DiBella Entertainment’s acclaimed Broadway Boxing series, celebrating its 17th year, has moved its scheduled March 12 event in Miami, FL, to Thursday, March 19 at the Showboat Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The event will still be headlined by Ghanaian lightweight contender Emmanuel “The Gameboy” Tagoe (31-1, 15 KOs) battling Filipino veteran Rey “The Technician” Perez (24-11, 8 KOs) and live streamed exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.
“I’m thrilled to bring the next Broadway Boxing event to the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ, on Thursday, March 19. World ranked Ghanaian lightweight contender Emmanuel Tagoe faces Filipino Rey Perez in a terrific main event, streamed live on UFC Fight Pass,” said 2020 International Boxing Hall-of-Fame Inductee Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.
“The stacked undercard includes two exciting female fights, featuring former world champion Kali Reis and rising prospect Logan Holler. Colombian Olympian Juan Carlos Carrillo will take on Demetri Bentley in a battle of unbeaten light heavyweight prospects and the popular Dusty Harrison, from Washington, D.C., will see action as well.”
Fighting out of the talent-laden region of Accra, Ghana, world-ranked lightweight Emmanuel “The Gameboy” Tagoe (31-1, 15 KOs) will seek to keep his remarkable winning streak intact, facing Rey “The Technician” Perez (24-11, 8 KOs), of North Hollywood, CA, by way of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines, in the 10-round main event. Tagoe has won 31 fights in a row since his lone defeat in his 2004 pro debut.
Ranked #2 by the WBO, #6 by the IBF, and #10 by the WBC, Tagoe will be fighting in the United States for the first time in seven years. Most recently, the heavy-handed Ghanaian knocked out Ishmael Aryeetey in the sixth round, on July 20, 2019, in Accra. He also holds victories against former world champions Moses Paulus and Mzonke Fana.
Said Tagoe manager, Peter Kahn, “Emmanuel has been in camp in Florida for four months away from home in Ghana, away from his family. He has been working hard, he’s in excellent condition and ready to fight on March 19 in Atlantic City. As the WBO #2 rated lightweight in the world, Emmanuel is in line for big fights in 2020.”
The 30-year-old Perez hits the ring following a hard-fought decision loss to undefeated contender George Kambosos on January 19, 2019, in Las Vegas. Perez has been tested against solid opposition throughout his 11-year career, facing Jessie Magdaleno, Lamont Roach, Chris Avalos and Oscar Duarte. Prior to the loss against Kambosos, Perez stopped Christian Gonzalez in the seventh round on October 18, 2018, in Los Angeles, CA.
The co-feature will have former world champion Kali “KO Mequinonoag” Reis (16-7-1, 5 KOs), of Providence, RI, fighting in a scheduled eight-round welterweight bout. Since challenging undisputed champion Cecilia Braekhus in May of 2018, Reis has won three consecutive fights, including a six-round decision on August 29, 2019, against Patricia Juarez.
In a scheduled six-round light heavyweight battle of unbeaten prospects, 2016 Colombian Olympian Juan Carlos Carrillo (3-0, 2 KOs) continues his ascent as a professional challenging hard-hitting Demetri Bentley (8-0, 6 KOs), of Atlanta, GA. The 27-year-old Carrillo is staying busy in 2020, scoring a second-round knockout of Ben Williams on February 8, in Daytona Beach, FL. Following an active 2019, fighting eight times last year, the 24-year-old Bentley returns to action after an eight-round unanimous decision versus Ian Darby on September 29, 2019.
Exciting female junior middleweight prospect and newly signed to DiBella Entertainment, Logan Holler (8-0-1, 3 KOs), of Columbia, SC, clashes with Leslie Pope (4-1, 3 KOs), of Kansas City, MO, in a six-round bout. Fighting for the first time in 2020, the former star college athlete Holler has moved her training to South Florida, where she is guided by Javiel Centeno in a camp alongside Tagoe and Kambosos. She is looking to bounce back following the only blemish on her record; a six-round majority draw to Bertha Aracil on February 23, 2019.
Rounding out the card, undefeated light heavyweight contender Dusty Harrison (34-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in an eight-round bout. The 25-year-old Washington D.C. resident is currently riding a five-bout winning streak against top-level competition. Most recently, he knocked out Les Sherrington in the second round on February 8, 2020, in Vienna, Virginia. The Harrison bout is presented in association with Lee Baxter Promotions.
