WBA 154-pound champion Hanna "La Amazona Black" Gabriels (19-2-1, 11 KOs) returns home on Wednesday, July 17th to defend her title against Abril Vidal (8-0, 3 KOs) of Argentina. Gabriels vs. Vidal will be the first of three women's world title fights streamed live exclusively on UFC Fight Pass over the next six weeks, demonstrating the strong level of commitment that the streaming service has toward women's combat sports.
Gabriel's title defense held at the Gimnasio Nacional in San Juan, Costa Rica, will headline a four-bout international edition of DiBella Entertainment's Broadway Boxing live streaming exclusively on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.
"After the Vidal fight, I want to unify the titles at 154 pounds either against Ewa Piatkowska, who has the WBC belt, or Marie Eve Dicaire, who has the IBF belt. Then I want a rematch in the United States against Claressa Shields, but this time at 154 pounds, which is my natural weight."
On August 2nd, UFC Fight Pass will stream the WBC 130-pound title bout between champion Eva Wahlstrom and challenger Ronica Jeffrey from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, promoted by Roy Jones Jr. Promotions.
Commentating on the Gabriels-Vidal world title bout will be WBA 168-pound champion Alicia "The Empress" Napoleon-Espinosa, who also fights under the DBE banner. She will be defending her title on Thursday, August 29th, at Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, CT. No opponent announced yet.
"I'm thrilled that UFC Fight Pass is already showing its openness to showcasing world class women's boxing," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "Tomorrow night, Hanna Gabriels will kick off the first of three women's world championship main events to be streamed by UFC Fight Pass over the next six weeks. I'm excited about this Wednesday night's show at 8:00pm ET as well as the Broadway Boxing events that will follow on August 1 and August 29."
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Gabriel was also appointed by the United Nations Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as a "High Profile Collaborator" with the mission of working for people in need in Costa Rica.
With this appointment, Gabriels joined an important list of personalities that includes Angelina Jolie, Ben Stiller, Natalia Lafourcade and Juanes.
"This assignment from the United Nations Commission for Refugees is an incredible honor for me. These appointments are not given out lightly and it is of great importance to me. I truly believe we are all citizens of the world and I'm very proud to do my part in helping people in need," said Gabriels.
"When I fought in Nicaragua, I explained to the people there about wanting to bring all people together and to raise my voice for the over seventy million refugees around the world. I see what people around the world are going through and I want to be a voice to help them, to bring awareness to this issue."
Speaking about her fight on Wednesday night, Gabriels stated, "It's a privilege to fight at home in front of my family and friends. I get so much support fighting in Costa Rica. I know that Vidal is a skilled counterpuncher and very talented at fighting backward, however I believe my footwork and power will give her trouble. I've become a much better fighter just in the last two years."
