Framingham, Massachusetts’ Danny “Bhoy” O’Connor and Virginia’s Andrew Farmer will battle it out in the special “Monster Brawl” on Thursday, Oct. 30. The FOX Sports 1 Golden Boy Live! series will be held at Plymouth, Massachusetts’ Plymouth Memorial Hall. The bout, which was originally scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day, was postponed due to an injury sustained by O’Connor, and is now a Halloween treat for Boston area boxing fans.
In the co-main event, lightweight contender Sharif “The Lion” Bogere travels to the East Coast from Las Vegas to face Binan City, Laguna, Philippines’ Aaron Melgarejo in a 10-round matchup. In the four-round televised opener, Dublin middleweight standout Jason Quigley makes his Boston area debut against Miami’s Serge Cadeus. Also televised will be local sensation Mark “The Italian Bazooka” DeLuca as he competes in a six-round middleweight swing bout on Oct. 30 against an opponent to be determined.
As a special tie-in with the “Monster Brawl” theme, there will be a costume contest held for those dawning the evening’s best Halloween costumes. Cash and other prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed fans.
“The greater Boston area is proving to be one of our favorite stops as we bring Golden Boy Live! around the country and the fans here are loud, energetic, and diehard – everything we want to see and hear when we come to town,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “O’Connor vs. Farmer was a main event everyone wanted to see when it was first scheduled in March and we made every effort to make sure the fans get what they want. This will be a good one.”
“We are very excited to be bringing boxing back to Plymouth and especially to Plymouth Memorial Hall, which is one of the best venues in all of boxing. We have a great card, with Boston’s most popular fighter, Danny O’Connor in the main event. Danny rejuvenated local boxing and he’s back and poised to make a world championship run,” said promoter Ken Casey, who when not busy with his main job as the signer for the Dropkick Murphys has become a driving force in Boston area boxing promotions.
“After being out of the ring for a year, I’m so looking forward to getting back in there,” said Danny O’Connor. “I’m excited that it’s close to home and I’ll have a chance to again fight in front of my home fans that have faithfully supported me since day one. I’m not losing at home – no way.”
“Danny O’Connor is a fighter who will have the whole place behind him on Oct. 30, but when the bell rings, it’s only me and him in there,” said Farmer. “I’m looking forward to quieting the crowd and getting the victory I should have had in March.”
Crowd favorite Danny O’Connor (23-2, 7 KOs) makes his return to the ring in the 10-round main event against Andrew Farmer. The former amateur National Champion and U.S. Olympian looks to continue his march toward a title shot. In order to do this O’Connor must first get by the tough and capable Farmer. Framingham native O’Connor has been out of the ring since October 2013, and his return to the ring expects to be a rousing homecoming. “Clan O’Connor,” Danny’s passionate fan base, is expected to come in droves, armed with their trusty drums and fervent chants.
Front Royal, Virginia’s Andrew Farmer (18-2, 7 KOs) has no problem traveling into O’Connor’s backyard to fight. After winning 14 of his last 15 bouts, including five straight, the 28-year-old has the confidence that when the bell sounds, he’s got the goods to upset the hometown favorite.
A native of Uganda now fighting out of Las Vegas, 25-year-old Sharif Bogere (25-1, 17 KOs) has bounced back nicely from the lone loss of his career in a 2013 title bout against Richar Abril, stopping Arturo Urena and Miguel Zamudio in 2014. Now looking to get back into the championship race, “The Lion” will fight on the East Coast for the first time in his career this Oct.
Philippine native Aaron Melgarejo (17-7-1, 6 KOs), a winner of four of his last five bouts, will be returning to the ring after a five-year hiatus. Melgarejo’s matchup with Bogere will mark the first time that Melgarejo has fought since Oct. 2009. The veteran will look to remove any ring rust and take command early on Oct. 30.
Whitman, Massachusetts’ hometown favorite and former U.S. Marine combat veteran Mark DeLuca (11-0, 8 KOs) will look to continue his impressive undefeated streak with a twelfth consecutive professional victory. There’s little doubt who the fan favorite will be on Oct. 30 as DeLuca returns to the ring just over one month after another impressive knockout in mid-September.
Former Irish amateur star Jason Quigley (2-0, 2 KOs) should also have plenty of support from the local crowd as he seeks his third professional win. Already drawing rave reviews for his knockouts of Howard Reece and Fernando Najera, the 23-year-old is eager to keep the positive notices going this fall.
Brooklyn’s Serge Cadeus (1-0), fighting by way of Miami, Fla., will be vying for his second professional victory after his unanimous decision win in August over Yoeglys Duverger.
