Great Fights Added to Hopkins-Hakkar & Tua-Rahman Undercard
20.03 – Big time boxing returns to Philadelphia on Saturday, March 29 at the First Union Spectrum with a big time undercard that includes some of the best latino fighters in the world today. WBA light flyweight champion Rosendo "El Bufalo" Alvarez who will defend his title against former WBA champion Beibis "Candela" Medoza in what will be the rubber match and truly a grudge performance for both boxers on the undercard of the spectacular night of championship boxing. In the featured event, undisputed World Middleweight Champion Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins makes his 16th world middleweight championship title defense against European middleweight champion and WBA No. 1 contender Mourade Hakkar; Following the main event when be an competitive heavyweight showdown between David Tua, the leading International Boxing Federation (IBF) contender, and former IBF/WBC Heavyweight Champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman in a 12-round IBF Heavyweight Championship Elimination.
Mendoza (28-1, 23 KOs) from Arbolete-Antoquia, Columbia won the title against Alvarez (31-2-1, 21 KOs) from Manague, Nicaragua in 2000 and Alvarez regained the crown in a hard-fought split decision battle the following year. A relentless attacker, Alvarez has beaten off his other former WBA world championship mandatory challenger in Pitchit Siriwat from Thailand who he stopped in the final round of a heated duel in Miami early in 2002. Mendoza has kept busy with a couple of victories trying to stay sharp for his all-out assault on the crown. This promises to be a "fight of the year" candidate with both of these skilled and willing warriors
Rounding out the card will be eight other bouts including a 12-round WBA light heavyweight elimination bout between former light heavyweight champion Lou Del Valle the No. 3 contender from Long Island, NY and former FEDALATIN champion and current No. 6 contender Manny Siaca, Jr.
Del Valle (31-3-1, 21 KOs), won the WBA light heavyweight championship with an eighth round TKO on September 20, 1997 against Eddy Smulders. In his next bout, Del Valle knocked down current heavyweight champion Roy Jones, Jr. in a light heavyweight unification bout before losing a twelve-round decision. Del Valle is coming off two back-to-back WBA championship fights against Bruno Girard, the first ended in a draw and the most recent a controversial loss on a split decision.
Siaca (16-4, 15 KOs) from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, began his professional career with thirteen knockouts in his first fifteen fights. Since then he has had three world title shots in the past three years. In his first world championship fight, Siaca, like Del Valle, lost a controversial split decision to Bruno Girard. In his most recent world title fight, Siaca again lost a split decision, this time in a rematch against Byron Mitchell. Siaca followed that disappointing decision up with a stoppage (TKO2) in his last bout against Jose Cruz-Rivas to get right back into title contention.
In addition Philly's own Mitchell twins-Aaron "Homicide" Mitchell (20-1-1, 15KOs) and Eric "Murder" Mitchelle (15-3-1, 6KOs)-will fight respective tough foes in former IBA champion Tim Schocks from Seattle, WA (23-13-3, 14KOs) and Alejandro "Nacho" Berrio, the reigning WBO LA and Fecarbox Champion from Cartagena, Columbia (17-2, 17KOs). Also on the show fight fans will see Philly's undefeated cruiserweight Steve Cunningham (12-0, 8KOs) against Detroit's Demetrius Jenkins (21-8-1, 16KOs); Undefeated Washingtonian and 2000 Olympic Bronze medallist Clarence Vinson (11-0, 5KOs) and New York's favorite son-originally from Haifa, Israel-Yuri Foreman.
