Boxing News: LeRoy Neiman to Provide Art for Hopkins-Taylor

LOS ANGELES (July 11, 2005) – Legendary artist LeRoy Neiman, known by fight fans around the globe for his colorful paintings and vibrant technique, has been commissioned to create the artwork for the upcoming middleweight superfight between Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor, which will take place on Saturday, July 16, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Having LeRoy Neiman creating unique artwork for this fight is a thrill and an honor for us at Golden Boy Promotions,” said company President Oscar De La Hoya. “Mr. Neiman is pound-for-pound the greatest artist in the world, and having him involved with this event lets everyone know how important it is when the two best middleweights in the world square off.”

Whether Neiman is “pound-for-pound the greatest artist in the world” is open to debate, but his work has been a fight game fixture for many years.

“Two of my favorite pieces are the pre-fight portraits of Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns which I painted in 1985,” said Neiman. “We all know how that legendary fight turned out, and I’m expecting the same kind of fireworks from Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor on July 16.”

Neiman’s pre-fight portraits of the champion, Hopkins, and the challenger, Taylor, will adorn the cover of the middleweight championship bout’s collectible program. Fight fans who are unable to attend the live event but who wish to purchase the program may visit www.spboxing.com.

Best known for his brightly-hued, thickly-layered canvases depicting sporting events, LeRoy Neiman is one of the best-known living artists in the United States. He is an immensely successful commercial artist who has turned his back on art history to march to the sound of his own drummer. As a result, his art is loved by millions of people, due to its consistency and accessibility, at the same time as it derided the establishment.

Neiman has embraced all sports with his art, but boxing has always topped the list for the Minnesota-born New York resident.

Neiman’s most recent project is the limited edition book The Leroy Neiman Sketchbook: 1964 Liston vs. Clay – 1965 Ali vs. Liston.

NeXt in Line is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment.

Tickets for NeXt in Line, priced at $75, $150, $250, $450, and $650, are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office outlet. Tickets also are sold at all Las Vegas TicketMaster locations (Tower Records/WOW!, Smith's Food and Drug Centers, Robinsons-May stores and Ritmo Latino).

Ticket sales are limited to eight per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call TicketMaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at
www.mgmgrand.com or at www.ticketmaster.com.

For room packages and availability as well as event ticket information, call MGM Grand at (800) 929-1111 or (702) 891-7777 or log onto the World Wide Web at www.mgmgrand.com.

The Hopkins vs. Taylor pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT on July 16, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to over 50 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For more event information log onto www.HBOPPV.com

For more information on Golden Boy Promotions, please visit www.goldenboypromotions.com.