Joan Guzman, 25-0, 17 KO’sLOS ANGELES, CA (August 16, 2006)Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, took time today to officially announce, on a worldwide teleconference, the star-studded undercard that will support the highly anticipated championship rematch between Marco Antonio Barrera and Rocky Juarez on Saturday, September 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
“I couldn’t let the rest of the summer go by without talking about this amazing card we have on September 16,” said De La Hoya. “When we were putting this show together, we knew we had a great main event in the rematch between Barrera and Juarez, but we also aimed to make this a complete show for the fans that support this sport.”
The undercard will be headlined by a WBO world junior lightweight title fight between champion Jorge Rodrigo Barrios (46-2-1, 33 KOs) battling undefeated challenger Joan Guzman (25-0, 17 KOs), and a WBC world super bantamweight championship bout between champion Israel Vazquez (40-3, 29 KOs) and his challenger, WBO bantamweight king Jhonny Gonzalez (33-4, 28 KOs).
“We added not only one more title fight, but two of them, and both bouts—Barrios-Guzman and Gonzalez-Vazquez—could be main events in their own right,” continued the Golden Boy. “Champion after champion, champion against champion, the best fighting the best” continued De La Hoya. “This is how strong the card is and one that has the potential to produce three ‘Fight of The Year’ candidates.”
Among the main event and two co-features, four of the combatants—Barrera, Barrios, Vazquez and Gonzalez—are reigning champions and Guzman is a former champion who only relinquished his title after moving up in weight. In addition, the four undercard fighters are in the prime of their careers and represent the best and most popular fighters today in their respective latino-based countries.
Barrios, who hails from Argentina is considered the country’s #1 fighter and a significant win for him could open many doors, including a move up in weight to revenge his loss to Brazil’s Acelino Freitas. For Joan Guzman, also recognized as the #1 fighter is his Dominican Republic homeland, a win would mean bigger fights and a dominant position in the junior lightweight division. The stakes are extremely high as the winner of the bout could potentially face the winner of the main event between Barrera and Juarez.
For Vazquez and Gonzalez, nothing could be more important than a win by a Mexican on Mexican Independence Day. Vazquez, who became the 100th Mexican champion with his first world title on March 25, 2004, is the Ring Magazine champion and also hailed by his countrymen as the heir apparent to the popularity throne of Marco Antonio Barrera. For Gonzalez, the bantamweight champion who is moving up in weight to face Vazquez, a victory on September 16, will make him the king of the ring and his popularity index meter will soar to new heights.
“I am extremely proud of Eric Gomez, our matchmaker, for pulling this show together when many doubted it could get done,” added De La Hoya. “I am sure all of boxing will be thankful afterwards for the tremendous night of action we are about to witness. This show is the true indicator of things to come from Golden Boy Promotions.”
Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, in association with Main Events, tickets—priced at $350, $250, $175, and $75—are on sale and available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office and will be sold at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (Tower Records/WOW!, Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Robinsons-May stores and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com .
The Barrera vs. Juarez II pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST, 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. Juarez II fight week updates, log onto www.HBO.com.
For more information on Golden Boy Promotions, please visit our website at www.goldenboypromotions.com.