MIAMI—Don King Productions will present the first boxing event at Casino Miami Jai-Alai on Saturday,
April 14 to celebrate completion of their $87-million expansion. The card will be headlined by local
favorite and World Boxing Council United States super welterweight champion Joey “Twinkle Fingers”
Hernandez (20-1-1, 11 KOs) against Shakir “The Assassin” Ashanti (16-12, 4 KOs), from New Bern, S.C.
An international undercard with South Florida appeal will include Brazilian light heavyweight knockout
artist Marcus “Happy” Oliveira (22-1-1, 22 KOs), from Sao Paulo, and Miami light heavyweight
Azea “Haitian Hitman” Augustama (12-1, 7 KOs).
Reserved and general admission tickets priced from $10 to $75 are on sale now and can be purchased at
www.TicketWeb.com or by calling toll free by phone at (866) 468-3399.
“I am very excited to be returning to Miami Jai-Alai with a great card to celebrate their expansion into
full-fledged casino gaming,” promoter Don King said. “Dan Licciardi and everyone at Casino Miami Jai-
Alai should be proud of their beautiful new multi-million dollar expansion.”
Miami Jai-Alai first opened in 1926 and has enjoyed a proud tradition in boxing since the 1960s. They
earned the moniker “Mecca of Miami” in the sport after having staged numerous world championship
matches—including events featured on both HBO and SHOWTIME. With construction complete, the
venue now becomes Casino Miami Jai-Alai with new restaurants, bars and over 1,000 Las Vegas-style
slot machines adjacent to the existing fronton where jai-alai continues to be presented live.
“Our official grand opening for the expansion will take place on Saturday,” Casino Miami Jai-Alai
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dan Liccardi said. “We thought April 14 would
be a great time to treat our customers to another Don King boxing card. It’s an exciting time for us, and
boxing has been a part of what we do for decades, so we added it to our celebration lineup.”
