(Tucson, Arizona) — The boxing tradition continues in Southern Arizona as Desert Diamond Casino and Golden Boy Promotions host the first fight night for 2007 on February 9th at the famed Diamond Center. It will be a full-fledged show, complete with former world champion Rocky Juarez headlining the main event and a special guest appearance by Winky Wright. Aired on TeleFutura, the doors will open at 4:30 P.M. with the first bout ringing in at 5:30 P.M. Tickets, which are on sale now, range from $25 to $100 in advance.. Tickets can be purchased at any Ticketmaster location, by calling 520-321-1000, contacting the Desert Diamond Casino Box Office, or by visiting www.desertdiamondcasino.com.
The 10-round main event features Houston’s Rocky Juarez (25-3 18 KOs) and Emmanuel “El Carnicero” Lucero (23-3-1 14 KOs) out of Bronx, NY. As a former world champion and Olympic silver medalist, Juarez has dominated the amateur and the professional ranks, including his triumph over Zahir Rahemm in 2004. More recently, Juarez took on Marco Antonio Barrera twice, showing his valor as he stood toe-to-toe with the legendary Barrera. Lucero, no slouch himself, is known for his methodical tearing down of his opponents, eliciting a slow, painful, torture. Honored as a two-time New York Golden Gloves Champion, “El Carnicero” has taken home his share of pro titles as well, most recently being named the IBF Latino Featherweight champion.
The co-main event, a 10-round jr. featherweight bout, will put Mexican warrior Miguel “Mickey” Roman (19-0 13 KOs) face-to-face with the Dominican Republic’s Leivi Brea (16-3-3 8 KOs). 21-year-old Roman, ranked fourth by the NABO in the Super Bantamweight division, will risk his perfect record as he meets up with the more experienced Brea.
“Next Great Champ Winner” Otis “Triple O.G.” Griffin (15-1-2 5 KOs), is taking on the pride of the Dominican Republic, Aneudi “El Estudiante” Santos (12-5 9 KOs). Heavyweight Robert Woodin, fighting out of Tempe, Arizona, will make his first showing as a pro as he takes on New York’s Darrel Madison (1-1 1 KO).
Brooklyn’s Juan Dominguez will be making his debut against the more experienced Jamie Villa (4-1 2 KOs) in a jr. featherweight four-round fight. 19-year-old Gabriel “Rey” Martinez (12-0 7 KOs) will be featured in the six-round welterweight fight vs. Sonora’s Roberto “El Viejo” Valenzuela (38-28-2 34 KOs).
The four-round middleweight bout will feature Adan Leal (3-0 3 KOs) from Nogales, SON, MX and DeShaun Cohen (4-1) fighting out of Las Vegas, NV. Rounding out the card is Denver’s Joey Silva (4-0 2 KOs), who will take on Phoenix’s Jamie Gutierrez (1-0 1 KO) in a four-round super flyweight bout.
Treena Parvello, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, commented, “Desert Diamond Casino is continuing our great boxing tradition by starting off 2007 with another exciting fight night. With a former world champion and a string of future world champions, the event is sure to be unforgettable.”
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.