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(MAY 13) Minneapolis, MN - Team Freedom Promotions and Target Center in
Minneapolis, Minnesota announced yesterday that on Friday, June 24, two
world-class fighters from completely different backgrounds, MATT “THE
PREDATOR” VANDA and LUIS RAMON “YORY BOY” CAMPAS, will put their futures
on the line in a classic 12 round match for the IBA Americas Junior
Middleweight Title.
The Main Event
MATT VANDA (33-1, 21 KO’s) has been a star in the Twin Cities area since
the beginning of his career, but now looks to challenge the world’s best
in his division. When asked about the importance of this fight Vanda
stated “It’s kind of a defining moment for me. I have to be able to beat
this guy to move on. I gotta beat this guy to go on because if I lose,
I’m going to have to hang it up and look for something else”.
Matt “The Predator” Vanda, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, won his
first 31 fights before being upset by Armando Velardez in August in a
fight televised nationally by SHOWTIME. Since that loss, Vanda has won
his last two fights against Patrick Thompson and Troy Lowry and is
currently ranked #8 in the world by the WBO.
“YORY BOY” CAMPAS (86-7, 70 KO’s) has always fought the best in a long
and illustrious career dating back to 1986 when he turned pro right
before his 16th birthday. Yory Boy challenged for his first World Title
in 1994 when he was stopped by Felix Trinidad. Campas knocked Trinidad
down and almost out in the second round of that fight. After knocking
out Tony Ayala Jr. in July of 2000 and winning 5 straight fights, Yory
Boy challenged Daniel Santos in March of 2002 for the vacant WBO Junior
Middleweight Title. In a very competitive fight, Campas was stopped in
the 11th round.
Yory Boy’s most recent major fight was in May of 2003 when he lost to
Oscar Dela Hoya in seven grueling rounds. Since the Dela Hoya fight,
Campas has won 6 of his last 7 and is the reigning IBA Americas Junior
Middleweight Champion. Typical of the heart and passion of all the great
Mexican Champions, Yory Boy Campas has agreed to put his Title on the
line against Vanda in front of The Predator’s hometown fans.
The Under Card
The under card at “The Battle for Pride” will feature a very intriguing
10 round fight between local Minnesota star TROY LOWRY (24-5, 14 KO’s)
and undefeated Columbian star RICHARD GUTIERREZ (18-0, 11 KO’s).
Former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion of the World SANTIAGO SAMANIEGO
(36-8-1, 29 KO’s) who is the first cousin of Roberto Duran will also be
on the card, as well as former Heavyweight Title Challenger and current
Heavyweight Contender MICHAEL GRANT (40-3, 31 KO’s).
Inside The Ropes
In addition, the event will feature a dinner party on the Target Center
floor in honor of legendary boxing great and two time World Champion
ROBERTO DURAN. The celebration commemorates the 25th anniversary of
Duran’s winning the WBC Welterweight Championship of the World from the
great Sugar Ray Leonard. Roberto Duran will be at Target Center on June
24 to celebrate ringside with the fans and reminisce about all the
exciting nights he provided boxing fans around the world.
Duran who will always be remembered as the greatest Lightweight Champion
of all time, is identified by his classic battles when he moved up in
weight to beat Sugar Ray Leonard, Davey Moore and Iran Barkley while
winning World Titles in 5 different weight classes. Roberto Duran is
truly a legend and one of the greatest if not the greatest fighter in
history. Among all the great Latin World Champions, Duran has no equal.
TONY OLIVA will also be honored at the event. Oliva won 3 batting titles
while starring for the Minnesota Twins from 1962 to 1976 with a lifetime
batting average of .304. Oliva is one of the greatest hitters of modern
times. But for injuries that cut his career short, Tony Oliva would be a
unanimous choice for the Hall of Fame. Oliva has always been a special
fan of boxing and of Roberto Duran, and is excited to share this special
evening with him at Target Center.
“The Battle for Pride” will be televised live on PAY PER VIEW
distributed through IN DEMAND and DIRECT TV at a suggested retail price
of $19.95.
Event Ticket Information
Tickets for “The Battle for Pride” are priced at $50 and $25 and go on
sale tomorrow (Friday, May 13) at 10:00 a.m. at the Target Center Box
Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
http://www.ticketmaster.com
or charge by phone at 651-989-5151. |
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