Tucson, Arizona — August just got hotter. The summer may be winding down but boxing is in full force, with Desert Diamond Casino and Golden Boy Promotions offering another night of quality live entertainment. On Friday, August 25th, Southern Arizona will be treated to a line-up of some of the best fighters in the world, including a main event pitting Ishe Smith against Gilbert Venegas, plus a special non-televised main event which features Nogales’s own David “The Destroyer” Lopez..
To top it off, world champion and boxing legend Bernard Hopkins, along with “Sugar” Shane Mosley, will be making a special guest appearance at the fights. Tickets are on sale now and range from $25 to $100 in advance. They can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 520-321-1000, by contacting the Desert Diamond Casino Box Office, or by visiting desertdiamondcasino.com. The first fight will begin at a new special time of 4:30 P.M.; doors open at 4:00 P.M. Portions of the night will be televised on TeleFutura.
The first main event features welterweights Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (17-1 7 KOs) and Gilbert Venegas (9-3-2 6 KOs). Smith, best known nationally for his appearance on NBC’s The Contender, dominated the amateur field and has since done the same as a pro, including his fateful match-up against Randall Bailey where Smith left with three titles to his name. Great Lake country’s Venegas is one of the area’s hottest new stars, known for his toughness and power. With two great competitors it’s only a matter of time for both to be named world champions.
The co-main fight pits Mexican vs. Mexican for ten grueling rounds. Jose Alonso (31-10-2 5 KOs) from Navojoa, SO, and Martin Honorio (21-3-1 12 KOs) coming out of Mexico City, will leave it all in the ring when they face-off. Honorio, ranked sixth by the WBC, recently impressed crowds when he took Steven Luevano apart in November of last year. But Honorio will be put to the test when he faces Alonso, whose resume includes multiple title fights.
David “The Destroyer” Lopez (26-13 16 KOs) is making his way back to the Diamond Center to fight in the special 10-round main middleweight event. He’s coming off an explosive performance in Fort Worth, TX where he upset Epifanio Mendoza and took home the NABF Middleweight Title. Ranked ninth by the NABO, Lopez has recently announced his re-signing with his promotional company, Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. His opponent is Sergio Rios (18-5 16 KOs). Rios is trained by a former world champion and first opened his career with a seventeen-run slaughter.
Also fighting is The Next Great Champ winner and Desert Diamond Casino veteran, Otis Griffin (13-1-2 5 KOs). Brooklyn’s Leon Green, a 2006 New York Golden Glove champion, will be making Southern Arizona his venue for his break-out pro debut. Other fighters on the undercard include Francisco Palacios (8-0 4 KOs) and Gregorio Torres (2-0 2 KOs).
Treena Parvello, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, commented, “The amount of talent we have coming August 25th is incredible. With three ten-round, headlining bouts, the Diamond Center is guaranteed to go crazy. Not only is David Lopez coming back, but we’ll also be welcoming Ishe Smith and Gilbert Venegas, two amazing fighters. In addition, Desert Diamond Casino is pleased to have boxing superstars Bernard Hopkins and “Sugar” Shane Mosley on hand for what will surely be an action packed night of boxing.”
Desert Diamond Casino, with locations on Nogales Highway minutes from the Tucson International Airport and just off of I-19 on Pima Mine Road, and the Golden Ha:san in Why, Arizona are enterprises of the Tohono O’odham Nation. Further information can be found at http://www.desertdiamondcasino.com/ or by calling 866-DDC-WINS.