Local Light Heavy Gonsalves Added To August 8 Hyannis Show

ByBoxing Press

Harwich, Massachusetts Light-Heavyweight Paul Gonsalves (7-7-1, 3 KO’s) will meet tough Mexican veteran Rafael Valenzuela (8-5, 1 KO) in an eight-round co-feature Saturday, August 8 at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center (HYCC) in Hyannis, MA.

This is in addition to the previously announced main event featuring Jesse Barboza (9-1-1) versus Jesse Oltmanns (10-5) in an eight-round fight for the Northeast Heavyweight Title.

“A lot of times folks can’t make the trip and see me fight”, said Gonsalves, who has recently fought in locations such as New York, Chicago and Connecticut, “but with the fight being in Hyannis, I know I’ll have tons of crowd support. I fought there once in the amateurs and the crowd was going crazy.”

Gonsalves, a 1999 graduate of Harwich High School, where he excelled on the basketball court scoring over 1200 points in a three-year career, is a two time former Southern New England Golden Gloves Champion.

As a pro, he’s been known as a guy willing to take on all comers, defeating local rivals Nick Lavin (2-2) and Richard Starnino (9-12-2) in the pro ranks as well as losing close decisions to highly-hyped prospects like Angel Camaho (13-0) and Mike Lee (14-0) in a fight televised on ESPN last year.

His adversary on August 8 will be Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico native Rafael Valenzuela. Valenzuela is a hard-nosed boxer in the tradition of other Mexican warriors like Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. – who was born in the same state in Mexico as Valenzuela.
“He’s a tough guy and has a better record than me”, Gonsalves said about his opponent, “He comes forward and I’ve got to watch out for his right hand based on the tape of him I’ve watched. But he’s an aggressive fighter and I like fighting aggressive fighters.”

Gonsalves joins his friend Jesse Barboza on this action packed card in Hyannis. In the past, Gonsalves and Barboza have worked each others corners in each others fights.

“Jesse and me are very close. We probably haven’t gone a day without talking in years. He’s a huge asset in the gym and a good friend”

The event will be presented by Boston Boxing Promotions. It will be the first professional boxing event held in Hyannis since 2006.

General admission tickets are $40 and are on sale now at www.CapeCodBoxing.com. Fans are urged to purchase tickets early due to limited availability. Additional bouts to be announced in the weeks to come.