New York City’s longest running and most successful professional boxing series, Broadway Boxing, returns July 30 to the Aviator Sports and Events Center at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. In the main event, the series’ mainstay Gabriel Bracero returns in the main event in the wake of his most impressive victory. Bracero will take on Danie “The White Lion” Van Staden (8-6, 2 KOs) of Key West, FL.
Those scheduled to see action on the undercard include several of the most popular and exciting pugilists that the New York fight scene has to offer, such as flyweight Keisher McLeod-Wells, light heavyweight Seanie Monaghan, junior middleweight Delen Parsley, and light heavyweight Joe Smith Jr. In addition, middleweight Jonathan Cepeda, Brooklyn heavyweight Travis Peterkin, 2-0 (2 KOs), and heavyweight Todd Brown, 32, 3-0 (2 KOs), of St. Louis, MO, will face opponents to be named, as well as cruiserweight Jay Rodriguez, of Queens, NY, making his pro debut.
Brooklyn junior welterweight prospect Gabriel “Tito” Bracero (16-0, 2 KOs), 30, is returning to the platform that has become home court for him. July 30 will mark his eighth appearance on Broadway Boxing. Bracero is coming off his most impressive victory to date, knocking out Guillermo Valdes in just 40 seconds at Roseland Ballroom on July 11, celebrating his heritage during Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend. A two-time New York Golden Gloves champion and Junior Olympics champion, Bracero turned pro in 2001, at the age of 20, scoring five four-round decisions. However, his career would be put on hold as he succumbed to the lure of the streets and spent time in prison on a weapons charge. Refocused upon his release, Bracero resumed his career in 2009 and has won 11 in a row. Until recently, Bracero was not known to have much power, but his style is that of a volume puncher who applies relentless pressure in wearing opponents down.
Flyweight Keisher “Fire” McLeod-Wells (4-1, 1 KO), 34, of New York, NY, is a slick boxer with a stinging jab, who will be making her third appearance on Broadway Boxing, this time in a New York State title bout. After an accomplished amateur career that included 12 titles, four of which were New York Golden Gloves championships, McLeod-Wells turned pro on February 3, 2009, with a 55-second knockout over Treasure Saunders at the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn. “Fire” then traveled to Panama, going 1-1 in a pair of fights in May and July of that year. After defeating Abigail Villar in a four-round unanimous decision, McLeod-Wells then lost a controversial four-round majority decision to Laura Ledezma. Avoided by many fighters near her weight class, McLeod-Wells was forced into a bit of a layoff before taking a spot on a DiBella Entertainment-promoted show at BB King Blues Club, on March 31, 2010, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Laura Gomez. In her last fight, McLeod-Wells moved up to six-rounders, winning a unanimous decision over Melissa McMorrow, on February 9, 2011.
Dominican middleweight Jonathan Cepeda (10-0, 9 KOs), 27, of West Palm Beach, FL, is a rugged power puncher, who has shown poise and patience in the ring while stalking his foes, looking for openings. He is coming off seven consecutive knockout victories, and turned pro as a middleweight, on November 21, 2008, with a first round stoppage of Charles Wade in Florida. In his last bout on April 16, Cepeda needed just 129 seconds to knock out Brad Austin in North Carolina.
Seanie Monaghan (7-0, 4 KOs), 28, is an Irish brick layer out of Long Beach, NY. Despite a lack of amateur experience, with just 15 bouts, Monaghan was able to reach the finals of the New York Golden Gloves before turning pro in May 2010. Making up for his minimal amateur background, Monaghan is maintaining a busy schedule as a pro at light heavyweight, as his fight on July 30 will be his fourth this year thus far. In March, Monaghan fought twice, winning unanimous four-round decisions over Billy Cunningham and Michael Glenn.
Delen “Sniper” Parsley (5-0, 2 KOs), 23, of Brooklyn, NY, is a former amateur standout and son of famed Gleason’s Gym coach Delen “Blimp” Parsley. Turning pro in July 2009 as a junior middleweight, Parsley’s last two ring appearances have taken place at the BB King Blues Club on Broadway Boxing. In both fights, Parsley, standing 6’2”, used his exceptional height to his advantage in winning unanimous decisions over Eberto Medina in a four-rounder then graduating to six rounds in defeating David Lopez.
Delen “Sniper” Parsley, second from the left
After winning the New York Golden Gloves as a novice in 2008, light heavyweight Joe Smith Jr., of Mastic, NY, turned professional on Halloween 2009 in explosive fashion. Smith, now 6-1 (6 KOs), started his pro career with four first-round knockouts followed by two second-round stoppages. However, when he steps back into the ring on July 30 at the Aviator, it will be at the same venue at which he sustained his first defeat, a fourth-round TKO to Eddie Caminero last August, that saw him suffer a broken jaw.
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This Saturday, two MMA legends will collide!
