Boxing
"MONDAY NIGHT FIGHTS" FEATURING FOUR OUTSTANDING MATCHUPS DISTRIBUTED BY HBO PAY PER VIEW

06.03 - It's back. Boxing the way it should be - the way it was back in the Golden Age of the 1950's. No mismatches, no showcases - just evenly matched, high stakes battles where winning actually means something.

"Monday Night Fights" premieres on Monday, March 31, and will be distributed by the leader in television boxing, HBOPPV from the Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort in Chester, West Virginia. The Pay-Per-View broadcast begins at 8pm ET / 5pm PT and has a suggested retail price of $24.95.

"DiBella Entertainment is proud to promote Mountaineer's Monday Night Fights," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "The show features great talent in great match-ups for a reasonable price."

"Lou deserves credit for developing this new programming idea," said HBO Sports Senior Vice President Mark Taffet. "The receptivity of this Monday Night concept is evidenced by the fact that all major national distributors are carrying the March 31st event."

Headlining the inaugural broadcast of "Monday Night Fights" is a world junior bantamweight title fight featuring WBO champion Fernando Montiel (25-0-1, 19 KOs), one of the best fighters in the world under 126 pounds, putting his crown on the line against former World champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson (40-3, 27 KOs), perhaps the greatest US small man to ever lace up the gloves. Among the lighter weight classes, a matchup doesn't get any better than this.

But while many shows dip in quality past the main event, on March 31, the "Monday Night Fights" card just keeps getting better.

The 12 round semi-main event features two of the top 135-pounders in the world, as world title contenders Angel Manfredy (40-6-1, 29 KOs) and Victoriano Sosa (34-2-2, 25 KOs) battle for the opportunity to challenge IBF champion Paul Spadafora, with whom both men have unfinished business to settle. Manfredy holds victories over some of the toughest names in the sport, including Arturo Gatti, Ivan Robinson, and John Brown. Sosa, the cousin of Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa, has a mean power swing of his own in the ring, and had Spadafora on the deck twice before losing a close decision.

In a 10 round middleweight contest, 2000 Olympic Bronze Medallist and rising middleweight sensation Jermain Taylor (14-0, 10 KOs), one of the brightest prospects to come out of the Sydney Games, places his unbeaten record on the line against his toughest foe yet, when he squares off against power-punching Brian Barbosa (29-6, 21 KOs) in a bout guaranteed to provide fireworks. Taylor has gained rave notices from the boxing community for his poise in the ring, along with a stiff jab and concussive left hook. Barbosa, a former USBA middleweight champion, has some pop as well, and is coming off an impressive two round stoppage of Ronald Boddie in January.

Opening up "Monday Night Fights" on March 31 is an intriguing 10 round heavyweight matchup between two rising prospects, undefeated Derek Bryant (16-0, 14 KOs) and once-beaten Eric Kirkland (14-1, 10 KOs). Bryant has continued to improve since his 1998 debut, with victories over tough veterans Frankie Swindell, Jorge Luis Gonzales, and fellow prospect Robert Wiggins among his most impressive wins. Kirkland has done his part to live up to his "Stone Kold" nickname, sending 10 of his 14 opponents home early.

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