Former New England welterweight champion Mike “Bad Man” Ohan Jr. (18-2, 9 KOs) will fight Harry “The Hitman” Gigliotti (9-4, 3 KOs) in a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout tomorrow, Friday, August 11th, in the main event, with the winner setting themselves up for a significant fight in the future.
“Training camp was great. I feel strong,” said Ohan, who has been training hard at EverybodyFights boxing gym in the Seaport (Boston), Massachusetts, with trainers Matt Ryan and Mark DeLuca (30-4, 18 KOs, as a professional fighter). “I have not had any layoffs, so the last couple of training camps have been building off each other, so I feel like I am in great shape. I cannot wait for Friday.”
Ohan versus Gigliotti will be outdoors at the renovated Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, Massachusetts. This is the first time a boxing fight has occurred in Quincy. Tickets to “Veterans Stadium Showcase,” promoted by Granite Chin Promotions, one of New England’s fastest-growing boxing promotional companies, can be purchased at Eventbrite.com. The main event and the eight undercard bouts will be streamed live on bxngtv.com.
The twenty-nine-year-old orthodox boxer from Holbrook, Massachusetts, has won two in a row (both by unanimous decision) since he lost a fifth-round technical knockout to undefeated 2020 United States Olympian Delante “Tiger” Johnson on ESPN+. Ohan’s loss to Johnson snapped his seven-fight winning streak.
“I only took positives out of that fight with Johnson. I felt I boxed well and touched him up with some shots, but he adapted to my style and ended the fight by pressuring me,” said Ohan. “I should have switched it up and started banging with him earlier, but that is something that I am working on with bringing a couple of different styles into the fight because you have to give your opponent different looks.”
Gigliotti won an eight-round unanimous decision in his last outing over Brandon Sandoval to obtain the vacant ABF Atlantic junior welterweight title, which will not be on the line for this fight. Gigliotti’s victory over Sandoval snapped a two-fight losing streak. One of those losses was a fifth-round technical knockout to Johnson, the only common opponent he has with Ohan. The twenty-eight-year-old from Haverhill, Massachusetts, beat one-loss Brandon Higgins and nearly won (lost a split decision) against undefeated Antonio Williams.
“I expect him to bring his A-game and cause me as many issues as possible. He is a tough fighter. He brings it all every time he fights,” said Ohan, who will be fighting in his eighth main event. “I am ready for it. I have trained hard for this fight, and I am ready for whatever he throws at me.”
Ohan obtained the vacant USA New England welterweight title against undefeated Ryan Dibartolomeo via an eight-round unanimous decision in 2020. He made one successful title defense, a fifth-round technical knockout over Tyrone Luckey (who, after their bout, knocked out previously unbeaten Eduardo Aguilar in two consecutive fights, and then the following year, he beat one-loss Wilfredo Pagan). After that bout, Ohan dropped to the junior welterweight division and has won five of his last six bouts.
“I want another significant fight against a Johnson-caliber boxer once I beat Gigliotti,” said Ohan. “I can do better in another big-time bout, especially with everything I took away from the Johnson bout.”
For more information about Ohan’s boxing career, upcoming fights, and his painting company, Ohan Painting, which he started in January of this year, friend him on Facebook at Mikeohan and follow his Instagram handle @mikeohanjr. To purchase tickets on his behalf, go to Eventbrite.com and use promo code: Ohan.
“I have a good opponent in front of me, and it will be a good test. I love a test. Friday is going to be a great night,” said Ohan. “I want to thank my fans for all the love and support they have given me throughout my career.”