MELBOURNE, Australia (May 17, 2022) — Yoel Angeloni, one of the most sought-after amateur boxers in the world, has signed with DiBella Entertainment. DBE will present Angeloni’s professional debut on the undercard of the George Kambosos – Devin Haney Undisputed Lightweight Championship super fight, scheduled for Saturday, June 4, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne boasts one of the largest Italian communities outside of Italy.Angeloni will debut in a four-round welterweight bout against Ken Aitken (3-0, 1 KO), from Queensland, Australia, who has yet to see even one scorecard go against him.
Kambosos vs. Haney, along with Jason Moloney vs. Aston Palicte, Junior Fa vs. Lucas Browne, and Hemi Ahio vs. Joe Jones will be televised LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ Saturday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Angeloni-Aitken and all other undercard contests will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+
Angeloni, 18, is literally an international sensation who boasts an impressive amateur boxing pedigree. Born in Rome, Italy, to an Italian father (Alessandro Angeloni) and a Cuban mother (Olga Lidia Lara), Angeloni was three years old when he moved to southern Cuba with his mother, living in the city of Cienfuegos, one of the country’s chief ports. Situated on Cuba’s largest natural bay and open to the sea, the bay was visited by Christopher Columbus in 1494. So it should come as no surprise that this was where a six-year-old Angeloni first discovered the national sport of boxing. Over the years, Angeloni developed his craft, earning a place on the prestigious Cuban National Youth Boxing team, where he fashioned a sterling 130-2 record. When he turned 15, he returned to his native Italy, where he was quickly accepted by the Italian Boxing Federation. Fighting under the Italian colors, Angeloni won all 10 of his fights, and captured gold medals at the 2019 Junior European Championships and the 2021 Emil Jechev Memorial International Youth Boxing Tournament.
“Yoel is a legitimate blue-chip prospect, which is one of the reasons I chose the Kambosos-Haney undercard to launch his professional career,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Despite campaigning almost exclusively as a junior, Yoel’s talent is extraordinary for his age, and he’s been heavily recruited throughout the industry. I couldn’t pass on an Italian Cuban prodigy with his natural ability. In addition to introducing Yoel to Melbourne’s prodigious Italian community, fighting June 4 at Marvel Stadium will allow him to realize his recurring dream of making his pro debut on a huge show, before his nineteenth birthday on June 11. Who am I to deny destiny? In my career, I’ve seen very few teenage fighters as gifted as Yoel. Everyone at DiBella Entertainment is proud that Yoel chose us.”
“I am very happy to be signed with DiBella Entertainment. They are giving me an opportunity to showcase my skills on ESPN+ for my pro debut and on one of the biggest boxing events of the year. I am so excited to be making my professional debut in Melbourne which has a very large Italian population,” said Angeloni. “I want to thank my advisor and manager, Alonzo Benezra, for believing in me from the moment we met and by turning my dreams into reality. Winning the gold medal at the 2019 Junior European World Championship was a very proud moment for me, my parents, my family, and many of my supporters who have followed me during my amateur career. I also want to thank the Italian amateur federation and the Cuban amateur federation. But now it’s time to realize my dream of becoming a world champion.”
“I want to say, thank you, to Lou DiBella for giving us the opportunity to be part of this historic event in Australia, where the first undisputed lightweight champion of the four-belt era will be crowned,” said Alonzo Benezra, advisor and manager to Angeloni. “Also, thank you to Top Rank and ESPN for this huge boxing platform that will allow Yoel Angeloni to showcase his skills and great talent. Ever since I met Yoel, I knew he was a special young man that was very talented and marketable. At the same time, it’s also been a real challenging experience, working day and night, to get him where he needed to be at such a young age, to start his journey toward becoming a world champion. I also want to thank Kris Lopez, the new trainer of Angeloni, from Lightning’s Boxing Club in Oakland, California, for setting up this training camp for Yoel’s highly anticipated pro debut.”
ABOUT DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT
In May of 2000, Lou DiBella launched DiBella Entertainment (DBE), a full-service sports and entertainment company, which has become one of the most successful promotional entities in boxing. Serving as matchmaker, television distributor, marketing advisor, and promoter, DiBella has developed an exciting stable of championship caliber, world-class fighters, such as Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Micky Ward, Deontay Wilder, and George Kambosos, among others. DBE clearly established itself as an industry leader with the successful launch of its monthly-televised “Broadway Boxing” series in November 2003. Prior to becoming a promoter, DiBella held an 11-year tenure as the Senior Vice President of HBO Sports. While at HBO, DiBella created and established the highly successful “Boxing After Dark” series, which featured some of the sport’s greatest fights. He is also a well-known fixture in the film industry, having worked as an Executive Producer for the film “Love Ranch”, as an Associate Producer on “The Fighter”, and making his acting debut in “Rocky Balboa”. He also produced or executive produced numerous documentaries, such as Viva Baseball!, Magic Man, Maravilla, Larry Flynt for President, and Tapia. The President and Managing General Partner for the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball team, DiBella proudly wears his 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series rings, as his team is the class AA affiliate to the San Francisco Giants. In 2017, DiBella also became the CEO and Managing Owner of the Montgomery Biscuits baseball team, the AA-affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. DiBella was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020 and will be inducted in June 2022, as well as the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.
ABOUT TOP RANK
Innovation has been the standard at Top Rank since it was established in 1973 by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. The boxing industry’s leading promotional company, Top Rank has shaped, developed, and promoted the careers of top international pay-per-view superstars and Hall of Famers, including Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Erik Morales, Timothy Bradley, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Tyson Fury.
Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors, and television networks, Top Rank has been an architect of boxing’s global growth by staging high-profile events in landmark settings around the world, including Madison Square Garden, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Wembley Arena, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans and embracing 21st century technological advancements to distribute world-class fights and shoulder programming across a variety of platforms.
ABOUT DUCO EVENTS
Duco Events is one of Asia Pacific’s leading events management and sports promotion companies, responsible for delivering high profile sporting events such as The Battle of Brisbane – Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn, the NRL Auckland Nines, the Brisbane Rugby Tens alongside numerous other innovative sports, corporate and entertainment events throughout New Zealand and Australia including Synthony – a breath-taking fusion of electronic dance music, live orchestra, DJ’s, vocalists and immersive visuals.
ABOUT VISIT VICTORIA
Visit Victoria is the State of Victoria’s primary tourism, business and major events company, leading the sector in creating, curating and communicating Victoria’s inspiring experiences to maximise visitation. Established in July 2016, Visit Victoria brings the best of Tourism Victoria, Victorian Major Events Company and Melbourne Convention Bureau under one brand that capitalises on commercial opportunities in an increasingly competitive and dynamic global tourism market. The team operates in a collaborative and agile environment that informs, connects and partners with industry and the Victorian State Government to amplify Victoria’s profile.
About TEG Sport
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