Las Vegas – Traditionally, July 4 is the day reserved for explosive displays of festive fireworks. This year, however, Golden Boy Promotions is reserving Saturday, September 15, the eve of Mexican Independence Day, for a dazzling array of fireworks as they present four main event caliber fights on the same show. The evening will be headlined by the WBC Super Featherweight Championship bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Jorge Barrios. All the action takes place from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on pay-per-view..
Also on tap is a middleweight showdown between former World Champion Kassim ‘The Dream’ Ouma and ‘The Contender’ season one winner Sergio ‘The Latin Snake’ Mora as well as a super lightweight battle pitting former Olympian Francisco ‘Panchito’ Bojado against former World Champion and ‘The Contender’ season two runner-up Steve Forbes. A fourth world class fight will round out the show and be announced in the near future.
“Mexican Independence Day always is a special date for fight fans and I’m proud to bring four great battles to the fans,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “This is one of my favorite days to fight, but this year I’m excited to show off some of the greatest fighters under the Golden Boy Promotions banner. I think this show will be one of the best events of the year and fans should not miss the Fireworks.”
“Juan Manuel Marquez is one of the top fighters in the world today. Marquez-Barrios figures to be a showcase event for boxing fans”, said HBOPPV’s Mark Taffet. “And with the addition of Ouma-Mora and Bojado-Forbes, September 15 should be a very exciting night of boxing.”
Richard Sturm, president of Sports & Entertainment for MGM MIRAGE agreed, “We look forward to celebrating Mexican Independence Day Weekend with Golden Boy Promotions and HBO PPV. The energy Marquez and Barrios will bring into the ring in September will create a most exciting evening for the fans. We anticipate another successful championship event.”
“Fireworks”, a night of world-class professional boxing, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Romanza Productions and the Tournament of Contenders and sponsored by Tecate, Rock Star Energy Drink and Southwest Airlines. For more information please visit www.goldenboypromotions.com.
Tickets for this unforgettable night of boxing, priced at $300, $200, $100 and $50, are on sale now at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office. Tickets are sold at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s stores and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez (47-3-1, 35 KO’s) captured his second World Championship and launched himself back into the upper echelon of the pound-for-pound list with a thrilling victory over the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera this past March. Marquez, one of the best technicians of this era, is also known for his warrior’s heart, which led him to get up off the canvas three times in the first round and battle to a 12-round draw against Manny Pacquiao in what received a nomination for ‘Fight of the Year’ in 2004. Former World Lightweight Champion Jorge Barrios (47-3-1, 34 KO’s) of Argentina, also is known for a never say die attitude as evidenced by his 2003 war with Acelino Freitas. Fresh off a third-round KO of Decho Bankluaygym in April, Barrios is eager to once again wear the 130-pound crown.
Sergio Mora (19-0, 4 KO’s), of Los Angeles, has become a household name since capturing ‘The Contender’ championship in the first season of the popular reality series. Mora’s notoriety, coupled with his penchant for throwing a high volume of punches, makes him a fighter that creates exciting fights. However, when it comes to throwing a high volume of punches, few fighters do it better than former World Champion Kassim Ouma (25-3-1, 15 KO’s), who holds the Compubox record for the most punches landed in a junior middleweight title fight with 502. Ouma, a fighter who always comes forward when he fights, is well known for the hardships he suffered early in his life having to fight in his native Uganda’s civil war as a child soldier at the age of six. Given the fighters’ styles, Ouma vs. Mora figures to be an action packed fight.
Francisco Bojado (17-2, 11 KO’s), of Los Angeles, another one of boxing’s most promising talents, was thrust into the boxing spotlight following his participation in the 2000 Olympics as a member of Team Mexico. Considered a “can’t miss” prospect, he is currently on the comeback trail following a split decision loss to highly experienced former World Champion “Jesse” James Leija in what was only Bojado’s 18th professional bout. With the eyes of the boxing world once again focused on him, Bojado will have to prove himself against another experienced former World Champion when he squares off against Steve Forbes (32-5, 9 KO’s), of Las Vegas. Forbes, like Mora, also is a well-known veteran of ‘The Contender’, taking second place in the series’ second season. Forbes will look to show that he has the skill to recapture a world championship in a true crossroads fight for both fighters.
The “Fireworks” pay-per-view telecast featuring Marquez vs. Barrios, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $44.95, will be distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 61 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For your Marquez vs. Barrios fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.