SAN ANTONIO, TX (July 24, 2013) – A slate of action packed fights is expected this Saturday, July 27 when a roster of top talent steps into the ring at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on the undercard of the highly anticipated “KNOCKOUT KINGS II” event. Heading up the preliminary bouts before SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® goes on the air, hard-hitting, undefeated rising star Anthony Dirrell and veteran Anthony “The Tyger” Hanshaw will face off in a 10-round clash for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight Championship which will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Also in SHOWTIME EXTREME action, Texas natives Emanuel Ledezma and Felix Piedra will go toe-to-toe in a six-round super middleweight showdown. Both bouts will lead up to the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader headlined by former Two-Time Welterweight World Champion Andre Berto facing veteran contender Jesus Soto Karass in a 12-round bout for the vacant NABF Welterweight Championship.
Also featured on the undercard will be rising stars from the Lone Star state including Jesse Anguiano, Jerry Belmontes, Armando Cardenas, Joseph Rodriguez and Stephen Salazar.
Anthony Dirrell (25-0, 21 KO’s) got back into the ring in May after a year and a half layoff caused by a motorcycle accident and scored an eight-round unanimous decision win over Don Mouton. The victory shook the rust off for the 28-year-old Flint, Michigan native, while getting fight fans excited for what the future holds for this talented super middleweight.
A staple among the top prospects in the sport for years, Anthony Hanshaw (23-3-2, 14 KO’s) of Warren, Ohio has scored big wins over Kingsley Ikeke, Esteban Camou and Lafarrell Bunting, but after losses to Roy Jones Jr. and Andre Dirrell in 2007 and 2008, Hanshaw took a more than four-year break from the game. In 2012, he returned and the 35-year-old is unbeaten in three of four bouts heading into his meeting with Dirrell.
Born in Los Angeles, Calif. and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Emanuel “The Lone Star” Ledezma (12-1-1, 2 KO’s) prides himself not only on being prepared physically, but also mentally for each one of his fights. This rising star proudly holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Spanish from the University of San Antonio.
The 27-year-old native of Weslaco, Texas, Felix Piedra (8- 2-1, 5 KO’s), of Cuban, Mexican-American descent, has an impressive career with. The cruiserweight division fighter holds the hope of his hometown people in Rio Grande Valley, the southernmost tip of South Texas.
A four-round junior lightweight match-up showcasing San Antonio natives Joseph Rodriguez (3-0, 2 KO’s) and Jesse Anguiano (1-2-2) squaring off for local bragging rights will also air on SHOWTIME EXTREME time permitting.
Nicknamed “The Corpus Christi Kid,” 24-year-old Jerry Belmontes (18-1, 5 KO’s) has been a local favorite ever since turning pro in 2008. A rising star at 130 pounds, Belmontes bounced back from the lone loss of his career to Eric Hunter last December with an April win over Daniel Diaz. On July 27, he will be in tough once again when he meets Blythe, California’s Andrew “Chango” Cancio (14-2-2, 11 KO’s) in a 10-round junior lightweight match-up. Cancio has won six of his last seven fights, with the only loss over that span coming against veteran Roger Gonzalez last September.
A four-round junior welterweight bout featuring San Antonio’s Armando Cardenas (1-0, 1 KO) against Stephan Salazar, who will be making his professional debut, will open the evening’s action.
“KNOCKOUT KINGS II,” featuring former Two-Time Welterweight World Champion Andre Berto facing tough Mexican veteran contender Jesus Soto Karass in a 12-round main event for the vacant NABF Welterweight Championship, takes place Saturday, July 27 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the 12-round co-featured attractions, Weslaco, Texas’ undefeated rising star Omar Figueroa Jr. squares off against Japan’s Nihito Arakawa for the vacant WBC Interim Lightweight World Championship in a fight promoted in association with Teiken Promotions and undefeated power- puncher Diego Chaves faces fellow unbeaten knockout artist Keith Thurman for Chaves’ WBA Interim Welterweight World Championship in a fight promoted in association with KO International. The tripleheader will be broadcast live on SHOWTIME® at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT and will be available in Spanish via second audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50, $25 and $10, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are available for purchase at the AT&T Center box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com at www.ticketmaster.com and ATTCenter.com all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (800) 745-3000 or through Leija & Battah Promotions by calling (210) 979-3302 or emailing m@leijabattahpromo.com.