O'Connor To Box For NE Welterweight Championship Saturday

Boston-area fans will be treated to fireworks this Memorial Day weekend as a full slate of boxing come to Agganis Arena on Saturday, May 23.

The action is highlighted by Framingham boxer Danny O’Connor (25-2, 9 KOs) taking on Chris Gilbert of Vermont (13-1, 10 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight battle for the New England welterweight championship title.

The bout for the New England Welterweight Championship will be the final event of the evening and close down the show in spectacular fashion at Agganis Arena.

A former National Golden Gloves champion who has fought as a pro since 2008, O’Connor was set to face former two-division champion Paulie Malignaggi on May 30 but Malignaggi had to pull out of the fight with an injury.

The 30-year-old boxer from Framingham is coming off of back-to-back knockout victories over Michael Clark and Andrew Farmer.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to fight Chris in Boston,” said O’Connor. “Being able to do what I love in front of my hometown fans that have supported me since day one is very meaningful to me”

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to fight on such an amazing card,” said Gilbert. “I’m coming off a first round knockout last week and I plan to bring the same intensity, aggressiveness and hard hitting style into the ring this week. O’Connor has been at the top of the welterweight division, whether in the amateurs or pros, and I’m excited to see how my skills compare.”

“This is a fight that local fight fans have been eager to see for a long time,” said Ken Casey, President of Murphys Boxing. “New England’s premiere welterweight versus New England’s hardest hitting welterweight. Pride can be worth more than money sometimes and the right to call yourself ‘New England welterweight’ champ is very important to a fighter in this close knit community.”

O;’Connor is part of a card by Premier Boxing Champions, which will be televised on NBC, featuring the super middleweight showdown between Olympic medalists Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16 KOs) and James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs) and former title challenger Edwin Rodriguez (26-1, 17 KOs) taking on the undefeated Craig Baker (16-0, 12 KOs).

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Murphys Boxing, are priced at $250, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $35, not including applicable service charges and taxes.

Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com.