LAS VEGAS (Aug. 11, 2011) – You beat the best, you are the best and this Saturday, Aug. 13, the best bantamweight in the world will emerge when finalists Joseph King Kong Agbeko and Abner Mares clash in The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
The highly anticipated matchup for Agbeko’s International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title and the promising, unbeaten Mares’ WBC Silver championship belt will take place at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.
Agbeko, of Bronx, N.Y., by way of Accra, Ghana, will bring a record of 28-2 with 22 KOs into the 12-round bout. Mares, of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, is 21-0-1 with 13 stoppages.
Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $150, are available at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.Ticketmaster.com or by phone (800) 745-3000.
Doors open Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The first non-televised undercard fight starts at 3:30 p.m.
Agbeko and Mares were scheduled to meet last April 23, but the fight was postponed when Agbeko was injured moments after his arrival at Los Angeles International Airport for fight week. Doctors diagnosed the champion with sudden onset sciatica, a back injury.
The fight card is promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions and is sponsored by Corona. For more information, visit www.donking.com or www.goldenboypromotions.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or follow the event on twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.twitter.com/abnermares00.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://sports.sho.com/.
What the fighters and executives said Thursday:
JOSEPH KING KONG AGBEKO
“It’s great to be back. Las Vegas is like my home. I made my U.S. debut here. I want to thank my promoter, Don King, and all who made this fight and tournament possible.
“It may be Mares’ dream to become world champion but my dream is to become No. 1 pound-for-pound in boxing. A loss on Saturday would not give me that chance, so my only option is to win.
“I don’t understand why Mares is a (near 2-1) favorite. I’m the champion. I just want a fair fight.’’
ABNER MARES
“I want to thank everyone for the opportunity to do what I love, and that is boxing. I want to thank the media for the attention and support they give the little guys. I want to thank SHOWTIME for allowing me to enter this tournament and showcase my talent.
“The final is here and I’m really happy about that. I had a tough fight in my last fight against (Vic) Darchinyan and now I am ready make my dream come true.
“I am totally ready for this. There’s no way I can lose. The thought of defeat is not in my mind. I am ready for a war.’’
ALAN HOPPER (Vice President of Public Relations, Don King Promotions)
“On Saturday, we are going to have a barn-burner. In Joseph King Kong Agbeko, we have a true Ghanaian warrior who follows in the footsteps of greats like “The Professor” Azumah Nelson.
“This is for Abner Mares: If you want to know what I mean by this, just ask the head of your promotional company, Oscar De La Hoya about a fighter from Ghana by the name of Ike “Bazooka” Quartey. He knocked Oscar on his tail — but to Oscar’s credit he got up and knocked him on his butt and flurried at the end to win the fight. But he can tell you what it’s like to be in the ring with a warrior from Ghana. IBF bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko is one of these warriors.
“I say this so you know what you are up against, Abner. I wish you luck and may the best man win.”
DAVID ITSKOWITCH (Chief Operating Officer, Golden Boy Promotions)
“We’re very excited about the culmination of this tournament and on Saturday. Wwe are going to witness a great night for boxing.
“This tournament would not have happened without the visionary work of Ken Hershman and his staff who have done an outstanding job which we appreciate.”
CHRIS DEBLASIO (Senior Director Communications, SHOWTIME Sports)
“On behalf of Execute Vice President and General Manager SHOWTIME Sports, Ken Hershman and Executive Producer, David Dinkins, Jr., I want to thank the fighters for staying committed to this tournament. In Agbeko versus Mares, you won’t find a more competitive and compelling matchup this year in boxing.
“This fight is of major importance to the bantamweight division and on Saturday night we will see who the best bantamweight in the world is.
“Boxing, which began on the network in 1986, has always been our flagship sport and this bantamweight tournament is just one of the innovative ways that SHOWTIME Sports has made its mark in this industry.’’
FRANK ESPINOZA (Mares’ Manager)
“From day one, I knew Abner had the makings of a champion. Joseph Agbeko is one of the best in the world, but on Saturday we are going to see the coronation of boxing’s newest superstar.
“I want to thank Ken Hershman and everyone involved for this tournament.’’
ERIC MOLINA
“I love being here in this kind of big-fight atmosphere. When I started boxing, I could only dream of this kind of opportunity. I’m well-prepared and ready for a war.’’
WARREN BROWNING
“I’m not cocky, just confident. I am really looking forward to Saturday. Bring it on.’’
ERIC MOREL
“I’m extremely happy to be involved in this event. I want to fight the winner of Agbeko-Mares and win another world title.’’
CARLOS MOLINA
“I want to thank Golden Boy and everybody who had a part in making this show happen. This is a great card full of champions. I’m ready to put on a show on Saturday night.’’
Coyle V Cotena, Hyland V Trotta – Weigh In News
Please find below full details from yesterday’s weigh in ahead of tonight’s championship boxing at the Royal Theatre, Castlebar. The bill is headlined by the clash for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) Light Middleweight title between Henry Coyle and Elio Cotena.
Doors open at the Royal Theatre on Friday at 6:30 with the first bout at 7:15.
The full running order and weights are as follows:
Bout 1: Paul Hyland (125.5 Lbs) V Dai Davies (126.25 Lbs) – Super Bantamweight (6 Rounds)
Bout 2: Michael Sweeney (175.25 Lbs) V John Waldron (175 Lbs) – Light Heavyweight (8 Rounds)
Bout 3: Finbarr Eade (129 Lbs) V Mickey Coveney (128 Lbs) – Irish Super Featherweight Title (10 Rounds)
Bout 4: Patrick Hyland (127.5 Lbs) V Fabrizio Trotta (128.25 Lbs) – Featherweight (8 Rounds)
Bout 5: Henry Coyle (153.2 Lbs) V Elio Cotena (151 Lbs) – WBF Light Middleweight Title (12 Rounds)
Swing Bout: Darren Cruise (165.5 Lbs) V Lee Murtagh (165.5 Lbs) – Super Middleweight (4 Rounds)
Tonight’s boxing is live on TG4 from 9:30 and will be streamed live worldwide on www.tg4.tv.
Tickets for the event priced €30, €40, €70 and €100 are on sale from the Royal Theatre Box Office on 0818 719 300, Ticketmaster.ie / 0818 719300.
Throw Down Professional Boxing
Throw Down Professional Boxing #3
4 Championship Bouts
Saturday August 20, 2011
Wild Horse Pass Casino*
Chandler, AZ
Doors Open: 6:30 PM, Fight Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $20, $30, $50. $5 higher on fight day. Plenty of free parking. All guests must be 18+ to attend.
Tickets now on sale at http://wingilariver.ticketforce.com/ or call 1-877-840-0457.
For fighter info, go to www.throwdownboxingaz.com
Wild Horse Pass Casino
5040 W Wild Horse Pass Blvd
Chandler, AZ 85226
Throw Down Professional Boxing returns to the valley on Saturday August 20th. An explosive 10 bout fight card is being presented including 4 Championship bouts.
Fight Card:
HWT JoJo Thompson vs Tim Washington TD Heavyweight Championship
200 Chad Davis vs Blu DeLong
175 Ray Steinbeiss vs Gabe Rivas TD Light Heavyweight Championship
HWT Matt Lucas vs Jose Santa Maria
147 Joe Martel vs Antonio Moreno
185 Joe Cronin vs Dennis Chapman
200 Shannon Ritch vs Rudy Aguilar TD Cruiserweight Championship
165 Roberto Yong vs Jeff Fletcher
114 Jesus Guerrero vs Rafael Rivera
147 Carlos Ortega vs Ruben Gonzales TD Welterweight Championship
Fight card subject to change.
Upcoming Events:
Ultimate Combat Fighting MMA Challenge
Saturday, Aug 13th
Gym Sport Club, Casa Grande
www.ultimatefightingchallenge.com
RITC 154
Friday Sept 9, 2011
Wild Horse Pass Casino*
Chandler, AZ
RITC 155
Saturday Sept 17, 2011
Mazatzal Casino
Payson, AZ
RITC 156
Saturday Oct 22, 2011
Wild Horse Pass Casino*
Chandler, AZ
Throw Down Professional Boxing #4
Saturday Nov 19, 2011
Wild Horse Pass Casino*
Chandler, AZ
*Note: Attendance at Wild Horse Pass Events are limited to age 18 and over
No Limit Fitness Mixed Martial Arts Academy
610 N. Alma School Rd. Chandler AZ
1 Year unlimited training $500 (480) 268-6885