Month: July 2012

Keith Thurman vs. Orlando Lora & Omar Figueroa vs. Dominic Salcido Set As “Battle On The Banks” Co-Featured Bouts On 7/21 Broner vs. Escobedo Undercard

KEITH THURMAN VS. ORLANDO LORA &
OMAR FIGUEROA VS. DOMINIC SALCIDO
SET AS “BATTLE ON THE BANKS” CO-FEATURED BOUTS
TO ADRIEN BRONER VS. VICENTE ESCOBEDO
WORLD TITLE FIGHT

THURMAN VS. LORA TO AIR LIVE ON
HBO BOXING AFTER DARK
FROM U.S. BANK ARENA IN CINCINNATI, OHIO

LOS ANGELES, July 18 – Two of boxing’s most exciting young power hitters will be swinging for the fences at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, July 21 when unbeaten rising star Keith Thurman and Texas titan Omar Figueroa both enter the ring against opponents eager to pin losses on their perfect records in fights that could steal the show before the main event which features the WBO 130-pound title fight between Adrien “The Problem” Broner and Vicente “Chente” Escobedo. In the televised co-main event, Thurman battles Mexico’s Orlando Lora in a 10-round welterweight fight while Figueroa risks his undefeated record against slick California veteran Dominic Salcido in a 10-round lightweight fight, highlights of which will be shown on the HBO telecast.

“Battle On The Banks: Broner vs. Escobedo,” a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBO Junior Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, July 21 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R&R Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T with Thurman vs. Lora being presented in association with Gary Shaw Productions. Doors open at 6:00 PM ET and the first fight begins at 6:15 PM ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets, priced at $128, $78, $53 and $28, are available for purchase at the U.S. Bank Arena Box Office or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com.

Hard hitting Keith “One Time” Thurman (17-0, 16 KO’s) hails from sunny Clearwater, Florida, but there’s no sunshine in the ring for his opponents when he starts unleashing his brand of thunder and lightning. The owner of nine first round knockouts in a career that began in 2007, the 23-year-old Thurman returned to the ring in 2012 after a year off due to injury and he didn’t skip a beat, blasting out veteran Christopher Fernandez in a single round in February and then taking just three frames to hand Brandon Hoskins his first professional loss in May. On July 21 he takes aim at Orlando Lora.

31-year old Culiacan, Mexico native Orlando “Latigo” Lora (29-2-2, 19 KO’s) is a former IBA junior middleweight champion and WBC Continental Americas welterweight champion who is no stranger to early finishes, having sent 19 of his opponents down in defeat by knockout. When you add a veteran’s experience and a rock solid chin to the equation, Lora certainly has what it takes to not only test the power punching Thurman, but also hand the youngster his first professional defeat on Saturday.

A thrill-a-minute warrior with dynamite in his gloves, 22-year-old Omar “Panterita” Figueroa (18-0-1, 15 KO’s) has graduated from the local fight scene in his native Weslaco, Texas to become a prime time prospect at 135 pounds. He is already 5-0 with five knockouts (four in two rounds or less) in 2012 and his exciting style is making him a true fan favorite wherever he fights. He expects Cincinnati to be no different.

Owning the boxing skills and heart to force any opponent to dig deeper than he ever has before, Rialto, California’s Dominic Salcido (18-3, 9 KO’s) is returning to the ring for the first time since October of 2010 and he can’t wait to make an immediate impression with a win over Figueroa. He has been a Southern California staple for years whose only professional losses have come against top of the line talent in Vicente Escobedo, Ilido Julio and Eloy Perez. Now, the 28-year-old Salcido expects to show on July 21 that he is just now reaching his fighting prime.

Don King and World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman met with future Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last June in Mexico.

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DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla.—American-Mexican promoter Don King sent congratulations today to Enrique Pena Nieto for winning Sunday’s election to become the new president of Mexico.

King met the 45-year-old president-elect last June while in Mexico and was greatly impressed.

“Pena Nieto is the people’s choice and the people’s champion in Mexico, and he has my heartfelt congratulations,” King said.

“In the words of Father Miguel Hidalgo, ‘Mexicanos, Viva Mexico!’ In the spirit of Hidalgo, Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and Benito Juarez comes Enrique Pena Nieto, a tried and true representative of the Mexican people, a leader who loves and cares about the people he represents.

“When he takes office, I know there will be a rebirth of boxing in Mexico. Mexicans are fighters inside the ring and outside the ring, and I look for a bigger, better and brighter future for all Mexicans. Viva Enrique Pena Nieto! Viva Mexico!”

Pena Nieto will succeed Felipe Calderon as the 19th Mexican president since the Mexican Revolution concluded in 1920. He had served as governor of the State of Mexico from 2005 through 2011.