Due to an injury to his left elbow suffered in training camp, exciting Boston welterweight prospect Danny O’Connor has been forced to withdraw from his St. Patrick’s Day showdown against Andrew Farmer at the House of Blues in Boston on Monday, March 17. Now, undefeated rising middleweight star Julian “J-Rock” Williams will face former IBA Middleweight World Champion Freddy “El Riel” Hernandez in the Golden Boy Live! main event.
Also in televised action will be young Irish star Jamie “The Nuisance” Kavanagh taking on Puerto Rico’s Andres Navarro (9-4-1, 6 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight opening bout, undefeated heavyweight Alexis Santos (12-0, 10 KOs) taking on Seattle’s Sylvester Barron (8-3, 3 KOs) in the six-round co-main event and Irish Olympian John Joe Nevin (9-2), who is making his U.S. debut after being featured in the World Series of Boxing,will square off against San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Alberto Candelaria (3-0-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round bantamweight televised attraction.
But that’s not all as the local fans in Boston celebrating St. Patrick’s Day will have more to cheer about when see local undefeated junior lightweight rising star Ryan Kielczewski (18-0, 4 KOs)take to the ring after the conclusion of the televised fights. Kielczewski will face Guillermo Sanchez (13-10-1, 5 KOs) of Buffalo, New York in a six-round fight.
Plus fans at the House of Blues will also witness five exciting match-ups starting at 6:00 p.m. ET before the televised portion of the evening. In previously announced action, local favorites Billy Traft (3-0, 1 KO) will meet Jose Brewer (0-5) in a four-round super middleweight battle, Greg Vendetti (4-1-1, 2 KOs) will take on Pedro Gonzalez in his professional debut in a four-round welterweight bout, Rashidi Ellis (3-0, 2 KOs) will face Bryan Abraham (6-18-2, 6 KOs) in a four-round welterweight bout and two Maryland-natives will kick the night off beginning with Baltimore native Gervanta Davis (6-0, 6 KOs) facing an opponent to be named in a six-round featherweight bout and Kareem Martin of Clinton, MD who will make his professional debut in a four-round junior middleweight bout.
One of boxing’s top young talents, 23-year-old Philadelphia native Julian “J-Rock” Williams (14-0-1, 8 KOs) continues to impress with each outing, most recently a third round stoppage over Orlando Lora. With a win over former World Champion Joachim Alcine already under his belt, Williams will tackle another veteran standout in the former IBA Middleweight World titleholder Hernandez.
Mexico City’s Freddy “El Riel” Hernandez (30-6, 20 KOs) has faced the best of the best throughout his career, including former World Champion Andre Berto, current Interim WBA Junior Middleweight World Champion Erislandy Lara and current WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Demetrius Andrade. Best remembered for his wins over former World Champions Luis Collazo, Mike Anchondo and DeMarcus Corley, the hard-hitting 34-year-old has every intention of getting back on the winning track and handing Williams his first professional loss on March 17.
