LOS ANGELES (September 20, 2011) — Three-division world champion and the Pride of Puerto Rico MIGUEL COTTO, professional rival and three-time welterweight world champion ANTONIO “The Tijuana Tornado” MARGARITO, of México, and Hall of Fame promoter BOB ARUM will host a Los Angeles news conference luncheon Thursday, September 22, in the Pacific Ballroom at the Wilshire Grand Los Angeles (930 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90017.) The luncheon will begin at Noon PT with the news conference starting at 12:30 p.m. PT. They will be announcing their long-awaited world championship rematch. Cotto (36-2, 29 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight title against Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs), of Tijuana, México, Saturday, December 3, at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden.
The press conference will be open to the public.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Cotto Promotions, Tornado Promotions, AT&T, and Madison Square Garden, Cotto-Margarito II will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Los Angeles will be the final stop of the Cotto-Margarito II four-city media tour which began Monday in Puerto Rico and continued on to New York today and México City on Wednesday..
Tickets to Cotto-Margarito II, priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100, and $50 including applicable service charges, went on sale Tuesday, September 20, at Noon ET. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets, which charges an additional fee.
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FORMER AMATEUR STAR AND GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMP LOOKING TO BECOME A “GIANT” IN THE SPORT OF BOXING
New York, NY – (9/20/2011) – On Saturday, October 1st, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) will present “Noche de ‘Maravilla’: Martinez vs. Barker” featuring Middleweight Champion
Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26KO’s) defending his WBC Diamond belt and Ring Championship against England’s undefeated European Champion, “Dazzling” Darren Barker (23-0, 14KO’s), at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, NJ. Opening up HBO’s World Championship Boxing® telecast, will be the rematch between top-rated middleweight contender “Irish” Andy Lee (26-1, 19KO’s) as he takes on former participant of “The Contender”, and the only man to defeat Lee as a pro, Brian Vera (19-5, 12KO’s), in a 10-round middleweight matchup.
Before the HBO cameras start rolling, the fans in attendance at Boardwalk Hall will have the opportunity to see DBE’s up-and-coming undefeated junior middleweight prospect Steven Martinez (10-0, 8KO’s), as he steps up in class and takes on his toughest opponent to date when he meets “Smokin” Jay Krupp (14-4, 7KO’s) in a six-round junior middleweight showdown.
Martinez, a 21-year-old Bronx-native, was a 2008 National Golden Gloves Champion and overall three-time NY Golden Gloves Champion. Martinez successfully turned pro in August 2009, and has since reeled off nine more consecutive victories. Martinez, who is managed by Pat Lynch, and New York Giants Running Back, Brandon Jacobs, has been gaining valuable experience serving as one of the lead sparring partners for Sergio Martinez at the champion’s camp in Oxnard, CA.
“Training with Sergio has been great,” said Martinez. “It’s not everyday that you have the opportunity to train with and learn from one of the best boxers in the world. I feel very fortunate and I am taking away as much as I can from this experience. I am really looking forward to October 1st, and to putting on an impressive performance.”
Krupp has never been stopped in his four losses, which include a decision loss to Philadephia’s undefeated welterweight prospect Raymond Serrano (16-0), on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” back in 2009.
Tickets for “Noche de ‘Maravilla'” are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.