Top local talent from New York City will be on display on Saturday, January 14 as Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki, Brooklyn-native Julian Sosa and Irish welterweight Noel Murphy all enter the ring in separate bouts at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“In addition to the tremendous action that will be televised on Showtime on January 14, boxing fans in attendance at Barclays Center will be treated to an exciting undercard featuring up-and-coming local prospects,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.
“Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki, Irish welterweight Noel Murphy and Brooklynite Julian Sosa, who is of Mexican descent, will all put their undefeated records on the line. Mayweather Promotions will also deliver Kenny Robles, a decorated amateur from Staten Island, making his pro debut, as well as Puerto Rican former world title challenger Thomas Dulorme on the comeback.”
The January 14 event features a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® doubleheader headlined by the super middleweight world championship unification showdown between Badou Jack and James DeGale. Televised coverage on SHOWTIME® begins at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT with junior lightweight world champion Jose Pedraza taking on undefeated contender Gervonta Davis.
Additional action is featured on SHOWTIME EXTREME and headlined by Amanda Serrano battling Yazmin Rivas. The telecast begins at 7 p.m. and features Ievgen Khytrov battling Immanuwel Aleem in a 10-round matchup of undefeated rising contenders.
The unbeaten Kownacki (14-0, 11 KOs) will take on Joshua Tufte (19-1, 9 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight fight while Sosa (6-0-1, 2 KOs) faces Gabriel Solario (2-2-1) in a six-round welterweight attraction and Murphy (7-0, 2 KOs) competes in a six-round welterweight bout.
Rounding out the action are a pair of recent additions to the Mayweather Promotions stable as former title challenger Thomas Dulorme (23-2, 15 KOs) enters the ring for an eight-round junior welterweight fight and Staten Island-native Kenny Robles makes his pro debut in a four-round welterweight battle.
A two-time New York Golden Gloves champion, four of Kownacki’s last five victories have come at the friendly confines of Barclays Center. Originally from Poland but now living in Brooklyn, Kownacki stopped Jesse Barboza in round three of their June fight the last time he entered the ring. The 27-year-old has won six times since the beginning of 2015 and faces one of his toughest opponents to date in the former kickboxing champion Tufte of Kernersville, North Carolina.
Trained by his father, former pro fighter and New York Golden Gloves champion Aureliano, Sosa has built a growing fan base fighting of the Flatbush Cops ‘N’ Kids gym in his hometown of Brooklyn. The 20-year-old is unbeaten since turning pro in March 2015 and has picked up three wins in 2016. He will be opposed by the 27-year-old Solario who fights out of Seattle and picked up a win over Drew Bokenshire in his last bout.
Originally from Cork, Ireland, Murphy has fought exclusively in the U.S. since turning pro in 2014 while fighting out of Woodlawn, NY. The 22-year-old earned his seventh pro victory in November when he won a dominant decision over Mohamed Allam in November. It was his second victory of the year and now he will make his second career start at Barclays Center looking to begin 2017 in style.
