[NEF PRESS RELEASE]
Portland, Maine (August 11, 2023) – New England Fights and Boston Boxing Promotions present “NEF 54: A Fight at the Opera” on Saturday, September 2, 2023, at Merrill Auditorium in Portland. A full pro boxing card will take place beginning at 5 pm immediately followed by a full MMA card. Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of an amateur MMA middleweight championship bout to the card. Brett Martin (3-0) will face Lee McHugh (5-2) for the vacant 185-pound title.
Undefeated Brett Martin will appear in the NEF cage for the third time in the fight against McHugh. He previously won his amateur debut over Justin Philbrook (1-3) at “NEF 45” and followed up that performance with a first round finish of Brandon Oldenburg at “NEF 49” last September. It will be nearly a year since McHugh competed in the cage. He currently represents First Class MMA based in Brunswick, Maine.
“I'm really excited for this matchup,” stated Martin. “I saw Lee fight at a card for CombatFC in an absolute banger a little over a year ago. He's well-rounded and has a ton of experience, a great test. I'm hoping to give the crowd a five-round war from two guys ready to put it all out there every second of the fight.”
Lee “Capt’n Caveman” McHugh will make his NEF debut on the September 2nd card, but he has been a regular on Northeast regional fight cards since 2021. He has also competed in kickboxing and is an accomplished grappler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Last year, McHugh captured a regional middleweight title on a fight card in New York. His most recent trip to the cage saw him stop Morgan Dean (2-2) in the first round at an event in Connecticut earlier this year. McHugh represents Team Savage.
"Caveman sick of chicken and beef, hungry for a Maine lobster,” exclaimed McHugh.
“NEF 54: A Fight at the Opera” takes place on Saturday, September 2, 2023, at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. A professional boxing card will be presented first by Boston Boxing Promotions immediately followed by an MMA card by New England Fights. Doors are scheduled to open at 4 pm with first fight taking place at 5 pm. Tickets to “NEF 54” are available now at www.porttix.com.