(JULY 24) WORCESTER, Mass.–
Two-time, two-division world champion Maureen “The Real Million
Dollar Baby” Shea (30-2-1, 13 KOs) returns to the ring for the
first time in more than two years on the August 9th (Aug. 10
rain date) “Punch-Out at Polar Park II” card, presented by
Shearns Boxing Promotions (SBP) in conjunction with Kendrick
Ball’s Camp Get Right Boxing, at beautiful Polar Park in
Worcester, Massachusetts.
Shea faces Beata Dudek (4-2, 4 KOs), who fights out of Hungary
by way of her native Slovakia. She competed in the 2022 IBA
Women’s World Championships as an amateur.
The centerpiece of a revitalized City of Worcester, the
state-of-the-art Polar Park will host the second installment of
“Punch-Out at Polar Park” at the home of the Boston Red Sox
Triple-A affiliate Worcester Red Sox (WooSox). All of the
action will be streamed live on www.bxngtv.com.
The Greg Hill Foundation will receive a portion of the proceeds
to continue improving the lives of local families in need. It
has donated more than $20 Million to more than 9,000 different
beneficiaries. Go to www.thegreghillfoundation.org for more
information.
“Maureen is a friend, and we are very happy to have her fight on
our show,” promoter Chuck Shearns commented. “When our fighter,
Josniel Castro, relocated to Florida, Maureen was extremely
gracious and helpful to us. That’s the kind of person she is.”
Shea, 43, has had a solid 17-year pro career. She’s riding an
18-fight unbeaten streak with 17 victories and one draw. The
Mexican American fighter from the Bronx (NY), who now lives in
Delray Beach (FL), trains and is a strength-and-conditioning
coach at DS Boxing in Boca Raton, Florida.
“I’m better than ever,” Shea spoke about fighting at her age. “I
have a balanced life, so why not fight? It’s not about proving
myself. I have experience and I’m strong, I love this sport and
I’m following the path. I’m going to give it a good run and
hopefully I’ll get another world title fight. I’m at peace in my
life. I’ve always stayed busy, and boxing has never left me. I
started training again in 2022 and I wanted to see what would
happen. It’s a challenge boxing in my forties, but there is a
lot of BS. I’m doing this now for me. I started at 17 and women
couldn’t fight in the amateurs. I got to No. 1 in the world. I
learned a lot in the amateurs – I only had 11 fights -- of what
not to do in the pros. I was misdiagnosed with bi-polar and was
on a lot of medication, It’s the reason I moved to California. I
have seasonal affect disorder. It rejuvenated my life and off of
medications. And I have a platform and a voice for young women
in boxing. I started to box again, but the lapses in years that
I had were from deeply emotional struggles.
“I also want to prove that life in boxing isn’t over at 40 if
you age gracefully and do not lose your spirit. I’m good and
getting better. People come up to me and say I must have found
the Foundation of Youth. I’ve been through so much boxing that
nothing affects me. I’m adaptable.”
Shea has always been a huge New York Yankees fan, often wearing
the famous pinstripes while boxing, although she probably won’t
be doing so fighting in the Triple A home of the Boston Red Sox.
“I’ve always loved baseball,” she added. “Mo Vaughn (former Red
Sox star) is a friend of mine. I do my strength training at his
performance center in Boca Raton. And when I fought in Mexico, I
danced with Nomar Garciaparra (another former Red Sox star). I
love baseball. When Top Rank had a show at Yankee Stadium, I
really wanted to fight on that show, but now I’m fighting at a
beautiful ballpark. Boston has always had great fans and I think
they will appreciate my style. I have friends driving up from
New York City, and others are coming from Boston and even New
Hampshire. I’m excited to display my skills there. Chuck (Shearns)
is a great guy. He told me he always wanted to have a women’s
fight on his (Polar Park) card and I’m honored to be fighting on
this show.”
Shea has fought outdoors twice, in 2007 on a show held in the
parking lot outside of the Eldorado Resort Casino in Reno (NV),
in which the temperatures hit 114 to go along with the high
altitude. The other time was in 2011, when she defeated Diana
Ayala by way of a 10-round majority decision for the WBC Interim
World Featherweight title, in Los Mochis, Mexico. She clearly
remembers how bitter cold it was on that December night.
Based on her past experiences, Shea shouldn’t be concerned about
fighting outdoors in Worcester during August, and she also has
another reason to be on “Punch-Out at Polar Park II.”
“I’m excited to be fighting on the same show with Josniel
(Castro),” Maureen explained. “We’ve been stablemates for a few
years, and I’ve worked out with him a lot. I don’t need to
fight. What more can I achieve? I’m doing this because I still
can.”
The only returning “Punch-Out” fighter from last year’s pro
card, dangerous prospect Josniel “TG” Castro (12-1, 8 KOs), will
take on Jerry Bradford (9-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round match for
the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) U.S. Junior Middleweight
title. Castro vs. Bradford was elevated to the main when the
original headliner, Denzel “Double Impact” Whitley vs. Anthony
“Vicious” Vieira, was postponed until a later date.
Undefeated heavyweight Kevin “Big Gulp” Nagle (8-0, 7 KOs), a
popular fighter from Scituate (MA), clashes with Mexican veteran
Jose “Olympico” Humberto Corral (20-33, 12 KOs) in an
eight-round match.
Four-time New England Golden Gloves Champion Keno Luna (2-0, 2
KOs), a promising junior middleweight prospect from Worcester,
is back in action in a four-round fight versus Izaiah Vargas
(1-10).
Three locally based boxers will be making their pro debuts:
Millbury welterweight Justin Laporte, who fought last year on
the amateur part of the card, vs. Tymar Miles (0-2), Worcester
junior middleweight Jhon “D-Wave” Devers Rodriguez vs. Igor
Santos (0-1) and Worcester welterweight “Grafton Hill’s Favorite
Son” Daniel Docimo vs. Tracey Coppedge (0-3).
Card subject to change.
Tickets are available for purchase at Polar Park’s box office
(508.500.888) and online at www.polarpark.com/boxing, priced at:
$205.00 (Field Level VIP) – located around home plate on the
field level, access to an exclusive field level bar); $125.00
(VIP DCU Club) – located on the third floor, access to an
exclusive indoor area with a bar); $105.00 (VIP Ticket) –
located in the first four rows of section 6-11 – seats are
padded and wider than the average seat; $75.00 (Home Plate
Reserved – rows 5-11 with a great view of the ring; $55.00
(Reserved) – located down the first and third base lines;
$165.00 (Family Four Pack) – four reserved tickets (call
508.500.8888).
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