NEWARK, NJ — You could hear it before you even got to your seat. The crowd was loud, the music was blasting, and once the first punch landed, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a quiet night at the Prudential Center.
Brick City Fight Night brought boxing back to Newark on Friday, and it felt like the city showed up for it. From start to finish, the night had everything: close fights, knockouts, some controversy, and a lot of energy from the crowd.
The night opened with the “Battle of the Badges,” where first responders stepped into the ring. It wasn’t just for show. They came ready to compete. The crowd respected it, and it gave the whole event a good start.
Once the main card got going, things picked up quickly. The first big moment came when Alex De Jesus and Gregory Lee went the distance. It was a close fight, but when it was ruled a majority draw, fans were not happy. You could hear people yelling from all over the arena, clearly thinking someone should have won that fight.
The next fight didn’t help calm things down. Tackie Annan and Ofacio Falco went back and forth, and Falco even knocked Annan down a few times. Still, the fight ended in a no decision, which left the crowd confused again. At that point, it felt like fans were just waiting for a clear result.
They finally got one.
Elijah Gonzalez stepped into the ring against Danny Murray and handled business. He stayed patient, waited for his moment, and got the knockout, the first of the night. With that win, he moved to 4-0, all by knockout, and looked like someone people should start paying attention to.
Then came one of the biggest fights of the night. Newark’s own Keith Colon fighting in front of his home crowd. As soon as he walked out, the energy in the building changed. People were on their feet, cheering before the fight even started.
Colon didn’t disappoint. His fight with Luis Almendarez was competitive, with both fighters landing solid shots. But in the end, Colon came through with a knockout, improving to 10-0 with 10 knockouts. The place erupted. After the fight, he stuck around to take pictures and talk to fans, which made the moment even bigger for the people there.
The action kept going with Erick Kedar Gainous, who added another knockout win to his record. By that point, the crowd was fully into every fight, reacting to every punch.
One of the most exciting fights of the night came from East Orange’s Emmanuel Chance. He faced Angel Munoz in a fast paced fight where both guys kept pushing the action. With Shakur Stevenson watching from commentary, Chance showed up and earned the decision win. Even though he got the victory, it felt like a fight that could easily happen again.
Not every fight ended clean. William Foster and Joshafat Ortiz were in a tough battle before an accidental headbutt caused both fighters to get cut. Foster made the decision to stop the fight, choosing not to risk it. Right after, things got heated between both teams, with coaches arguing near the ring. It was one of those moments that reminded you how emotional the sport can get.
As the night went on, the fights got even bigger. Francisco Daniel Veron picked up a strong win over Raul Garcia in the co-main event, staying in control for most of the fight.
In the main event, Hebert Conceição had to fight through some real pressure against Johan Garcia. At one point, he got knocked down, and it looked like the fight might turn. But he stayed calm, got back up, and finished strong to earn the win. It was one of the toughest performances of the night.
By the end of the night, fans had seen a little bit of everything. Some fights were clean, some were messy, and some left people debating, but that’s part of boxing.
What stood out the most was the energy. The crowd stayed loud, the fighters gave it everything, and Newark felt like a real fight city again.
If this night proved anything, it’s that boxing in Brick City is alive and well. And if they keep putting on shows like this, people are going to keep showing up.
