit the brawler outside the ring.
“I loved to fight, especially with the guys who were bullies,” Bracero said. “I was loyal to a lot of people who I thought were my friends. Whenever trouble started, I’d always jump in to defend them.”

(Bob Duffy and Tommy Gallagher (photo by Keisha Morrisey)

On an early summer morning in 2001, Bracero said, he and a friend drove to Bayonne, N.J., to settle a score. Bracero said his friend fired the bullets that left two men injured, one of them paralyzed. They fled to Brooklyn, but were caught and arrested a short time later. Bracero was initially charged with attempted murder and released on $250,000 bail.

While awaiting trial, he returned to boxing, and to an undisciplined life.

“I started robbing drug dealers,” he said. “I’d point a gun at them, take their money and resell their drugs. I figured, these are horrible people anyway, and they would never turn me in to the police because they would get in trouble themselves.”

But Bracero’s promising career was interrupted in July 2003, in broad daylight, at the corner of 55th Street and Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park.

“I put my gun in this dude’s face, robbed him and started running,” Bracero said. “He started chasing me, so I turned and fired a shot into the ground to slow him down, but he kept coming. I looked back and thought I saw him holding a gun, so I fired again and hit him in the leg.

The guy went to the police. I couldn’t believe it.”

Bracero was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and sent to Rikers Island.

“You have no idea how disappointed I was,” Hilergio Bracero said. “Here was my son, who had what it took to become a world champion, and now he was going to prison. It was a terrible waste.”

While Gabriel Bracero was at Rikers Island, Gallagher sent him a photo taken two weeks before his arrest. The photo showed Bracero at a black-tie event with Luis Collazo, Paulie Malignaggi and Yuri Foreman, up-and-coming fighters who each went on to win a title.

“It was an attempt to motivate the kid,” Gallagher said. “In Gabe’s world, the street thugs were the superstars, the only ones who got respect. I tried to get it through his head that there was still a life beyond that world, that there was still something to strive for.”

When Bracero saw the photo, he said, he curled up in a ball and cried.

“These were the guys I grew up with, guys I sparred with, guys I was better than,” Bracero said. “I wanted to be out there doing what they were doing. I prayed to God every night for a second chance.”

In April 2005, Bracero was transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y.

“Boxing has always been my therapy, so I did anything I could to keep in shape,” Bracero said. “I braided my bed sheets in my cell, watered them down to give them enough weight, and used them as a jump rope.”

In July 2006, Bracero was moved to the Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, N.Y., which has a boxing program for inmates.

“I knew that was a sign that I was destined to continue my career,” Bracero said. “I worked out in the ring and sparred every chance I got. A lot of guys who were doing life would come watch me work out. They would say things like, ‘You’re going to get out of here one day and become champion of the world.’ ”

In March 2008, Bracero was sent to Sing Sing in Ossining, N.Y., for one month, then was transferred to a prison in Annandale, N.J., to serve time for the Bayonne shooting. He accepted a plea bargain, reducing the attempted murder charges to aggravated assault. He was paroled in January 2009 and immediately reported to Gallagher to resume his career.

Since then, Bracero has reeled off 11 victories. Gallagher said that his plan was to “keep him as active as possible, and hopefully, he’ll be in line for a title shot early next year.”

DiBella said that he shared Gallagher’s vision for Bracero, and that he thinks Bracero “has what it takes to be a champion.”

“The kid has made some big mistakes, but I’d like to think he learned from them,” DiBella said. “After everything he’s been through, he’s never going to be afraid of whoever is waiting for him inside the ring.”

Before walking out of Gleason’s last Saturday, Bracero bounced off the ropes and walked to a rusty locker upon which he had taped the photo that Gallagher sent him in prison.

“I’ve lost a lot of time,” Bracero said, “but I’m still young enough to prove that I really do belong in the same class as those guys.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/sports/for-gabriel-bracero-a-long-road-back-to-the-boxing-ring.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=sports

Bracero returns to the ring Saturday night from the Roseland Ballroom in Times Square as part of Boricua Invasion II. Highlights of Bracero’s bout with Guillermo Valdes (15-3, 3 KOs) will be shown on the Showtime series ShoBox: The New Generation, which will air the event’s top two bouts as part of their broadcast. In the main event, featherweights Luis Del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs) battles Dat Nguyen (17-1, 6 KOs) in an NABA title fight. Bracero is scheduled to be in the ring at 9pm.

In Bracero’s last bout, he won an 8-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Danny O’Connor on ShoBox.

EL Boxing Empress See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

Boricua Invasion I & II Final Press Conference took Place Wednesday, June 8 at The Parlour Restaurant In New York City

On the precipice of Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend, the top young talent from the island of Puerto Rico gathered at the Parlour Restaurant in midtown Manhattan as they put the finishing touches on preparations for Boricua Invasion I & II, a two day boxing extravaganza set to take place this weekend in Times Square.






On Friday, June 10, ESPN2 Friday Night Fights will be live from the Roseland Ballroom in New York City as Kenny Galarza (14-1, 14 KOs) takes on Irving Garcia (17-6-3, 8 KOs) in a battle of welterweight contenders. In the co-feature, welterweight terror Thomas Dulorme (11-0, 10 KOs) faces former world champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley (37-17-1, 22 KOs). Other Puerto Rican fighters featured will be 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian Jose Pedraza (2-0, 2 KOs) in a junior lightweight contest, junior welterweight prospect and Bronx native Steven Martinez (9-0, 7 KOs), Newark resident Alex Perez (13-0, 7 KOs) in a welterweight contest and New York junior lightweight Emanuel Gonzalez (8-0, 7 KOs).


















On Saturday, June 11, Showtime’s ShoBox: The New Generation cameras will be rolling, again at the Roseland Ballroom, for Boricua Invasion II when featherweights Luis Del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs) and Dat Nguyen (17-1, 6 KOs) battle for the NABA title. In the co-feature, the NABO and WBA Fedelatin super welterweight titles will be on the line when Jonathan Gonzalez (13-0, 13 KOs) battles veteran Richard Gutierrez (26-6-1, 16 KOs). Also on the show is über popular junior welterweight Gabriel Bracero (15-0, 1 KO), female super featherweight from Brooklyn Amanda Serrano (9-0-1, 5 KOs), and junior welterweight Jorge Maysonet, Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs).



















On Sunday, all of the key participants will be riding on the New York Daily News float in the Puerto Rican Day Parade.



















Promoter Lou DiBella:
“Team Puerto Rico is a concept that, I think, will carry Puerto Rican boxing to a new level. It will also introduce American fight fans to the best fighters in Puerto Rico.”

Promoter Gary Shaw:
“Years ago I was on the New Jersey commission when Team Freedom started. The huge difference between Team Puerto Rico and Team Freedom is that when the Team Freedom fighters came to America [from Cuba], they sensed freedom for the first time and went ballistic and none of them really panned out. All the Team Puerto Rico fighters have a great work ethic. We don’t have to get them in the gym. It was a dream come true when we were able to sign these kids.”
Promoter Javier Bustillo:
“We are very honored to be part of this Team Puerto Rico. This is very important for the people on the island of Puerto Rico.”

Kenny Galarza:
“I respect Irving Garcia as a person, but in the ring I respect nobody. I promise a great fight.”

Jose Pedraza:
“I am very happy to be in New York and to be on ESPN in my third professional fight. I don’t know anything about my opponent [Tomi Archambald], but I am desperate. I am desperate to fight, win, and then celebrate on Sunday.”

Irving Garcia:
“I came here to put on a great show and [Galarza and I] are going to put on a great fight.”

Thomas Dulorme:
“I am happy that the world gets to see me. Corley may have been training for five weeks, but this day is mine. I have seen Corley fight since I was a kid. What I want to happen in the ring will be done.”

Steven Martinez:
“I am so happy to be part of the tradition of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.”















DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley:
“I’ve been here before. I’ve been on the big stage. I know what it takes to step up to the plate and knock the ball out of the park. I respect the young man who is 11-0 for taking this fight, but I am coming to fight.”














Luis Del Valle:
“I give a lot of credit for Dat Nguyen to take the fight. I hope you bring your A-game because I’m ready. It won’t matter how many punches a round that you throw.”

Jonathan Gonzalez:
“I am very thankful for my first fight in New York and I’m going to put on a great demonstration. I’m ready to fight ten rounds, but it won’t last that long. I have knocked out all thirteen boxers I’ve faced and [Gutierrez] will be number fourteen.”

Gabriel Bracero:
“I’m extremely honored to be fighting on a weekend of Puerto Rican pride. I’ve been working hard and I’ve been having a great training camp. I will be 16-0 come Saturday and I will continue my mission of chasing a world title.”














Dat Nguyen:
“I want to thank Luis Del Valle for fighting me. I’ve always wanted to fight guys that are tough, but I haven’t gotten to do that thus far. That motivates me.”

Richard Gutierrez:
“I want to thank my whole team that has been working with me in preparation for this fight. Everybody knows me, my nickname is “The Bull” and I will show everybody why. Gonzalez has fought nobody. This is the first time he will fight a real boxer.”

EL Boxing Empress See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved