Chango Carmona Started It Off

LOS ANGELES (September 13)? On September 15, 1972 Mexican lightweight Chango Carmona stopped Mando Ramos in the eighth round of a WBC title bout at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. Little did Carmona know that he was starting a now nearly four-decade-long tradition of Mexican and Mexican American fighters representing their people on the hallowed Mexican Independence Day holiday weekend. Thirty-eight years later, Mexican Independence Day weekend boxing will once again return to Los Angeles for ?200: CELEBRATE AND DOMINATE? Mosley vs. Mora on September 18 at STAPLES Center live on HBO Pay-Per-View?.

Former World Champion Sergio ?The Latin Snake? Mora, rising boxing phenom Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez, top junior welterweight contender ?Vicious? Victor Ortiz, former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon and number two world rated featherweight Antonio Escalante, who are all of Mexican or Mexican-American descent, will step into the ring September 18 with an understanding of the significance of the night and the fights ahead of them.

?It is humbling to fight on Mexican Independence Day and follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest fighters of all time,? said Mora, whose mother moved to East Los Angeles from Mexico in when she was 20-years-old in pursuit of a better life. ?I understand what it means to be a part of this tradition and I feel that I am ready for the challenge. The opportunity to fight in Los Angeles makes the stakes even higher and the fight even more significant.?

The city of Los Angeles has played a critical role in the history of Mexican Independence Day boxing. In 1984, Julio Cesar Chavez, arguably the most important figure in Mexican boxing history, won his first world title when he fought fellow Mexican Mario Martinez at the Olympic Auditorium. Chavez, who went on to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend six more times, fought his last Mexican Independence Day fight on September 18, 1998 against Los Angeles native and future 10-time World Champion Oscar de la Hoya who defeated Chavez via an eighth round TKO.

The torched was passed, and De La Hoya carried on the Mexican Independence Day fighting tradition from that point forward, fighting nearly every year on the all-important weekend. Several of the most memorable fights in De La Hoya?s storied career took place on Mexican Independence Day weekend including bouts against Felix Trinidad, Fernando Vargas and Sugar Shane Mosley.

?It was always an honor to represent the Mexican people on the independence weekend,? said De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. ?I look forward to bringing some of the best Mexican and Mexican American fighters to Los Angeles next weekend to continue this grand tradition. This is a great opportunity for these young fighters to make a name for themselves as many other fighters have on this great holiday.?

The greater Los Angeles area has the largest Hispanic community in the United States and with a large portion of that community residing in East Los Angeles, it is no wonder that the neighborhood has produced some of the most talented fighters of Mexican descent in recent history such as De La Hoya and Mora. Also an East L.A. native, rising junior welterweight prospect Frankie Gomez will fight for the first time on Mexican Independence Day weekend when he faces Cesar Holguin in the bout immediately before the pay-per-view telecast on September 18.

?Fighting on Mexican Independence Day weekend in my hometown is a dream come true,? said Gomez. ?There is definitely added pressure, but I am confident that I will be able to make my family and my people proud. I hope this is the start of many more Mexican Independence Day fights in my career.?

September 18 marks the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence and ?200: CELEBRATE AND DOMINATE? marks one of the biggest celebratory fight nights to take place in Los Angeles, continuing the tradition of great Mexican Independence Day fights.

MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY FIGHT APPENDIX:

OSCAR DE LA HOYA

Date Opponent Location Result

9/18/2004 Bernard Hopkins MGM Grand, Las Vegas L KO9

9/13/2003 Shane Mosley MGM Grand, Las Vegas L UD12

9/14/2002 Fernando Vargas Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas W TKO11

9/18/1999 F?lix Trinidad Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas L MD12

9/18/1998 Julio Cesar Chavez Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas W TKO8

>9/13/1997 H?ctor Camacho Sr. Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas W UD12

9/9/1995 Genaro Hern?ndez Caesars Palace, Las Vegas W RTD6

?I always felt great pride fighting during Mexican Independence Day weekend,? De La Hoya said. ?There is an extra motivation to perform on this weekend because no one wants to let their country down and I know, just like Chavez and I did when we fought on this special day, the fighters on the September 18 fight card will make Mexico proud.?

JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ

Date Opponent Location Result

9/18/1998 Oscar de la Hoya Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas L TKO8

9/16/1995 David Kamau Mirage, Las Vegas W UD12

9/17/1994 Meldrick Taylor MGM Grand, Las Vegas W TKO8

9/10/1993 Pernell Whitaker Alamo Dome, San Antonio, Texas D12

9/12/1992 H?ctor Camacho Sr. Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas W UD12

9/14/1991 Lonnie Smith Mirage, Las Vegas W UD12

9/13/1984 Mario Mart?nez Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles W TKO8

?I feel proud to have been part of fights that gave fans such great memories while celebrating Mexico?s Independence, such as my fight against Meldrick Taylor,? said Chavez. ?That night, I was filled with great pride knowing that all of my people were watching and that the fight was taking place as part of the celebration of Mexican Independence Day.?

JUAN MANUEL ?DINAMITA? M?RQUEZ

Date Opponent Location Result

9/19/2009 Floyd Mayweather MGM Grand, Las Vegas L UD12

9/13/2008 Joel Casamayor MGM Grand, Las Vegas W TKO11

9/18/2004 Orlando Salido MGM Grand, Las Vegas W UD12

?It is always an honor to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend,? said Marquez. ?To be given the chance to fight on this important day in the history of my country three times in my career is something I am very proud of.?

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA

Date Opponent Location Result

9/16/2006 Rocky Ju?rez MGM Grand, Las Vegas W UD12

9/17/2005 Robbie Peden MGM Grand, Las Vegas W UD12

?It was an honor for me to fight on this weekend because I knew that all Mexican fans were watching very closely,? Mexico City?s Barrera said. ?It has always been an important date that belongs to most important Mexican fighters.?

ERIK ?EL TERRIBLE? MORALES

Date Opponent Location Result

9/11/2010 Willie Limond Plaza de Toros Mexico W KO6

9/12/1998 Junior Jones Plaza de Toros Tijuana W TKO4

?Even though I only fought twice on this weekend, I always know that it is a fight that will be remembered because it took place on such an important date,? Morales said. ?It remains a strong connection between the sport and Mexican history. There will always be a hard-fought battle that fans won?t forget when a Mexican fights during the celebration of Mexican Independence.?

GABRIEL RUELAS

Date Opponent Location Result

9/17/1994 Jesse James Leija MGM Grand, Las Vegas W UD12

9/16/1996 ?ngelo N??ez Las Vegas W TD 8

?It was an honor for me to fight during the celebration of Mexico?s Independence and I will always remember it was an important moment in my career during which I hope I was a worthy representative of Mexican boxing,? Ruelas said.

ERUBEY ?CHANGO? CARMONA

Date Opponent Location

9/15/1972 Armando Ramos Memorial Coliseum, Los ?ngeles W TKO8

?For me it was very special and so important to fight on September 15, 1972,? Carmona said. ?I remember shouting for joy after I beat Ramos and captured a world title in front of all the Mexicans fans in the Los Angeles Coliseum. That win wasn?t just for me, it was for Mexico as well.?

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?200: CELEBRATE AND DOMINATE? is headlined by Five-Time World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley facing off against former World Champion Sergio ?The Latin Snake? Mora and also features Mexican phenom Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez against World Champion Carlos ?Tata? Baldomir, top junior welterweight contender ?Vicious? Victor Ortiz taking on former World Champion ?Vicious? Vivian Harris and former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon squaring off against number two world rated featherweight Antonio Escalante in a WBO Featherweight Title Elimination bout.

?200: CELEBRATE AND DOMINATE? Mosley vs. Mora is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. The special night of boxing set for Saturday, September 18 at STAPLES Center is an official event of the Mexican Bicentennial celebration in Los Angeles, Calif.

Tickets for Mosley vs. Mora, priced at $200, $125, $75 and $20, are on sale now and available for purchase online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000. Tickets are also available at STAPLES Center box office.