For the first time in its 12-year existence, Broadway Boxing heads north to the suburbs of Westchester County, NY, when DiBella Entertainment stages an exciting card from top to bottom, headlined by undefeated prospects Bryant “Pee-wee” Cruz (13-0, 7KO’s) and Frank “Notorious” Galarza (15-0-2, 9KO’s) in separate eight-round bouts at the beautiful Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, NY.
The red-hot Galarza, seen as one of the most promising and exciting junior middleweights in all of boxing, is set to square off against hard-hitting fellow prospect Michael Finney (12-1-1, 10KO’s) in a mouth-watering 154lb. affair.
Cruz, from Port Chester, NY, is considered Westchester county’s favorite ‘boxing’ son and with the Hilton Westchester just minutes away, Cruz’ legion of fans are expected to come out in droves as the fast-rising junior lightweight continues his ascent up the ranks of the 130lb. division in what will be his Westchester debut.
“This is going to be our first ever Broadway Boxing show in Westchester and we are truly excited about it. It allows us to expand the series into a new territory and reach an entirely new fan-base. We anticipate a terrific card from top to bottom and hope that this will be the first of many cards to come in the area.”
“First and foremost, I want to thank my promoters DiBella Entertainment and New Legend Boxing for this opportunity to showcase my skills. I had a big year last year, but I am planning on having an even bigger year in 2015. I want to show the world that I am not only a top prospect but hands-down I am one of the best fighters in the entire 154lb. division. To do that, I must continue to look impressive with each and every outing and, on February 20th, I plan on putting on another spectacular performance,” said Galarza.
“Ever since I turned pro, people all over Westchester have been asking me when I am fighting here at home. Now the time is finally here and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Fighting so close to home, it gives a lot of people who haven’t had a chance to see me fight to come out and show their support.
The Brooklyn-native Galarza, a NY Golden Gloves champion, who turned pro in 2010, had a break-out year in 2014, beginning with his highlight reel second-round knockout over previously undefeated and highly regarded John Thompson (14-0) on “ShoBox: The New Generation” in January. Galarza followed up that performance with another second-round knockout over Franklin Gomez in April, before returning to the “ShoBox” series and cruising to an eight-round unanimous decision over undefeated Sebastien Bouchard (8-0). Galarza finished off the year by dropping and dominating Johnathan Batista (14-3) before Batista was disqualified in the fifth round for repeated illegal blows. Galarza is looking to continue his rise and begin making the transition from up-and-coming prospect to legitimate contender when he takes on the dangerous and heavy-handed Finney.
Cruz, the runner-up at the 2012 National Golden Gloves, turned pro in December of that same year and has kept a busy schedule, scoring 13 consecutive victories in just under a two-year span. Backed by Westchester County’s premier chain of sports bars (Mickey, Maggie and Molly Spillane’s), Cruz has quickly become the most popular fighter that the suburb county of New York City has seen in many years. It will be the first time Cruz has fought in the county since his amateur days, and he will be ready to put on a spectacular performance come February 20th.
Both bouts are being promoted in association with New Legend Boxing. Additional bouts, including an opponent for Cruz will be announced shortly.
Tickets are priced at $100, $60 and $40, 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.
