Hopkins/Taylor All-Star Undercard Press Luncheon

Vernon Forrest
Part Of A Great HBO PPV Card July 16

 

Photos & Report by Will "The Thrill" Trillo
 


yesterday in The historic Olvera Street landmark in sunny Southern California, Oscar De La Hoya & Golden Boy Promotions showcased the undercard of the upcoming fight card that features Undisputed Champ Bernard Hopkins and Undefeated Jermain Taylor fighting for Hopkins Undisputed Middleweight crown!

 

To have a press conference just for the undercard bouts is a rare occasion, but this undercard is worthy of the praise that is being dealt out because it promises to be action packed from top to bottom including two other World Title bouts that will be on the line that night.
 

Just check out this card, The WBC Super Bantam Title fight between OSCAR LARIOS vs. WAYNE MCCULLOUGH, a Jr. Bantam WBO Championship fight featuring FERNANDO MONTIEL vs. ERIC MOREL, VERNON FORREST makes his return to the ring as Jr. Middle and VICENTE ESCOBEDO & ABNER MARES will continue their quests.

 

The show will begin at 5pm and HBO is offering a free preview of the early bouts before the main show begins at 6pm!

  

 

Our focus today was on Vernon Forrest, who wants to make it perfectly clear this is not a comeback, but rather a return to the ring after some down time due to a serious shoulder injury.

The last time we saw Vernon it was prior to his scheduled bout with Teddy Reid which is right around the time his injury surfaced and not only did Vernon not fight Teddy but when he takes to the ring in July his layoff will be officially 2 years old.

 

  

Not only was Forrest not upset about his down time but he took it as a positive, saying that he made the best of his time off and now it’s time to show the public, and remind them what they have been missing.

With his return at the Junior Middle division, Vernon knows he will have to take his time to get back to Championship caliber status but he told us he is willing to do what he has to, to get back into the title contention picture, even if that means taking his time and using it wisely. Vernon is a crafty veteran who has a firm grasp on what it takes to become a Champion and he is not going to rush things even though he lost 24 months to the bite of an injury.

 

I mentioned to Vernon that it is my humble opinion that if he can get back to the form that brought him a title by defeating Shane Mosley, that he may be the one who can pose a big problem for Winky Wright. Forrest agreed with my assessment and said it was not the first time he had heard that observation, but right now he wants to focus on the task at hand and not get carried away with all the what ifs that we boxing fans and media like to present. That doesn’t always make for the best quotes, but it usually makes for a better and smarter fighter, and Vernon chooses to remain as the latter.

 

To see and hear what Vernon had to say from the podium Click Here for our always FREE video! Isn't it great not to have to pay to be a member?

 

With that said, I have to give Golden Boy their props for this one. I was pretty hard on them for the last PPV card they promoted in April, but this one looks to be a dynamite attraction and I would suggest that this is one that all boxing fans should invest in as it will be exciting as well as intriguing from top to bottom, not to mention the hour long free preview being broadcast by HBO PPV. 

 

Tickets for NeXt in Line, priced at $75, $150, $250, $450, and $650, are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office outlet. Tickets also are sold at all Las Vegas TicketMaster locations (Tower Records/WOW!, Smith's Food and Drug Centers, Robinsons-May stores and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call TicketMaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com

For room packages and availability as well as event ticket information, call MGM Grand at (800) 929-1111 or (702) 891-7777 or log onto the World Wide Web at www.mgmgrand.com .

The Hopkins vs. Taylor pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT on July 16, will be distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to over 50 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.


Questions or Comments? Please Contact Will "The Thrill" Trillo
 

For more event information log onto www.HBOPPV.com

For more information on Golden Boy Promotions, please visit our website at www.goldenboypromotions.com