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Casamayor
Defends World Lightweight Championship Against Former Two-Division
LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2008 – Mexico celebrated its independence from Spain
on the historic date of September 16, 1810 and over the years, this day has
grown to become a special day of celebration, especially in the world of
sports and entertainment. This year, the boxing world will celebrate
Mexico’s Independence Day when reigning Ring Magazine World Lightweight
Champion Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor meets former two-division World
Champion Juan Manuel Marquez Saturday, Sept. 13 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas,
Nev. in a 12-round championship bout that celebrates the best of the sweet
science and two of its greatest practitioners.
In professional boxing, this day or the celebrated weekend has always been
home to the largest boxing events in the history of the sport. Some of the
most memorable Mexican Independence Day fights were: Sept. 18, 1998 when the
“Golden Boy” Oscar de la Hoya faced Mexican icon, Julio Caesar Chavez; Sept.
18, 1999 when the “Golden Boy” faced Puerto Rico’s Felix “Tito” Trinidad;
and Sept. 14, 2002 when De La Hoya faced Fernando “Ferocious” Vargas.
Casamayor vs. Marquez, a 12-round bout for Casamayor’s Ring Magazine World
Lightweight Championship, will headline a night of world-class professional
boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Romanza Boxing
and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Cazadores Tequila. The world title bout
will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be
produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6
p.m. PT.
“I’m very excited for this great fight and I’m happy that Golden Boy gave me
this opportunity,” said Casamayor. “It is going to be a war between two
legends but one of us will be finished after this and I know I’m going to
retire Juan Manuel Marquez on September 13.”
Marquez commented, “This is the most important fight of my life because I’m
putting my career on the line to go up in weight to fight Joel. He is the
best at 135 and a very dangerous fighter. It’s a huge fight for me and I’m
very excited to fight in front of all of my loyal fans in Las Vegas on
Mexican Independence Day weekend.”
De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, said, “This match-up
continues the great tradition in boxing to hold championship bouts on
Mexican Independence Day weekend. When Joel Casamayor, a legendary Cuban
fighter and an Olympic Gold Medalist, meets a very dangerous two-division
World Champion and future hall of famer in Juan Manuel Marquez, the fans
will get their money’s worth of skill, heart and action. This fight is an
exciting way to kick off the Fall boxing season and there is no doubt that
this will be one of the best fights of 2008 as both fighters are looking to
win after coming off dramatic battles.”
Richard Sturm, president of Sports and Entertainment of MGM MIRAGE, said,
“The fans in the Grand Garden Arena will be treated to a sensational event.
We look forward to celebrating Mexican Independence Day weekend with Golden
Boy Promotions and HBO Pay-Per-View.”
HBO PPV's Mark Taffet said, “Casamayor-Marquez is a marquee matchup in a
division that continues to turn out one great fight after another. It's the
kind of 'best vs. best' battle that boxing fans love.”
The greatest Cuban fighter of the last 30 years, 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist
and current Ring Magazine Lightweight World Champion Casamayor (36-3-1, 22
KOs) has unquestionably stamped himself as a future Hall of Famer with world
titles in two weight classes, along with a resume that many experts believe
should contain no losses. Owner of wins over Nate Campbell, Diego Corrales
(twice) and Roberto Garcia, Casamayor’s only defeats have come via highly
disputed decisions against Acelino Freitas, Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo,
fights most believe “El Cepillo” deserved to win. In his last fight in March
though, Casamayor refused to leave things in the hands of the judges and
knocked out the previously unbeaten Australian warrior Michael Katsidis in
the 10th round.
A wizard of the ring who mixes technical prowess with a warrior’s heart and
a willingness to go to war, Marquez (48-4-1, 35 KOs) already has secured his
legacy as one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all-time. However, he is
not satisfied – thus his pursuit of a world title in a third weight class. A
former Featherweight and Super Featherweight World Champion, Marquez has
fought the best of this era including Manny Pacquiao (twice), Marco Antonio
Barrera, Rocky Juarez and Manuel Medina. With his only loss in the last two
years being a controversial split decision at the hands of Pacquiao in their
classic rematch in March, it is clear that like a fine wine, the 34-year-old
Marquez is getting better with age.
The Casamayor vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6
p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be
available to 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available
in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the
leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For
Casamayor vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com. |
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