ATLANTIC CITY, December 8, 2008 — World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Welterweight Champion Kendall Holt (24-2, 13 KOs) will now defend his title against Philadelphia’s Demetrius Hopkins (28-0-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday, December 13 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Tickets for Holt-Hopkins, promoted by Top Rank and hosted by Caesars Atlantic City, are priced at $200, $100 and $50 and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-736-1420, or at any Ticketmaster outlet nationwide.. Tickets can also be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office. Doors will open at 8:00 pm and the main event is scheduled for 11:00 p.m.
Originally, Holt was to defend his title in a rubber-match against former champion Ricardo Torres, but Torres became ill in training camp and on Sunday announced he was unable to fight. Hopkins, already scheduled to fight on this high-octane fight card stacked with local talent, was prepared to step in right away and did so on Monday.
Featured on the undercard will be undefeated NABF jr. middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (26-0, 8 KOs) from Brooklyn, NY defending his title against “Irish” James Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) from Wicklow, Ireland. Also appearing on the undercard is separate bouts will be super lightweight Omar Chavez (12-0-1, 9 KOs) from Culiacan, MX; Jersey City’s Jorge Diaz (6-0, 5 KOs) will appear in a six-round bantamweight bout; Russian Olympian, middleweight Matt Korobov (1-0, 1 KO) from Orotukan, Russia will fight in his second bout as a professional; Atlantic City’s own super flyweight Qa’id Muhammad (3-0, 3 KOs); and Paterson’s Glenn Tapia will make his pro debut as a super welterweight.
Holt vs. Hopkins and Foreman vs. Moore will be broadcast on a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, (SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Kendall Holt won the WBO title against then-champion Ricardo Torres on July 5, 2008 in a short and brutal bout that lasted only sixty-one seconds. Holt was knocked down twice in the first thirty seconds. He returned to his feet following the second knockdown and saw Torres moving in to finish him off. Holt then landed a crushing overhand right that sent Torres to his knee, held up only by the ropes where the fight was stopped. Torres, who suffered a concussion, took several minutes to return to his feet before being whisked off to a local hospital for further tests. Holt, the newly crowned champion, himself headed to the hospital for stitches over his right eye.
A top contender at 140-pounds and ranked #10 by the WBO, Hopkins holds key victories over Steve Forbes, Ernesto Zepeda and Jesse Feliciano. With Hopkins hailing from Philadelphia, and Holt from Paterson, N.J., it is essentially a home-game for both fighters.
Ricardo Torres had captured the vacant WBO title with a split decision over Mike Arnaoutis, another Atlantic City fan favorite, on November 18, 2006.
PHILADELPHIA’S DEMETRIUS HOPKINS STEPS IN TO FACE KENDALL HOLT FOR WBO Jr. WELTER TITLE
NEW YORK (Dec. 8, 2008) – Undefeated junior welterweight challenger Demetrius Hopkins (28-0-1, 11 KOs) will step in to face WBO 140-pound champion Kendall Holt (24-2, 13 KOs) in the main event of Saturday’s special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, (SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Holt was originally slated to face former 140-pound champ Ricardo Torres in a rubber-match, but Torres withdrew from the fight on Monday.
“Torres really wanted to fight but he was ill during camp, missed some training and was not in the condition he needed to be in for a war like this,” said Bruce Trampler, chief matchmaker for Top Rank.
Now, Holt will have his hands full with the undefeated Hopkins, the nephew of former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. The 28-year-old Hopkins is in peak condition as he was originally scheduled to fight Germaine Sanders on the undercard of Saturday’s bout. When he learned Torres pulled out, he jumped at the opportunity to fight for his first world title.
According to manager Cameron Dunkin, Hopkins, upon accepting the fight, went immediately into an intense, all-day training session and was unavailable for comment.
Dunkin said, “Demetrius had been training hard for his fight with Germaine, and he has redoubled his efforts. He knows he needs to lose three more pounds but he will be on weight by Wednesday. He has completely devoted himself to being ready for this fight.
“This is a fight that he has wanted for a long time,” the manager continued. “His first world title fight; we have wanted this for a long time. I am excited and proud that he will get the chance on Saturday. This is what we’ve been waiting for.”
A top contender at 140-pounds, Hopkins holds key victories over Steve Forbes, Ernesto Zepeda and Jesse Feliciano. With Hopkins hailing from Philadelphia, and Holt from Paterson, N.J., it is essentially a home-game for both fighters.
Remaining tickets are on sale for the event, which is promoted by Top Rank, Inc., for Boardwalk Hall in. Tickets at $200, $100 and $50 are available on www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-736-1420, or at any Ticketmaster outlet nationwide.
Nick Charles will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst and Al Bernstein as ringside reporter. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing. ShoBox recently celebrated seven outstanding years on the air.