LOS ANGELES (April 19) – Puebla, the Mexican city where the 1862 Battle of Puebla occurred, will make its presence known on the 150th anniversary of the battle and in recognition of the Cinco de Mayo weekend with their sponsorship of the “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto,” the May 5 super welterweight world championship mega-fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The fight, which will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, will mark the first time the City of Puebla will engage in an active sponsorship of a big-time boxing event.
The Cinco de Mayo weekend has traditionally been known to produce some of the biggest and most memorable fight weekends in the history of the sport. In years past, the holiday has seen Mexican greats Julio Cesar Chavez, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricardo “Finito” Lopez and many others fight on Cinco de Mayo. Mexican-American superstar Oscar de la Hoya fought on the weekend four times including his first mega-fight when, as World Boxing Organization (WBO) Lightweight World Champion, he defeated IBF Lightweight Titlist Rafael Ruelas on May 6, 1995. Now it’s Mexican sensation Canelo Alvarez’s turn as he is featured in the May 5 co-main event against future Hall of Famer Sugar Shane Mosley.
The Cinco de Mayo celebration, while more of an American tradition, is observed in Mexico, primarily in the city of Puebla, and dates back to the significance of the 1862 Battle of Puebla. In one of the proudest moments in Mexican History, 167 poorly equipped soldiers in the small town of Puebla battled and defeated a much more powerful 4,000-strong French army from taking over their land.
The Battle of Puebla was a monumental point in Mexican history for at least two reasons. First, although considerably outnumbered, the Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army. Second, it was significant because since the Battle of Puebla, no country in the Americas has been invaded by a European military force. In the years since the Battle of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a day where Mexicans and Mexican-Americans enjoy all things Mexican with a passion and pride that never ceases.
With Cinco de Mayo also being an exciting time for the sport of boxing, it’s a great opportunity to connect a triumphant day in Mexican history with one of the biggest American sports traditions. With four of the biggest names in boxing, Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, rising Mexican red-headed phenom Canelo Alvarez and Sugar Shane Mosley, fighting on this feted Mexican holiday this year, the city of Puebla has connected with this special weekend of events and activities in celebration of their victory.
“Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto,” a 12-round fight for Cotto’s WBA Super Welterweight World Championship and the vacant WBC Super Welterweight Diamond Belt is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. Also featured will be Canelo Alvarez vs. Sugar Shane Mosley, a 12-round fight for Canelo’s WBC Super Welterweight World Championship which is presented in association with Canelo Promotions and Sugar Shane Mosley Promotions and a 10-round welterweight fight between undefeated rising star Jessie Vargas and perennial contender Alfonso Gomez. Opening the pay-per-view broadcast will be a 10-round bout between super welterweight contender DeAndre Latimore and former World Champion Carlos Quintana which is presented in association with DiBella Entertainment. The mega event is sponsored by Corona, Hatfields & McCoys on HISTORY™, DeWalt Tools, AT&T, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Puebla – Cinco De Mayo and will take place Saturday, May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Limited tickets for “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto” are still available, with a total ticket limit of ten (10) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Three Las Vegas MGM Resorts, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo and The Mirage, will host live closed circuit telecasts of “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto.” Advanced purchased tickets for the closed circuit telecasts are priced at $75, not including handling fees. All seats are general admission and are on sale now at each individual property’s box office outlets or by phone with a major credit card at (866) 799-7711.
Episodes two and three of HBO’s all-access reality series 24/7 MAYWEATHER/COTTO debut on Saturday, April 21 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT) and Saturday, April 28 (9:45 p.m. ET/PT) respectively, with the finale debuting Friday, May 4 (8:00 p.m. ET/PT), the night before the high-stakes super welterweight title bout. All four episodes will have multiple replay dates on HBO, and the series will also be available on HBO On Demand® and HBO GO®.
NCM Fathom will broadcast “Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto” in high definition LIVE to more than 440 movie theaters nationwide. Tickets to see the fight on the big screen are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.
Ivan Morales vs. Edgar Martinez Now For Vacat WBC Youth Super Flyweight Title
As it was announced earlier this week at the launch press conference, the Ivan Morales-Edgar Martinez bout slated for Monday, April 23rd, will be the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth super flyweight title. The scheduled ten round fight will headline “La Dinastia Continua (The Dynasty Continues)” presented by Erik “Terrible” Morales’ Box Latino at the Tijuana Municipal Auditorium. The night will mark the first time that Ivan Morales, twenty-year old younger brother of former world champions Erik and Diego “Pelucho” Morales, fights for a title. By winning the title, the young man known as “Niño Maravilla” will take the first step towards history as the Morales have the unique opportunity in becoming the first set of three siblings to be crowned world champions.
“For me this is a great honor and responsibility to head line my first fight card and I must perform better than in my last fight,” Ivan stated during his time at the podium. Morales is coming off knocking out the experienced Ricardo “Rocky” Armenta last January. “It does help to fight under the Box Latino banner, my brother’s promotional company, but it also adds pressure along with the normal nerves as any other fight and wishing to do things right.”
Morales also mentioned that he has been training since late January when he climbed the south central mountains in Mexico to the Otomi Ceremonial Center to train alongside his seven-time world champion brother, “Terrible”, for his showdown with Danny Garcia held last month.
In the semi-main event, hard hitting Tijuana junior welterweight prospect Emilio Bojorquez (20-1, 13KOs) is set to perform as well as his younger brother, super bantamweight Christian “Huevo” Bojorquez (6-0, 1KOs), current WBC Continental Americas and #7 ranked junior flyweight Javier “Cobra” Mendoza (16-2-1, 13KOs), super featherweight Pablo “Bronco” Armenta (8-1-1, 4KOs), undefeated light welterweight Adrian Vargas (6-0-1, 4KOs), super flyweight Pedro “Guerrero” Melo (7-3-1, 1KO) and bantamweight Osvaldo “Waldo” Castro (12-4-1< 8KOs) among others. Tickets are available now at the Tijuana Municipal Auditorium’s box office for $16-$8 US dlls. Doors open at 7:30pm and the first punch is thrown at 8:30pm. All ages welcomed, food and drink will be served. *** MIKE LEE FIGHTS ON ESPN, FRIDAY JUNE 8TH!!!! CHICAGO, IL (April 19, 2012) Former Notre Dame Boxing Champion and current undefeated light heavyweight professional Mike Lee will return to the ring on Friday, June 8th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 24-year-old Lee, sporting a record of 8-0-0 with five knockouts will be featured in a six round bout broadcast on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. In his last bout on December 3rd at Madison Square Garden, Lee dominated Allen Medina over the first three rounds, drilling him to the canvas with an overhand right in the fourth round for the stoppage. Lee is a national spokesman for Subway Restaurants and is currently featured in numerous nationally broadcast commercials alongside Michael Phelps, Blake Griffin, Michael Strahan and Carl Edwards. A native of Wheaton, Illinois and graduate of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business with a degree in Finance, Lee is training in Houston with the renowned Ronnie Shields. Advance tickets in the Team Lee VIP Ringside section can be purchased by calling 630-400-6380. More information on Mike Lee can be viewed at his website, www.MikeLeeBoxing.com. He can also be followed on Twitter at @MikeLeeBoxer and Facebook at Mike Lee (Boxer). The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is located at 4455 Paradise Road in Las Vegas. For further information visit their website at www.hardrockhotel.com