Who Do Ya Like, Morales or Garcia?

BIG-TIME BOXING DOUBLEHEADER LANDS IN THE LONE STAR STATE TO KICK OFF 2012 AS MEXICAN LEGEND ERIK “EL TERRIBLE” MORALES FACES UNDEFEATED RISING STAR DANNY “SWIFT” GARCIA ON JANUARY 28 FOR THE WBC SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE AT RELIANT ARENA IN HOUSTON LIVE ON HBO BOXING AFTER DARK

PLUS, TEXAS NATIVE JAMES “MANDINGO WARRIOR” KIRKLAND FACES

HARD-HITTING “KING” CARLOS MOLINA IN A

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CO-FEATURED BOUT

HOUSTON, TEX. (December 15) – To kick off the 2012 boxing year, Golden Boy Promotions and Box Latino Promotions will deliver a night of boxing that no fight fan will want to miss when future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales defends his WBC Super Lightweight title against unbeaten Philadelphian Danny “Swift” Garcia and James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland, fresh off of his thrilling fight against Alfredo Angulo, battles “King” Carlos Molina on Saturday, Jan. 28 at Reliant Arena in Houston, Texas in an HBO Boxing After Dark televised doubleheader that airs at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets, priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, go on sale on Saturday, December 17 at 10:00 a.m. CT and may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Reliant Stadium box office south ticket windows.

“Danny Garcia is a strong, fast, young fighter,” said Morales.  “I have always said that I want to fight the best.  Garcia is one of boxing’s future stars and is highly rated, but I feel I will beat him without any problem.  His time is not now.”

“To be able to face legend like Erik Morales and headline an HBO fight card is what I have been waiting for my whole life,” said Garcia. “I am going to work hard and make a statement on national television that I have what it takes to not only face one of the greats, but to beat him too.”

“I am thrilled to be fighting in my home state of Texas,” Kirkland said. “2011 was a whirlwind year for me and I am looking forward to kicking off 2012 on top. Molina is tough, but I am tougher. I want to keep this winning streak going and I’m not going to let anyone stop it.”

“James Kirkland is capable of being stopped,” Molina said. “We saw it in April and we will see it again in January. I am confident in my abilities and I know that with hard work, I will be the one with my hand raised at the end of the fight.”

There were some skeptics when former Three-Division World Champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales (52-7, 36 KO’s) returned from a three year layoff in 2010, but after three wins that year, Tijuana’s “El Terrible” truly showed that he was back in 2011 with a Fight of the Year candidate against Marcos Maidana in April and a 10^th round stoppage of unbeaten Pablo Cesar Cano that earned him the WBC Super Lightweight Title in a historic fourth divisional world title. On Jan. 28, the 35-year-old will look to defeat another unbeaten young gun in #2 rated WBC contender Danny Garcia.

Twenty-three-year old Philadelphian Danny “Swift” Garcia (22-0, 14 KO’s) knows that being a fighter from the City of Brotherly Love means putting it all on the line every time you step into the ring. Thus far, no one has been able to stop the rise of this talented young fighter, and after back-to-back wins over former World Champions Nate Campbell and Kendall Holt in 2011, he’s ready for his big opportunity to turn a current world champion into a former world champion when he faces the legendary Morales in Houston in his HBO debut.

The year 2011 was a tumultuous one for Texas knockout artist James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland (30-1, 27 KO’s). After being out of the ring for nearly two years, “The Mandingo Warrior” returned with two quick knockout wins before ending up on the wrong side of a knockout against Nobuhiro Ishida. Undeterred, Kirkland bounced back with two knockout wins before his epic November battle with Alfredo Angulo in which he rose off the canvas in the first round and roared back to stop the rugged Mexican battler in six rounds. In January, the 27-year-old southpaw will look to begin his title run with a win over Carlos Molina.

A native of Patzcuaro, Mexico, 28-year-old “King” Carlos Molina (19-4-2, 6 KO’s) didn’t receive a lot of praise on his way up as a pro, but when he battled Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to a draw in 2005 in a fight many believed Molina won, people started paying attention. He would lose his next three bouts to the 23-0-1 Chavez, 10-0 Wayland Willingham and 15-0 Mike Alvarado, but from then on, Molina hasn’t lost a step or a bout, going 11-0-1 including a draw against Erislandy Lara and, in his most recent bout in July of 2011, a win over former World Champion Kermit Cintron.

Morales vs. Garcia is a 12-round bout for Morales’ WBC Super Lightweight World Title and will take place on Saturday, January 28 at Reliant Arena in Houston, Tex. The co-featured bout will be between James Kirkland and Carlos Molina in a junior middleweight showdown. The evening of boxing is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Box Latino with Kirkland vs. Molina being presented in association with Warrior’s Boxing and Promotions. The HBO Boxing After Dark broadcast begins at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

A full undercard will be announced shortly.  For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.reliantpark.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/terrible100, www.twitter.com/dannyswift, www.twitter.com/reliantpark or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.facebook.com/reliantparkfan.  Follow HBO Boxing news at www.hbo.com/boxing, on Twitter @hboboxing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hboboxing.