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Stevie
Johnston home again August 11 in Denver
LAS VEGAS (June 30, 2007) - Four-time world champion Stevie "Lil' But
Bad" Johnston returns home to fight Rolando Reyes on August 11 in the
12-round main event for the vacant IBO lightweight title, headlining
Punchout at the Pepsi Center "No Mercy," promoted by Silverhawk
Championship Boxing, at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
IBA lightweight title-holder Johnston (41-4-1, 18 KOs) won a unanimous
12-round decision on May 18 in Broomfield against Humberto Toledo in
Steve's first fight in his native Colorado in 6 1/2 years. Johnston, now
34, captured the WBC lightweight championship twice between 1997 and
2000, and had seven successful title defenses. Stevie has defeated five
major world champions -- Sharmba Mitchell, Jean Baptiste Mendy, Cesar
Bazan, James Page, and Alejandro Gonzalez - as well as 11 other major
world title challengers including Angel Manfredy and Saul Duran.
The last time Johnston fought in the Pepsi Center (September 17, 2000),
Stevie was originally declared the winner by majority decision against
WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo (41-4), but 30-minutes after
the decision had been announced, officials discovered a scoring error
resulting in a draw and Castillo retaining his title.
"I'm really excited about fighting in the Pepsi Center again," Johnston
said. "I'm not going to let what happened to me there the last time
happen again. We challenged all of the other lightweight champions to
unify the belts, but nothing happened, so we made this fight. I have to
forget about them, keep moving forward and hopefully some day one of
them will accept our challenge. Reyes is tough and he's coming to fight.
I'm going to have to be on my A game.
"It feels good to be fighting in Colorado. We had a good turnout the
last fight (in Broomfield) and that's why (Johnston's promoter)
Silverhawk Boxing is bringing me back to do it again. It's going to be a
real good show. (Silverhawk stablemate) Adrian Mora trains in Denver,
which is about an hour away from my training camp in Colorado Springs.
We'll work together again and that's been cool."
Reyes (28-4-2, 18 KOs) is the former NABO lightweight champion, stopping
Courtney Burton in the eighth round of their 2005 title fight, and
Rolando has also fought Castillo, losing a 12-round decision in 2006.
Present IBO champions include heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko, light
heavyweight Antonio Tarver and junior welterweight Ricky Hatton.
IBA & NBA light welterweight champion Adrian "Juanito" Mora (19-0-1, 11
KOs), fighting out of Thornton, takes on ex-NABA lightweight
title-holder Ricky Quiles (39-8-3, 8 KOs), who also was the NABO and WBF
light welterweight champion.
Also scheduled to fight on the card is former IBF light welterweight
title challenger Corey "Primetime" Johnson (34-3-2, 11 KOs) against past
NABF light middleweight champ J.C. Candelo (27-9-4, 18 KOs) in a super
middleweight match; Denver welterweight Donald Camarena (18-4, 9 KOs),
former WBC Continental Americas light welterweight king, meets Anthony
"The Matrix" Mora (15-1, 10 KOs), of Thornton (CO), in an intra-state
battle of bitter rivals; power-punching heavyweight Cedric "The Boz"
Boswell (24-1, 11 KOs) fights an opponent to be determined. At least one
other bout will be held. All bouts and fighters subject to change.
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