Coming off an electrifying evening of “Boxing At The Beach” on Aug. 25 in Coney Island, Dmitriy Salita will once again provide NYC with a night of pugilistic prowess as the Brooklyn Brawl series comes back to Kings County on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Aviator Sports and Events Complex in South Brooklyn will serve as the next proving ground for many New York City-based rising stars – the exciting undercards building toward a main event showcasing the U.S.A. debut of unbeaten Russian and top-10 world-ranked bantamweight contender, Nikolay Potapov.
“The Brooklyn Brawl series had a great summer. Beginning an inaugural event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in partnership with Barclays Center and ending at MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. Both showcased world-class talent in some incredible fights, and fans showed great support at each event,” said Salita, the former IBF, WBA and NABA International Junior Welterweight Champion who fights out of Flatbush, Brooklyn, as a professional.
“Similarly, our Oct. 29 show will feature some of the best fighters on the planet, such as world-rated Nikolay Potapov, and talented, accomplished NYC-based fighters in competitive matchups as they climb up the ranks. This will be another outstanding card for area boxing fans to enjoy.”
Potapov – currently ranked as the No. 14 bantamweight in the world by the WBO and now rated No. 10 globally by BoxRec – will put his undefeated 13-0 record (6 KOs) on the line as he makes his debut on U.S. soil. The fast-rising battler piled up more than 180 amateur tilts and amassed a number of national and international tournament victories, and now as a 25-year-old pro has climbed quickly to challenge himself with four 10-round bouts and a 12-rounder against top competition. In his last pro victory, Popatov earned the WBA Asian title by beating Jason Canoy, who is rated No. 14 in the WBC and No. 12 in the IBF.
Welterweight prospect “Trigger” Tresean Wiggins (7-1, 6 KOs) – fresh off a third-round knockout at the Aug. 25 Boxing At The Beach affair – will be back on the Brooklyn Brawl Aviator card. The fighting pride of Newburgh, N.Y., was impressive last month against Baltimore’s Kevin Womack Jr. and looks to add another stoppage victory to his burgeoning resume.
Undefeated junior lightweight contender Dimash Niyazov of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, will have his mettle tested once again at the Aviator Complex. The Brooklyn police officer, whose story was chronicled by the Wall Street Journal last month, improved to 8-0-3 (5 KOs) with a six-round Boxing At The Beach unanimous decision over local fighter Ariel “Fuego” Duran in a Brooklyn-Queens crosstown rivalry bout.
Detroit’s James Gordon Smith (8-0, 5 KOs) is another rising star putting his unblemished record to the test in Brooklyn. The eight-time Motor City Golden Gloves title-winner and former national amateur champion is intent on making a name for himself in the pro ranks.
A light welterweight and Olympian making his professional debut, Serdar Hudayberdiyev comes to the Brooklyn Brawl after an accomplished international amateur career. The pride of his native Turkmenistan on the West Coast of the Caspian Sea, he captured gold in the Asian games and was selected his country’s flag bearer in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Heavyweight Emilio Salas (3-1-1, 1 KO) of Puerto Rico – who opened up the Boxing At The Beach slate with a second round TKO at the expense of opponent Glenn Thomas – will add some thunder to the Oct. 29 card while welterweight Giorgi “Goga” Gelashvili (2-0, 2 KOs) of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, will provide the lightning. Gelashvili, a former three-time Georgian national champion, overwhelmed opponent DeLoren Gray-Jordon last August with a speedy salvo of blows in round two, leading to his second stoppage victory in as many fights and as many months.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 6:30 p.m. as the Brooklyn Brawl looks to once again captivate New York City with fistic fury. Tickets begin at $20 and are available beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 22, by calling 1-844-890-2120. Online ticketing information will be announced shortly.
