NEW YORK, May 23 –WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Israel “El Magnifico” Vazquez begins his 2006 campaign with a title defense against former world champion Ivan “Choco” Hernandez as he heads up the televised undercard of the highly-anticipated clash between Antonio “The Magic Man” Tarver and Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins June 10 light heavyweight title fight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey..
Rounding out the onscreen action, as it was announced today by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions, will be Hector Camacho Jr. who returns to the ring in a battle for the vacant NABF junior middleweight title against highly regarded Andrey Tsurkan and rising super lightweight star Jorge Paez Jr. who opens the telecast against Travis Hartman. “Fight To The Finish” is presented by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions and Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, and will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9pm (ET) / 6pm (PT).
The pride of Mexico City, Israel “El Magnifico”Vazquez (39-3, 28 KOs) landed on a score of ‘Fighter of The Year’ ballots last year for a 2005 that saw him defend his IBF title against Armando Guerrero and then add the WBC and The Ring belts for his three round annihilation of rival Oscar Larios. He came up the hard way in the fight game and was never truly appreciated by the boxing world until his 2002 rematch with Oscar Larios, in which Larios evened the score between the two Mexican rivals with a 12 th round TKO (Vazquez won their first fight via first round knockout). After three comeback wins following the loss to Larios, Vazquez won his first world title in March of 2004 by stopping Jose Luis Valbuena in 12 rounds.
The 28-year-old Vazquez defended his crown twice before his December 2005 rubber match with Larios, in which ‘El Magnifico’ left no doubts as he stopped his game foe in just three rounds with a performance that has put him on many boxing insiders’ pound for pound lists.
Ivan “Choco” Hernandez (22-1-1, 13 KOs) is no stranger to the top of the boxing world, having won the WBO super flyweight title in September of 2004 with a stunning eighth round knockout of future hall of famer Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson. After a non-title decision win, Hernandez would lose his title in his first defense to two-division champion Fernando Montiel in April of 2005, but with a move up in weight and impressive wins over Cesar Morales and Roberto Leyva, “Choco” is ready to get back on top in the super bantamweight division.
Blessed with the speed and savvy that is a family trademark, Hector Camacho Jr. (41-1-1, 23 KOs) knows that a win over Andrey Tsurkan on June 10th will move him one step closer to a world title shot. Still just 27 years old, the native of San Juan, Puerto Rico is riding a nine fight unbeaten streak since his only pro loss to Omar Weis in 2002, and “Machito” is excited about the opportunity to show the world that he’s ready for his closeup.
Hailing from the Bronx, New York by way of the Ukraine, Andrey Tsurkan (24-2, 14 KOs) is a hard-nosed competitor with sneaky punching power to disrupt any opponent’s fight plan. A former WBC Youth champion, and two-time candidate for “fight of the year,” Tsurkan has won his last two fights by knockout and would like nothing better than to make Camacho Jr. number three on national pay-per-view television.
Son of the flashy former world champion, Jorge Paez Jr. (8-0, 7 KOs) is doing a pretty good job of carving out his own identity in the fight world due to an unblemished record that has seen seven of his eight victories end by way of knockout. An accomplished amateur who scored 80 wins before turning pro in 2005, the 18-year-old from Mexicali decisioned previously unbeaten Lowell Brownfield on May 6th and is looking to add another victim to his record on June 10 th in the form of St. Joseph, Missouri’s Travis Hartman (7-3-1, 5 KOs), a 22-year-old who has won his last two bouts.
Tickets for the Tarver vs. Hopkins “Fight To The Finish” are priced at $750, $600, $400, $200, $100 and $50, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations by calling 800-736-1420 or at www.ticketmaster.com .
The Tarver vs. Hopkins “Fight To The Finish” pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT on June 10, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to over 56 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. Tarver vs. Hopkins daily updates can be found during fight week at www.HBO.com.