By Anne T. Sulton, Ph.D., J.D.
JA Senior International Correspondent

Milwaukee, WI – Professional boxing is one of the world’s most popular sports. During the past year, most fights were cancelled or postponed, including the fights scheduled by Milwaukee-based Heavy Hitters Promotions, LLC.

Following and exceeding the USA’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended safety protocols, on September 4th at the Tripoli Shriner Center, Heavy Hitters Promotions, LLC welcomed a sell-out crowd of more than 600 fans.

Mrs. Val Allen is the promoter. She described the extra work completed to ensure a safe event for the fighters, spectators, and event staff, stating, “Because I am a retired registered nurse, I understand the necessity of doing all that we can to keep all participants safe. I made certain all attendees were temperature checked at the door and provided free face masks if they did not have one. We also had hand sanitizers throughout the facility and spaced fans to maintain social distancing.”

The fights were exciting as expected. Marcus Oliveira (from Mayette, Kansas) and Dennis Morris (from Milwaukee, WI) fought for the open American Boxing Federation (ABF) cruiserweight title. Mr. Oliveira left town with the championship belt he earned.

Shelly Barnett (from Canada) and Noemi Bosques (from St. Petersburg, FL) fought for the ABF bantamweight title. When they fought a couple years ago, Noemi won but it was not a title bout. This time it was for the title. Ms. Barnett returns to Canada with the championship belt.

The Ring Announcer for both fights was Ralph Velez, Jr. from Arizona. He is one of the most sought after ring announcers in professional boxing. This was Mr. Velez’s third visit to Milwaukee to announce fights for Heavy Hitters Promotions, LLC.