Hyannis Fight Card Adds To Rich Cape Cod History

Boston Boxing Promotions is bringing back professional boxing to Cape Cod for the first time in nine years on Saturday, August 8, 2015 at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center (HYCC) with a fight card featuring the Northeast Heavyweight Title fight between Hyannis’ own Jesse Barboza (9-1-1, 5 KO’s) and Pennsylvania’s Jesse Oltmanns (10-5, 7 KO’s).

The card will also feature an exciting eight-round light-heavyweight fight between Harwich’s Paul Gonsalves (7-7-1, 3 KO’s) and rugged Mexican Rafael Valenzuela (8-5, 1 KO).

While this is the first time pro boxing has been featured on the Cape in nearly a decade, the region is ripe with a rich boxing history, upsets and familiar names. Here are some facts about Cape Cod’s history in professional boxing. Some may surprise even the most avid sports fan.

The earliest professional boxing card on record to take place in Hyannis was held July 26, 1929 at the now-defunct Mill Hill Club. In the main event that night, Boston’s Al Delgado won a ten-round unanimous decision over Brockton’s Jimmy Fruzetti.
Prior to defending his middleweight championship in many megafights of the 1980’s, Hall of famer “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler used to set up training camp in Provincetown.

He would regularly run up and down the Provincetown dunes in a sweat suit and work boots in order to acclimate himself to being uncomfortable so that he would feel at comfort and in control in his boxing trunks & boxing shoes while fighting legends like Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and “Sugar” Ray Leonard.

Hagler used to refer to his training camps as “jail” as he would isolate himself from friends and family for weeks in order to focus on the fight at hand.

Hyannis resident Kip Digs fought as a welterweight boxer from 1992 – 1999. He finished his career with a record of 30-5, with 22 KO’s and won the NABF Welterweight title during the course of his exciting career. He was regularly featured on early editions of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights”.
In 1999, two future world champions would fight on the same card in Hyannis, MA. Future Junior Welterweight/Welterweight Champion Zab Judah would defeat David Sample via first round TKO while future Welterweight/Junior Middleweight champion Jose Antonio Rivera beat Cape Cod native Kip Diggs via fifth round TKO.

Two former world cruiserweight champions have ties to Cape Cod. Former two-time cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham’s wife/manager Livvy is from Martha’s Vineyard. She calls Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts her hometown. Cunningham is currently rated the number-six heavyweight in the world by the IBF.

Also, former cruiserweight champ Kelvin Davis, after losing a cruiserweight number-one contenders match to the aforementioned Cunningham in 2005, returned as a heavyweight in 2006 in Hyannis fighting to a draw with journeyman Charles Shufford.

Longtime heavyweight contender and two-time former heavyweight title challenger Tony Thompson suffered his first career defeat in the year 2000 in Hyannis to a fighter named Eric Kirkland, who retired with a record of 18-2.

After losing to Kirkland via four-round unanimous decision, Thompson would win his next 27 fights in a row before losing to Wladimir Klitschko in a fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the world in 2008. Thompson is currently rated the number-thirteen heavyweight in the world by the WBC.

The August 8, 2015 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.
Boston Boxing Promotions is dedicated to the resurgence of professional boxing at the regional level, particularly in the New England area.