LOS ANGELES, June 15 – The first fight between Bryan Vera and Sergio Mora in February of 2011 was one of the most competitive battles of the year, with Vera pounding out a close split decision win over the former World Champion. On Saturday, August 11 these two 160-pound standouts will do it again in Vera’s home state of Texas and this time, the vacant NABO middleweight title will be on the line in the main event of TeleFutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” from the Illusions Theater at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Vera vs. Mora II, a 10-round fight for the vacant NABO Middleweight title set for Saturday, August 11 at the Illusions Theater at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. TeleFutura will broadcast the fight beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets, priced at $100, $75, $55, $45, $35 and $20 are available for purchase at the Alamodome Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000.
The event marks the first co-promotion between Golden Boy Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions, the Texas-based boxing promotional company headed by San Antonio’s own former boxing superstar Jesse James Leija.
The son and brother of professional fighters, Lubbock, Texas’ Bryan Vera (20-6, 12 KO’s) was born with boxing in his blood and you can tell that he has the heart and desire to do big things in the sport the second you see him in the ring. A veteran of nearly eight years in the professional game, the 30-year-old first came to the attention of fight fans in 2007 as a member of the cast of NBC’s hit boxing reality series “The Contender.” Following the show, he scored an upset win over then-unbeaten Andy Lee and fought top undefeated talents like James Kirkland and Craig McEwan. In 2011, he handed former World Champion Mora a 10-round defeat and has since won two of his last three heading into this long-awaited rematch.
Like Vera, Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora (23-2-2, 7 KO’s) first made his name on “The Contender,” with the East Los Angeles native winning the reality show in 2005. Mora was not done yet, as he defeated Vernon Forrest in 2008 to win the WBC Super Welterweight World Title. He would lose the belt in their rematch three months later, but since then has defeated Calvin Green and Jose Flores and fought to a draw with future Hall of Famer Sugar Shane Mosley. The only defeat he has suffered since his loss to Forrest came at the hands of the man he will face on August 11, Vera. Finally, the 31-year-old veteran gets his shot at revenge and redemption.
A full undercard will be announced shortly.
Quillin & Tunney Ring 8 guest speakers this Tuesday in NY
NEW YORK, NY (June 15, 2012) – Undefeated middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and the late World Heavyweight Champion Gene Tunney’s son, writer Jay Tunney, will be special guest speakers at Ring 8’s next monthly meeting this coming Tuesday evening (7:00 PM / ET, June 19), at the historic Waterfront Crabhouse in Long Island City, New York.
Quillin (27-0, 20 KOs) recently won an impressive 10-round decision over four-time world champion Ronald “Winky” Wright, which solidified Quillin’s reputation as America’s No. 1 middleweight as well as one of the top 160-pound boxers in the world.
Born in Michigan, Quillin lives in Manhattan, where he also is a boxing instructor at the Trinity Boxing Club. Sending Wright into retirement helped him crack The Ring Magazine (#10) and ESPN (#9) rankings for the first time. The talented Cuban-American is rated No. 5 by the World Boxing Association (“WBA”), No. 8 by the World Boxing Organization (“WBO”) and No. 12 by the World Boxing Council (“WBC”).
In 1928, Gene “The Fighting Marine” Tunney retired from boxing as the first undefeated world heavyweight champion in modern times, as well as one of the most famous athletes of that era, largely due to his two victories over Jack Dempsey. Tunney retired with a 65-5-1 (48 KOs) pro record with his only loss coming as a light heavyweight to another great, Harry Greb.
In retirement, Tunney befriended writers and scholars including Ernest Hemingway, Thornton Wilder and George Bernard Shaw. Tunney’s son, Jay, documented his father’s friendship with Shaw, writing the acclaimed book, The Prizefighter And The Playwright.
“We’re excited to have two guest speakers from such diverse backgrounds,” Ring 8 president Bob Duffy said. “Quillin’s father left Cuba 32 years ago to find freedom in America. Peter has gone from sleeping on floors into one of the best middleweights in the world and a future world champion. Jay is the son of a famous boxer who is a literary giant with extensive knowledge of boxing. I got to know him at the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame induction dinner when he accepted on behalf of his father going into the inaugural class. Jay will be selling his book and showing exclusive footage from the Tunney-Dempsey fights. I’m sure that, together, Jay and Peter will give our members a memorable evening.”
Formed in 1954 by an ex-prizefighter, Jack Grebelsky, Ring 8 became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association – hence, RING 8 – and today the organization’s motto still remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.
RING 8 is fully committed to supporting less fortunate people in the boxing community who may require assistance in terms of paying rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.
Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $25.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August. All active boxers, amateur and professional, are entitled to a complimentary RING 8 yearly membership.