Rising Star Daniel Jacobs Added to May 2nd Mega Fight After Scoring an Impressive 2nd Round Knockout Saturday Night
LOS ANGELES (April 27, 2009) – Rising middleweight star and one of boxing’s hottest prospects, Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs, has been added to the much anticipated May 2nd pay-per-view undercard of Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton: “The Battle of East and West” at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The highly touted prospect will be featured in the third of four pay-per-view undercard bouts against former two-time world amateur champion Mike Walker.
After an impressive second round knockout victory over Jose Varela this past weekend on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, which garnered a SportsCenter Top Ten (#6) for all of Friday’s sports action, Jacobs quickly accepted the opportunity to fight on back-to-back weekends and showcase his talents for the soldout May 2nd crowd while also appearing on live television around the world.
“I’m very excited that I have the opportunity to fight again this week,” said Jacobs. “I’m in shape and coming off a big knockout win, so I’m ready for the fight with Walker. It’s an honor for me to get this type of exposure on the undercard of the year’s biggest card. I promise that no one will be disappointed with my performance on May 2nd.”
“Daniel Jacobs is one of the most impressive young fighters I have seen and we are extremely happy to have him on the May 2nd undercard,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “He is young, hungry and showing early signs being a championship caliber fighter. Fans already have a great line up with the May 2nd pay-per-view, but the addition of Daniel Jacobs makes this card even more exciting.”
Brooklyn native Daniel Jacobs, (15-0, 14 KO’s) is arguably the most exciting prospect climbing the ranks in boxing today. He has impressed the boxing world with his speed and his sensational knockout power, ending 12 of his 15 professional bouts in two rounds or less. The former Two-Time National Golden Gloves Champion and U.S. Amateur Champion turned pro in December of 2007 and has not skipped a beat since.
Mike Walker (19-1-2, 12 KO’s) from Chicago, returns to the ring after defeating two-time world title challenger Antwun Echols on October 3, 2008 in an 8 round bout. Walker was originally scheduled to fight highly rated junior middleweight contender James Kirkland who was forced to withdraw from the bout.
The rest of the pay-per-view undercard features World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Featherweight Champion Humberto Soto of Mexico who will defend his title against Canadian contender Benoit Gaudet, former two-time world amateur champion and Russian Olympian Matt Korobov facing Rodrigo Aguiar of Las Vegas in a middleweight bout and former world amateur champion, Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara against Chris Gray of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in a junior middleweight bout.
Pacquiao vs. Hatton “The Battle of East and West,” presented by Rockstar Energy Drink and promoted by Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, in association with MP Promotions and Hatton Promotions, is a 12-round bout for Hatton’s IBO and Ring Magazine World Junior Welterweight titles. The fight is also sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines. Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, TI, Monte Carlo, Circus Circus, Luxor and New York-New York will host closed circuit viewing and tickets are available for purchase and are priced at $50, not including handling fees. All seats are general admission and are now on sale at each individual property’s box office outlets or by phone with a major credit card at (866) 799-7711. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
The Pacquiao vs. Hatton pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 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 Pacquiao vs. Hatton fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.
HBO Sports’ all-access reality series “PACQUIAO/HATTON 24/7” will premiere episode #4 in HD on Friday, May 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Episodes #1, 2 & 3 will be replayed consecutively prior to the finale, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO on Friday night. The first three episodes are also available on HBO ON DEMAND.