LOS ANGELES, May 12 – After an unforgettable battle with Jose Hernandez in December last year and a technical knockout win over Marcos Herrera this past February, unbeaten Michael “The Artist” Perez is quickly becoming a fan favorite on the boxing rich island of Puerto Rico. On Friday, May 13, he returns to “La Isla Del Encanto” to battle Ira Terry in the main event of TeleFutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” at the Hilton Hotel & Casino in Ponce. The co-main event will feature another one of Puerto Rico’s top rising stars, Jonathan Vidal against Cecilio Santos.
Perez vs. Terry, which headlines a night of world class boxing, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Promociones Miguel Cotto and H2 Entertainment, and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T. The doors open at 6:00pm ET, first fight begins at 7:00pm ET and 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 $20.00 for general admission and $50.00 for ringside are available through Ticketcenter by calling (787)792-5000 or visiting www.tcpr.com
A Newark, New Jersey native whos family hails from Lares, Puerto Rico, Michael “The Artist” Perez (12-0-1, 6 KO’s) is a former National Golden Gloves Champion who has even loftier goals to achieve in the coming years as he pursues his dream of a professional world championship. 2010 was a big year for Perez who went 5-0 and passed a major test last December when he decisioned Jose Hernandez in an action-packed battle that was dubbed “Fight of the Year” by “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” and the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission. The 21-year-old has since stopped Marcos Herrera, setting the stage for his return to Puerto Rico on May 13.
Tennessee’s Ira Terry (24-4, 14 KO’s) won’t be issuing any southern hospitality to Perez on May 13, as he seeks a return to the win column after hard-fought bouts against top prospects Carlos Velasquez and Joksan Hernandez. With the 24-year-old scoring knockouts in four of his last five wins, expect for him to bring everything he’s got upset Perez in Puerto Rico.
Unbeaten Guaynabo flyweight Jonathan Vidal (13-0, 8 KOs) is one of Puerto Rico’s top young prospects, and at 21-years-old, the sky is the limit for this talented boxer. He possesses impressive power as is evidenced by eight of his wins coming in two rounds or less. Showing his versatility, in recent wins over fellow prospects Felix Perez and Aneuris Matos, he has proven that he can box and go the distance as well. Vidal will face off against Mexico City’s Cecilio “Boga” Santos (25-18-3, 15 KO’s) in an eight round flyweight fight which is sure to be a tough battle in keeping with the traditionally competitive Mexico vs. Puerto Rico boxing rivalry. A professional since 1997, the experienced Santos has been in with some of boxing’s toughest fighters including Jorge “Travieso” Arce, Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno, Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel, Veeraphol Sahaprom to name a few and hopes to give the young Puerto Rican his first taste of defeat on Friday night.
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.
Webb-Aaron on 5/13
SAM WEBB is close to achieving goals beyond his wildest dream when he started boxing for a living.
The Chislehurst man (17-1) defends his British light-middleweight title against Manchester’s Prince Arron (20-3-1) at Medway Park Leisure Centre, Gillingham on Friday (May 13).
Promoter Frank Maloney will be targeting European glory later this year and Webb said: “If I ever go beyond my expectations and achieve more than a British title it will be a bonus.
“If I manage that I will look back at the record books and think ‘look how well you did’.
“Right now I am not looking at other belts. Arron is one of the best kids in the light division at domestic level, but we will see how good he is when we meet.
“Apart from Ryan Rhodes I am the best in Britain. He deserves to be where he is and I really hope he becomes world champion.”
Promoter Frank Maloney is expecting a big hitting show from Chatham heavyweight Tom Dallas banger (14-0) who bids to send his local fans home happy when he faces American Zack Page (21-34-2).
Maloney said: “Page is one of the most durable heavyweights in the world and if Tom manages to stop him it will have made a real statement.”
Blackpool’s Brian Rose (16-1-1)who became a dad for the first time on Wednesday morning defends his English light-middleweight crown against Swanley’s Martin Welsh (9-0)
A third title fight on the Sky Sports televised show sees Wembley’s Akaash Bhatia (15-1) meets Crawley’s Ben Jones (11-2-10 in a vacant English featherweight title clash.
Tickets for the fantastic night of action are available at £30 and £65 ringside from www.frankmaloney.com and 0871 226 1508
Kell Brook vs. 39-year-old Lovemore N’dou on 6/25
Kell Brook says he will be the first fighter to stop tough Australian Lovemore N’dou when the pair fight in Brook’s hometown of Sheffield on June 25. Brook admits this is the ‘toughest test of his career so far’ but the 25 year-old is determined to put on a great show at the Hillsborough Leisure Centre and extend his unbeaten record to 24 fights as he continues his quest for a World Title.
N’dou’s credentials speak for themselves –the battle-hardened veteran of 62 fights (48 wins) and has never been stopped. The 39 year-old will ask plenty of questions of the talented Sheffield fighter, stepping out for the first time as a Sky Sports Saturday Night Fight Night headliner under his new promoters Matchroom Sport.
“N’dou been in with top, top names and never been stopped, he’s a tough and game champion,” said Brook. “It’s a great motivation for me as I want to be the first to stop him. It’s in Sheffield with my home fans roaring me on and I’m running past the venue every day thinking ‘on June 25 I’m going to have a sell-out show in there and I’m going to put on the best performance of my life’.”
It’s Brook’s first hometown fight since beating Ernie Smith in May 2005 in just the seventh pro date of his career. With the venue just down the road from Brook’s home, ‘Special K’ is promising local fans a great fight with plenty of action.
“I hope I stop him in the 12th round because I want to give the crowd what they have come to see,” said Brook. “There will be a lot of action and I’ll be chucking in a lot of shots and I want to hurt him, and if it goes 12 rounds then I know it’s going to be a great show because I don’t have boring fights.
“I train for 12 rounds in every fight but I’ve got more drive for this one because with N’dou he’s been in with big names and no-one’s really hurt him, so when I’m looking at that big hill, instead of taking the short track home I’m doing the long route and pushing myself to the limit.”
By the time June 25 comes around, it will have been over six months since his last fight, where he destroyed Philip Kotey inside two rounds at the Echo Arena in Liverpool to defend his WBO Inter-Continental title for the second time. Brook has since been stripped of that belt but is looking to the future and is aiming to show he can be a World class fighter and entertainer in the mould of fellow Sheffield star Prince Naseem Hamed.
“I’ve got a new lease of life now – I’ve signed with Matchroom Sport and Eddie Hearn and he’s saying good things to me so we’ve got a bright future ahead.
“I can be a Champion and a crowd-pleaser at the same time, I know I can. Brendan Ingle had me in the ring from 9 or 10 years-old and he gets you doing stuff that the crowd will love. I’ve got it all in my locker, it just hasn’t come out yet – but I think that will start when I fight N’dou and I go to the later rounds and you’ll see all different kinds of Kell Brook.”
Tickets for Kell Brook v Lovemore N’dou, plus a full undercard to be announced soon are available from Matchroom Sport priced £30 unreserved, £50 ringside and £80 VIP – to buy call Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900.