"MONDAY NIGHT FIGHTS" ON HBOPPV OPENS AT THE STATEHOUSE CONVENTION CENTER LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS MARCH 31

JERMAIN TAYLOR FACING TOUGHEST FOE IN BRIAN BARBOSA

18.03 - - Last week was a rough one for DiBella Entertainment. Preparing for the inaugural broadcast of "Monday Night Fights" on March 31, the New York company suddenly found itself without a co-featured bout and a site when lightweight contender Victoriano Sosa pulled out of his bout with Angel Manfredy.

Enter Jermain Taylor, the 2000 Olympian and middleweight prospect who will be facing Brian Barbosa on "Monday Night Fights".

"I heard that the show was in trouble, but I also knew that Little Rock would step up and support a quality show like this, so I suggested to Lou that he move the show to my hometown," said Taylor.

DiBella agreed, and just like Taylor predicted, Little Rock, Arkansas was more than happy to bring big time boxing back to the state - the
Statehouse Convention Center to be exact.

"I can think of no better place to kick off "Monday Night Fights" than in Little Rock," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "This is a town of true boxing fans and I can guarantee that they will see competitive, evenly matched fights on March 31."

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

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), putting his crown on the line against former World champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson (40-3, 27 KOs). Other bouts include a lightweight clash featuring Angel Manfredy (40-6-1, 29 KOs), and a heavyweight battle between Derek Bryant (16-0, 14 KOs) and Eric Kirkland (14-1, 10 KOs).

The bout between Taylor (14-0, 10 KOs) and Barbosa (29-6, 21 KOs) is one of the most eagerly anticipated middleweight matchups of the year. It pits a rising star in Taylor against his toughest foe to date, the hard-hitting Barbosa, who knows that a victory over Taylor will put him squarely in the 160-pound title picture. This is Taylor's second pro appearance in his hometown. In August of 2001, "Bad Intentions" stopped Efrain Garcia in five rounds at the Alltel Arena.

Tickets for "Monday Night Fights", priced at $180 (VIP Ringside, limited number available), $110 (Ringside), $80 (Floor), and $45 (General Admission), go on sale Tuesday, March 18, and are available at Celebrity Attractions or by calling Ticketmaster at 501-975-7575, or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.