Lewiston, Maine (August 26, 2016) – He has one of the largest and most passionate fanbases of any New England fighter, and now John Ortolani (0-0 boxing, 8-10 MMA) will return to New England Fights (NEF) after a two-and-a-half year absence at “NEF 25: HEROES & VILLAINS” on September 10 in Lewiston. Ortolani, however, will not be competing in the NEF MMA cage. He will make his professional boxing debut that evening, stepping in to replace Connor Barry (0-1) against Casey “Buzzsaw” Kramlich (4-0-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round middleweight contest.
John Ortolani has been a fixture of the New England MMA scene since 2009. It is well-documented that Ortolani is a two-sport athlete. In addition to fighting MMA, he is a midfielder in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) where he has played for the Boston Cannons, Rochester Rattlers and Florida Launch. Recent years have seen Ortolani take up residence in Tampa, Florida where he has continued competing in MMA out of South Tampa Jiu-Jitsu & MMA. A native of Billerica, Massachusetts, he looks forward to making the trip north to New England where he will have the opportunity to once again fight closer to home in front of his friends and family.
“I am excited to be fighting back in Maine again,” said Ortolani. “I’d like to thank (NEF owners) Matt (Peterson) and Nick (DiSalvo) for having me back. This will be my first time stepping in the ring and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve wanted to test myself in a boxing match for years and now is my chance. Casey is a great opponent and I’m happy I could fill in and give him a good fight. I am a true martial artist and can’t wait to test my hands. It’s been almost three years since fighting for NEF. Get ready for an exciting fight.”
At the other end of the spectrum, Casey Kramlich has made a second home of the boxing ring. Training out of the Portland Boxing Club in Portland, Maine, Kramlich had an extensive amateur boxing career prior to turning professional in 2014. This past spring he gave Jason Kelly (5-1, 3 KOs) his first taste of defeat in the ring. Kramlich followed up that win with a dominant technical knockout victory over Zenon Herrera (0-2) in the third round of Kramlich’s NEF debut at “NEF 24.”
“I’m looking forward to fighting on an NEF card again,” said Kramlich. “I’ve been training hard and ready to put my talent on display. My opponent has a little weight advantage on me, but I plan on using my speed and angles to pick him apart.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 25: HEROES & VILLAINS,” takes place on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.
For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”