DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT FOURSOME ENDS 2016 WITH IMPRESSIVE VICTORIES

New York, NY (12/13/16) – Over the last two weeks, four fighters on DiBella Entertainment’s (DBE) roster have registered impressive victories to end the year. On Saturday, December 10, Ivan Baranchyk and Billel Dib entertained the crowd at Buffalo Run Casino, in Miami, OK, with thrilling battles. Featherweight Ryan Kielczweski and junior lightweight Tevin Farmer each dazzled their hometown fans with dominant outings, on Saturday in Quincy, Mass., and in Philadelphia on December 2, respectively. All four are poised to secure breakout opportunities in 2017.

Making his fourth straight appearance at Buffalo Run Casino, where he has built a strong local following, undefeated junior welterweight contender Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk outpointed Wilberth Lopez, of Tucson, AZ, over 10 rounds. Born in Russia, raised in Belarus and now living and training in Brooklyn, NY, the 23-year-old Baranchyk pressed the action, landing power shots throughout. Though, the tough Lopez proved to have a sturdy chin. In the third, a counter by Lopez caught Baranchyk off balance and sent him to the deck momentarily, but he got up quickly and continued to employ his game plan. Baranchyk’s high-level offense dominated the remainder of the bout, hurting Lopez at times, but never sending him off his feet. The judges tallied 98-91 twice, and 97-92, all for Baranchyk, now 13-0 (10 KOs), via unanimous decision. Lopez dropped to 15-7 (10 KOs).

In his previous contest, Baranchyk seized the USBA 140lb. title on September 23, with a 10-round unanimous decision over Chinese amateur standout Wang Zhimin. It was Baranchyk’s third appearance on SHOWTIME’s “ShoBox: The New Generation” series. His other two ShoBox bouts lasted a combined two minutes and 49 seconds, having scored highlight reel first-round knockouts over Shadi Shawareb (9-0-2) last December and Nicholas Givhan (16-0-1) in March.

Co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Fight Promotions Inc., and Holden Productions’ Four State Franchise, Baranchyk is currently ranked no. 12 by the IBF. Before turning pro in June 2014, Baranchyk culminated his amateur career with a 120-18 record. He won gold at the 2010 Class A Vilnuse tournament, 2011 and 2013 Match Event tournament, 2011 Kostukovichi International tournament, 2011 and 2012 Soligorsk Open International tournament, 2012 Class A Liventsev tournament, 2013 Active Military tournament, 2013 Republic of Belarus Open Cup, 2014 Vitebsk University tournament in Belarus, and was an amateur champion of Belarus from 2009-2014.

In his second US appearance this year, world-ranked Australian junior lightweight contender Billel Dib, of Sydney, New South Wales, vied against Colombian former world title challenger Carlos Padilla on the undercard at Buffalo Run and outboxed him over eight rounds. Dib was the busier fighter and landed the harder shots. He also had to deal with persistent holding from Padilla, who was warned numerous times. Scorecards read 78-74 twice, and 77-75, all for Dib via unanimous decision. Padilla’s record fell to 16-5-1 (10 KOs). Dib has now won 12 in a row since his only defeat in 2012; a loss he avenged via eighth-round stoppage in a rematch. A pro since 2011, Dib has won the Australian and interim WBO Oriental junior lightweight titles, and is also the cousin of former IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib. Rated no. 5 by the WBO and no. 12 by the WBA, Dib, now 21-1 (10 KOs), is highly motivated to prove he belongs with the junior lightweight division’s elite.

Fighting in his hometown of Quincy, Mass., for the first time in two years, featherweight contender Ryan “Polish Prince” Kielczweski (26-2, 8 KOs) scored an impressive first-round stoppage over Mexico’s Francisco Medel, held at Marina Bay SportsPlex on Saturday. Following an aggressive start, Kielczweski blocked a right hook from Medel then countered with a right uppercut upstairs and left hook to the body to drop his foe. With Medel on the canvas in no condition to continue, the bout was halted at the 0:55 mark. Kielczweski was a two-time New England Golden Gloves champion as an amateur, finishing with a 118-26 record. A pro since 2008, the 27-year-old Kielczweski has been featured on ESPN four times thus far, including wins over 11-0 Miguel Soto and 12-1 Ramsey Luna. Heading into Saturday’s fight, Kielczweski was coming off of a close 10-round decision defeat to 20-0 Miguel Flores in a thrilling, action-packed ESPN main event in August. Now trained by Steve Maze and reunited with former amateur coach Jimmy Gifford, Kielczweski is determined to work his way back into contender status and title contention in 2017.

On Friday, December 2, junior lightweight contender Tevin Farmer fought at home in Philadelphia for the second time this year, in a 10-round main event at the 2300 Arena, facing DBE stablemate Dardan Zenunaj, an Albanian born in Kosovo and now living in Los Angeles. The bout was very competitive early on, with Zenunaj applying pressure and throwing in combination whenever he had Farmer against the ropes. Farmer remained composed, searching for countering opportunities. He particularly hurt Zenunaj with body shots in the third frame. As Farmer’s punch output increased, landing combinations with great accuracy, Zenunaj’s activity diminished. Farmer also displayed excellent defensive maneuvers on the inside avoiding much of the leather thrown his way. Despite staging a brief comeback in round nine, Zenunaj would come up short on the scorecards. Defending his NABF 130lb. belt for the first time, Farmer was awarded a unanimous decision with tallies of 99-91 twice, and 98-82. Earning his 17^th straight victory, and fourth of 2016, Farmer upped his record to 24-4-1 (5 KOs), while Zenunaj fell to 12-3 (9 KOs). Ranked #3 by the WBC, #7 by the IBF, and #10 by the WBO, Farmer, a great, great nephew of legendary lightweight champion Joe Gans, is on the cusp of a world title opportunity.