LOS ANGELES, July 30 – Mexican Independence Day weekend will be celebrated this year with the rematch of one of 2008’s most hotly contested world title fights when former World Champion Vernon Forrest looks for redemption against a young World Champion Sergio Mora, who is looking to solidify his spot amongst the top junior middleweights in the world. On Saturday, September 13th, Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora takes on the man he won his first world title from, former two-division World Champion Vernon “The Viper” Forrest at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas..
Mora-Forrest II is the 12-round co-featured bout to the highly anticipated Joel Casamayor vs. Juan Manuel Marquez showdown. The fight is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Tournament of Contenders, Gary Shaw Productions and Fight Knight, LLC. Casamayor vs. Marquez – “The Challenge”, a 12-round bout for Casamayor’s Ring Magazine World Lightweight Championship, is 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.
“There’s nothing better than watching a crafty veteran and a rising star matching wits and fists in a high stakes bout,” said Oscar de la Hoya. “Both Sergio and Vernon have a lot on the line in this fight and I’m expecting their rematch to be one of the most intense fights of the year.”
“We are really excited to be involved with Golden Boy Promotions again on such a great card,” Executive Producer and Promoter for Tournament of Contenders Jeff Wald said. “We are honoring a commitment to do the rematch with Vernon and very excited to have it take place on Mexican Independence Day weekend in Las Vegas. It is a great show and a great opportunity for all the Mexican and Mexican-American boxing fans to see Mora fight on such an important weekend.”
“In June a real contender proved that he was no pretender,” said Forrest’s promoter Gary Shaw. “Sergio Mora showed everyone, especially Vernon Forrest, that he was no novelty act. But rematches have a way of smoking out the second-best from the best. Even Smokey The Bear won’t be able to protect Mora from this Forrest Fire!”
A native of East Los Angeles, California, Sergio Mora (21-0-1, 5 KOs) was just 12-0 when he was selected to compete on the first season of the reality series ‘The Contender’ on NBC. Four wins later, Mora was not only the champion of the series, he was a household name to millions of fans. The next step for him was winning a world championship and after five fights (4-0-1) he got his shot on June 7th and made the most of it, scoring a hard-fought 12 round decision over the man he will face on September 13th, Vernon Forrest.
“Even though I won the championship from Vernon in June, I know that my claim as a champion will not be solidified until I beat him again, so I’m very excited about this fight,” said Mora. “I will leave no doubts as to who the best 154 pound fighter in the world is on September 13th, and if Vernon thinks he can beat me on Mexican Independence Day weekend, then I obviously hit him even harder than I thought in our first fight.”
One of the premier boxers of this era, Atlanta, Georgia native Vernon Forrest (40-3, 29 KOs) has been near or at the top of the fight game ever since he turned pro after the 1992 Olympics. Owner of two wins over Sugar Shane Mosley (who Forrest defeated for the WBC Welterweight crown in 2002), “The Viper” made an amazing comeback from shoulder surgery in 2005, eventually defeating Argentinean Carlos “Tata” Baldomir for the WBC Super Welterweight World title in 2007.
“I respect Mora and give him all the credit in the world for his win in our first fight, but on September 13th, he will see the real Vernon Forrest,” said Forrest. “I’m gonna warn him now that I will win this fight and I’m not leaving it up to the judges this time.”
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.