According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, three world title fights will be featured on an an explosive card that will be headlined by WBA Welterweight champion defending against Adrien Brone on December 14th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be available via Showtime Pay Per View.
The fight, long in discussions, will headline a loaded card, which also includes the return of former welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz from an 18-month layoff, on Dec. 14 (Showtime PPV) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com.
“This is one of the best fights you can make in boxing. It’s a fight we were asked about time and again by media and fans,” Schaefer said. “They kept asking me, ‘Can you make that fight?’ It was like when I was being asked if I could make Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez and Danny Garcia-Lucas Matthysse. It’s one of those fights that everywhere I went people were asking me, ‘Are you going to get it done?’ Well, I got it done.”
“Props to Broner to stepping up to the plate and taking on a guy like Maidana with huge knockout power and to Maidana to take on a guy people discuss as a future pound-for-pound star,” Schaefer said. “It’s as hot of a fight as you could make in any division. I’m excited about the fight. It has fireworks written all over it.”
“Maidana is a hell of a fighter. He will come to fight but, at the end of the day, this is my breaking point into taking over boxing and I will not let this guy kill my vibe,” Broner told ESPN.com. “The game is mine and I am the best. My big brother Floyd got a few more fights left (and then) I will carry the torch and sit on top alone.
“I’m not just a boxer. I’m a megastar, and now I’m about to become a pay-per-view megastar. I’m not cocky. I’m very confident in the skill I was blessed with and I want everybody to come out and support me at the MGM Grand and watch on pay-per-view on Dec. 14.
• In the co-feature, Ortiz, 26, of Oxnard, Calif., will move up to junior middleweight to challenge titleholder Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6 KOs), 30, of Chicago, who will be making his first defense after outpointing Ishe Smith to win the 154-pound title on the Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez undercard on Sept. 14.
Ortiz (29-4-2, 22 KOs) has not fought since suffering a badly broken jaw in a ninth-round knockout loss to Josesito Lopez in June 2012. That was Ortiz’s second loss in a row as he was knocked out by Mayweather in the fourth round of their high-profile bout in September 2011.
While his jaw was healing, Ortiz participated on “Dancing With the Stars,” and he has recently been filming a role in “The Expendables 3.”
“Victor’s jaw is healed and he’s good to go,” Schaefer said. “He’s excited about coming back and fighting for another world title in a division which is one of the hottest in the sport.”
• Interim welterweight titlist Keith Thurman (21-0, 19 KOs), 24, of Clearwater, Fla., will face Jesus Soto Karass in a fight that pits aggressive brawlers.
“On paper, this is a fight of the year candidate,” Schaefer said.
Thurman claimed his belt in July by stopping Diego Chaves in the 10th round of a slugfest.
Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18 KOs), 30, of Mexico, has won four of his last five bouts, including two upsets in a row, a decision against contender Selcuk Aydin and a 12th-round knockout of former welterweight titlist Andre Berto in July.
• In the opening bout, Mexican brawler Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KOs), 31, will square off with Puerto Rico’s Jorge Melendez in a junior middleweight fight.
“Somebody’s gonna get knocked out,” Schaefer said. “And if Angulo loses again, it’s a huge setback.
“It don’t remember any pay-per-view that we’ve done with this kind of lineup where all you don’t really know the winner of any of the bouts,” Schaefer said.
