Forbes replaces Gomez for Jessie Vargas fight on Mayweather-Cotto undercard

LOS ANGELES, April 26 – With Alfonso Gomez forced to withdraw from his scheduled May 5 bout against undefeated rising star Jessie Vargas on the “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto” pay-per-view undercard due to a back injury, the call went out for someone willing to step up and face the unbeaten rising star on short notice. Former World Champion Steve “2 Pounds” Forbes answered the call without hesitation, ready to step into the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to face Vargas in a 10-round welterweight bout.

“I am so excited to have been given the opportunity to fight on the May 5th fight card,” said Forbes. “It is an honor to be on the same card with such great champions. I am not going to overlook Jessie. We both have a lot riding on this fight and I look forward to showing him what I have in the ring.”

22-year old Las Vegas product Jessie Vargas (18-0, 9 KO’s) has long been on the media’s top prospects list thanks to wins over Arturo Morua, Walter Estrada and former World Champion Vivian Harris, but on the Mayweather vs. Ortiz undercard last September, he moved from prospect to contender with an exciting 10-round split decision victory over fellow young contender Josesito Lopez. Eager to keep the momentum going, Vargas scored a near-shutout win over Lanardo Tyner in February, and now he’s hoping to add Steve Forbes to his list of high-profile vanquished foes.

A veteran of over 15 years in the sport, Steve “2 Pounds” Forbes (35-10, 11 KO’s) has been in with the best of the business, including world champions Oscar de la Hoya, Cornelius Bundrage, Carlos Hernandez and Andre Berto. A former IBF junior lightweight world champion and star of the hit series “The Contender,” the 35-year old Forbes hopes that a win over the unbeaten Vargas will kick start an exciting run for him in the 147 pound weight division.

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“Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto,” a 12-round fight for Cotto’s WBA Super Welterweight World Championship and the vacant WBC Super Welterweight Diamond belt, is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. Also featured will be Canelo Alvarez vs. Sugar Shane Mosley, a 12-round fight for Canelo’s WBC Super Welterweight World Championship which is presented in association with Canelo Promotions and Sugar Shane Mosley Promotions and a 10-round welterweight fight featuring undefeated rising star Jessie Vargas and former World Champion Steve Forbes. Opening the pay-per-view broadcast will be a 10-round bout between super welterweight contender DeAndre Latimore and former World Champion Carlos Quintana which is presented in association with DiBella Entertainment. The mega event is sponsored by Corona, Hatfields & McCoys on HISTORY™, DeWalt Tools, AT&T, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Puebla – Cinco De Mayo and will take place Saturday, May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Limited tickets for “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto” are still available, with a total ticket limit of ten (10) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Three Las Vegas MGM Resorts, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo and The Mirage, will host live closed circuit telecasts of “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto.” Advanced purchased tickets for the closed circuit telecasts are priced at $75, not including handling fees. All seats are general admission and are on sale now at each individual property’s box office outlets or by phone with a major credit card at (866) 799-7711.

Episode three of HBO’s all-access reality series 24/7 MAYWEATHER/COTTO debuts on Saturday, April 28 (9:45 p.m. ET/PT), with the finale debuting Friday, May 4 (8:00 p.m. ET/PT), the night before the high-stakes super welterweight title bout. All four episodes will have multiple replay dates on HBO®, and the series will also be available on HBO On Demand® and HBO GO®.

NCM Fathom will broadcast “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto” in high definition LIVE to more than 440 movie theaters nationwide. Tickets to see the fight on the big screen are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.