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LONG ISLAND, NY (July 16, 2018) – WBA Women’s Super Middleweight World Champion Alicia ‘The Empress’ Napoleon, (9-1, 5 KO’s), of Lindenhurst, NY will make her first defense against WBC Silver Middleweight titlist Hannah Rankin, (5-1, 1 KO) of Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday, August 4 at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Scheduled for ten rounds, Napoleon vs. Rankin is a special attraction undercard bout on the stacked Premier Boxing Champions card headlined by the welterweight showdown between former world champions Andre Berto and Devon Alexander on FOX and FOX Deportes (7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT).
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visitingwww.ticketmaster.com, www.nycblive.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Ticketmaster Box Office at NYCB LIVE. Group discounts are available by calling 516-231-4848.
“I’m thrilled for this opportunity to be able to defend my world title for the first time on Long Island at NYCB LIVE,” said Napoleon. “It’s a special moment in my career and truly an honor to be part of the first women’s bout ever in this iconic venue.
“I know how good Hannah Rankin is. She just won the WBC Silver Middleweight Title and she’s taller than me with a longer reach, plus she just finished training with Cecilia Braekhus. I’ve been training the whole summer and I’ll be ready to defend my title on August 4.”
“I’m very excited to announce this women’s world title fight between Alicia Napoleon and Hannah Rankin on our stacked August 4 event at the Coliseum,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Alicia is a Long Island girl and a charismatic world champion with a legion of fans in the New York City area. She won her world title at Barclays Center and will defend it at NYCB LIVE. Hannah Rankin is a quality challenger from Scotland, who is well known for her ring ambition as well as her accomplishments as a professional musician. Women’s boxing in the United States and internationally continues to rise in popularity and our commitment to promoting it remains stronger than ever.”
The popular Napoleon, owner of both Overthrow Gyms in Manhattan and Brooklyn, won her world title on March 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn with a dominant ten-round decision over previously undefeated Femke Hermans in front of a huge contingent of supporters from both Long Island and New York City. Napoleon had a previous fight scheduled for June 21 postponed and has continued training in preparation to defend her world title.
Fighting in the paid ranks for just one-year, Rankin defeated then undefeated Sanna Turunen over ten rounds in June to capture the vacant WBC Silver Women’s Middleweight Title and her third straight victory headed into August 4.
A professional musician outside of the ring, the 27-year-old Rankin plays the bassoon and has traveled the world in recent years playing with numerous orchestras while also training and furthering her career in the squared circle.
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Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.
For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @FOXTV, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions,@LouDiBella, @NYCBLive and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook
at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsportsand www.facebook.com/foxdeportes. www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment,www.Facebook.com/NYCBLive. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.BROOKLYN BOXING on Long Island is an extension of BSE’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ brand. For more information, visit brooklynboxingshop.com.