NEW YORK, NY – October 3, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced that #2-ranked WBA bantamweight Antonio Vargas (16-1, 9 KOs) will face off with veteran contender Hernan Marquez (47-10-2, 33 KOs) for the WBA Continental Americas bantamweight title in the headlining preliminary bout of MVP’s third installment of its Most Valuable Prospects series. The 10-round bout will take place on Friday, October 27 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. On the main card will be a 6-round bout between the young undefeated lightweights Alexander Rios (7-0, 4 KOs) and Benigno Agular (10-0, 4 KOs). Most Valuable Prospects III, presented by Celsius Essential Energy Drinks, will precede the historic 12-round, three-minute rounds unified featherweight title bout between undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano and WBO challenger Danila Ramos. Tickets are now on sale at https://www.ticketmaster.com/mvp-presents-amanda-serrano-vs-danila-orlando-florida-10-27-2023/event/22005F2D8E29C1CE. 

Antonio Vargas, a proud Puerto Rican and local favorite residing in Kissimmee, Florida, aims to defend his WBA Continental Americas title in the headlining Most Valuable Prospects III preliminary bout. Vargas is currently ranked #2 in the world by the WBA, and seeks to extend his six-bout winning streak against Hernan Marquez, the 35-year-old southpaw out of Empalme, Sonora, Mexico. Known for his early-round knockout power, the veteran fighter will look to secure his fifth consecutive win as he takes on the exciting Vargas on Friday, October 27th.

Most Valuable Prospects III main card will feature Alexander Rios vs. Benigno Aguilar as the two lightweight fighters go head-to-head in a 6-round bout. Aguilar, the 24-year-old Mexican American fighter out of Crescent City, Florida, will put his undefeated record to the test against fellow undefeated prospect Rios. The 22-year-old Rios comes to the ring from St. Cloud, FL via Bayamon, Puerto Rico boasting a clean record of seven professional wins and zero losses. Rios returns to Most Valuable Prospects III after a memorable first round knockout on Most Valuable Prospects II.

Also returning to the main card of Most Valuable Prospects III will be the young Puerto Rican sensation Krystal Rosado (1-0, 1 KO), Amanda Serrano’s first official signed fighter, who made her professional debut on Most Valuable Prospects II with an impressive TKO victory in the second round, demonstrating her superstar potential. Rosado’s opponent will be announced in the coming days.

“The world will be watching Amanda Serrano and Danila Ramomake history Friday, October 27th as the first-ever unified women’s championship bout to be fought at 12, three-minute rounds,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “Preceding their historic fight, MVP is thrilled to continue shining a spotlight on both the best and most promising fighters through Most Valuable Prospects III. Rios vs Aguilar will undoubtedly be a Puerto Rico vs Mexico battle and Krystal Rosado is looking to continue her spectacular start to her professional career.”

The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and promoted by MVP, with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and is distributed by DAZN. The third event in the series continues the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to highlight the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. All events within Most Valuable Prospects will take place on Friday nights in 2023 and will be hosted by Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL. DAZN will air the series globally across its platforms as a part of its subscription package which will include Serrano vs. Ramos, the entire main card lineup and prelims. CELSIUS Essential Energy Drinks, maker of lifestyle energy drink, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of the Most Valuable Prospects series.

For more information, follow on Twitter via @Serranosisters, @MostVPromotions, @JakePaul, @Boxlab_AP, and @DAZNBoxing, and @cariberoyaleor on Instagram via @serranosisters, @MostValuablePromotions, @JakePaul, and @DAZNBoxing, and @cariberoyaleorlando.

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVPworks to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP has produced Jake Paul’s last four global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Fury match, which surpassed 800,000 Pay-per-view buys worldwide. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head-to-head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About DAZN

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US, and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.?  

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.? 

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DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.? 

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony, and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.    

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.?? 

About Caribe Royale Orlando Resort

Located just minutes from the Walt Disney World® Resort in the nation’s number one convention and tourist destination, Caribe Royale Orlando is the only AAA Four Diamond all-suite meetings resort in Orlando. A TripAdvisor 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award winner – among just 10 percent of hotels worldwide to receive the distinction – the upscale Caribe Royale is emerging from a $140 million renovation that includes fully remodeling all of its one-bedroom suites, an all-new 50,000-square-foot grand ballroom (bringing the total meeting space to 220,000 square feet), and an inviting new lobby. Being privately-owned, Caribe Royale offers meeting planners faster approval cycles and more flexibility to create stand-out events. To learn more or to book a visit, event or meeting, visit www.cariberoyale.com. Follow the all-suite convention hotel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(@cariberoyale), LinkedIn and Pinterest. #cariberoyaleorlando

SAN DIEGO, CA –January 3, 2013 – WealthTV’s live boxing programming efforts for 2012 have been recognized by the Boxing Writers Association of America, BWAA, and by ESPN’s Dan Rafael, arguably the leading authority on boxing. The BWAA recently nominated six fights for Fight of the Year candidates. Two of the six fights were featured live on WealthTV, namely Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria v. Hernan “Tyson” Marquez and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez v. Juan Francisco Estrada. (Of the remaining four fights, one was featured on Showtime and three were featured on HBO, including the Manny Pacquiao v. Juan Manual Marquez IV fight.) The BWAA also nominated world champion Brian Viloria for Fighter of the Year. Viloria, who was featured on WealthTV’s Fight Night on November 17, unified the WBO and WBA Flyweight World Championship with a victory over Hernan Marquez.

According to Jack Hirsch, president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, “When people think about great fights they usually associate them with only HBO and Showtime. However, one look at the Boxing Writers Association of America’s ballot for the 2012 Fight of the Year should dispel that. Two of the six contests on the ballot (Roman Gonzalez – Juan Francisco Estrada and Brian Viloria – Hernan Marquez) were telecast by WealthTV.”

ESPN’s Dan Rafael, perhaps the most well respected authority on boxing, named two time WealthTV headliner David Price (15-0-0) as ESPN’s Prospect of the Year. Price, a 6’ 8”, 250 lb undefeated heavyweight has been featured twice in recent months on WealthTV. On October 13th the undefeated Price made blazing fast work of Audley Harrison – dropping Harrison in 82 seconds into the first round to finish the contest. Price returned on WealthTV on November 30th to put a potentially career-ending second round finishing loss on an outmatched Matt Skelton. Rafael’s pick for Prospect of the Year is highly anticipated by boxing fans for Rafael’s astute ability to pick young prospects. David Price joins a prestige list that includes past inductees Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Andre Berto, Canelo Alverez, among others.

Rafael’s naming of two-time WealthTV headliner David Price as Prospect of the Year combined with the BWAA recognitions, gives WealthTV reason to feel good about its boxing efforts in 2012. Dan Rafael of ESPN summed thing up, “With two Fight of the Year candidates and being the US outlet for Price, WealthTV had a great year.”

For 2013, WealthTV will be featuring 40 to 60 bouts according to network executive Charles Herring and the quality of the events is only improving. One of the first live events for 2013 will see undefeated British heavyweight David Price challenging one of America’s best heavyweights, Tony “The Tiger” Thompson. Thompson, a proven world Heavyweight title challenger is currently the No. 2 rated American by BoxRec. The fight, scheduled to take place on February 23, live and exclusively on WealthTV, has received the highest rating from BoxRec, earning five stars for the matchup. In addition to the Price v. Thompson bout scheduled for February, WealthTV has agreements in place for additional bouts featuring David Price.

“When WealthTV first announced it would telecast boxing events the consensus was that it would be an occasional show featuring no more than moderate talent. However, it is now quite obvious that WealthTV is a major player in the sport. WealthTV has consistently telecast some of the best fights and fighters in the world. It has delivered everything it promised,” stated Jack Hirsch of the BWAA.

“Our boxing staff has been searching the world for the best fighters, regardless of weight-class and nationality. We don’t feature or promote a small stable of boxers, but rather work with a number of promoters, seeking out the very best boxing events. We’re extremely proud that our featured boxers and fights have received recognition by the BWAA and Dan Rafael of ESPN,”,stated Charles Herring, president of WealthTV.

In addition to its world-class championship fights, WealthTV will be featuring the fast-paced and adrenaline pumping “Prizefighter: Welterweights III” matches on January 19th. WealthTV also shows first airings and encore fights every Thursday night at 10PM EST.

WealthTV’s Fight Night can be seen on WealthTV nationally on Verizon FiOS TV channel 169 and 669 in HD, AT&T U-Verse TV channels 470 and 1470 in HD, along with over 100 cable systems across the country as well as on line viewing on numerous connected devices and via www.wealthtv.com.

About WealthTV

WealthTV is the premier lifestyle and entertainment network —the destination for exclusive and original programming, simultaneously transmitted in high definition and standard definition. WealthTV delivers to informative shows to its viewers, providing invaluable insights on what every American dreams of – from travel secrets to fast cars, from outrageous homes to live events, and much more. The network fills a television vacuum by delivering intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment and always-unbiased news from an insider’s perspective. For more information, please visit www.wealthtv.com

Two little guys, who could step on a scale together and weigh nearly 25 pounds less than Wladimir Klitschko, are getting some heavyweight attention for a bid to win a couple of pieces of the flyweight title. The unification label has been attached to the Brian Viloria-Tyson Marquez bout Saturday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (WealthTV & wealthtv.com at 9pm est)

In a fractured business full of more acronyms than the federal government, however, unification and boxing are an odd couple. A little bit like jumbo shrimp. From I to W with a B in between, titles are as irrelevant they’ve ever been. But there is something significant about Viloria-Marquez. It’s about a legend and tying it to a fight that could revive the fortunes of the best among the little big men. If there is link between yesterday and today, it’s a piece of unity worth fighting for.

For nearly two decades, Michael Carbajal-Humberto Gonzalez has been the standard for what the smallest divisions have hoped to become, yet never have. In the first of their three fights at junior-flyweight, Carbajal and Gonzalez put the Lord into the Flies in March 1993 at the Las Vegas Hilton. Carbajal, down twice and seemingly finished in the fifth round, stormed back in the seventh with a paralyzing uppercut followed by a left that dropped Gonzalez onto his back like a piece of discarded plywood.

It was a fight that led to million-dollar purses for Carbajal and Gonzalez. Then, it seemed to herald a rich new age for fighters who campaigned at weights between 106 and 112 pounds. But it didn’t happen. Carbajal and Gonzalez couldn’t pull off an encore in two rematches, both won in 1994 by Gonzalez in decisions as narrow as they were forgettable.

In subsequent years, there was never anything that could quite live up to that one dynamic fight. Many of today’s greats started at the low end of the weight and pay scale. There’s Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire and Jorge Arce. Arce is a constant reminder of just how good Carbajal was. In 1999 and years past his prime, a bloodied and seemingly-beaten Carbajal knocked out a young Arce with a lightning bolt of a right hand in a stunning 11th-round in Tijuana.

But Pacquiao, Donaire and Arce have moved up and on in pursuit of bigger checks. They won’t be remembered as flyweights. But Viloria and perhaps Marquez will be. That gives them a chance at a re-enactment of the 1993 classic, which has stood alone for so long the memory of it has begun to fade. It’s good history only if there’s a reason to remember it. Maybe, Viloria-Marquez on Wealth TV is that reason to hope history repeats itself.

Viloria, a 2000 Olympian, began his career more than a decade. For a while, he and Arce appeared to be moving toward a bout that Bob Arum thought might be a Carbajal-Gonzalez encore. But Viloria’s career got sidetracked by inconsistency so troublesome that it might be a problem against Marquez.

Meanwhile, Marquez is powerful and not as inexperienced as some might argue. His resume includes a loss to Donaire, a pound-for-pound contender. In a close bout and potential Fight of the Year, the decisive factor might be age. At 24, Marquez is seven year younger than Viloria. Flyweights have a shorter lifespan than fighter in the heavier divisions. At 31, Viloria looks to be a lot closer to the end than he is to his prime. But he’s won five straight fights, including an impressive stoppage of Giovani Sequra, whose looks and style remind some of Carbajal. Maybe, Viloria is a late bloomer.

Carbajal, now 45 and living in Phoenix, doesn’t know who to pick. He’s watched Viloria throughout his erratic career. He knows about Marquez, yet hasn’t had a chance to see him often enough to really judge him.

“But they’ve both got power,’’ Carbajal said. “I’m not sure about Viloria’s age. That could be trouble. We’ll see. But whoever takes a shot better, will win.’’

Sounds like it could be classic. That’s exactly what determined the 1993 fight. Carbajal absorbed and endured Gonzalez’ power. Then, he delivered some of his own in an epic still searching for an encore.

SAN DIEGO (November 14, 2012)—THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!! one of the most anticipated bout of 2012 will take place at the Los Angeles Sports Arena as WBO Flyweight champion Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria takes on WBA champion Hernan “Tyson” Marquez in a unification bout that will prove 112 pound supremacy.

The bout can be seen live in the United States on WealthTV and www.wealthtv.com beginning at 9pm eastern.

This fight card begins a five week stretch of some of the best boxing action in the world on WealthTV and www.wealthtv.com

On November 30th, undefeated Heavyweight sensation David Price (14-0, 12 KO’s) takes on former world title challenger Matt Skelton.

The very next day, Undefeated Heavyweight Tyson Fury (19-0, 14 KO’s) takes on American proven veteran Kevin Johnson.

December 6th, WealthTV and Wealthtv.com will be re-broadcasting the WBC Super Featherweight championship bout between Takahiro Ao and Gamaliel Diaz

On December 8th, European Super Middleweight champion James DeGale (13-1, 9 KO’s) defends his title against an opponent to be named

Finally on December 14th, WealthTV and wealthtv.com ventures back to Montreal for the return of former Light Heavyweight champion of the world Jean Pascal as he returns to the ring against former world title challenger Aleksy Kuziemsky. Also on that card will be Eleider Alvarez fighting Edison Miranda plus knockout artist David Lemieux.

“We have some terrific fights over a five week stretch”, said WealthTV president Charles Herring

“WealthTV promised the boxing fans that we’d be one of the most active networks in providing the highest quality bouts from all over the world without any associated premium channel fees. The next several weeks provide just a glimpse into what we have planned for 2013. And US boxing fans that don’t receive WealthTV via their cable provider can watch these fights for just 99 cents a month on wealthtv.com. We aren’t aware of another network that offers high quality fights for such a price.”

Viloria (31-3, 18 KO’s) is thirty-one years old of Waipahu, Hawaii was a 2000 United States Olympian and won his first seventeen bouts before scoring an explosive first round knockout over Erick Ortiz to win the WBC Light Flyweight crown. After one defense, Viloria lost the crown to Omar Nino Romero. Viloria and Romero fought to a disputed draw in the rematch which was later ruled a no-contest after Romero failed a post-fight drug test. Viloria then lost to Edgar Sosa in a bout for the vacant title. Viloria went on to win five straight bouts before winning the IBF belt with a majority decision over Ulises Solis. Viloria defended that belt once before being stopped by Carlos Tamara in the twelfth round of a memorable war.

Viloria moved up to Flyweight and won two fights before winning the WBO Flyweight championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Miranda. Viloria has had two impressive defenses which includes stoppage wins over classy world champion Giovanny Segura and his old nemesis Romero.

Marquez (34-2, 25 KO’s) is twenty-four years old of Emplame, Sonora, Mexico turned professional in 2005 and won his first twenty-seven bouts. Marquez was stopped in eight to pound for pound ranked fighter Nonito Donaire. Marquez won two straight bouts before winning the WBA belt with an eleventh round stoppage over Luis Concepcion. That bout was of the best bouts of 2011 where both fighters inflicted vicious punishment to each other to the point where the bout was one of the most brutal fights in the past decade. Marquez defended the title twice which included a first round stoppage over Concepcion in the rematch.

Marquez has won seven in a row which includes two non-title wins and he is ready to add the WBO title to his collection.

In the co-feature, one of boxing’s best fighters, Roman “Chocolatio” Gonzalez (33-0, 28 KO’s) of Managua, Nicaragua will look to make the fifth defense of the WBA Light Flyweight title when he takes on fellow power puncher Juan Francisco Estrada (22-1, 18 KO’s)

Saturday’s night evening of boxing can be enjoyed on WealthTV nationally on Verizon FiOS TV channel 169 and 669 in HD, AT&T U-Verse TV channels 470 and 1470 in HD, along with over 100 cable systems across the country as well as on line viewing on numerous connected devices and via www.wealthtv.com.

About WealthTV

WealthTV is the premier lifestyle and entertainment network —the destination for exclusive and original programming, simultaneously transmitted in high definition and standard definition. WealthTV delivers to informative shows to its viewers, providing invaluable insights on what every American dreams of – from travel secrets to fast cars, from outrageous homes to live events, and much more. The network fills a television vacuum by delivering intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment and always-unbiased news from an insider’s perspective. For more information, please visit www.wealthtv.com

15rounds.com is giving away a pair of tickets to this Saturday’s Brian Viloria – Hernan Marquez WBA/WBO Flyweight unification bout in Los Angeles. All you have to do is leave a prediction in the comments section of this post to be eligible and we will pick the winner Tomorrow–NOTE WE ARE JUST PROVIDING THE TICKETS, SO PEOPLE SHOULD BE IN DRIVING DISTANCE OF LOS ANEGLES

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a rematch of one of the leading front runners for Fight of the Year that will pit Flyweight champion Hernan Marquez and Luis Concepcion will take place on October 29 in Mexico.

“I will come very motivated to Hermosillo, Mexico, to the land of ‘Tyson’ Marquez (and) I will recover what is mine — the world title belt,” Concepcion said. “I have been working on all the errors that I committed in the first fight and this time things will be different. I am going to defeat him in his own house and then the title will return to Panama.

“It does not matter to me that he has thousands of fans who will be against me. That will be my motivation.”

San Juan, P.R.- The main event of the evening featured unbeaten Puerto Rican star Juan Manuel “JuanMa” López against Filipino promise Bernabe “The Real Deal” Concepción for Lopez’s WBO featherweight title. Both fighters wore pink and white showing their support for breast cancer research.

The fight got off to a fast start when JuanMa hurt Concepción with the first left hook he landed and dropped him later in the round only to be dropped himself close to the end of the round by a counter left hook. Both fighters looked ready to keep on fighting but the bell ended the action.

Lopez again dropped Concepción early in the second with a perfect straight left that appeared to really hurt Barnabé and again halfway through the round to finish the fight. Concepción appeared hurt but willing to continue when referee Luis Pabón waved it off at 2:37 of the second round.

Both fighters showcased their power but JuanMa was a little stronger and much more precise. As was the case with Sonsona, Concepción received a standing ovation even after loosing by stoppage as he had the crowd on the edge of their seats for as long as the bout lasted. JuanMa improves to 29-0 with 27 KO’s and sets himself up for the match against Rafael Márquez while Concepción drops to 30-3-1 with 17KO’s.

After the fight, López stated that he “wasn’t hurt” by the punch; only he opened his eyes to find himself in the canvas. With Bob Arum, Orlando Piñero (Lopez’s manager) and Fernando Beltrán (Rafael Marquez’s manager) in attendance for the press conference after the fight, talks of a future match-up between Lopez and Marquez were the main topic of discussion. Beltrán confirmed that on his fighter’s side the contract was already signed and only Lopez’s signature was missing.

López spoke about that fight extensively stating that it is the fight he has been wanting for two years now but has had to wait for the four fights between Márquez and Israel Vázquez to end before he got his chance. He added that before signing, some things must be ironed out but is confident the fight can be officially announced soon.

The televised portion of the show started with Nonito “Flash” Donaire of General Santos City in the Philippines defending his WBA Interim super flyweight title against Hernán “Tyson” Márquez of Sonora, México. Márquez started off with a lead right hookk from his southpaw stance and land two more punches to barely take an uneventful round. Donaire countered well and landed several straight lefts to take another slow round in the second and started to show off his defense making Márquez miss frequently. Márquez took the third round by being more aggressive and even pinning the “Flash” against the ropes who seemed tentative to let his hands go.

Nonito opened up in the fourth and smartly used his jab to make for an entertaining yet close round. Márqeuz appeared to be dealing well with Donaire’s upper body movement in the fifth until several hard shots followed by a short left hook dropped him halfway through the round; he hit the canvas again close to the end of the round but referee Roberto Ramírez didn’t rule it a knockdown. Donaire owned the sixth tagging his opponent from both stances throughout the entire stanza and took the seventh on precision and number of punches landed.

Márquez appeared to get a second air in the eight until a perfectly timed counter left uppercut from the champion dropped him. The challenger beat the count but on advice from his corner, the referee stopped it at 2:59. Nonito improves his record to 24-1 with 16KO’s and leaves the division to campaign at bantamweight while Márque drops to 27-2 with 20KO’s.

After the fight, donaire took a moment to speak with 15rounds.com and shared his thoughts on the fight. About his slow start, Donaire said he was looking to counter but since his opponent didn’t throw any jabs and was so short it made it hard for him. The Flash said it was also his first time fighting a southpaw and he wanted to get loose before he poured it on.

About his opponent’s power, Nonito said that although he had heavy hands, he was never hurt by Márquez and knew from the start he could finish his man before the limit. Still, he added that he had an injury on his left side and his legs were killing him, two factors that made him decide to finish the fight. He thanked the fans in attendance and expressed his desire to travel the island and get to know it better.

Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo (18-2, 11KO’s) was up next against Eden Sonsona (21-5, 7KO’s) of Paranaque City, Philipines. The fight was for the NABO Super Bantamweight Title and set for 10 rounds. Both fighters landed in the first round but Oquendo, of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico may have had the edge with some powerful rights to the head and good body work on his southpaw opponent. The second was a close round with both fighters landing their respective straights as their clearer punches. Sonsona had a very good third round landing with both hands and backing up his opponent for the second half of the round.

Oquendo managed to make the fourth round close by being more aggressive but Sonsona gave as good as he got. An unintentional head butt at the beginning of the fifth opened a cut over Oquendo’s right eye and jump started the most entertaining round in which both fighters traded to the delight of the crowd. By now both fighters were visibly exhausted and hurt but went at it in the sixth again when Oquendo momentarily switched to southpaw to great effect and took the round. Referee José H. Rivera ruled it was a low blow that dropped Sonsona early but after that both fighters traded big shots in a round where the Puerto Rican seemed to edge his opponent in accuracy alone.

After another head butt to start of the eight, the referee took a point from Sonsona even though it didn’t seem intentional. Oquendo was then warned for hitting low twice and when the ref didn’t take a point from Oquendo, the boos from the crowd started filling the air. Finally, after what didn’t seem to be an intentional low blow, Oquendo was penalized a point and immediately afterwards dropped Sonsona with a straight right hand to the head. Another right hand dropped Sonsona in the ninth but this time the Filipino warrior didn’t have enough to beat the count. Official time of stoppage was 1:05 of the ninth round and both fighters were rewarded with standing ovations from the pumped up crowd.

Sonsona sees his record drop to 21-6 with 7 KO’s and has a long way to climb back after this defeat while Oquendo, now 19-2 with 12KO’s may have set himself up for a title challenge possibly against fellow countryman Wilfredo Vázquez Jr.

Cruiserweights Carlos Negrón of Villalba, Puerto Rico and Gustavo Enríquez of Ciudad Juarez, México fought next at a bout set for eight rounds. Former Olympian Negrón (9-0, 7KO’s) started using his jab and working the body from the first bell and dropped his opponent midway through the round with a right hand but couldn’t finish him right then and there. Enríquez (15-9, 12KO’s) started the second round aggressively but was quickly dissuaded and dropped from another right hand. The third fourth rounds were slower ones dominated by Negrón fighting from a distance and with the use of his jab while the Mexican chased. Scores were 40-35 on all three of the judge’s score cards.

Up next were lightweights Jose González, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico (11-0, 7KO’s) and Mathew Robinson of Bridgeport, Barbados (3-2, 1KO) in a bout set for four rounds. Both fighters appeared to start slowly but halfway through the round González caught Robinson with a counter right hand that appeared to hurt him. A few seconds later, a straight to the body put the man from Barbados down for the count. Official time was 1:49 of the first.

Action for Top Rank’s and PR Best Boxing’s “The Challenge” got underway when heavyweight Victor Bisbal, Salinas, Puerto Rico (17-1, 12KO’s) quickly disposed of overmatched David Whitton, Quebec, Canada (10-13-1, 6KO’s). The bigger more aggressive Bisbal ended the fight with a left to the body that dropped Whitton who couldn’t beat the count. Time of stoppage was 2:33 into the first.

Carolina, P.R.- Fighters for this Saturday’s “The Challenge” weighed in today at the Verdanza hotel in Isla Verde, Carolina. The event is a co-promotion between Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions and the brothers Rivera PR Best Boxing Promotions to be televised by SHOWTIME®. Mr. Arum himself was there for the event as was Lee Samuels. Fighters from Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Mexico, Barbados, Canada and the United States make up the fifty eight round, seven bout card with fights from super flyweight division all the way up to the heavyweights.

After all fighters were weighed, Puerto Rican Juan Manuel López stayed a while to talk to the press about his upcoming fight, his future plans and his support for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

About Concepción, López said he knows he is a young, strong fighter with a rather unorthodox style but was confident of having all the necessary tools to come away with the victory. He added that Concepción looks just like he did for his fight against Mario Santiago and other than the awkwardness of the style, doesn’t expect any surprises.

When asked about the similarities between this fight and his life and death struggle against Tanzanian Rogers Mtagwa, López answered that that had been at 122lbs. where he was too weak from the struggle to make weight unlike this time where he now is well accustomed to 126lbs. He added that if there are people taking the Mtagwa fight as an example that he isn’t as good as some of the other champions in the division, they are making a big mistake. This since in that fight he proved he can be hurt but still keep on fighting and bring home the victories. López admitted that Concepción might be a difficult fighter because of his style and the volume of punches he throws, but he believes he has faster hands that also carry more power

About possible future rival Rafael Márquez, López stated that he had wanted to fight him, and Israel Vázquez, since 2008 but not until now had they shown interest. JuanMa added that even though Marquez is a very dangerous opponent, he believes his style makes for a more comfortable fight than Concepción as it is a more orthodox style of boxing.

López will be wearing pink and white shoes, robe and gloves which will later be auctioned off to help the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a cause he has taken under his wing for this fight.

Blue Corner Red Corner

WBO Featherweight Title-12rds.
Bernabé Concepción-125lbs. Vs. Juan Manuel López-125.3lbs.
Rizal Province, Philippines (28-3-1, 15KO’s) Caguas, Puerto Rico (28-0, 25KO’s)

WBA Interim Super Flyweight Title-12rds.
Hernán Marquez-115lbs. Vs. Nonito Donaire-114.5lbs.
Empalme, México (27-1, 20KO’s) General Santos City, Philippines (23-1, 15KO’s)

NABO Super Bantamweight Title-10rds.
Eden Sonsona-121.6lbs. Vs. Jonathan Oquendo-121.4lbs.
Paranque City, Philippines (21-5, 7KO’s) Vega Alta, Puerto Rico (18-2, 11KO’s)

Cruiserweight fight-8rds.
Gustavo Enríquez-192.9lbs Vs. Carlos Negrón-194.6lbs.
Ciudad Juarez, México (15-9, 12KO’s) Villalba, Puerto Rico (9-0, 7KO’s)

Bantamweight fight-6rds.
Jason Rorie-118.3lbs. Vs. McJoe Arroyo 119.6lbs.
Winston, North Carolina (6-7-2, 3KO’s) Fajardo, Puerto Rico (3-0, 1KO)

Lightweight Fight-4rds.
Mathew Robinson-133.9lbs. Vs. José González 136.6lbs.
Bridgeport, Barbados (3-1, 1KO) Toa Baja, Puerto Rico (10-0, 6KO’s)

Heavyweight Fight-6rds.
David Whittom-218.5lbs. Vs. Victor Bisbal-236lbs.
Quebec, Canada (10-12-1, 6KO’s) Salinas, Puerto Rico (16-1, 11KO’s)

Carolina, P.R.- Fighters, managers and trainers for this Saturday’s upcoming fight card spoke with 15rounds.com at today’s press conference. The show will feature Puerto Rican Juan Manuel López against Filipino Bernabé Concepción and Vic Darchinyan conqueror Nonito Donaire aginst Mexican Hernán Marquez as the co-features.

Nonito “Flash” Donaire (23-1-0, 15KO’s) stated that he felt good, strong and ready for his upcoming bout against Hernán “Tyson” Marquez (27-1-0, 20KO’s), Sonora, Mexico. Donaire said he’s seen Marquez and knows he has a good record and is a strong fighter who hits hard and is hungry but thinks he has an advantage in speed and height that will help him carry along his plan of fighting from the outside.

The new Filipino “Flash” said this would be his last fight at super flyweight as it is becoming increasingly hard for him to make weight. When asked about what fights at bantamweight he would like, the name of Mexican WBC and WBO titlist Fernando Montiel immediately came up though he said he would not have it in Mexico as he doesn’t want to be at a disadvantage. The names of Eric Morel and Jorge Arce also came up as possible candidates. He would go on to state that his plans are to move all the way up to super bantamweight and mentioned Puerto Rican WBO titlist Wilfredo Vázquez Jr. as a possible opponent stating that he would carry the weight very well and be very comfortable at 122lbs.

Donaire also commented on the rivalries between Filipino, Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters on a positive note stating that fans want to see it. He finished by thanking his fans for all the support saying that it is them who give him determination.

His trainer, Robert García, also acknowledged Marquez’s strength, power and hunger and even admitted that the fight could end early favoring anyone of the fighters. Although he expressed, as had Donaire before, that making weight had become increasingly hard, he was clear that it wouldn’t affect this fight and that Nonito was ready to go twelve rounds if necessary.

Nonito’s opponent, “Tyson” Marquez, told us he’s been watching Donaire for a long time and knows his opponents strengths but also his weakness. The Mexican fighter was quick to point out Donaire’s height, explosiveness, speed and power and catalogued him as a dangerous fighter. Still he said that even though he doesn’t get hit very often, when he has gotten caught, he’s been hurt.

Clear about his plan, Marquez said he would look to get inside and try to get to him first. This, since he admits that whoever gets clocked first will most likely go down. He worked out for this fight for seven weeks, two of them at sea level and the other five at high altitude on Mexico’s D.F.

His trainer, Rudy Pérez, knows Donaire is a very complete boxer that must be approached intelligently yet that won’t be a deterrent for there to be “candela” (fire) come Saturday.

Juan Manuel “JuanMa” López (28-0-0, 25KO’s) kept it short at the podium regarding boxing as he took advantage to speak on behalf of breast cancer research, a cause he has taken into consideration for this upcoming bout. Still he gave credit to his next opponent, Filipino Bernabé “The Real Deal” Concepción (28-3-1, 15KO’s) who is coming off a career-best performance against Puerto Rican Mario Santiago.

López said that pads are easier to hit than he is and they won’t hit back like he will. About Concepción’s training in Manny Pacquiao’s camp, he said that many fighters want to be like the Pac-Man, whom he called a good friend, but only Manny can do it. Jokingly, he said that if Manny, who was supposed to be at the fight, would get on the ring to fight on Concepción’s behalf, he would call up former three-division world champion, Felix “Tito” Trinidad to back him up.

About the looming fight with Rafael Marquez, JuanMa, in a sort of contradiction, said that he wasn’t going to talk about that fight but at the same time that it was a reality. Rafael Marquez is coming of a TKO victory over Israel Vázquez that settled their four fight “fiesta” at two wins a piece.

López’s manager, Orlando Piñero was a little less discreet and made it clear that no matter how good Concepción was, JuanMa is the best champion out there right now and he will prove it come Saturday.

Concepción was also brief at the podium barely stating that this fight was an honor for him and that everybody knows JuanMa is a tough fighter. When asked afterwards about how he felt being in Puerto Rico, he replied that he felt comfortable as did his team and his manager Michael Koncz as the weather is very similar to that in the Philippines.

He assured 15rounds.com that his training, held in Los Angeles, California, was pretty good as he had three sparring partners from the famous Wild Card Gym. He told us he was very comfortable at the weight and didn’t foresee any trouble in this area.

About the fight, he predicted it would probably not get to twelve rounds since they both have power. When comparing the fight to his previous one against Santiago, another Puerto Rican southpaw, Concepción said that the main difference would be in the power López has and Santiago doesn’t. He admitted both could move, but López has more power from what he has seen in a couple of his fights.

Regarding his DQ loss against Steven Luevano, who was later stopped by López, Abe said that when he watched a video of the fight he realized he had to throw more punches. In that fight, two of the judges had Luevano ahead at the end of the seventh round when Concepción landed a punch after the bell that knocked out Luevano. Regardless of the outcome, Concepción said he was “disgusted” with his performance and as a result changes were made in his corner.

His manager, Michael Koncz, jumped in the conversation and spoke about many adjustments being made in the physical aspect but also on the technical aspect of his fighter’s boxing. About the technical changes, Koncz said we would have to wait until Saturday to see them.
Bernabé knows he is an underdog in this fight, although a very live one, and wasn’t very enthusiastic about speaking of future plans but said he would definitely sit down and talk about a fight with Rafael Marquez should he win this weekend.

He ended saying “for all the fans, thank you so much and I hope you don’t miss it”.

Another Filipino fighter appearing on the card will be Eden Sonsona (21-5-0, 7KO’s) who will be facing interim WBO Latino Super bantamweight titlist Jonathan “Polbo” Oquendo (18-2-0, 11KO’s) of Vega Alta Puerto Rico. Sonsona didn’t want to make a prediction on how the fight was going to end, but said his camp had been good and he was happy and excited to be part of the event.

He urged his fans to watch the fight as it was going to be the most exciting fight.

The card will feature a host of upcoming Puerto Rican prospects including ex-Olympians Victor Bisbal, McJoe Arroyo and Carlos Negrón and will be televised around the world and broadcasted in the United States on Showtime. Tickets are available at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot and through Ticketpop. Prices range from $400.00 to $35.00

NEW YORK (July 1, 2010) – World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez (28-0, 25 KO’s) is set to defend his title against Filipino Bernabe Concepcion (30-2-1, 17 KOs) on July 10 in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Saturday’s 12-round world title fight is promoted by Top Rank Inc.

Lopez, The former WBO super-bantamweight champion, knows Concepcion will be one of the fastest fighters he’s ever faced. “I’ve seen Bernabe Concepcion fight several times and I’ve really studied his style. I know he’s working with Manny Pacquiao – they work with the same people. He’s a very strong fighter. He’s a young fighter – a hungry fighter. He really wants to be a world champion. He’s a difficult opponent.

“He’s a very intelligent fighter, so we need to be very intelligent, too. We need to fight him with a lot of pressure and a lot of speed – we need to be very fast that night.”

In what should prove to be an equally entertaining co-feature bout, Nonito Donaire (23-1, 15 KOs) will battle Hernan Marquez (25-1, 18 KOs) for the interim WBA super flyweight championship. Donaire is currently ranked in the top five on several publications’ pound-for-pound lists and is the former IBF world flyweight and IBO world flyweight champion.

Lopez, who will be making the first defense of his second world title, made the move up to featherweight in his last fight, a January TKO win over Steven Luevano at Madison Square Garden in New York, and is currently on the longest layoff of his five-year pro career. Luevano was the third world champion Lopez has fought and vanquished in his last seven fights.

Luevano is the only common opponent between Lopez and Concepcion with Concepcion losing to him by disqualification in the seventh round in August, 2009.

On June 7, 2008, Lopez defeated Daniel Ponce de León by technical knockout to win his first title – the WBO super bantamweight championship. He defended the title five times until Jan. 23, 2010, vacating it after defeating Luevano for the organization’s featherweight championship.

Against Lopez, Concepcion will face the biggest puncher he’s ever encountered. The 22-year-old began his pro career at 110 pounds before settling into the super-bantamweight division in 2005. He later moved up to 126 pounds in 2009.

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In his last fight in February of this year, he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Mario Santiago in Las Vegas. Before that, against Luevano, Concepcion blatantly belted the defending WBO featherweight champ with an after-the-bell shot at the end of the seventh round earning him the disqualification.

In preparation for his 12-round co-feature bout against Marquez, Donaire will be looking to drop close to 10 pounds to get down to the 115-pound limit. The “Filipino Flash” has been sparring with heavier fighters like Glenn Gonzales and Luevano.

Donaire, 27, won the interim WBA super flyweight title in August 2009, and has made one successful defense. He is unbeaten in world title bouts. Marquez is just 21 and goes by the nickname “Tyson” because as an amateur his father said he hit as hard as Mike Tyson.

Gus Johnson will call the action with Al Bernstein serving as expert analyst and Jim Gray as the ringside reporter. The executive producer is David Dinkins Jr., with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

For information on all SHOWTIME Sports telecasts, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries from its events, please visit the website at http://www.sports.sho.com.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

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Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank