(Tucson, Arizona) — Desert Diamond Casino and Golden Boy Promotions are putting on their sixth and final night of boxing for 2006 on Friday, December 8th. The biggest event was saved for last, with an NABO Championship bout, a headlining fight with Tucson’s own Nito Bravo, and a special appearance by boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya. The 7-bout fight card includes rising stars and seasoned veterans, all fighting tête-à-tête in the Diamond Center. Tickets range from $25 to $100 in advance and are on sale now.. They can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 520-321-1000, by contacting the Desert Diamond Casino Box Office, or by visiting www.desertdiamondcasino.com. Doors open at 5:00 P.M.; first fight to begin at 5:30 P.M. Select fights will be televised on TeleFutura.
A title is up for grabs. With the Jr. Lightweight NABO belt hanging in the balance, Javier “El Chatito” Jauregui (51-13-2 35 KOs) of Guadalajara, JL, MX and Daniel Jimenez (15-1-1 9 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, will have to battle it out. Jimenez, with only six years of pro fighting behind him, has won his last fifteen straight bouts, highlighted by an upset win over Vicente Escobedo earlier this year. He’ll have to conquer Jauregui’s daunting eighteen year long career in the ring. With sixteen title fights to his name, Jauregui may have the upper hand over Jimenez. But Jimenez is out to prove that El Chatito’s reign is over and it is time to make room for a new champion.
Nito “El Gallito” Bravo (22-12-3 12 KOs), after an amazingly successful stint on ESPN’s The Contender 2 series, in which he took home a fourth place finish and won a spot in viewers’ hearts around the world, is returning to his roots to fight once again for his Southern Arizona hometown crowd. Bravo and West Linn, Oregon resident, Michael Lucero (10-10-1 2 KOs), will be part of the 8-round welterweight co-main event.
The 10-round co-main event in the jr. featherweight division will pit Ivan “Choco” Hernandez (23-2-1 13 KOs) against Alex “Ali” Baba (23-11-1 17 KOs). Hernandez, a 23-year-old warrior fighting out of Ensenada, BCN, MX, has faced some of the toughest opponents in his class. But he has yet to meet Ghana’s “Ali” Baba, whose maturity in the sport may be too much to handle.
Also on the fight card is a 6-round welterweight battle between Gabriel “Rey” Martinez (10-0 5 KOs) and Ramiro Rivera (4-2 3 KOs). Craig McEwan (2-0 2 KOs) returns to the Diamond Center and will face Valentino Jalomo (2-0-1) out of Dumas, TX as part of a 4-round middleweight event. Rounding out the night will be Tucson’s Eddie Vega (3-4 2 KOs) vs. Colorado’s David Marquez (3-3-1) in a welterweight bout. Victor Bisbal (5-1 4 KOs) from Puerto Rico will take part in a 4-round heavyweight fight vs. an opponent to be named.
Treena Parvello, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise, commented, “December 8th is going to be non-stop excitement in the Diamond Center. We’re bringing in top fighters that will be competing for the NABO title, plus we’re honored to welcome home Nito Bravo, fresh off of his impressive Contender 2 appearance. To top it off, Oscar De La Hoya will be in Tucson to meet the public and watch the bouts.”
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.