Boxing returns to Fenway with ‘Round 2’ on Saturday night

Sport admin June 5, 2026 0 Comments

Boxing returns to Fenway with ‘Round 2’ on Saturday night

It’s 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’s festivities ahead of their showdown at Saturday’s Fight Night at Fenway: Round 2.

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.

“That’s the main event for a reason,” said Nolan, emphasizing that the fighters’ behavior was not an act. “They really hate each other, and by the way, they’re both really, really, really good at what they do.”

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’s in Brighton, with Mark Nolan, the other half of Nolan Bros. Boxing and Matt’s twin, informing the two that they had fulfilled their media obligations.

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’s 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.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Willcox. “As a kid, being from right outside of Boston, going to Fenway, you never think you’d be fighting there when you turn pro, so it’s surreal, it’s awesome. I’m excited. I can’t wait.”

Fighting out of Broadway Boxing Club in Everett, he’ll 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.

Willcox’s will be one of 10 fights scheduled for the second foray into Fenway for the Nolans. Last year’s 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.

Science teachers by day — Matt at Cameron Middle School in Framingham and Mark at Pollard Middle School in Needham — 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.

Knowing that it would 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’s show, with attendance this time expected to surpass 2,000.

The goal is to keep growing the event, with the possibility of setting up the ring in the outfield with the hope of drawing a larger crowd, possibly around 6,000.

“We didn’t exactly make a ton of money off that [first] show, but it really substantiated us, and we’ve gotten a lot of traction,” said Matt Nolan. “We’ve put together a really good stable of pros, we’re doing Fenway again, and it looks a lot more favorable financially.”

Last year’s 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.

The card starts at 5 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at www.mlb.com/redsox/tickets/events/fight-night