A local professional boxing card that included an all-Philadelphia main event has been postponed again.
Raging Babe, which is run by Bristol native Michelle Rosado, announced on Friday that the Philly Special boxing event featuring lightweights Steve Ortiz (11-0, three KOs) and Damon Allen (16-1-1, five KOs) will not be able to open on its rescheduled date of June 19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Raging Babe, the fighters on the card have agreed to fight as soon as a date becomes available once the state enters the Green Phase.
“This is a tough time to be a promoter who depends on the live gate,” said Rosado, Founder and Promoter at Raging Babe. “Promotional companies that have television deals are able to put on shows with no fans. The middle-class promoters, those of us who need people in seats to make the events work financially, we’re out in the cold, temporarily.”
The event was originally scheduled for March 27 at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia before it was pushed back three months. Rosado is confident the show will go on once it receives the green light. The promotion holds dates every month through the end of the year and a rescheduled date could come soon.
“Philly Special has all the elements of any big television card,” said Rosado. “We’ve got Philly fighters in very competitive matches. There’s a reason Philadelphia is known as a terrific fight town. These guys aren’t out there to be flashy or to pad their records. Some of them have big amateur careers, some are undefeated, most have compelling stories, but nobody on the card is expecting a ‘gimme.’ They come to fight, and the matchups that Hall-of-Fame Matchmaker J Russell Peltz put together promise to be the kind of fights that make people fall in love with boxing. I can’t wait to get the green light, and we’re ready to go when that time comes.”
