TACOMA, Wash. – With 15 years under its belt, featuring world title fights, televised events, and plenty of knockouts, Battle at the Boat has continued to add to its legacy over the past five years.

The longest-running tribal casino boxing series in the United States, Battle at Boat will celebrate its 20th anniversary on June 3 with its 111th edition at the Emerald Queen Casino. This is the final of a four-part series which highlights the history of the series. Parts one, two, and three can be found on halquistproductions.com.

“It’s really hard to imagine that we have a 20-year history,” promoter Brian Halquist said. “Our video library is stocked full of world champions and classic fights. We have been very fortunate. I guess now we can start looking towards our next 20 years.”

Undefeated Joel Diaz Jr. kicked off 2012 by defeating Emmanuel Lucero in a Battle at the Boat main event by fifth-round TKO. Lucero previously challenged Manny Pacquiao for the IBF Super Bantamweight title. Diaz Jr. has since moved his record to 23-0 with 19 KOs while becoming a top contender in the super lightweight division.

On March 23, 2013, former WBA NABA flyweight champion Zahir Raheem fought the first of four times at the Emerald Queen Casino, defeating Santos Pakau by second-round TKO in his Tacoma debut. Raheem would go a perfect 4-0 at the venue, capped by his victory over Bayan Jargal in a bout for the vacant NABO super lightweight title on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. It was Raheem’s final fight as he ended his career with a record of 35-3.

A year later, Stivens Bujaj (12-0) captured the WBC United States cruiserweight championship by knocking out Victor Barragan in the seventh round of their Battle at the Boat main event.

Former IBF super featherweight titlist Steve Forbes joined the long list of world champions who have fought at Battle at the Boat on June 7, 2014 when he lost to Emmanuel Lartei Lartey by unanimous decision.

Mike Gavronski, one of the most popular fighters in the history of Battle at Boat, fought in his first Emerald Queen main event on Nov. 15, 2014 when he defeated Gerardo Ibarra (14-1) by unanimous decision.

Gavronski would fight in eight more Battle at the Boat main events, including defeating Dashon Johnson on Jan. 9, 2015.

“Very few boxers can rival Mike’s popularity at Battle at the Boat,” Halquist said. “And it’s more than just the fact that he’s from Tacoma. They cheer him because of what he does in that ring. They know when they buy their ticket, Mike is going to put on a show for them no matter who he is fighting. It’s been like that whether he’s the opening bout, which he started out as here, or in the main event.”

Gavronski, a native of Tacoma, will appear in a Battle at the Boat main event for the ninth time in his career when the long-standing boxing series celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, June 3 with Battle at the Boat 111.

Gavronski (22-2-1, 14 KOs) will face Quinton Rankin (12-3-2, 9 KOs) in a light heavyweight clash.

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 111 will feature the VIP experience with 3rd Row Seats being discounted to $75 per ticket. All fans seated in in the VIP section (rows 1-3) will have an exclusive access point and a dedicated server to help create a true VIP experience.

Battle at the Boat 111 is brought to you by Brian Halquist Productions. For more information, please visit www.halquistproductions.com and the Battle at the Boat Facebook page.

Battle at the Boat 111 Card
Saturday, June 3, 2017

10 Round Main Event – 173 pounds
Mike Gavronski (22-2-1, 14 KOs) vs. Quinton Rankin (12-3-2, 9 KOs)

5 Round Semi-Main Events
170 pounds: Tommy Turner (4-7-0, 3 KOs) vs. Issac Tadeo (8-0-0, 4 KOs)
147 pounds: Andres Reyes (6-2-1, KO) vs. Will Hughes (5-5-0, 3 KOs)

4 Round Undercard Bouts
177 pounds: Richard Vansiclen (3-0-0, 2 KOs) vs. Justin Milani (1-4-0)
152 pounds: Jesse Barich (0-1-0) vs. Quinten Wyland (debut)
140 pounds: Niko McFarland (0-3-0) vs. Shae Green (debut)

ABOUT BRIAN HALQUIST
Brian Halquist Productions is the Northwest premiere fight promotion company creator of the famed "Battle at the Boat" boxing series promoting more than 19 years and over 100 fights at the Emerald Queen Casino. BHP has also built the largest professional MMA series on the USA’s west coast with “CageSport MMA” nearing more than 50 fights. Brian Halquist Productions has promoted events for ESPN, ShowTime and HBO and featured on Showtime's historic boxing event in St Lucia, West Indies. Brian Halquist Productions has been promoting fights and concerts for over 30 years in the Pacific Northwest.