Golden Boy/Showtime Doublerheader: One step closer to Abner Mares – Leo Santa Cruz

08/23/201308/23/2013 Chris Carlson

Abner Mares and Jhonny Gonzalez The newly renamed StubHub Center has been the mecca of boxing in southern California and this Showtime Doubleheader will only add to the recent string of action fights. From a matchmaking standpoint this card will produce fireworks to entertain the viewers at home. It also features top prospect talent for the paying customer live at the event. Will it be just a showcase to further drum up attention for the Mares vs. Santa Cruz fight, or will there be some unforeseen drama that happens when fans, promoters, and fighters have one eye on the future without fully focusing on the present?

Abner Mares faces a hardened vet in Jhonny Gonzalez, an awkward counterpuncher with plenty of power having scored 46 knockouts in his 54 wins.

Leo Santa Cruz challenges Victor Terrazas for the 1st defense of the belt won in his last fight with Cristian Mijares. If successful it will have been Leo’s second world title in as many weight classes.

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Mares vs. Gonzalez Final Press Conference Quotes and Photos

08/23/201308/22/2013 Showtime Boxing

Abner Mares and Jhonny Gonzalez CARSON, CALIF. (Aug. 22, 2013) – Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions hosted the final press conference Thursday for the outstanding fight card that will take place this Saturday, Aug. 24, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, immediately following the series premiere of ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Canelo) and SHOWTIME EXTREME (8 p.m. ET/PT) from StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

In Saturday’s main event of an explosive world championship doubleheader on SHOWTIME, undefeated three-time and three-division World Champion Abner Mares (26-0-1, 14 KO’s), of Downey, Calif., by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, will defend his WBC Featherweight World Championship against former Two-Division World Champion Jhonny Gonzalez (54-8, 46 KO’s), of Mexico City.

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Abner Mares vs. Jhonny Gonzalez & Undercard Fighters Media Workout Quotes

08/21/2013 Golden Boy Promotions

mZGwiS-N4zgvJTGRfRTeOgRi1XCN-To0_rU62vydmFk (Photo credit: Golden Boy Promotions) CARSON, CALIF. (Aug. 21, 2013) – Six of the fighters who’ll compete this Saturday, Aug. 24, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, Immediately following the series premiere of ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Canelo) and SHOWTIME EXTREME (8 p.m. ET/PT) worked out for the media Tuesday at a jam-packed Fabela Chavez Boxing Center in Carson, Calif.

In Saturday’smainevent on SHOWTIME, undefeated three-time and three-division World Champion Abner Mares (26-0-1, 14 KO’s), of Downey, Calif., by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, will defend his WBC Featherweight World Championship against former Two-Division World Champion Jhonny Gonzalez (54-8, 46 KO’s), of Mexico City.

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Abner Mares, Jhonny Gonzalez, Leo Santa Cruz & Victor Terrazas media conference call transcript

08/21/201308/20/2013 Showtime Boxing

Richard Schaefer

Thank you very much and thank you all media members to be on the call, thank you to both fighters to be on the call. I remember a couple years ago we did a card called Action Heroes and then we, of course, just had another one a few weeks ago, Knockout Kings 2 and I think this card here from the Stub Hub Center would certainly fit perfectly into either one of those cards. Because one thing, which is for sure, that night, on Saturday night the 24th of August from Stub Hub Center, fists will fly, it will be heavy action and it’s going to be a tremendous night of boxing again.

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Abner Mares and Leo Santa Cruz quotes from Los Angeles

07/12/2013 Golden Boy Promotions

LOS ANGELES (July 12, 2013) – At a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday, Golden Boy Promotions formally announced a world championship doubleheader that will take place Saturday, Aug. 24, at StubHub Center (formerly The Home Depot Center) in Carson, Calif. and which will be televised live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

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Abner Mares vs. Jhonny Gonzalez and Leo Santa Cruz vs. Victor Terrazas on August 24th on Showtime

07/11/2013 Golden Boy Promotions

1413 1413 LOS ANGELES (July 11, 2013) – On the verge of becoming boxing’s next superstar, Three-Time, Three-Division World Champion and current WBC Featherweight World Champion Abner Mares has remarkably won three divisional world titles in less than two years. On Saturday, August 24, he will return home to Southern California to defend his title against a man hungry to take that belt back, former Two-Division World Champion Jhonny Gonzalez at StubHub Center in Carson in a fight which will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®(10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

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Mares vs. Gonzalez and Santa Cruz vs. Terrazas close for Aug. 24 on Showtime

09/15/201606/19/2013 Chris Carlson

Abner Mares vs Anselmo Moreno Espn.com writer Dan Rafael is reporting that a Championship doubleheader featuring Abner Mares vs. Jhonny Gonzalez and Victor Terrazas vs. Leo Santa Cruz is very close to being official. The fights would take place on August 24th and be broadcasted by Showtime Sports.

Since Golden Boy Promotions recently won the purse bid for the Terrazas vs. Santa Cruz fight, which will open up the broadcast, the only thing left is finalizing the fight between all action fighter Abner Mares and former champion Jhonny Gonzalez.

From the sounds of it the fight is just a matter of days away from being done. On Tuesday night Golden Boy C.E.O Richard Schafer told ESPN.com “There are no particular outstanding issues with Mares and Gonzalez. Both fighters want to fight and I’m just trying to finalize everything.”

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Arum willing to match Donaire against Mares on HBO

04/03/2013 Rob Smith

donaire773 Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is saying that he’d be willing to match his fighter WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KO’s) against the unbeaten Abner Mares (25-0-1, 13 KO’s) in the future, but only if the 27-year-old Mares was willing to face the 30-year-old Donaire on HBO rather than Showtime where Mares typically fights.

Arum said to Ringside SEN Radio in Melbourne that if Mares is “Willing to come over and fight Donaire on HBO that’s fine. [Mares] doesn’t enjoy 25 percent of the popularity Donaire enjoys but if he wants to fight Nonito and get a real good pay we’ll be happy to fight Mares.”

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Golden Boy offers Top Rank $3 mil for Donaire-Mares fight

01/26/2013 ESB

mares56 mares56 By Rob Smith: Top Rank CEO Richard Schaefer has reportedly sent a large $3 million offer to Bob Arum of Top Rank for him to consider a mega fight between his fighter WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire and WBC champion Abner Mares. Golden Boy and Mares have both signed the contract and they’re waiting for Donaire to sign on the dotted line for a fight that will take place in no later than June, according to Dan Rafael.

Schaefer is skeptical that Arum will agree to the deal even though it’ll be by far the biggest payday of Donaire’s boxing career. Schaefer doesn’t think Arum will agree to the deal for some reason. The $3 million would be split up between the two fighters.

Top Rank can have their name as the one that’s promoting the fight, and Donaire can have the top billing, Schaefer said. They just want the fight so they’re willing to give Top Rank and Donaire these things. The fight won’t involve a catchweight and there won’t be a rematch clause on the contract nor any kind of options. In other words, it’ll be a straight up one-fight only.

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Mare’s manager working with Arum on Donaire-Mares fight for April 13th

09/15/201601/22/2013 ESB

mares34 mares34 By Jeff Sorby: Frank Espinosa, the manager for unbeaten WBC super bantamweight champion Abner Mares (25-0-1, 13 KO’s) is reportedly working with Top Rank promoter to put together an April 13th fight between Mares and WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire.

This is the big money fight that Donaire and Mares both want and Espinosa is the contact person for Arum in trying to work a deal with Mares’ promoters at Golden Boy Promotions
According to the LA Times, they’ll know whether the fight can be put together within the next couple of weeks.

Part of the deal will be that Donaire gets a little more money than Mares, but if Mares defeats Donaire, then in a rematch Mares will be the one that gets the bigger purse. Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, doubts that Arum will agree to this deal because Schaefer feels that Arum suspects that Donaire will lose the fight.

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