SUNRISE, Fla.—Two of the hardest-hitting boxers in the world will meet when International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko defends his crown against two-division world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan at BankAtlantic Center on Saturday, July 11 and on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The championship is scheduled for 12 rounds. The televised co-feature will showcase two world-ranked No. 4 contenders when emerging lightweight Antonio DeMarco (20-1, 14 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico, meets Anges “Baby Face” Adjaho (25-1, 14 KOs), from Benin, Africa, now fighting out of Geneva, N.Y. Tickets priced at $75, $40 and $25 and $10 (with a limited number of golden circle seats available at $200) go on sale Thursday (June 18) at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com or BankAtlantic Center box office..
The event is promoted by Don King Productions in association with BankAtlantic Center. Agbeko vs. Darchinyan and DeMarco vs. Adjaho are co-promoted with Gary Shaw Productions.
Both main event fighters possess eye-popping knockout percentages. Agbeko (26-1, 22 KOs) from Accra, Ghana, now fighting out of Bronx, N.Y., has knocked out over 81 percent of his opponents with Darchinyan (32-1, 26 KOs), from Sydney, Australia, by way of Armenia, right behind him at 76 percent.
The Aussie bomber is a four-time world champion at flyweight and super flyweight. He will leave his IBF, WBC and WBA titles at 115 pounds behind to move up to the 118-pound limit to face the champion. If victorious, Darchinyan will become a three-division world champion.
The Ghanaian powerhouse gave a gritty performance to win his world title, scoring a seventh-round technical knockout over Luis “El Demoledor” Perez—a tough-as-nails Nicaraguan who had been champion since 2003—at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2007.
“I’ve seen stronger fighters than Darchinyan,”Agbeko said defiantly. “I respect him for what he has accomplished but I don’t think he has the true heart to beat me and take my punches.
“This fight will be the genesis of King Kong and the defining moment of why my parents named me this at birth. This is my destiny.”
The brash Darchinyan sees a different outcome.
“Agbeko may have seen stronger fighters than me but I guarantee you he has never fought any of them,” Darchinyan retorted. “The only thing he and King Kong have in common is they are both works of fiction. After I’m through with him he’ll have to change his name to King Con.”
Both fighters only have one loss each. Agbeko lost his second professional fight and has not lost since—24 wins in a row—while Darchinyan was shocked by flyweight Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire on July 7, 2007, in Bridgeport, Conn., who landed a fight-changing left hook in round five that lead to a technical knockout.
The loss came in Darchinyan’s first appearance after a traumatic 12th-round stoppage of Victor Burgos on March 3, 2007, at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Darchinyan had been dominant in the contest but was taken by surprise when Burgos was rushed to a nearby hospital after the match suffering from a brain injury. Heroic efforts by doctors saved Burgos’s life, but he will never box again.
Darchinyan moved up to super flyweight, winning the IBF title by fifth-round knockout over Dimitri Kirilov on Aug. 2. He added the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council 115-pound crowns with a thrilling knockout over favored Cristian Mijares in round nine on Nov. 1 in Carson, Calif.
In his last appearance, Darchinyan was yet again dominant in a highly anticipated match against Mexican strongman Jorge Arce at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Feb. 7. Clearly the best fighter in the world at 115 pounds, Darchinyan pounded Arce for 11 rounds until the referee halted the beating.
Although a champion himself, King Kong will be in the toughest challenge of his career against the Raging Bull, who is currently listed near the top of the top pound-for-pound best boxer lists.
The co-feature is a pivotal matchup for DeMarco, 23, and Adjaho, 32, with ramifications for the entire lightweight division. Both are near the top of the world rankings with only one career loss each and an identical number of knockouts at 14.
DeMarco, ranked No. 4 by the WBA, is the younger, more visible contender with multiple television appearances and hasn’t lost in his last 14 fights. While this will be Adjaho’s first television appearance in the United States, he grew up in boxing gyms as his father was a national boxing coach in Benin, Africa.
A child prodigy who compiled a stellar amateur record of 164-3, Adjaho, ranked No. 4 by the IBF, claims to have never been knocked down as an amateur or as a professional. Adjaho disputes his lone loss, a split decision, which came against Miguel Acosta in 2007 even though Acosta hit the deck twice during the fight.
In domestically non-televised action, fans at BankAtlantic Center will be treated to a full undercard highlighted by an important IBF elimination bout (for No. 1 and mandatory challenger) between former cruiserweight world champions Steve “USS” Cunningham (21-2, 11 KOs), from Philadelphia, and Wayne “Big Truck” Braithwaite (23-3, 19 KOs), from Guyana now fighting out of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Cunningham lost his IBF cruiserweight title at the hands of former light heavyweight world champion Tomasz Adamek in one of last year’s most memorable fights. In fact, the Boxing Writers Association of America designated the fight as one of the five nominees for “Fight of the Year” in 2008. The match took place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Dec. 11.
Cunningham suffered three early knockdowns from the heavy-handed Adamek, but many felt he should have been declared the victor after 12 rounds, but Adamek won the split decision.
Braithwaite won the WBC cruiserweight title in 2002 by defeating Vincenzo Cantatore, and he successfully defended that title three times before suffering a decision loss to Jean-Marc Mormeck in 2005.
Big Truck has also tangled with the likes of future world champions Guillermo Jones and Enzo Maccaranelli in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Always dangerous, Braithwaite would like nothing more than to earn another shot at a world title.
Also appearing will be undefeated and rising Cuban prospect Angelo “La Cobra” Santana (5-0, 4 KOs).
Manuel Quezada vs Travis Walker
Tachi Palace’s own Manuel Quezada said he was ready to make his move in the Heavyweight division after winning his 16th straight fight in April of this year. On Thursday, July 16 at Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California, Quezada will get his wish when he will be testing his World Championship aspirations against hard-hitting Heavyweight World contender, Travis “The Freight Train” Walker. Quezada vs Walker headlines a stellar six-bout card of boxing presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions.
The 29-year old Walker (30-2-1, 24 KOs) came ever so close to upsetting the current #1 Heavyweight in the World, Cristobal Arreola, in a November 29, 2008 bout televised on HBO. Walker insists on fighting his way back into the top echelon in the sport’s glamour division and he believes Quezada is the next step.
A former National Golden Gloves Champion, the Tallahassee, Florida native has entertained fight fans with his “live by the sword, die by the sword” ring mentality. “I like to give the fans entertaining bouts, and knockouts from a big heavyweight puncher like me is always fun to watch,” said the 6-4, 250 pound Walker.
Walker’s only two setbacks were to TJ Wilson and Arreola. Walker avenged the Wilson loss in emphatic fashion with a 2nd round KO victory in the rematch of his controversial stoppage in their first fight. In the Arreola bout, Walker had Arreola down on one knee in the second round, before being stopped by Arreola in the third round in one of the most exciting heavyweight bouts in recent years.
Since the Arreola bout, Walker has scored two first round knockout victories.
Quezada (27-4, 17 KOs) has taken the hard bumpy road to being the WBC #11 World ranked contender. The Wasco, California Quezada overcame a slow start in his professional career to become one of the sports top rising stars. Quezada won the WBC CABOFE title in September of 2007 and has since defended it twice. Fresh from a first round win over Jeffrey Brownfield on April 23, Quezada returns to his home-away-from-home when he makes his 14th appearance at the Tachi Palace on July 16.
No slouch himself when it comes to putting opponents to sleep, a win over the respected Walker puts Quezada in the middle of the heavyweight picture. “By far he’s the biggest challenge I’ve had,” Quezada said. “It’s this type of high-profile fight I need to get me to the World Championship level. I will not let my fans down at Tachi.”
In the other featured bouts, 2008 United States Olympian Shawn Estrada (6-0, 6 KOs) hasn’t missed a beat in his transition from the amateurs to the pro ranks, scoring six straight wins without a loss. Estrada attended high school in nearby Hanford and feels right at home fighting in Lemoore.
“It’s not too often a fighter has a chance to entertain his friends and fans in a place I used to call home,” said Estrada. “Believe me, there is no better feeling than to have that home-cooking support. I wish they could have been there with me in Beijing, China during the Olympics.”
The charismatic 24-year old now living in East Los Angeles has one-punch knockout power and all the excitement that goes with it. Five of his six KO’s have come in the first round, a streak he hopes to keep going on July 16th.
Estrada’s Olympic teammate in Beijing, Javier Molina (2-0, 2 KOs), comes from a fighting family. The 19-year old Molina has had over 110 amateur wins preparing him for his Olympic run. An honor student at John Glenn High School in Norwalk, California, Molina is quickly establishing himself as a consummate professional and future star.
Also in action is the exciting junior welterweight from Bakersfield, Calif., Michael Dallas Jr. (8-0-1, 1 KO), as well women’s former lightweight champion, Jessica Rakoczy (30-3, 10 KOs) from Las Vegas, Nevada. Rounding out the card is Ruben Cuellar (3-1, 1 KO) from Tulare, CA who will fight James Ventry (7-8-1, 4 KOs) of Niagara Falls, NY in a 6-round junior welterweight rematch. In their first bout in February, Cuellar won by split-decision.
Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at tickets.com or charge by phone 1-800-225-2277 and at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino gift shop.
Doors open on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and fights start at 6 p.m. On Wednesday, fans are encouraged to come out to the Palace and attend the official weigh-in, which takes place on the third floor at The Den Sports Bar, are slated to begin at 4 p.m. No one under the age of 21 will be permitted to attend the weigh-in.
UNBEATEN FEATHERWEIGHT’S VICTORY TO AIR ON FOX SPORTS EN ESPAÑOL ON FRIDAY, JUNE 19TH
LOS ANGELES, JUNE 17 – Unbeaten featherweight star Juan Carlos Burgos made it 22-0 on June 12th with an impressive 10 round decision win over Russia’s Vyacheslav Gusev that allowed him to retain his WBC CABOFE championship. Now fight fans can see the future of the 126-pound weight class in action as Fox Sports En Español airs Burgos vs Gusev on the Friday, June 19th edition of its exciting new series “Boxeo Thompson.”
Burgos vs Gusev will air at 10:30pm ET/PT. Check your local listings for FSE.
About Thompson Boxing Promotions
Launched in May of 2000 by Ken Thompson, a former President of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, Thompson Boxing Promotions was established with the purpose of elevating the sport of boxing by providing exciting sports entertainment while showcasing talented athletes on their way to the summit of the sport. In the past nine years, the company has risen from being not only one of the top promotional firms in the competitive west coast market, consistently providing shows that live up to the adage ‘never a dull moment’, but to a nationwide powerhouse that includes on its roster some of the best talent in the game today, including Timothy Ray Bradley Jr., Juan Carlos Burgos, Dominic Salcido, Mauricio Herrera, Abraham Lopez, Josesito Lopez, Sergio Espinoza, and Pavel Miranda.