LOS ANGELES (Nov. 22, 2011) – Fans looking to celebrate the New Year in perhaps the biggest, most significant fight card in the history of Orange County, Calif. – and the first at Anaheim Convention Center in nearly 32 years — will have the opportunity to reserve their seats beginning this Saturday, Nov. 26, when tickets for a Dec. 31 World Championship Doubleheader go on sale.
Tickets for what will be an exciting and memorable event co-promoted by Don King Productions and Goossen Tutor Promotions are priced at $25, $50, $75, $125 (VIP) and $175 (Gold Circle) and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and the Anaheim Convention Box Office. The live card begins at 4 p.m. PT with the Ramos-Rigondeaux bout at 6 p.m. and the main event, Cloud-Erdei, immediately after.
The Gold Circle and VIP seating above will be available on the floor at ringside in the unique setting of round tablecloth tables that seat 10 people. In addition to the event tickets, Don King Productions and Goossen Tutor are hosting a Private New Year’s Eve Party at the Hilton Anaheim (next door to the arena) after the fights with dinner, music and dancing for an additional cost per ticket.
Tickets for both the Championship Doubleheader event and the New Year’s Eve party are $350 for Gold Circle table tickets and $250 for VIP table seating.
The World Championship Doubleheader features four undefeated fighters with a combined record of 85-0 with 54 knockouts.
In the main event, International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (23-0, 19 KOs), of Tallahassee, Fla., will make his fourth title defense against former World Boxing Organization (WBO) 175-pound kingpin Zsolt Erdei (33-0, 18 KOs), of Budapest, Hungary.
World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight champion Rico Ramos (20-0, 11 KOs), of Whittier, Calif., will risk his belt for the first time when he faces the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games Gold Medalist and current World Boxing Association (WBA) interim champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (8-0, 6 KOs), of Miami, Fla., by way of Cuba.
This will be the first major boxing event at Anaheim Convention Center since Carlos “Sugar” De Leon scored a first-round knockout over Waldemar Paulino in a WBC cruiserweight eliminator on April 25, 1980. Former world champion Rafael “Bazooka” Limon also appeared on the card.
Popular Southern California light heavyweight Jesse Burnett highlighted the last event at Anaheim Convention Center on Dec. 3, 1980. Burnett also headlined on July 15, 1980, at the historic venue. Southland heavyweight John “The All American Boy” Ellis also appeared on the card.
There have been a total of 15 fight cards at Anaheim Convention Center. The first, on July 13, 1967, featured East Los Angeles featherweight Dwight Hawkins.
Those who have fought one or more times at Anaheim Convention Center read like a boxing’s Who’s Who: Former world champions Bobby Chacon, Alfonso Zamora, Mike Weaver, Joey Olivo and Rodolfo Gonzalez, and other popular fighters such as Art Hafey, Mike Quarry, Ray “Windmill” White, Frankie Crawford, Armando Muniz, Ruben Navarro, Hedgemon Lewis and Jimmy Heair.
Nigel Wright dedicates December 10th fight to Gus Robinson
Frank Maloney will be promoting the Double British Title show at the Peterlee Leisure Centre on December 10th and is asking all fighters including Ashley Theophane and Nigel Wright to dedicate their fights in honour of the late Gus Robinson who helped keep boxing alive in the North East of England over the last 3 decades.
Frank said “Gus has always championed the underdog and is a face that will be truly missed in the world of boxing”.
Nigel Wright the challenger for the British Lightweight title spoke to www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk and said he plans to deliver the perfect tribute to Gus Robinson by winning the British title.
Wright shared a 10 year working relationship with Gus and his slogan for the fight is DO IT FOR GUS
Gus who has promoted some big fights has never managed a British Champion, Wright has said “winning this title will be a fitting tribute to a great man. On the night my corner will feel empty with out Gus but I will draw strength from him”.
The Show has an action packed undercard with Chris Edwards defending his British Flyweight title against the current Prize Fighter Champion Shinny Bayaar. The undercard will also include hot Cruiserweight prospect Danny Price with Pro Debuts for Paul Archer. Also fighting on the night Johnson McClumpha, Glen Foot, Marty Ward, Glen Ward, Robert Ismay, David Lake, Mark Glauxzel, Peter Cope and Gary Fox
The show will be screened live on Sky Sports HD and tickets are available via www.frankmaloney.com or call the box office hotline on 0871 226 1508
ON FREDDIE ROACH Debuts Jan 20 on HBO
HBO and filmmaker Peter Berg will team up for the innovative new primetime series ON FREDDIE ROACH, directed and executive produced by Emmy® nominee Berg (“Friday Night Lights”). Presented by HBO and a co-production of Film 44 and Atticus Entertainment, the cinéma-vérité series focuses on Freddie Roach, the world-famous boxing trainer who owns and operates the famed Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, where he has produced a host of world champions. This intensely personal look at Roach chronicles his life and career against the backdrop of Parkinson’s disease, an ailment very likely linked to his own boxing past.
ON FREDDIE ROACH debuts FRIDAY, JAN. 20 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, with other new episodes debuting the subsequent five Fridays at the same time. All episodes will also be available on HBO On Demand® and HBO GO®.
“We are truly excited to partner with Peter Berg on this exceptional production,” says Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. “Freddie Roach is an extraordinary person and a fascinating personality.”
“HBO’s enthusiasm in supporting a less-conventional, vérité style of storytelling is why they continue to create original and truly innovative programming,” says Peter Berg. “It’s why they are the best and we are very excited to be working with them.”
A native of Dedham, Mass., Freddie Roach has an extensive amateur boxing background. He fought as a professional under the tutelage of legendary Hall of Fame trainer Eddie Futch, ending his professional boxing career in 1987 with a record of 41 wins and 13 losses. Upon retiring, Roach became Futch’s apprentice. In 1992, Mickey Rourke financed his first gym, the Outlaw Boxing Club. Roach has trained more than 20 world champions, including Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan, Oscar de la Hoya and Mike Tyson. He has been honored five times as Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America and has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced a unique partnership with Roach in an effort to ensure that America’s top amateur fighters have access to the finest training in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. This partnership will create a program allowing up to ten Olympic hopefuls to train at the Wild Card Gym, which has become synonymous with world-class performance.
The 51-year-old bachelor lives next door to his mother, just a few miles from Wild Card.
ON FREDDIE ROACH is directed and executive produced by Peter Berg; executive produced by Jim Lampley, Sarah Aubrey and Michael Price.