Fight:1913536

In the Broadway Boxing main event of an eight bout card at BB King Blues Club in Manhattan promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Former WBC World Featherweight champion Elio Rojas returned to the ring after 16 months inactivity at a heavier 137 pounds and won every round against muscular looking Robert Osiobe, his first win in almost three years.

Rojas spent the bout landing one jab or power shot, then ducking Osiobe's wild misses. Osiobe resorted to rough wrestling with strange contortions, losing a point for excessive holding from referee Arthur Mercante Jr. after repeated warnings, and being told to stop hitting behind the head or risk disqualification. Nonetheless there were frequent moments of good sportsmanship between both fighters and the referee. Osiobe stuck to his strategy of wrestling and holding Rojas all night for all eight rounds. For his part, Rojas, now 25-2, 14 knockouts, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, simply smiled throughout the contest and kept nailing Osiobe, 14-10-4, six knockouts, Las Vegas, Nevada, with single shots, and then outmaneuvering him as the bout went around in circles and knots, the ring not getting cut off.

Osiobe, a stubborn bald pint-sized version of Philadelphia's Bennie Briscoe, stood in front of Rojas and had his chin pounded on all night-but wouldn't go. This forced the ring rusty Rojas-who maintained a sense of humor the entire contest-to settle for an ugly shutout decision.

In the post fight interview, an unmarked Rojas, talking in Spanish, graciously thanked his new promoter Lou DiBella for giving him 'la oportunidad' to fight for DiBella Entertainment.

Celebrities in attendance ringside included HBO commentator Harold Lederman, former world champions Iran Barkley, Paul Malignaggi and Junior Jones, middleweight contender Curtis Stevens, Heather Hardy, and boxing promoters Felipe Gomez and Kevin Sullivan.

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