On October 5, New Haveners Nate Green (9-0, 2 KOs) and Josh Crespo (7-5-3, 3 KOs) will face-off in an eight-round rematch on the highly anticipated third installment of Mohegan Sun’s Rising Stars Boxing Series. The local rivals initially faced off in 2011 at Mohegan Sun, with Green defeating Crespo in a four-round unanimous decision.
The first fight between Green, 28, and Crespo was Green’s professional debut. Since then, the Brooklyn-born southpaw has amassed nine straight victories with two of those wins coming by way of knockout. In his most recent fight, he travelled to Ponce, Puerto Rico and came back from a second-round knockdown to upset Emanuel Rivera in hostile territory. Aside from his win in Puerto Rico and a short ride to Queens, all of the New Haven’s local’s fights took place in Connecticut, where he has been amassing quite a fan base. This will be Nate’s fourth time fighting at Mohegan Sun.
Crespo, also 28, has fought his entire professional career in the Northeast, including five fights at Mohegan Sun. He made his Rising Stars debut on the inaugural event of the series in November of last year with a stellar first round KO over Jesus Gonzales from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
When asked about the fight Green stated, “The day he beat me is not on one of these calendars!! If you want to succeed, believe it!! Greatness at ground level.”
Since their initial fight in 2011, Crespo has been eager to avenge his first career loss. Despite some losses on his record, Crespo has been a more active fighter than Green over the last few years. Crespo may also have a size advantage this time around: their first fight was at 119 lbs, but the rematch will take place at 123 lbs. Crespo added, “When the sun rises in Africa, whether it’s a gazelle or a lion, they both know what they got to do to make it to another sunrise: either I out run the lion or eat the gazelle, but my objective is to win the next sunrise no matter what position or what opposition.”
Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said, “Both of these guys are from New Haven and have been fighting in Connecticut, building up their fan bases for years. This local grudge match is the kind of fight their supporters want to see! We’re often unable to make this kind of fight because the boxers are friends or work in the same gym. So it’s refreshing to have two fighters from the same area agree to face each other. Everyone at Mohegan Sun on October 5 is definitely going to get their money’s worth! It will be a great Thursday night for boxing fans in Connecticut.”
About October 5: The Mohegan Sun’s Rising Stars Boxing Series hosts its third installment with a rare Thursday Night edition at the Arena at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Main Event features a ten-round middleweight match-up between Rising Stars’ staple Vaughn Alexander and former middleweight title contender Elvin Ayala. The series is presented by Mohegan Sun and Main Events and feature boxing prospects from New England and around the world. Tickets start at $40 and are available now through Ticketmaster and the Mohegan Sun box office.