LOS ANGELES, March 11 – Due to a severe hand sprain suffered during training camp, former featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera has been forced to withdraw from his March 19 bout against Ivan Alvarez.
“This is very disappointing for me and for all my fans,” said Barrera, whose left hand was injured while sparring. “I was having a great training camp, and I was ready to show the world that no one is going to stand in my way as I return to the top of the featherweight division.”
Dr. Horacio Ramirez Mercado, Chief Physician of the Mexico City Boxing Commission, examined Barrera, and after concluding that swelling on the hand would not go down sufficiently in time for the fight, he recommended to Team Barrera that they withdraw from the bout.
A full recovery is expected, and Barrera should be back in action by early summer.
Stepping in for his Golden Boy Promotions stablemate against Alvarez on March 19 – a bout which will be held at the legendary Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, and televised by Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” – will be a young man industry insiders are calling the new hope for Mexican boxing, unbeaten Daniel Ponce DeLeon.
Ponce DeLeon, a native of Cuauhtemoc, was a member of the 2000 Mexican Olympic team, and as a pro he is unbeaten in 17 bouts, with all of his victories coming by way of knockout. In his last bout, which was nationally televised on HBO Latino’s “Oscar De La Hoya Presents Boxeo De Oro” on February 26, 2004, Ponce-De Leon scored perhaps the most impressive win of his young career when he dismantled tough Cesar Figueroa in six rounds. Currently ranked by three major world sanctioning bodies, Ponce DeLeon has many believing that he is boxing’s next Mexican superstar.
His opponent, Monteria, Colombia’s Alvarez (19-12, 8 KOs), comes into the ring packing one of the most deceptive records in the sport. A two-time title challenger, the always tough Alvarez has faced the cream of the crop in his career, including world champions Oscar Larios, Johnny Tapia, Bones Adams, and Paulie Ayala. In his most recent fight he scored a lopsided ten round decision over another former world champion, Junior Jones.
In the “Solo Boxeo” main event, another rising Mexican star, the always exciting Juan “Polo” Valenzuela (19-6, 8 KOs), will battle the Dominican Republic’s Guillermo Valdes (12-1, 3 KOs) in a ten rounder.
Tickets priced from $150 to $20, are available at the Grand Olympic Auditorium box office, or by calling Golden Boy Promotions at 213-489-5631.
As a token of appreciation to all boxing fans who are attending the March 19 show and who may be disappointed that Marco Antonio Barrera will not be appearing, the former featherweight champ and Golden Boy Promotions will be giving away a coupon to every fan which is good for a free lower level $45 seat to the Opening Night of HBO Latino’s “Oscar De La Hoya Presents Boxeo De Oro” at the Grand Olympic Auditorium on March 25. This show will feature the IBF super bantamweight championship match between Israel Vazquez and Jose Luis Valbuena.