Gabe Gonzaga to make pro boxing debut on October 28
Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga will make his pro boxing debut in a four-round match against Alando Pugh (1-10-1, 1 KO).
Gabriel ‘Napao’ Gonzaga started fighting in his native Brazil in 2003. He retired last year with a 17-11 record, which included a failed title shot at the UFC champion Randy Couture, during which he broke The Natural’s arm with a high kick. Now a 4th degree black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and founder of Team Squared BJJ in Worcester, Massachusetts, at age 38 Napao is stepping into the professional boxing ring.
The fourth and final 2017 installment of Rivera Promotions Entertainment’s popular professional boxing series, New England’s Future, will be held Saturday night, October 28, at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Gonzaga will make his pro boxing debut in a four-round match against Washington D.C. heavyweight Alando Pugh (1-10-1, 1 KO).
Former WBU Americans and IBU North American cruiserweight champion Vinnie American Nightmare Carita (16-1-1, 15 KOs), fighting out of Pembroke (MA), will face an opponent to soon be determined in the eight-round main event.
Fast-rising Worcester fighter Bryan Daniels (5-0, 3 KOs) puts his undefeated record on the line against upset-minded Tracey Johnson (4-5-4) in the six-round co-featured event, to be contested at a 206-pound catch-weight.
I am excited with the talent we have been able to put together for our last boxing event of 2017, said promoter and two-division world champion Jose Antonio Rivera. We are proud to have been able to make our dream of bringing professional boxing back to Worcester. We are working on a few things to make 2018 even bigger and better for RPE. We are grateful to all the boxers who have trusted us to help them progress in their careers. It has been a pleasure working with them and their teams. It has also been a pleasure for us to work with some of the businesses in our City of Worcester that have supported our vision, also helping us raise money for some charities in our community.
The New England’s Future 4 undercard features many of the best and most popular N.E. fighters, including 2016 N.E. Golden Gloves champion Anthony Laureano (4-0, 2 KOs), a promising welterweight from East Hartford (CT). Laureano will be in a six-round match against TBA. Other undercard fights, all four-rounders, include 2014 N.E. Golden Gloves champion Adrian Tonka Sosa (4-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of nearby Lawrence (MA), vs. veteran Norwalk (CT) welterweight Shakha Moore (12-23-3, 2 KOs), New Haven (CT) Edwin Soto (10-2-2, 4 KOs) vs. Anthony Everett (1-6). of Lawrence, at a 150-pounds catch-weight, Worcester’s Bobby Harris III (1-0) vs. Troy Omar KO Artist Artis (3-7-1, 2 KOs) at a 164-pounds catch-weight, three-time USA Boxing Nationals champion Elvis Figueroa (2-0, 1 KO), of New Haven (CT), vs. Anthony Bowman (11-63-2, 3 KOs). Richard Popeye The Sailor Man Rivera (2-0, 1 KO), of Hartford (CT), vs. Hansen Castillo (0-2), at a 180-pounds catch-weight, Southbridge (MA) junior welterweight Wilfredo El Sucaro Pagan (2-0) vs. Oscar Diaz (0-12), of Hartford, and Danbury (CT) junior welterweight Omar Bordoy, Jr. (2-0) vs. Alan Beeman (0-15), of Providence.
All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, priced at $75.00 (ringside) and $45.00 (general admission), are on sale and available to purchase at the DCU Center box office, http://www.dcu.centerworcester.com, by contacting Jose Rivera (elgallojar@gmail.com/508.864.6954), AJ Rivera
(anthoneerivera@gmail.com/774.272.2269) or any of the fighters
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., first bout 7:00 p.m. ET.
