(Tucson, Arizona) — Forget brackets and seedings. The real March Madness takes place on Friday, March 10, 2006, as Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions will put on a world-class showing of top boxers colliding at Desert Diamond Casino’s Diamond Center. This will not be a televised event and the seven bout fight card features the WBO Intercontinental title fight for the jr. welterweight division. Planning to attend the fight week events is Sugar Shane Mosley, fresh off his epic victory over Fernando Vargas..
Tickets for the fight are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 520-321-1000, contacting the Desert Diamond Casino Box Office, or by visiting www.desertdiamondcasino.com. Prices range from $25 to $100 in advance. Doors open at 7:00 P.M.; first fight begins at 8:00 P.M.
The March 10 main event will pit jr. welterweight Arturo “The Conqueror” Morua (22-7-1 13 KOs), against Texas’s Emanuel “Road Warrior” Augustus (32-25-1 17 KOs) for the WBO Intercontinental title. Morua, Mexico’s prodigy, who is known as one of the best all-around fighters in the world, is the former titleholder of the WBA Fedecentro Light Welterweight and the WBO Latino Light Welterweight, the latter of which he dominated Carlos Maussa to win. “The Conqueror” is battle tested and in top form as he has recently brushed aside brutal opponents such as Jung Bum Kim and Omar Gabriel Weis.
Armed with a style that is as unorthodox as it is dangerous, Emanuel Augustus returns to Desert Diamond Casino to fight for the belt. In 2004, Southern Arizona fight fans witnessed Augustus’ amazing talent first hand when he literally dismantled the highly touted Alex Trujillo for the IBA Light Welterweight Title. His style and behavior, in the ring and out of it, has helped Augustus to win over crowds everywhere he fights. Despite a history of being on the losing end of questionable judges’ decisions, Augustus is unrelenting, not only his punches but also his determination to take on any opponent, anytime. Further evidence of Augustus’ raw ability was his 2001 bout versus Mickey Ward, which was voted “Fight of the Year” by ESPN and Ring Magazine.
The co-main event features Los Mochis, Mexico’s Ivan “Relámpago” Valle (23-5-1 19 KOs). Valle gave a stunning performance at the Diamond Center on November 7, 2003 when, as a late sub, he went up against former USBA and NABF featherweight titleholder, Angel Vazquez, who he knocked out in the third round of a scheduled ten round bout. Valle, a former WBC Mundo Hispano featherweight titleholder, will be taking on Colombia’s knockout kid, William Morelos.
Other fighters on the card include Desert Diamond Casino veterans, Juan Garcia (6-0 2 KOs) who fights out of Phoenix, Javier Flores (6-7), from Nogales, Mexico, and Tucson’s Praxedis Osuna (6-1-1 4 KOs). First timers to the casino are Raul Montes (3-7 1 KO) and Augustine Renteria (8-23-5 2 KOs). Additional fighters on the card will be named shortly.
Treena Parvello, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, commented, “We’re bringing back some of the most entertaining fighters to have fought at the Diamond Center, including Emanuel Augustus and Ivan Valle. Desert Diamond Casino is committed to continuing to provide Southern Arizona with an outlet to see quality, live boxing and the March 10th event will be no exception to this.”
Desert Diamond Casino, with locations on Nogales Highway minutes from the Tucson International Airport and just off of I-19 on Pima Mine Road, and the Golden Ha:san in Why, Arizona are enterprises of the Tohono O’odham Nation. Further information can be found at http://www.desertdiamondcasino.com/ or by calling 866-DDC-WINS.