It\u2019s not often that the combatants of the main event in a boxing card do not attend the final press conference hyping their fight, but that was the case this week when super welterweights Jahyae Brown and Anthony Vieira were not at Wednesday night\u2019s festivities ahead of their showdown at Saturday\u2019s Fight Night at Fenway: Round 2.<\/p>\n
Probably a wise move after the two nearly came to blows on a live faceoff on YouTube on May 13. Matt Nolan, one half of Nolan Bros. Boxing Promotions, did his best to serve as moderator, but the discussion quickly went sideways, with expletives directed at each other concerning their fight styles, looks, jewelry, and just about anything else before Vieira lunged across the table at Brown, bringing an abrupt end to the session.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the main event for a reason,\u201d said Nolan, emphasizing that the fighters\u2019 behavior was not an act. \u201cThey really hate each other, and by the way, they\u2019re both really, really, really good at what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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There were two outcomes from that experience: 1. Matt Nolan will not be streaming any more faceoffs live, and 2. Brown and Vieira were barred from the press conference at Blondie\u2019s in Brighton, with Mark Nolan, the other half of Nolan Bros. Boxing and Matt\u2019s twin, informing the two that they had fulfilled their media obligations.<\/p>\n
Undeterred, the Nolans used the media session to showcase some of the other fighters on the card, most of whom have New England connections. Everett\u2019s Shea Willcox will put his 7-0 record on the line in the co-main event when he takes on Salvatore Pugliares of East Hartford in a lightweight bout. Willcox will be fighting at Fenway for the first time. He did, however, take the field in 2017 as a member of the Everett High football team in a game against Masconomet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d said Willcox. \u201cAs a kid, being from right outside of Boston, going to Fenway, you never think you\u2019d be fighting there when you turn pro, so it\u2019s surreal, it\u2019s awesome. I\u2019m excited. I can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fighting out of Broadway Boxing Club in Everett, he\u2019ll have longtime trainer Joe Ricciardi in his corner, as well as his father Dennis and Michael Firicano, and a host of others in the stands as he has quickly become a fan favorite.<\/p>\n
Willcox\u2019s will be one of 10 fights scheduled for the second foray into Fenway for the Nolans. Last year\u2019s card was the first at the home of the Red Sox in 69 years. It was a dream come true for the duo that grew up training at the Somerville Boxing Club. <\/p>\n
Science teachers by day \u2014 Matt at Cameron Middle School in Framingham and Mark at Pollard Middle School in Needham \u2014 the brothers opened Nolan Bros. Boxing in Waltham in 2017. They started a promotions company a little more than two years ago and began putting shows on at traditional venues, which included Royale in the theater district. They decided to aim higher and talked to a few folks at Fenway, who agreed to a date for June 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n Knowing that it would be a smaller crowd, the ring was set up in the concourse under the bleachers in center field. That event drew around 1,700 fans. They will be back in the concourse for this year\u2019s show, with attendance expected to surpass 2,000.<\/p>\n The goal is to keep growing the event, with the possibility of setting up the ring in the outfield for a crowd possibly around 6,000. <\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t exactly make a ton of money off that [first] show, but it really substantiated us, and we\u2019ve gotten a lot of traction,\u201d said Matt Nolan. \u201cWe\u2019ve put together a really good stable of pros, we\u2019re doing Fenway again, and it looks a lot more favorable financially.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s show was supposed to be streamed live, but a technical glitch the day of the event scrapped those plans. This year, it will be streamed on DAZN.<\/p>\n The card starts at 5 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at mlb.com\/redsox\/tickets\/events\/fight-night<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney<\/a>.<\/p>\n