LAS VEGAS – With two consecutive knockout wins at 140 pounds, former lightweight title challenger Juan Lazcano is proving to be an even more dangerous fighter at junior welterweight. On Friday, Feb. 24, ‘The Hispanic Causin’ Panic’ looks to make it three-in-a-row when he battles steel-chinned Ben ‘Wonder’ Tackie in the main event of Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” telecast..
This war of wills, presented by Golden Boy Promotions, will be held in the South Pacific Ballroom at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the first bell sounding at 5:30 p.m. The Telefutura telecast will kick off at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST.
Tickets priced at $125, $75, and $25 are now on sale at the Mandalay Bay Theatre box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (Tower Record/WOW!, Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Robinsons-May stores and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call the Mandalay Bay box office at (702) 632-7580 or Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Lazcano (35-3-1, 27 KOs) has earned his reputation as one of the best fighters in the world with victories over the likes of Stevie Johnston, Wilfredo Vazquez, John John Molina and Jesse James Leija. In 2004, he fell short of winning the world lightweight title when Jose Luis Castillo outpointed him in a hard-fought battle. However, following a much-needed jump to 140 pounds, Lazcano roared back when he knocked out Marco Angel Perez in one round and Courtney Burton in nine.
Hailing from Accra, Ghana, the same city that produced fighters Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey, Tackie (27-5-1, 16 KOs) is one of the toughest fighters to lace up the gloves in the junior welterweight division. A rugged competitor, who has been in the ring with a who’s who of boxing at 140 pounds including Kostya Tszyu, Ricky Hatton, Sharmba Mitchell, Teddy Reid and Ray Oliveira, Tackie is unbeaten since a 2003 loss to current world champion Hatton. Tackie has never been stopped in 33 career bouts.
In the “Solo Boxeo” co-feature, unbeaten 2004 Mexican Olympian Abner Mares will compete in a super bantamweight bout against an opponent yet to be determined. One of boxing’s rising stars, Mares (7-0, 5 KOs) is eager to begin his 2006 campaign after an enormously successful 2005 which saw him win all seven of his bouts, including five by knockout. Displaying a solid punch and power in both hands, Mares won an eight-round decision over Yamin Mohammad in his last bout Dec. 16.
Additional undercard bouts will be announced in the near future.