Saul “Canelo” Alvarez Vs. Josesito Lopez – September 15

LOS ANGELES (July 18) – Yesterday Riverside’s Josesito Lopez and Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez convened with boxing aficionados at historic Olvera Street’s Father Sera Park to officially announce their September 15 “Knockout Kings” fight.

Lopez (30-4, 18 KOs), who last defeated Victor Ortiz in a stunning upset victory, accepted the challenge to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KOs) at the heavier 154-pound weight division for the WBC Junior Middleweight title.

Said Ken Thompson, “He is tough – he breaks jaws, he is powerful – he knocks you out, he is ring smart – he will dazzle you. Josesito is not just boxing’s new star, we look at him as the future champion of the super welterweight division. He has a great challenge in Canelo Alvarez, but those are the best fights for Josesito who thrives on making naysayers into believers.

“I’m definitely the underdog again, but I give it my all in the ring,” Lopez said. “I’ll fight my heart out.”

The match up is scheduled to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Tickets for the event begin at $25. SHOWTIME will televise the world title fight and three other fights at no cost to its subscribers.

Continued Lopez, “Canelo will be right in front of me all the time, and I can take a bigger guy’s punches. I just have to train my hardest. It’s a heavier weight class but I’m going to bring my best.”

Added Alvarez, “My job is to get ready for whatever opponent I get. I know he won his way into this fight. I’m very happy with this fight. Josesito Lopez earned his shot, I’m not going to be too confident, because I know there is no rival that is too small. I’m going to train very hard for this fight.”

When addressing the fight fans about Josesito Lopez, Golden Boy Promotions president, Oscar De La Hoya stated: “People can say he’s just a welterweight and people can say he never fought in the big stage, but do you remember when I fought Manny Pacquiao? Look at what he did to me! He destroyed me!” Continued De La Hoya, “Inside that squared circle you never know what’s going to happen…Josesito Lopez has the desire and the heart, he is living that Rocky moment.”

As added incentive, De La Hoya offered a $100,000 reward for the best knockout of the night by a fighter. The winner will be voted by the fans on AT&T phones.

ABOUT THE EVENT:

“Knockout Kings,” a tremendous evening of pure Mexican pride, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. The quadruple-header will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be televised live on SHOWTIME.

CHICAGO’S POLISH PRINCE ANDRZEJ FONFARA NAMED HONORARY CAPTAIN FOR ZAGLEBIE LUBIN THIS SUNDAY

CHICAGO, IL (July 18, 2012) Just days after the biggest win of his professional boxing career, Chicago’s Polish Prince, Andrzej Fonfara will be honored this Sunday afternoon, July 22nd at “Friendly At The Confines” as an Honorary Captain of Poland’s Zaglebie Lubin as part of their highly anticipated soccer match with Italy’s AS Roma at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

This past Friday night, July 13th, Fonfara won a unanimous decision over former world champion Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion in front of thousands of cheering Polish sports fans and a national audience watching on ESPN.

Said the 24 year old Fonfara, “As a native of Warsaw, I’m honored to welcome Zaglebie Lubin to Chicago for their historic match against AS Roma. I have many friends on the team and am very excited to support them and see them play.”

Ranked #9 in the world among light heavyweights, Fonfara improved his record to 22-2-1 with twelve knockouts as he looks towards a world title bout by the end of the year. He is promoted by Chicago’s 8 Count Productions and Round 3.

Said Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions, “Andrzej’s win on Friday night has captured the attention of the vast Polish community in the United States and Europe. We’re very excited to work with Zaglebie Lubin and the Chicago Cubs on this sensational event.”