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PAST AND PRESENT CHAMPIONS, A
RISING STAR, AND A “CONTENDER” HIGHLIGHT BARRERA-MARQUEZ UNDERCARD
Las Vegas, February 15, 2007 – They come from vastly different places in
their lives and boxing careers, but Daniel Ponce De Leon, Gerry Penalosa,
Demetrius Hopkins and Steve Forbes all have one thing in common – the
desire to be the best, and the willingness to put everything on the line
to achieve that goal.
On Saturday, March 17, on the Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Juan Manuel
Marquez undercard at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, all four fighters
will look to move one step closer to their dream when they square off in
two intriguing bouts which will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Mexican powerpuncher Daniel Ponce De Leon will put his WBO super
bantamweight championship on the line against former world champion
Gerry Penalosa of the Philippines, and in a junior welterweight showdown
with major title implications, Demetrius Hopkins puts his unbeaten
record on the line against former world champion and a season two
finalist of ‘The Contender’, Steve Forbes.
One of boxing’s exciting young stars, thrill-a-minute WBO super
bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (30-1, 28 KOs) gets more
impressive with each victory. A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, the
26-year-old southpaw won his first world title October 29, 2005, when he
outpointed Thailand’s previously unbeaten Sod Looknongyangtoy in 12
rounds. After a second round knockout over Gerson Guerrero in his first
title defense, De Leon met Looknongyangtoy again last July, but this
time, the rapidly improving champion was in fearsome form as he knocked
his challenger out in only 52 seconds. In October 2006, De Leon made the
third defense of his crown with an eighth round blowout of Al Seeger.
Gerry Penalosa (51-5-2, 34 KOs), a seasoned southpaw from Manila with
close to 18 years as a pro to his name, has gone 5-0 with three
knockouts since his return to the ring in 2004 after a two-year layoff.
He is a former WBC super flyweight world champion with three defenses
under his belt who impressively stopped highly regarded contender
Mauricio Martinez in his last outing October 21, 2006. On March 17th,
Penalosa hopes to show young gun Daniel Ponce De Leon a few tricks en
route to gaining yet another world championship belt.
The nephew of middleweight legend Bernard Hopkins, Demetrius Hopkins has
worked tirelessly to create his own identity in the boxing world and has
passed with flying colors, compiling 25 wins (10 by knockout) with no
losses and a single technical draw. The current USBA junior welterweight
champion, “The Gladiator” was once seen as strictly a technician in the
ring, but with four of his last six wins coming by knockout over
top-notch competition, opponents now have to fear Hopkins’ power as
well. In his last fight, Hopkins, who is currently ranked No. 2 by the
IBF, scored a dominant 12-round decision over Rogelio Castaneda Jr. in
November 2006.
Steve “2 Pounds” Forbes (32-4, 9 KOs) turned pro in 1996 and has since
thrilled aficionados of the fight game with his stellar skill set and
boxing savvy. A native of Las Vegas, Forbes first burst on the world
scene in 2000, when he won the vacant IBF world lightweight title by
defeating John Brown. He would defend the title once before losing it on
the scales before a win over David Santos, and after tough title fight
defeats to Carlos Hernandez and Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai, he moved up to
140 pounds. Since 2004, he has won eight of nine fights, with the only
loss being a close 10-round split decision to the much bigger Grady
Brewer in the finale of ‘The Contender’. Now fighting fighters closer to
his size, Forbes is looking for big things in the junior welterweight
division.
“Fearless” - Barrera vs. Marquez, is a 12-round WBC Super Featherweight
Championship bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Romanza Boxing.
The Barrera vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6
p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $44.95, will be distributed by
HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 56 million
pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event
programming to the pay-per-view industry. For your daily Barrera vs.
Marquez fight week updates, log onto www.HBO.com. |
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