Lee-Vera, Chilemba-Bostic Head Up AC Undercard

photo by Damien Acevedo

New York, NY – (9/30/2011) – This Saturday, October 1st, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) will present “Noche de 'Maravilla': Martinez vs. Barker” featuring Middleweight Champion ergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26KO's) defending his WBC Diamond belt and Ring Championship against England's undefeated European Champion “Dazzling” Darren Barker (23-0, 14KO's), at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, NJ.  Opening up HBO's World Championship Boxing® telecast will be the rematch between top-rated middleweight contender “Irish” Andy Lee (26-1, 19KO's) and former participant of “The Contender”, and the only man to defeat Lee as a pro, Bryan Vera (19-5, 12KO's), in a 10-round middleweight matchup.

“Noche de 'Maravilla': Martinez vs. Barker” is being presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Matchroom Sport, and Caesars Atlantic City, and is sponsored by Corona.  Doors open at 6PM ET, with the first bout scheduled for 6:30PM ET.

Tickets for “Noche de 'Maravilla'” are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office. 

In addition to the HBO live televised portion, there are an additional eight undercard bouts that feature a number of exciting up-and-coming young fighters, including DBE stable-mates, Isaac Chilemba, Steven Martinez, and J'Leon Love, all fighting in separate bouts. 

The South African Chilemba (17-1-1, 8KO's) will be making both his DBE and U.S. debut when he takes on Jameson Bostic (23-4, 13KO's) in what promises to be a stiff test for the current WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion Chilemba.  The bout is scheduled for eight rounds in the light heavyweight division.

The promising Puerto Rican prospect, Martinez (10-0, 8KO's), will take on his toughest opponent to date when he squares off against “Smokin” Jay Krupp (14-4, 7KO's) in a six-round junior middleweight showdown.  The Bronx-native Martinez, a National Golden Gloves Champion, and overall three-time New York Golden Gloves Champion, spent the last few weeks serving as one of the lead sparring partners in Sergio Martinez' training camp, in Oxnard, CA.

The hard-hitting prospect, Love (8-0, 6KO's), is scheduled to meet Eddie Hunter (5-6-2, 2KO's) in a six-round super middleweight match-up.

Two undefeated Irish-American New Yorkers will also see action on the card, when Kevin “Kid” Rooney (2-0, 1KO) faces Daniel Lugo (0-1), and Seanie Monaghan (8-0 5KO's) challenges Kentrell Claiborne (2-3, 1KO).  Rooney, the son of famed trainer Kevin Rooney Sr., also works full-time for DiBella and will be pulling double-duty on fight night.  Rooney-Lugo is scheduled for four rounds in the junior middleweight division, while Monaghan-Claiborne is scheduled for six rounds in the light heavyweight division. 

Also on the card will be West Point graduate, Boyd Melson (5-0, 3KO's).  Melson is the founder of “Team Fight to Walk”, and he donates his entire purse to the “Just a Dollar Please” organization, which is heavily involved in a pending stem cell trial focusing on research for spinal cord injuries.  Melson will take on Russ Niggemyer (2-3, 2KO's) in a six-round junior middleweight match-up.

Two of Sampson Boxing's most promising prospects will also see action on the card when Magomed Abdusalamov (9-0, 9KO's) battles veteran Kevin Burnett (13-4-1, 8KO's) in a six-round heavyweight match-up, and Israel Duffus (2-0, 2KO's) encounters Troy Artis (2-2-1, 1KO) in a four-round middleweight match-up.

Tickets for “Noche de 'Maravilla'” are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.