LOS ANGELES, October 26 – Some of boxing’s top young talent returns to the ring at L.A. LIVE’s Club Nokia this Thursday night, October 28, with Gary Russell Jr., Fidel Maldonado Jr., Trevor McCumby, Dion Savage, Yakubu Amidu and Shane Mosley Jr. leading the way on a “Fight Night Club” event no true fan will want to miss..
In a six round featherweight main event, 2008 United States Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (12-0, 9 KO’s) from Capitol Heights, Maryland hopes to keep his unbeaten professional record intact when he takes on Mission, Texas’ Guadalupe De Leon (8-11, 4 KO’s). The co-main event, scheduled for four rounds in the lightweight division, will see the Golden Boy Promotions debut of 19-year-old former amateur star Fidel Maldonado Jr. (4-0, 4 KO’s) of Albuquerque, New Mexico square off against Atlanta’s John Willoughby (2-5, 1 KO).
Also lacing up the gloves in televised action will be debuting Arizona cruiserweights Trevor McCumby of Glendale and Sharieff Hayes of Phoenix. The 18-year old McCumby, another recent Golden Boy Promotions signee, compiled a 138-11 amateur record and looks to impress fans as a professional beginning Thursday night.
Also in action will be exciting East Los Angeles native Ramon Valadez (2-1, 1 KO) who takes on Knoxville’s Aaron Anderson (1-8, 1 KO) in a four round lightweight matchup and Los Angeles knockout artist Yakubu Amidu (13-2-1, 13 KO’s) looks for another early finish against Nogales, Mexico’s Noe Lopez Jr. (7-5, 5 KO’s) in a six round junior lightweight fight.
Rounding out the hard-hitting professional action is a six round super middleweight bout featuring unbeaten Michigan native and Roger Mayweather trained Dion Savage (9-0, 5 KO’s) against Seattle’s Eddie Hunter (4-3-2, 1KO).
Opening up the evening will be three amateur bouts headlined by Shane Mosley Jr.’s “Fight Night Club” debut against Ivan Lazaro of Carson, a super middleweight bout between Stockton’s Mike Fernandez and Los Angeles’ Ricardo Romero and a lightweight contest featuring Los Angeles’ Rogelio Ramirez against Gerardo Hernandez of Pasadena.
Expected to be in attendance to take in all of the action at Club Nokia are Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar de la Hoya, Five-Time World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley, former World Champions Sergio Mora and Daniel Ponce De Leon, top-rated junior welterweight contender Victor Ortiz and top prospects Carlos Molina, David Rodela, Charles Huerta and Frankie Gomez.
“Fight Night Club” is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and AEG and is sponsored by DeWalt Tools, McDonald’s, Budweiser, Powerade, LightsLeary.com and USTREAM. The series will return to L.A. LIVE’s Club Nokia on November 18. The fights will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN) and its regional sports network affiliates (check local listings) and streamed live online at www.ustream.com and www.RingTV.com at 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. PT and the first bell rings at 7:00 p.m. PT.
The first 100 fans to arrive dressed in a Halloween costume for the October 28 edition of Fight Night Club will be admitted free of charge. Tickets are regularly priced at $250 (VIP On-Stage Seats, which are limited to only ten per show and allow purchasers to sit ringside on Club Nokia’s stage near VIP’s attending the fight [De La Hoya, Mosley, etc.], receive an autographed boxing glove and provide buyers access to the Club Nokia VIP Room during the event), $100 (VIP Balcony Seats in the first two rows which grant buyers access to the Club Nokia VIP Room during the event), $60 (VIP Balcony Seats which grant buyers access to the Club Nokia VIP Room during the event) and $19.75 (General Admission: Floor Standing Room & Balcony Seats) are on sale now and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 online at http://www.ticketmaster.comor through any Ticketmaster outlet or the STAPLES Center box office. Group tickets and full series tickets at a discounted rate are also available by calling 1-877-AEG TICKETS (1-877-234-8425).
“Fight Night Club,” is Golden Boy Promotions’ and AEG’s critically acclaimed live monthly boxing series, that presents boxing in a night club atmosphere, with a DJ, music, great food and a VIP room, as well as a unique setup where the ring is on Club Nokia’s stage with standing room for fans in front of the ring, as well as reserved seating in the balcony. After the boxing action ends, fans are invited to stay to hear great music played by LA’s hottest DJ’s, dance and mingle with the fighters as the venue converts back into a night club.