Irvington boxers Jean Pierre Valencia, Ghandi Romain set for fights at Prudential Center
Photo by David Algranati/TheFightPhotos
IRVINGTON, N.J. — Two of Irvington’s best professional boxers will take the big stage on Saturday, Feb. 1 when Jean Pierre Valencia and Ghandi Romain compete in separate bouts at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Valencia (3-0, 2 KOs) will face Dmitry Noskov (0-1) in a four-round junior middleweight bout, while Romain (6-1-1, 4 KOs) will face Benjamin Lamptey (17-14-4, 13 KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout. Both fights will take place on the undercard of “Winter Warfare,” which is promoted by PrimeTime Promotions and will be headlined by the ten-round heavyweight fight between Damian Knyba and Andrzej Wawrzyk.
Valencia last fought at Prudential Center in October, scoring a first round knockout of Cody Jenkins. The 25-year-old has remained busy since turning pro last June, winning a unanimous decision over DePriest Johnson in December. He says he wants to show the improvements he has made since turning pro following a standout amateur career, where he earned a bronze medal at the 2023 National Golden Gloves.
“I don’t feel like I’m the same boxer I was six months ago. I have improved a lot since I last fought at the Prudential Center. Now I’m back to show more of myself,” said Valencia, a native of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
His opponent, 31-year-old Dmitry Noskov, is by far the most experienced of his career. Noskov, who is from Ufa, Russia but based in Brooklyn, was a national silver medalist who holds a victory over former amateur world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Gleb Bakshi.
Romain will be making his first appearance at Prudential Center as well. The 27-year-old, who was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is looking to win his second straight since being held to a controversial draw against the undefeated Nimal Farmer last October in a fight many felt he won. Romain won N.J. Golden Gloves and Diamond Gloves titles in 2017 and is looking forward to taking the next big step in his career.
“I feel very grateful to be fighting at the Prudential Center. It’s the biggest stage yet so I’m just looking to put on a spectacular performance in front of my hometown fans. I expect a good fight; I’m not sleeping on my opponent,” said Romain.
The rest of the undercard will feature some of the best upcoming talent from around the New Jersey and New York area and beyond, including former IBF bantamweight and WBO junior bantamweight world champion Miyo Yoshida (17-5) against Beata Dudek (5-5, 4 KOs), plus Fiodor Czerkaszyn (25-1, 15 KOs), Elise Soto (7-0, 7 KOs), Christopher Houston (1-0), Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson (14-2, 8 KOs), John Vallejo (5-0, 2 KOs), Michal Soczynski (8-0, 5 KOs), Mateusz Bereznicki (1-0, 1 KO) and more.
Tickets can be bought online at Ticketmaster or by calling Valencia’s manager Chris Murphy at 973-723-7036. Doors open at 6 p.m. with first bout scheduled for 6:30 p.m.