LOS ANGELES, March 3 – Unbeaten lightweight phenom Sharif “The Lion” Bogere will make his first appearance of 2011 against Brooklyn veteran Shamir Reyes in an eight round featured undercard bout this Friday, March 4, at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Joining Bogere will be unbeaten prospects Mikael Zewski of Trois-Rivieres, Canada, Michael Finney of Las Vegas and Indio’s own Diego Madrigal.
This night of world-class professional boxing, which is headlined by a 10 round lightweight bout pitting highly rated contender and former U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo against veteran Walter Estrada and also features unbeaten Coachella, Calif. prospect Randy Caballero in a six round bout against Palm Springs’ Hugo Ramos, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T. Doors open at 6:00pm PT on fight night and the first bell rings at 7:00pm PT. It will air live on the HBO Plus service in Latin America beginning at 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT and in the United States, the TeleFutura broadcast begins at 11:30pm ET / PT (10:30pm CT).
Fans at home can also be part of the action by participating in Cinturón Tecate and voting for the fighter in the main event who displayed the most character in the ring by sending a text message to 55333. Voting will be open through the end of the weekend.
Tickets, priced at $25, $35 and $45 are on sale now and available for purchase at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Owner of an 18-0 (11 KO’s) record, 22-year-old Sharif “The Lion” Bogere will look to continue to make a name for himself in the tough lightweight division on Friday night. A five-time African Amateur Champion and former captain of the Ugandan national team, Bogere has made a name for himself in the United States with the help of impressive 2010 wins over Jose Hernandez, Martin Tucker, Ilido Julio and Christopher Fernandez.
A slick southpaw with 13 years as a professional under his belt, Brooklyn’s Shamir Reyes (18-8-2, 7 KO’s) has the type of boxing knowledge and skill that can give any young fighter problems. Looking to get back in the mix at 135 pounds, the 30-year-old believes that he still has what it takes to beat anyone put in his way.
In just seven professional fights, 22-year-old junior middleweight Mikael Zewski (7-0, 4 KO’s) has been everywhere from Georgia to New Jersey to Iowa and Puerto Rico, but the results have always been the same – big wins for the fighting pride of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada. On Friday, he makes his second appearance in California against an opponent to be named in a six round bout.
Las Vegas welterweight Michael Finney (6-0, 6 KO’s) has made short work of all of his opponents thus far, with none of them making it past the second round. Providence’s Joshua “Steamin” Beeman (4-8-2, 2 KO’s) is ready for the hard-hitting prospect though and expects to take him into deep water on Friday in a six round fight.
Opening up the show in a four round featherweight bout will be Indio’s Diego Madrigal (1-0) against Juan Sandoval (2-6, 2 KO’s) of San Bernardino.
Tecate, cerveza con carácter, is the largest beer brand to sponsor boxing matches in the U.S. Part of its commitment to make boxing accessible to consumers is the title sponsorship of “Sólo Boxeo Tecate,” which creates an opportunity for local fans to witness some of the most exhilarating fights by today’s up-and-coming prospects. Additionally, Tecate has been a primary supporter of Golden Boy Promotions’ marquee events since 2007, and has launched a variety of initiatives to ensure consumers are part of the boxing experience, including boxer autograph signing sessions, commemorative cans, PPV mail-in rebate offers, and most recently the launch of a mobile museum “Tecate Museo de Boxeo,” which showcases decades of the most memorable moments in the sport.