HILDALGO, TEXAS, October 31 – Two-time World Champion and Mexican superstar, Juan Manuel Marquez, is in search of yet another world title. Undefeated star, Demetrius Hopkins, looks to follow in the footsteps of his famous uncle, Bernard Hopkins, and put himself in position to capture his first world crown..
Come Saturday, November 25th, at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, TX, Marquez and the young Hopkins will face there destiny when Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, in association with Romanza Promotions, presents…”VALLEY OF LEGENDS”, an appropriately named, seven-bout, HBO Boxing After Dark event which begins at 7:00 pm
De La Hoya will be ringside along with boxing legend and Golden Boy Promotions partner, Bernard Hopkins. In addition, noted world champions Lennox Lewis, Jesse James Leija, Raul Marquez and Jesus Chavez will be in attendance when Marquez (45-3-1, Mexico City, MX) defends his coveted WBO World Featherweight title against Philippine champion, Jimrex Jaca (26-2-1, Cebu City, Philippines) in the main event.
Slated for the Semi-Main event is Demetrius Hopkins (24-0-1, Philadelphia, PA), currently the #5 World Rated super lightweight contender and USBA champion. Hopkins will face a yet to be named opponent in a 10-round contest.
Former 9-time Woman’s National Amateur champion and undefeated professional prospect, Vanessa Juarez (4-0, Fort Worth, TX), will be taking on Tonja Cravens (2-4-1, Albuquerque, NM) in a 6-round bantamweight contest.
Hopkins opponent as well as the remainder of the card is to be announced.
TICKETS GO ON SALE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH at the Dodge Arena Box Office and all Dodge Arena Outlets. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.dodgearena.com or by calling 1-866-RIO-TIXX. Tickets are priced at $200, $100, $75, $50, $35, $25, plus service charges.
While it has been almost three years since De La Hoya promoted and attended his first boxing event at the Dodge Arena, it was this past September 23rd when boxing fans flooded into the Dodge Arena to witness the first ever, HBO Boxing event in the Rio Grande Valley.
De La Hoya is all too happy to be returning to the Valley and bringing back HBO. “The fight fans in the Rio Grande Valley are some of the best in the world,” said De La Hoya.
“They have proven over and over again that they deserve the best in boxing. I’m excited to be coming back there (Dodge Arena) and being part of this great event on November 25th. I know it’s going to be a magic night at the Dodge Arena for everyone.”
One of boxing’s best, pound for pound, Marquez (45-3-1, 34 KOs) has thrilled fight fans for over 13 years with his pinpoint accuracy and fight ending power. Best remembered for his thrilling 12-round draw with Manny Pacquiao in 2004, Marquez is a former WBA and IBF featherweight champion with four successful defenses to his credit. In August, he added the WBO featherweight title to his resume when he stopped tough Terdsak Jandaeng in seven rounds.
Marquez was originally scheduled to face Jaca this past October 21st in El Paso. However, that fight had to be scrapped when Jaca had trouble resolving Visa problems. Those problems have been resolved and now Jaca is set to once again face off with the explosive Marquez in a fight De La Hoya believes will be a “barn burner” on Nov. 25.
“No question that Juan Manuel Marquez is one of the best lower weight division fighters in the world,” said De La Hoya of Marquez. “He (Marquez) is very sound technically, but also a very rugged fighter. If anyone knows this, it’s Manny Pacquiao. Remember, Marquez was knocked down three times in the first round of their fight, got up each time and then proceeded to pick Pacquiao apart for the remainder of their fight.”
De La Hoya warns that Marquez can’t take Jaca lightly. “I wouldn’t advise any fighter to take any fighter lightly, especially Jimrex Jaca,” De La Hoya pointed out. “He’s a strong, talented fighter with incredible will and determination. He’s going to be a difficult challenger for Marquez.”