Steve Forbes Faces Hot Youngster Silverio Ortiz On CKP Card April 26

23.04 - Former International Boxing Federation junior lightweight champion Steve Forbes of Las Vegas faces highly regarded 20-year-old Silverio Ortiz of Pueblo, Mexico, in the 10-round main event on the Cedric Kushner Promotions card Saturday, April 26, at the Stratosphere Hotel Casino & Tower in Las Vegas, Nev.

Also featured on the six-bout card are undefeated Las Vegas heavyweight David Defiagbon, veteran heavyweight Ray Austin of Cleveland and International Female Boxing Association minimumweight champion Vaia Zaganas of Las Vegas.

The card starts at 7 p.m. (Pacific) with gates to the Stratosphere's Outdoor Events Center opening at 6.

Tickets, priced at $30 for plaza or premium and $40 for ringside, are on sale daily from 10 a.m. to midnight at the Stratosphere ticket office, located on the second floor. Tickets also are available by calling 702-380-7711 daily from 10 a.m. to midnight and through tickets.com
Defiagbon meets Joe Lenhart of Cleveland and Austin faces an opponent to be determined in six-round fights while Zaganas takes on Hollie Dunaway of Fort Smith, Ark., in a four-round bout.
Also on the card is Willie Chapman of Ogden, Utah, against Jimmy Lester of San Francisco in a six-round heavyweight fight and Las Vegans Dennis Weaver and Alphonzo Davis in a
four-round heavyweight bout.

The 26-year-old Forbes has a record of 22-1 with six knockouts and was the IBF 130-pound champion during 2000 through last year.

Forbes won the title Dec. 3, 2000, in Miami, Fla., when he stopped John Brown in the eighth round to capture the vacant title. Forbes didn't lose his IBF junior lightweight championship in the ring, but on the scale. He failed to make weight prior to his defense against David Santos Aug. 8, 2002, and had to relinquish the title. But Forbes fought Santos anyway, and won a
12-round decision.

In his most recent outing on Jan. 3, in Norman, Okla., Forbes halted Ronnie Longakit in the fifth round.

Ortiz has a record of 13-2 with seven knockouts and is coming off a controversial technical split decision loss to former IBF featherweight champion Jorge Paez. That bout was stopped during the eighth round after Oriz knocked out Paez with what eventually was ruled an unintentional blow delivered while the referee was attempting to separate the fighters. The winner ultimately was determined by the judges' scoring through seven rounds, through which Paez took the split verdict.
The 32-year-old Defiagbon has a record of 18-0 with 11 knockouts. The 6-foot-5-inch Nigerian has stopped three of his past four foes and is coming off a decision over Ramon Hayes Sept. 29 in Lemoore, Calif.

The 32-year-old Lenhart has a record of 10-17-3 with four knockouts.

The 32-year-old Austin has a record of 17-3-2 with 13 knockouts.

Zaganas has a record of 8-1 with three knockouts and won the vacant IFBA minimumweight championship June 15, 2002, in Ignacio, Calif., by stopping Sarah Jones-Goodson in the eighth round.
Zaganas has won eight straight, two in the past 31 days, the most recent April 18 in Lemoore, Calif., when she beat Nina Ahlin.

Dunaway has a record of 1-1 with one knockout.

The 35-year-old Chapman has a record of 14-17-3 with four knockouts while the 34-year-old Lester has a mark of 6-12-2 with three knockouts.

The 34-year-old Weaver has a record of 7-2 with three knockouts while the 33-year-old Davis has a mark of 4-10-1 with two knockouts.