PORTCHESTER, NY’S BRYANT “PEEWEE” CRUZ RETURNS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE SHOBOX APPEARANCE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20TH HILTON WESTCHESTER, RYE BROOK, NY
New York, NY (4/19/16) – DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing series heads back up north to the suburbs of Westchester County on Wednesday for the third time in a little over a year. The exciting card will take place at the beautiful Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, NY. Headlining the event will be Portchester’s own junior lightweight prospect Bryant “Peewee” Cruz (16-1, 8KO’s) in a scheduled eight-round bout.
The bout on April 20th will be Cruz’ first since suffering his lone loss as a professional, back in December of last year. In Cruz’ ShoBox debut, he took on late replacement Dardan Zenunaj, a once-beaten, world-rated contender. Cruz got off to a very fast start, dictating the pace and sweeping all of the early rounds. However, the hard-charging Zenunaj kept the pressure on all night and the bout turned into a war halfway through. After dropping Cruz with a barrage of punches near the end of the seventh, Cruz’ corner elected to halt the contest between frames. Cruz took the fight as a learning experience and is eager to get back to his winning ways in front of a hometown partisan crowd when he steps into the ring tomorrow night against Jalisco, Mexico’s Moises Delgadillo (17-14-2, 8 KO’s).
A native of County Cork, Ireland, the 21-year-old Noel Murphy (5-0, 2KO’s) was a multi-time national champion as an amateur before relocating to Yonkers, NY, and embarking on his professional career in November 2014. He has quickly built a passionate local fan base with his dynamic style and will not disappoint those in attendance when he provides them with another action-packed performance against Ariel Vasquez (11-12-2, 8 KO’s), of Phoenix, AZ, in their scheduled six-rounder.
The 6’5″ 24-year-old unbeaten middleweight prospect Alantez Fox was a standout amateur boxer who compiled a 165-35 record, highlighted by gold medals at the Ringside National and Under-19 tournaments in 2010. From Forestville, MD, Fox (18-0-1, 7 KO’s) is trained by his father Troy out of Lloyd Irvin MMA/Boxing Gym. With exceptional physical tools that include a 79-inch reach, Fox is ready to take the division by storm as he climbs up the rankings. He will square off against Josue Obando (14-9-1, 11 KO’s), of Guadalajara, Mexico, in an eight-round contest.
Born in Albania, Stivens Bujaj (14-0-1, 9 KO’s) moved to Bronx, NY, at an early age. One of the more popular fighters throughout the New York fight scene, Bujaj, who recently relocated to nearby Yonkers, NY, was a two-time NY Golden Gloves champion before turning pro in 2010. The lone blemish on Bujaj’s record is a split decision draw to fellow contender and IBO world title challenger Junior Wright in May 2015. During the bout with Wright, Bujaj suffered a broken jaw. He has since reeled off back-to-back victories following surgery to repair his jaw, and is looking to impress as he continues his ascent up the rankings of the cruiserweight division. On Wednesday, he will be facing Harvey Jolly (15-22-1, 7 KO’s), of Nashville, TN, in a six-round bout.
World-ranked Australian super featherweight contender Billel Dib (18-1, 9 KO’s), of Sydney, New South Wales, will make his US debut against Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Jose Salinas (9-1-1, 5 KO’s) in an eight-round bout. Ranked nine by the WBO and 13 by the IBF, Dib is determined to secure his 10th straight victory as he works his way toward a world title shot. A pro since 2011, Dib has already won the Australian and interim WBO Oriental super featherweight titles, but would love to add another world title to the family’s collection that includes former champ and brother Billy’s IBF featherweight belt.
Brooklyn’s Wesley Ferrer (10-0, 5 KO’s) will challenge Luis Alberto Pelayo (12-6-1, 6 KO’s), of Guadalajara, Mexico, in a six-round lightweight battle. An outstanding amateur, Ferrer was a two-time NY Golden Gloves champion, 2012 New York Amateur Boxing champion and New York City Metro Tournament champion, as well as a participant at the 2013 National Golden Gloves.
Tickets are priced at $125, $75 and $55, and are currently on sale through the DiBella Entertainment office by calling (212) 947-2577. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The Hilton Westchester is located at 699 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573.
