By Ricardo Ibarra
Mike Gavronski (24-2-1, 15 KOs) will face Andrew Hernandez (19-7-1, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBA-NABA Super Middleweight championship in the main event of Battle at the Boat 113 on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash.
Gavronski, who recently signed a multi-year promotional contract with Brian Halquist Productions, is currently ranked No. 5 by the WBA-NABA, No. 5 by the IBF-USBA, and No. 2 by the NABF. He brings a four-fight winning streak into the title bout, defeating veteran Brian Vera by TKO in his most recent appearance on Sept. 9.
“Mike has earned this title fight,” said promoter Brian Halquist. “He has had a spectacular year and has now positioned himself to make some noise in the super middleweight division. A win here guarantees him a world top 10 ranking in the World Boxing Association. It brings him one step closer to fighting for a world championship.”
Gavronski, a two-time Tacoma Golden Gloves champion as an amateur, made his professional debut at the Emerald Queen Casino on Jan. 9, 2010, winning by TKO. He is 11-1 all-time fighting in his hometown of Tacoma. Over the last year he’s defeated previously unbeaten Australia champion Jake Carr, knockout specialist Thomas Awimbono, who brought an 18-fight winning streak into their fight, and highly-regarded Quinton Rankin.
Hernandez, a former WBC United States Middleweight champion, opened 2017 with three consecutive victories, including a win over Sijuola Ade Shabazz for the vacant WBA-NABA USA Middleweight title. This will mark Hernandez’s second time fighting at the Emerald Queen Casino. He defeated onetime contender Dionisio Miranda in Tacoma on March 26, 2016 after Miranda failed to answer the bell following the seventh round.
The main event will be one of six fights on the card, which will also feature a semi-main event between Andre Keys (4-1-0, KO) and Sean Gee (4-6-0) and a battle of unbeaten 169-pounders in Fatlum Zhuta (4-0-1, 3 KOs) and Kian Heidari (1-0-1).
Tickets are available through the EQC box office and all Ticketmaster Outlets. Preliminary bouts will start at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Battle at the Boat 113 is brought to you by Brian Halquist Productions. For more information, please visit www.halquistproductions.com and the Battle at the Boat Facebook page.