LOS ANGELES (March 6, 2009) – Boxing’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and 2008 Fighter of the Year MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO will be honored and celebrated by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the southern California Filipino community Tomorrow! Saturday, March 7 in Historic Filipino Town (3200 Temple Street, Los Angeles, Calif. 90026 – at Temple and Robinson Streets). Mayor Villaraigosa is scheduled to honor Pacquiao at 10 a.m. PT..
Pacquiao, the first Asian fighter to win four sanctioned world titles, will be honored as “The People’s Champion” for his historic achievements inside the ring and for his philanthropic contributions outside the ring. Pacquiao and Mayor Villaraigosa will also be planting a tree as part of the “Day of Service” where hundreds of volunteers will be on hand working to beautify and improve Historic Filipinotown. The day-long “Day of Service” festivities begin at 8 a.m. PT.
Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, is training with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, for his fight against junior welterweight champion Ricky “Hitman” Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs), from Manchester, England. The Pacquiao-Hatton 12-round world title fight will take place Saturday, May 2 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
GOLDEN BOY PROSPECTS ASHANTI JORDAN, SETH MITCHELL AND CHARLES HUERTA HEAD UP MARCH 7TH UNDERCARD IN SAN JOSE
LOS ANGELES, March 6 – Before six of boxing’s rising stars take to the ring at the HP Pavilion in San Jose on Saturday, March 7th, fight fans in attendance will see the future of the sport today as Golden Boy Promotions’ Ashanti Jordan, Seth Mitchell and Charles Huerta look to take the next step in their careers against opponents willing to leave it all in the ring to knock them back down the ladder.
This explosive boxing event, which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines is comprised of three co-featured bouts including a 10 round junior middleweight showdown between knockout artists James Kirkland and Joel Julio, two of boxing’s hardest punchers. In another co-featured bout, the NABO and USBA junior welterweight crowns will be on the line when “Vicious” Victor Ortiz takes on “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis face off. Opening the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast will be former two-time featherweight World Champion and Gilroy, California native Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero in a ten round NABO Junior Lightweight Championship contest against undefeated contender Daud Yordan.
Doors open at 3:00pm and the first bell rings at 3:00pm. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00pm ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Tickets for this hard-hitting event, priced at $200, $100, $60 and $25, are on sale now at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office, Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
In a heavyweight division in need of excitement, Ashanti Jordan (7-0, 6 KO’s) is proving to be the answer thus far in his pro career. A former amateur star, the San Francisco, California resident has picked up his pro game right where he left off in the amateurs, winning seven in a row with six knockouts. In fact, with the exception of his dominant six round decision win over John Clark, Jordan has ended all his bouts in three rounds or less. Looking to put him to the test on March 7th will be Clarksdale, Mississippi’s Willie Perryman (10-17, 7 KO’s), a seasoned veteran who plans on bringing Jordan into deep water that he has never seen before in a six-rounder.
Former Michigan State University standout linebacker, Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (9-0-1, 6 KO’s) traded in his shoulder pads for boxing gloves in 2006 and he hasn’t looked back since. Unbeaten in ten pro fights, the exciting native of Brandywine, Maryland is coming off a fifth round stoppage of Jason Bergman on January 23rd and he plans on keeping the “0” on his record intact when he locks horns in a six round bout with Long Beach, California’s Joseph Rabotte (3-4, 1 KO).
Featherweight up and comer Charles Huerta (8-0, 5 KO’s) has thrilled California fans ever since his pro debut in 2007 and he’s not about to let them down now. Currently riding a three fight knockout streak, Huerta is coming off the biggest win of his career last November when he scored a sixth round stoppage of 43-fight veteran Trinidad Mendoza. On March 7th, Huerta will fight in a six rounder against Cartagena, Colombia’s Andres Ledesma (15-11-1, 10 KO’s), a fearless veteran warrior who has already faced seven unbeaten fighters and who owns a fifth round KO win over New York prospect Gary Stark Jr.
A highly anticipated six round welterweight contest will see a battle of unbeatens, as Daly City, California star Karim Mayfield (7-0-1, 5 KO’s) takes on Chihuahua, Mexico’s Mario Lozano (6-0, 5 KOs) in what should be a memorable encounter.
Also in action will be Salinas, California junior lightweight Eloy Perez (12-0-2, 2 KO’s) who squares off against Glendale, Arizona’s Gabe Garcia (5-5-1, 1 KO) in a six rounder and Santa Ana, California’s lightweight Luis Ramos (9-0, 5 KO’s) will face Anthony Martinez (21-28-3, 9 KO’s) of Turriabla, Nicaragua in a four round battle.
Opening the card is a junior welterweight four rounder between hot Philadelphia prospect Karl Dargan (2-0) and debuting Carson City, Nevada product Sergio Orantes , followed by a four round junior lightweight clash pitting Newark, New Jersey’s Mike Perez (2-0, 2 KO’s) against Los Angeles’ Andres Reyes (1-1).