Mary Casamassa vs Adriana Dos Santos Araujo in battle of IBF Top 5's- Brawl at the Hall II in Pittsburgh November 15th 

The recent surge of female boxing will once again spark interest in the steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 15th.  

 

Gionta Management will host a night of professional boxing at the Local 449 Steamfitters Hall in Harmony, Pennsylvania (20 minutes north of Pittsburgh) featuring two ranked female boxers in the main event.

 

Mary Casamassa (5-0, 1 KO) headlines for the second time this year against Brazil’s Adriana Dos Santos Araujo (6-2, 1 KO) in an 8-round W.I.B.A. 160-lb title fight. 

 

Having defeated Canadian Olivia Gerula this past March, Casamassa captured the W.I.B.A 168-lb belt en route to a 10-round unanimous decision.  

 

Now rated #4 by the IBF and Ring Magazine at 168, Casamassa will move down to a more natural 160 lb frame where she hopes to campaign moving forward.  

 

Promoter Derek Gionta feels the move to middleweight is the right one for Casamassa.

 

"Mary walks around well under 168 lbs, closer to 160.  So this will be a smooth transition for her," said Gionta. 

 

"We will not close the door on potential fights at 168, but this is the plan for the foreseeable future."

 

In Pittsburgh’s first-ever female title fight, Casamassa boxed well against the former world champion, Gerula. It was certainly a test and a strong step up in competition.  

 

Araujo, ranked #5 by the IBF and #4 by Ring Magazine at 160 lbs, will make her United States debut and present another test for the local product. 

 

Araujo recently dropped a close decision to IBF #2 contender at 168, Melinda Watpool, in Canada.  

 

"This is a huge fight between two world-rated female boxers in the top 5," said Gionta. 

 

"This will be another historic night of boxing in Pittsburgh." 

 

Popular Pittsburgh featherweight Danny Bodish (1-0) will look to follow up his professional debut victory in a four-rounder against Rafael Saenz (0-2) of Detroit. 

 

Pittsburgh Junior middleweight Paul Palombo (7-0) will look to extend his undefeated record in a six round fight against Jacksonville’s Christopher Puryear (3-2). Palombo has gradually stepped up in competition since turning professional in September of 2021.  

 

Light heavyweight Leemont Johnson (6-2, 4 KOs) will face Columbus, Ohio’s Brian Holstein (13-10-2, 7 KOs) in a scheduled four-rounder. 

 

Virginia’s Rigoberto Cepeda (0-2) will meet Youngstown, Ohio’s Julius Thomas (1-2) at 147 lbs in a four-rounder. 

 

"We had a great show at this venue in March and hope to continue with a nice lineup of fights on November 15th," said Gionta.