News Combo: Manny-Marquez Tix Info, BAD Quotes, JC Burgos Ready

TICKETS FOR PACQUIAO-MÁRQUEZ 4 GO ON SALE TOMORROW!
1 P.M. ET / 10 A.M. PT

Act 4 of Their Fistoric Rivalry Takes Place Saturday, Dec. 8 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas
Presented Live By HBO Pay-Per-View®

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (September 27, 2012) – Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO of the Philippines and four-division world champion JUAN MANUEL “Dinamita” MÁRQUEZ of México will go mano a mano and toe-to-toe once again in a 12-round welterweight battle between two of this era’s top pound for pound and evenly matched fighters. Pacquiao-Márquez 4, the eagerly anticipated fourth act of their fistoric rivalry that has had fans and media standing on their feet for 36 action-packed rounds, will take place Saturday, December 8. It will be produced and distributed Live by HBO Pay-Per-View from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nev.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions, Zanfer Promotions, Márquez Boxing, Tecate and MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, tickets to Pacquiao-Márquez 4 will go on sale Tomorrow! Friday, September 28, at 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT. Tickets are priced at $1,200, $900, $600, $400, and $200. Ticket sales at $1,200, $900, $600 and $400 are limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $200 are limited to two (2) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs), the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani province in the Philippines, returns to the Fight Capital of the World as the only fighter to win eight world titles in as many weight divisions. A three-time Fighter of the Year and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s “Fighter of the Decade,” Pacquiao’s resume features victories over future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Márquez. From 2008 to 2010, five of his seven victories were world title victories in five different divisions, where he dethroned super featherweight champion Márquez, lightweight champion David Diaz, junior welterweight champion Hatton, welterweight champion Cotto and he annihilated three-time world champion Antonio Margarito for the vacant super welterweight title. Pacquiao’s seven-year, 15-bout winning streak came to an end on June 9, when he lost his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown to undefeated WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, Jr. via a controversial split decision. Pacquiao’s knockout victories over Cotto and Hatton in 2009, his victories over Joshua Clottey and Margarito in 2010, his wins against Mosley and Márquez in 2011 as well as his disputed loss to Bradley in June have combined for more than seven million pay-per-view buys making Pacquiao a pay-per-view king. No boxer sold more live tickets in the U.S. than Pacquiao in 2010 and 2011, making him a pound-for-pound monarch in the ring and at the box office.

Márquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs), of México City, is one of only a rare few fighters from México to have won world titles in four different weight divisions. He captured his first world title – the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight championship – with a seventh-round stoppage of three-time featherweight champion Manuel Medina in 2003. He unified the title that same year with a decisive victory over World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight titlist Derrick Gainer. Márquez successfully defended the titles three times during his three-year reign, which included unanimous decision victories over Victor Polo and Orlando Salido and a Draw with Pacquiao. After losing the crown to Chris John and winning the WBO interim featherweight crown, all in 2006, Márquez moved up in weight to dethrone the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera and claim his World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight championship belt in 2007. After successfully defending the title, by a unanimous decision over Ricky Juarez, he lost the title in his 2008 rematch with Pacquiao by the slimmest of margins – a one point split decision. Since that fight, Márquez has won six of his last eight fights, including knockout victories of Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis — the latter two in World Boxing Association (WBA) / WBO lightweight championship fights. In his last fight, on April 14, Márquez won his fourth world title in as many divisions, capturing the WBO interim junior welterweight championship with a dominant 12-round unanimous decision over Serhiy Fedchenko.

The Pacquiao vs. Márquez telecast, which begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. Follow HBO Boxing news at www.hbo.com and at www.facebook.com/hboboxing. Use the hashtag #PacMarquez to join the conversation on Twitter. For Pacquiao vs. Márquez updates, log on to www.toprank.com or www.hbo.com.

HBO BOXING AFTER DARK®: EDWIN RODRIGUEZ VS. JASON ESCALERA AND
LUIS DEL VALLE VS. VIC DARCHINYAN AND ALEX PEREZ VS. ANTONIN DECARIE
KICKS OFF FALL FOR THE HIT LATE-NIGHT RING FRANCHISE SATURDAY, SEPT. 29
HBO’s hit late-night boxing show kicks off the fall season with an action-packed tripleheader when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: EDWIN RODRIGUEZ VS. JASON ESCALERA AND LUIS DEL VALLE VS. VIC DARCHINYAN AND ALEX PEREZ VS. ANTONIN DECARIE is seen SATURDAY, SEPT. 29 at 9:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Conn., exclusively on HBO. The team of Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr. will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdate: Sept. 30 (9:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Sept. 30 (4:00 p.m.)

In a scheduled ten-round super middleweight showdown, Edwin Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) of Worcester, Mass., takes on Jason Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KOs) of Hoboken, NJ. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez has been dominant since starting his professional career at age 22 in 2008. He made his HBO debut in March, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Donovan George. Known for his brute force, Escalera will be making his HBO debut, having knocked out six of his last seven opponents within the first four rounds. Despite his height and reach advantages, Rodriguez will have his hands full with Escalera.
In the second bout of the evening, Luis Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, squares off against veteran brawler Vic Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KOs) of South Wales, Australia, in a scheduled ten-round junior featherweight bout. Del Valle has taken significant steps up in competition recently, most notably handing Christopher Martin his second loss in March by a unanimous decision victory. Looking to rebound from consecutive losses, the Armenian-born Darchinyan will rely on his greater experience.
Opening the night, Alex Perez (16-0, 9 KOs) of Newark, NJ, takes on Antonin Decarie (26-1, 7 KOs) of Quebec, Canada, in a scheduled ten-round welterweight battle. The 29-year-old Decarie will use his experience to bring the fight to his opponent, in only his second fight on American soil. Perez, 30, looks to protect his undefeated record by utilizing his height advantage. This fight replaces the originally announced light heavyweight bout between Zsolt Erdei and Isaac Chilemba, which was cancelled due to injury.
Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (September 27, 2012) – Promoter Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment, hosted the final pre-fight “Road To Glory” press conference today in the Celebrity Room at MGM Grand at Foxwoods for Saturday night's special HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader, live from the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

“Road To Glory,” headlined by a 10-round title bout featuring undefeated super middleweight contender Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), fighting out of nearby Worcester, Massachusetts, defending his United States Boxing Association (USBA) against unbeaten power-puncher Jason “Monstruo” Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KOs), of Union City, New Jersey.

Also fighting on the HBO BAD show is undefeated Luis Orlando “Orlandito” Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs) vs. former three-time, two-division world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KOs), in the 10-round co-feature for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super bantamweight title.

World Boxing Council (WBC) International welterweight champion Antonin Decarie (26-1, 7 KOs), rated No. 8 by the WBC and fighting out of Quebec, challenges the unbeaten challenger Alex Perez (16-0, 9 KOs), of Newark, New Jersey, for the vacant NABF welterweight belt.

The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, in association with Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing and Gary Shaw Productions.All three bouts will be aired on HBO's Boxing After Dark, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Press Conference Quotes

Edwin Rodriguez: “I had a good training camp in Houston. They put me through hell. I'm ready to show the world that I'm a top 10 super middleweight in the world. I know Jason Escalera is a good fighter. He's Puerto Rican, so he has a lot of will. Saturday night I need to break him down, take his will, and knock him out. I'm going to stay in the middle of the ring and take this guy out before the sixth round.”

Jason Escalera (L) Edwin Rodriguez (R)
Jason Escalera: “I'm excited. Camp was good and I was in the ring with known fighters like Demetrius Hopkins, Joe Smith, Ossie Duran, Glen Tapia, Danny Jacobs and Curtis Stevens. I've been working for this day to put on a show. Lou (DiBella), I'm going to disappoint you. I gotta do what I gotta do.”

Luis Orlando Del Valle: “I'm excited. It's been 12 years of working hard for this time and it's finally here. I guarantee everybody in boxing will know who Luis Orlando Del Valle is. It's an honor for me to fight Vic Darchinyan, but everybody's time comes. This is my time to step up and Vic Darchinyan's ends. I'll prove it Saturday night on my way to winning a world title. This is the first of many to come.”

Vic Darchinyan: “I want to thank HBO; it's my first time on HBO. You will see a very exciting fight from me on fight night.”

Antonin Decarie: “This is an amazing opportunity for me to establish myself as one of the best welterweights in the world. It's my time to shine. I'm so proud to be fighting on HBO. This is a dream come true. Saturday night will be great for me.”

Alex Perez: “I'm ready to go 10 rounds. I've been waiting for this my whole life. Basically, it's a dream come true.”

Lou DiBella w/ Edwin Rodriguez
Lou DiBella (promoter of Rodriquez & Perez, co-promoter of Del Valle): “This event is selling very, very well and I hope to have a full room on Saturday night.

“This is an opportunity for these young fighters to shine, but it's a crossroads fight for all of them. Everybody on this card has their hands full. Everybody knows Vic Darchinyan, but this is pretty much the first time on a big show for the other fighters. You've got to get out and entertain, not just win, and that's the type of fighters that people want to see.

“Escalera can't be in a bad fight. He keeps coming forward throwing punches. Having said that, I don't think he will win, but it's going to be a great fight. It's the kind of match that's entertaining and exciting. That's why it's on HBO. Edwin is now a top contender in the world. He is one of the top 168-pounders in the world.”

Joe DeGuardia (Escalera's promoter, Star Boxing): “Like Lou said, Escalera can't be in a dull fight. He's like Rocky, working in a meat market for the last eight years. I'm proud of him. He's taken on anybody we've put in front of him. He punches like a mule. He keeps ticking and is undefeated. He's an undefeated brawler. People want to see a fighter like him. He's coming into Rodriguez' hometown going for a knockout.”

Gary Shaw (Darchinyan's promoter and Del Valle's co-promoter): “When Lou first called me about Luis Orlando Del Valle and Vic Darchinyan, I had mixed emotions. I have a share of 'Orlandito' and I've traveled the world with Vic and his team from Armenia. It's a major fight for both fighters. If 'Orlandito' knocks off Vic, it makes a major statement; it's the first time at 122lbs. for Vic and he can be a force if he beats 'Orlandito.' Maybe he can get a shot at (Nonito) Donaire before he goes to 126. It's a major crossroads fight. Vic singlehandedly brought little guys back on TV. No matter what happens in this fight, Vic deserves to go into the Hall of Fame when he's done fighting.”

Scott Butera (CEO & President of Foxwoods Resort Casino): “Foxwoods has a proud tradition of hosting world-class boxing events and this Saturday will be no exception. This is a tremendous card featuring two undefeated boxers, Mr. Escalera and Mr. Rodriguez.”

“Road To Glory” is the highly anticipated HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader, featuring some of the brightest young fighters in all of boxing looking to continue on their paths toward their respective world championships. The card will take place on Saturday, September 29, at MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Tickets are on still on sale and can be purchased through the Foxwoods box office by calling 1 (800) 200-2882. Tickets are priced at $45, $75, $100 and $200.

TIJUANA, MEXICO (SEPTEMBER 27, 2012)- Juan Carlos Burgos is ready for his mandated
challenge against newly crowned WBO Jr. Lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez.
Burgos of Tijuana, Mexico is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
Burgos, 30-1 with twenty knockouts is now ranked number-one by the WBO and has
been informed that Martinez must defend against him next.

Since his one blemish which came in his only world title opportunity against Hozumi
Hasegawa, Burgos has won five in a row against top competition such as contenders
Frankie Archuleta, Gilberto Sanchez Leon; undefeated upstarts in Luis Cruz and Cesar
Vazquez as well as former world champion Cristobal Cruz. “I am ready for Rocky Martinez,
he showed his ability on his fight against Beltran Jr. and was the deserving of
the title, but I'm ready to challenge him for it,” said Burgos from his native Tijuana,
Mexico.

“I want to thank the WBO for giving me this opportunity which I had a chance for
before,” reminisced Burgos who fought and lost a title bout against Hozumi Hasegawa
in Nagoya, Japan. “I won't let this one get away from me, I want to fulfill my destiny
with the WBO belt around my waist, I just need to know the date so I can prepare
to go to war with Martinez.”

“Juan Carlos is a young warrior that has been waiting for his shot at the title.
We are confident he will make the best of it but it will not be an easy task against
a good fighter like Rocky Martinez. It should be a great fight for the fans and
we are proud to have gotten Burgos back where he belongs”, said Alex Camponovo General
Manager and Matchmaker of Thompson Boxing.

“Juan Carlos has shown that he is more than ready for this opportunity”, said Artie
Pelullo, CEO of Banner Promotions. “He has defeated the best at 130 pounds and we
are very confident that he will defeat Martinez in what should be a fabulous fight.
This will be another classic fight between Puerto Rican and Mexican fighters”
Martinez, 26-1-1 with sixteen knockouts won the title with a twelve round split
decision victory over Miguel Beltran Jr. on September 15th on the Julio Cesar Chavez
Jr. – Sergio Martinez Pay Per View card.

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