Orange, CA (April 16) – This past Saturday Mauricio Herrera (18-2, 7 KOs) and Mike Alvarado engaged in a back and forth battle that qualified as a legitimate Fight of the Year contender. As soon as the bell sounded in the first round both warriors began exchanging and didn’t stop until the final bell.
The persistent Alvarado (33-0, 23 KOs) won by unanimous decision with scores of 99-91, 97-93, 96-94. The consistently active Herrera withstood Alvarado’s power shots and responded with combinations. In the end, Herrera’s valiant attempt could not ward off Alvarado, however, his determined, heartful performance receive a standing ovation from the fight fans in attendance and a nod from the HBO.
Mauricio Herrera stated, “I gave the fans what they came to see. I stood toe to toe with the big guy and I lost a close fight. The 9-1 score discredits my performance. There is no way in hell I only got one round. I am not disappointed because the crowd lifted me up during and after the fight. I told everyone I was going for broke and I did my best. Congrats to Alvarado, he is a gutsy guy.”
Added, Alex Camponovo, general manager and matchmaker of Thompson Boxing Promotions, “Mauricio and Mike put on a great show, it really was the main event of the evening. Alvarado was the better man tonight but I believe that it was closer than the 99-91 score card by one of the judges. Mauricio is a true warrior and we are proud of him!”
Herrera will now take a well deserved rest and go back to the gym this summer.
Jose Pedraza is ready for another test against Gil Garcia
April 16, 2012 – On Friday, April 27, in Miami, Oklahoma, the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalist and World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth super featherweight World Champion, José “Sniper” Pedraza (7-0, 6KO’s), from Puerto Rico, will be opening the telecast of the SHOWTIME series ShoBox: The New Generation, live at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Pedraza’s opponent, Gil García (5-2-1, 1KO), from Texas, recently fought to a controversial draw against undefeated Gabino Saenz (6-0, 5KO’s) and has a controversial majority decision loss to Jerry Belmontes (15-0, 5KO’s).
“García is a tough opponent that throws lots of punches, but we are more than ready for that. My condition is perfect, and we are very happy to be on a SHOWTIME fight,” says Pedraza. Pedraza’s WBC Youth super featherweight title will not be at stake.
Pedraza’s father, trainer and manager, Luis Espada, commented: “Pedraza is in great shape, near the weight limit, and the sparring with former world champ Rocky Martínez went great.”
Espada also talked about Pedraza’s opponent, Gil García: “I saw a video and he is an aggressive fighter that never backs down. Also, he has a controversial loss to Jerry Belmontes. We think García is a good fit for Pedraza’s development.”
The Pedraza vs. García bout is set for eight rounds at a maximum weight limit of 132 pounds.
Co-featuring the event is fellow Boricua, Luis “Orlandito” del Valle (15-0, 11 KO’s), who will be going against Christopher Martin (23-1-3, 6 KO’s) in a 10-round fight in the super bantamweight division.
The boxing card, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, will be held at the Buffalo Run Casino, and will feature the main event fight between current IBO super middleweight champion Thomas Oosthuizen (18-0, 13 KO’s) and Marcus Johnson (23-1, 12 KO’s).
Pedraza and Del Valle are members of “Team Puerto Rico”, which is a collaboration between Gary Shaw Productions, DiBella Entertainment, Universal Promotions and Warriors Boxing, made with the goal of gathering the best of Puerto Rico’s boxing talents.
For tickets, you may contact DiBella Entertainment: (212) 947-2577 and/or www.dbe1.com.
For more information about Team Puerto Rico Boxing, you may visit www.teampuertoricoboxing.com, Facebook.com/Team Puerto Rico Boxing, and @TeamPRboxing on Twitter.
Team Puerto Rico……….the new wave, making a splash…..