Boxing News: Maddalone and Minto Do It Again

NEW YORK (September 19, 2005) – Vinny Maddalone and Brian Minto will fight a rematch of their barnburner on the undercard of the Antonio Tarver vs. Roy Jones Jr. 3 at the St. Pete Times Forum Arena on Saturday, October 1.

Maddalone, 25-2 (18 KOs), and Minto, 20-1 (11 KOs), fought an unforgettable bloody war (won by Minto via KO 10) on ESPN2 in July 2004 that featured relentless back-and-forth action, a knockdown of Minto, and his miraculous, come-from-behind left hook that ended the war in the final round.

“Vinny has been chomping at the bit for this rematch and Minto has been publicly challenging Vinny, so it made sense to put this fight together,” explains promoter Joe DeGuardia. “It'll be another unforgettable fight on a night already packed with excitement.”

Since facing each other, Maddalone has gone on to establish himself as a favorite on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. His TKO 5 over Shannon Miller last August was another classic battle for the Italian action hero. Minto, meanwhile, has rebounded with two victories since his last fight with Vinny Maddalone.

“There will be a lot on the line for these guys,” DeGuardia says. “They're both extremely exciting fighters and Maddalone is so well known that he has become one of the most sought after heavyweights in boxing. A victory puts the winner on the cusp of becoming a viable contender and will definitely propel one of them to an even bigger fight, but a loss would be very damaging because this is a high profile bout being contested on a worldwide stage.

“But the real winners,” he continues, “will be the fans in attendance and those who purchase this sensational pay-per-view. These guys know what's at stake and they'll both be hungry tigers when that bell rings. Someone is going down. Expect to see a repeat of the rock-em-sock em, knockdown bloody war that they fought last year.”

The Tarver vs. Jones 3 pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT on October 1, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD.