16.07.08 – Oscar de la Hoya – President of Golden Boy Promotions – “September 16 is always a special weekend for Mexican fighters, fans and the public watching at home. It started with the days of Julio Cesar Chavez and then I fought seven times on this weekend during my career..”
“Now we have a great show and we expect these fighters to give us that same kind of action and excitement. There is an extra pressure to perform on this weekend but it will be memorable and historic for both guys.”
“For Juan Manuel Marquez, there is an extra pressure that you want to prove you are the best and for him being the Mexican fighter. I know he is going to come out strong and show he is tough like Chavez did, like I did when we fought on these weekends.”
“As for Joel Casamayor, his fight with Michael Katsidis is a candidate for Fight of the Year. He showed power, speed. Throughout his career people saw him boxing and now he is sitting down more, planting his feet and throwing a lot more punches and being very aggressive.”
Juan Manuel Marquez – Former Two Time World Champion – “This is a dangerous and very difficult fight for me. I will prepare very hard for this important date.”
“Joel is a good boxer, fighter and a champion.
“This fight at 135 pounds will be difficult for me, but not impossible. I want victory for my country and my people.”
Joel Casamayor – Current Ring Magazine World Lightweight Champion – “Juan Manuel is a great champion and I want to thank him for the opportunity to fight him. But, there will only be one winner on September 13th and its going to be me.”
“I respect Juan Manuel and also his trainer, Nacho Beristain, a lot, and I know it will be a great fight on September 13th.”
Tony Walker – Director of Affiliate Relations of HBOPPV & HBO Sports: “Golden Boy is bringing us elite fighters, some of the best fighters in the world. It is going to be a great show on September 13th.”
Bob Halloran – Vice President of Sports of MGM/MIRAGE – “We are proud to have great fighters and great partners with Golden Boy and HBO working on this show. We at MGM want to welcome Juan back and hope he has an exciting fight like he always bring, and welcome Joel back as he hasn’t been to MGM in almost 8 years. The opening odds just came out and the favorite is Juan -340 and Joel +280.”
Casamayor vs. Marquez – “The Challenge”, a 12-round bout for Casamayor’s Ring Magazine World Lightweight Championship, will headline a night of world-class professional boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Romanza Boxing and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Cazadores Tequila and Southwest Airlines. The world title bout will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $125 and $75 are on sale and may be purchased at any MGM Grand box office outlet and all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. 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.
The Casamayor vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, 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 71 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Casamayor vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.
An exciting undercard will be announced in the near future. For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com.