07.05.04 – By Stephanie Ragusa: Tucson, Arizona- The Casino Del Sol will present yet another installment of NBC’s Budweiser Boxing Series May 8th when junior welterweights Francisco Bojado (15-1, 11 KOs) and Andre Eason (14-2, 6 KOs) headline in the main event. Bojado, current WBC Continental Americas Light Welterweight Champion and IBA Continental Light Welterweight Champion, will no doubt be the toughest test of Eason’s career thus far. A familiar face on the network’s boxing series, Bojado’s last fight on NBC was May 10th, 2003 in Temecula, CA against William Adamyan (9-0). One day short of his 20th birthday, Francisco Bojado scored his most recent knockout during the fifth round in what was a bloody, but crowd-pleasing brawl.
Looking for a televised break-through performance, Andre Eason hopes to topple the promising 2000 Mexican Olympian in front of a dominantly Hispanic audience. The promoter group Main Events, who also represents Bojado, has put forth a heavily Mexican fight card featuring a junior featherweight battle between Jorge Lacierva and Martin Honario in the co-main event. Eason appears up to the task of facing the popular “Baby-Faced Assassin” at the Arizona venue.
Saturday’s televised event is part of a joint venture between NBC, Telemundo, and Main Events. The Budweiser Boxing Series premiered on April 17thand will continue for five straight weekends on Saturday afternoons until May 15th. NBC and Telemundo will provide live coverage from location, serving both English and Spanish-speaking viewers. Moreover, Bojado vs. Eason will be contested in the midst of Cinco de Mayo weekend festivities, the celebration of Mexico’s Independence.
When questioned if fighting in Arizona in front of a large Hispanic audience presented a greater challenge for him as a rising fighter, Eason responded with unwavering conviction, “It doesn’t matter where it’s (the fight) at. The crowd don’t mean nothing. It’s just him and me in the ring.”
A Brooklyn, NY native, Andre Eason had only eight bouts as an amateur yet won the New York State Golden Gloves competition in 1996. “I didn’t grow up saying I wanted to be a boxer,” Eason recalls. “I use to fight a lot in the streets, in school, everywhere. My (former) trainer Sinbad (who passed away a few years ago) saw my talent. He’s the one who got me to go to the gym.”
Eason began his professional boxing career in December of 1999 a few weeks short of his 24th birthday. Now 28 years old, Andre has amassed sixteen fights with a notable 14-2-0 record. Six of his fourteen victories have come by knockout and his only two losses were suffered against undefeated opponents.
Since losing a close majority decision to Demetrius Hopkins (11-0-1) early in 2003, Andre Eason has recovered substantially with two wins over respectable adversaries. In September of that year, Eason floored Luis Alberto Santiago (16-3-1) twice in route to a ten round unanimous decision. In his first fight of 2004 this past January; he defeated former lightweight titlist, David Armstrong (19-9-2), by fifth round TKO.
“All of my fights are hard,” concedes Eason. “Some people are brought up carefully and are given easy fights. I haven’t been given anything. I had to work for what I got. I fought hard guys out of the gate. I think you would have to respect that. ”
Staying relatively active in the ring has been yet another hurdle for Eason who claims it’s hard for him to get fights. “A lot of people don’t want to risk fighting me when they see who I have fought,” he says. “I’d fight every month, God willing, if nothing happens (to me).”
Both Bojado and Eason box in a weight division especially deep with talent. According to Eason, “the hard thing for me is to get known.” Andre genuinely admits he’s been the underdog his entire career. “It’s reality. It doesn’t bother me,” he confidently proclaims. Instead, “It motivates me.” When asked to categorize the current stage of his career, Andre Eason exclaims, “(I’m) stepping up. That’s the stage I’m in.” The 140-pound prospect summarizes his work as doing what is necessary in order to step up and advance in his weight class.
Andre Eason is well aware of what the future would hold should he emerge with a win Saturday afternoon. “Winning this fight is going to give me a shot at wining a belt,” stated Eason in a Wednesday interview. Andre’s aspirations for his career as a professional boxer go well beyond collecting belts and championship titles. Eason openly acknowledges that he wants people to recognize whom he was as a fighter and that he fought the toughest contenders during his career. ” I want people to recognize who I am and what I do and respect me for that,” he declared candidly.
Bojado vs. Eason is the perfect opportunity for this determined New York fighter to get the recognition he craves and Andre plans to seize the occasion. “I’m thankful for this opportunity. It will be the day when they recognize who I am,” he asserts in our interview. “I’m not a person who talks. My hands do the talking for me.” When asked what fans can expect to see in Saturday’s fight with Bojado, a poised and self-assured Andre Eason simple says, “A good fight.”
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s second gaming property, The Casino Del Sol, opened in October of 2001 and boasts 22,500 square feet of gaming space along with Arizona’s largest outdoor amphitheatre, the Anselmo Tori Valencia Amphitheater (AVA), site of the afternoon’s competition.
Reserved seating tickets are $30, $40, $50, $75, and $125. Lawn seating prices are $20. Doors open at 9am local time; fights start at 11:30 am local time. Call (800) 344-9435 for more information.