Posted on 02/22/2024
Sony Hall in Times Square has become the place to go for pro boxing in the greatest city in the world. BoxingInsider Promotions has been delivering at that location – eight times in their first 14 months, in fact – and they’re looking to do it again on Thursday, March 7 (with a 7:30 PM start time) streamed live on BoxingInsider.com.
There’s an action-packed show on tap at the intimate venue, with a lot of local flavor.
Larry Goldberg of BoxingInsider has committed himself to providing a launching pad for the next generation of great local fighters in a city that is famous for its boxing history. He is keeping boxing very much alive in Manhattan. And he has some intriguing matchups lined up for the March 7th show.
* A Gleason’s Gym standout, featherweight Ariel Lopez (20-1-1), is fighting Gregorio Lebron (24-6) in what promises to be an action packed eight-round main event. Lopez, originally from Mexico and now fighting out of Brooklyn, won the WBC Latino title at 122 pounds in February 2022, winning a decision over Wilner Soto. Lebron, a native of the Dominican Republic, fought for the WBC world flyweight crown in 2018, traveling to Kiev (Ukraine) in an unsuccessful attempt against Artem Dalakian. Ariel Lopez will be defending his WBC Latin Continental title.
* In a highly anticipated female co-feature, Brooklyn featherweight Chiara “Speedy” Dituri (7-0), who also trains at Gleason’s, takes on Jaica Pavilus (3-6-1) of Harlem. The well-traveled Pavilus, a rough-and-tumble southpaw, will be facing her sixth undefeated opponent in a seven-bout stretch. It should be noted that she has two wins and a draw against those unbeaten foes. So Dituri is in for a battle.
* Light heavyweight Emmet Brennan (2-0) hails from Dublin, where he represented Ireland in the Tokyo Olympics as a light heavyweight and former Celtic Champion. He’s making his US debut against Devaun Lee (11-10-1) of Queens in an eight-round match.
* Heavyweight Pryce Taylor (2-0) of Brooklyn, a two-time finalist in the US Championships as an amateur who has fought nine times in Team Combat League, will compete in front of hometown fans in a four-rounder against the 2-time veteran TCL veteran Kenyon Walker (1-0) of San Antonio, TX in a four-round match.
More bouts will be added. Stay tuned for subsequent announcements.
Tickets are priced at $95, $150, $200 and $325, and are available at Ticketweb (https:// www.ticketweb.com/event/boxing-insider-live-professional-boxing-sony-hall-tickets/ 13430053). Sony Hall is located at 235 W 46th Street in Manhattan.
For those who can’t experience the event at Sony Hall, the March 7 show will be shown, free of charge, on BoxingInsider’s streaming platform (https:// videos.boxinginsider.com/).