DANNY HUFFMAN FACES BATTLE TESTED BAUE, TONY LEE AND RONDALE HUBBERT FINALLY MEET TONIGHT IN DULUTH
Tonight marks pro boxing’s return to Duluth, MN as Jungle Boy Boxing presents The 9th Annual Jack O’brian Invitational which goes down at The Garden in Duluth. Headlining the card will be Duluth fan favorite Danny “Lionhearted” Huffman (7-2-1, 1 KO) who takes on 36 year old road warrior Brandon “The Business” Baue (17-30, 10 KO’s) in a six round jr. middleweight bout.
The co-featured bout sees two popular former Minnesota state champions collide as Tony “2Sharp” Lee (11-2-1, 3 KO’s) of Saint Paul, MN and Rondale “Give Em Hell” Hubbert now residing in Duluth (14-25-3, 8 KO’s), battle over six rounds of action in the super lightweight division.
Local fighters Jesse Wannemacher and debuting Tyler Nystrom have agreed to give fans another bout to cheer for after each had opponents fall out in the days leading up to tonight’s event. The two will meet in a four round exhibition.
Tickets for the 9th annual Jack O’Brien Boxing Invitational are $40 and can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Jungle Gym in Duluth. The Garden (formerly Grandma’s Sports Garden), which has been home to 11 prior boxing cards over the years featuring greats such as Zach Walters, Andy Kolle, Matt Vanda, Al Sands and many more is located at 425 Lake Avenue South, Duluth, MN 55802. There are still many hotel options available for fans hoping to make the trip from around the state. The Garden doors open at 6 PM with the first bout kicking off at 7 PM.
25 year old Danny Huffman last boxed in his “back-yard” in 2019 where he won a majority decision over Jake Henriksen. Huffman, a 2018 Golden Glove Champion, had the rare opportunity to headline the show in which he made his professional debut in front of his hometown in a packed and rowdy Decc Event Center in 2018. That is an opportunity most boxers dream of and it goes to show the level of support that he has. That special atmosphere will be present tonight when Huffman steps through the ropes for his 11th pro bout.
” I am very excited to return to The Garden in Canal Park” Huffman told Minnesotaboxing.com. “There is no greater feeling than fighting at home in front of a huge crowd. The ticket sales have been off the chart. I’m expecting my biggest draw yet. I’ve fought at The Garden as an amateur and also have as a pro. I love it and to get a chance to fight in the main event in front of my hometown on a stacked Duluth fighter’s card is going to be awesome.”
” My opponent Brandon Baue is an experienced veteran and makes a living traveling with one goal in mind, hometown upsets. With that being said I’ve probably been in the best state of my life within my fight life and family life. I look forward to again putting on a show in front of my hometown and ultimately show a dominating performance.”
Danny Huffman
Brandon Baue brings a no-fear attitude to every fight which includes standing opposite MN boxers Antonio Woods, Celso Ramirez, and Cerresso Fort over his 13 years as a pro. Baue says that he particularly enjoyed the 2012 bout against Fort which took place in Saint Paul, a bout that the primed Fort won by unanimous decision in the midst of his best years in the ring. Baue, a 2 times Golden Glove and Missouri state champion as an amateur, has faced prospect after prospect as a pro. He says that coming here to box a hometown favorite is nothing new and looks forward to trading punches with Huffman.
“Fort was a really tough opponent” said Baue looking back. “We went 8 rounds and I had some fun in that fight. I had him down early in the fight but ran out of gas. I’ve always taken boxing seriously, that was a short notice fight but I would always show up. To take fights out of town has always been exciting to me. As an amateur, I had 90 fights, I’ve won 2 golden Glove titles and was a Missouri state championship. As an amateur I felt boxing was more business. Nowadays I have a different perspective, boxing keeps me young and it’s held me from a back surgery. I was told I would never box again. Boxing is all I’ve ever known, I’ve been doing it since I was 11 years old. I understand why boxing never gave up on me. Wins are always great but that’s not why I do this.”
“I have fought a lot of big names, and as you can see I’ve never shied away from boxing. Every fight I’ve learned a little something, built a lot of experience and been in with a couple world champions. Danny’s record looks good on paper and it’s pretty obvious the difference in experience. Come fight night, I’m not the one with anything to loose here. This will be a great fight I look forward to this fight with Danny.”
Brandon Baue
It will be a showdown of former Minnesota state champions as Rondale Hubbert and Tony Lee face off in a bout that both have wished for since turning pro. It is a fight of local importance and one that both men see as an opportunity to cement their place in a long history of all Minnesota match-ups for bragging rights.
Hubbert has been the far more active of the two and believes that along with what he believes was a top training camp will be the difference. Hubbert won the Minnesota state state super lightweight title in 2014 against Duluth’s RJ Laase. The fight was a classic with both boxers bringing the best out of each other. It was a highlight fight in Hubberts career as he went on to mix together some nice wins together with tough road losses against top prospects, mostly on short notice. Since the Laase fight, Hubbert holds wins over both Jeremy McLaurin and Markus Morris. Cornering Hubbert will be John Hoffman, Jaques Davis, and Zach Walters.
Hubbert backs down from no challenge and now, returns home in what could be the most important fight of his career.
“It’s not just me being excited to fight Tony, It’s me being excited to fight at home in front of my family, friends and fans again” said Hubbert. “It’s been years since I fought in Minnesota. Tony is a tough, skilled boxer with a good record. I watched him fight before I ever had my first amateur fight and was very impressed.”
“This fight is big because he’s taken some time off and is trying to come back and show people he’s still got it. Where in my case, I’ve been busy fighting nothing but unbeaten fighters but continue to fall short. I feel a win over Tony Lee will show that I still got it. I’m just looking forward to giving people a great Minnesota match up. Expect fireworks March 10th. I’m definitely bringing that old Rondale Giveum Hell Hubbert back!”
Rondale Hubbert
Coming out of the amateurs and stepping into the professional ring in 2009, Tony Lee was one of Minnesota’s best prospects at a time the state was loaded top to bottom with talent. A 3 time Golden Gloves champion, Lee’s grudge matches versus Jeremy McLaurin in 2013 saw both boxers shine with Lee earning the MN state lightweight title in the process. Lee followed up with great performances against slick boxer Willshaun Boxley and Robbie Cannon in 2014.
Boxing took a backseat for Lee from there, fighting sporadically and losing to Markus Morris in 2017 in a bout Lee says without taking anything away from Morris that he was not mentally all there for. Lee has since gotten his life back on track, finding inspiration to compete again through his children, wife, famly, religion, and has been training hard for years for the opportunity to regain the spotlight boxing once shined on him so brightly. Cornering Lee will be John Johnson, Otis Gage, and Lenny McQuen.
“Rondale Hubbert is someone to take seriously” said Lee bluntly. “He has accumulated a lot of experience in the past few years taking fights in other boxers hometowns and hasn’t fought any recent “bums”. I feel as though it will be an exciting fight because we are both fighting in our home state and that alone makes any fight more exciting given both fighters have statements to make.”
“Fans should expect to see a fresh, sharp, crisp, explosive, Tony Lee.”
Tony Lee
“I am really excited about bringing a pro boxing card back to Duluth. Danny Huffman has been a major draw in Duluth and continues to get better every fight. He has a tough fight ahead of him vs veteran boxer Brandon Baue”
“The Tony Lee and Rondale Hubbard Fight is a really exciting fight. Both of them are former MN State Champs and have given Minnesota fans some great fights throughout their career. This is a great fight for the fans and I know they are both looking forward to squaring off. “
Promoter Zach Walters
