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Marquez
vs. Barrios Headlines "Firework"
LOS ANGELES (July 3, 2007) – Traditionally, July 4 is the day reserved
for explosive displays of festive fireworks. This year, however, Golden
Boy Promotions is reserving Saturday, September 15, the eve of Mexican
Independence Day, for a dazzling array of fireworks as they present four
main event caliber fights on the same show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
and broadcast live on pay-per-view. The evening will be headlined by the
WBC Super Featherweight Championship bout between Juan Manuel Marquez
and Jorge Barrios.
Also on tap is a middleweight showdown between former World Champion
Kassim ‘The Dream’ Ouma and ‘The Contender’ season one winner Sergio
‘The Latin Snake’ Mora as well as a super lightweight battle pitting
former Olympian Francisco ‘Panchito’ Bojado against former World
Champion and ‘The Contender’ season two runner-up Steve Forbes. A fourth
world class fight will round out the show and be announced in the near
future.
“Fireworks”, a night of world-class professional boxing, is presented by
Golden Boy Promotions in association with Romanza Productions and the
Tournament of Contenders and sponsored by Tecate, Rock Star Energy Drink
and Southwest Airlines.
“Mexican Independence Day always is a special date for fight fans and
I’m proud to bring four great battles to the fans,” said Oscar De La
Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “This is one of my favorite
days to fight, but this year I’m excited to show off some of the
greatest fighters under the Golden Boy Promotions banner. I think this
show will be one of the best events of the year and fans should not miss
the Fireworks.”
Tickets for this unforgettable night of boxing, priced at $300, $200,
$100 and $50, are on sale now at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office.
Tickets are sold at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (Smith’s Food
and Drug Centers, Macy’s stores and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone
with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000.
"Juan Manuel Marquez is one of the top fighters in the world today.
Marquez-Barrios figures to be a showcase event for boxing fans", said
HBOPPV's Mark Taffet. "And with the addition of Ouma-Mora and Bojado-Forbes,
September 15 should be a very exciting night of boxing."
Richard Sturm, president of Sports & Entertainment for MGM MIRAGE
agreed, "We look forward to celebrating Mexican Independence Day Weekend
with Golden Boy Promotions and HBO PPV. The energy Marquez and Barrios
will bring into the ring in September will create a most exciting
evening for the fans. We anticipate another successful championship
event."
Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez (47-3-1, 35 KO’s) captured his second
World Championship and launched himself back into the upper echelon of
the pound-for-pound list with a thrilling victory over the legendary
Marco Antonio Barrera this past March. Marquez, one of the best
technicians of this era, is also known for his warrior’s heart, which
led him to get up off the canvas three times in the first round and
battle to a 12-round draw against Manny Pacquiao in what received a
nomination for ‘Fight of the Year’ in 2004. Former World Lightweight
Champion Jorge Barrios (47-3-1, 34 KO’s) of Argentina, also is known for
a never say die attitude as evidenced by his 2003 war with Acelino
Freitas. Fresh off a third-round KO of Decho Bankluaygym in April,
Barrios is eager to once again wear the 130-pound crown.
Sergio Mora (19-0, 4 KO’s), of Los Angeles, has become a household name
since capturing ‘The Contender’ championship in the first season of the
popular reality series. Mora’s notoriety, coupled with his penchant for
throwing a high volume of punches, makes him a fighter that creates
exciting fights. However, when it comes to throwing a high volume of
punches, few fighters do it better than former World Champion Kassim
Ouma (25-3-1, 15 KO’s), who holds the Compubox record for the most
punches landed in a junior middleweight title fight with 502. Ouma, a
fighter who always comes forward when he fights, is well known for the
hardships he suffered early in his life having to fight in his native
Uganda’s civil war as a child soldier at the age of six. Given the
fighters’ styles, Ouma vs. Mora figures to be an action packed fight.
Francisco Bojado (17-2, 11 KO’s), of Los Angeles, another one of
boxing’s most promising talents, was thrust into the boxing spotlight
following his participation in the 2000 Olympics as a member of Team
Mexico. Considered a “can’t miss” prospect, he is currently on the
comeback trail following a split decision loss to highly experienced
former World Champion “Jesse” James Leija in what was only Bojado’s 18th
professional bout. With the eyes of the boxing world once again focused
on him, Bojado will have to prove himself against another experienced
former World Champion when he squares off against Steve Forbes (32-5, 9
KO’s), of Las Vegas. Forbes, like Mora, also is a well-known veteran of
‘The Contender’, taking second place in the series’ second season.
Forbes will look to show that he has the skill to recapture a world
championship in a true crossroads fight for both fighters.
The “Fireworks” pay-per-view telecast featuring Marquez vs. Barrios,
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 61 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading
supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. |
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