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Erislandy
Lara vs. Ronald Hearns & Gary Russell Jr. vs. Dat Nguyen On
Ortiz vs. Berto II Telecast
To round out the SHOWTIME Championship Boxing tripleheader
headlined by the highly-anticipated rematch between Victor
Ortiz and Andre Berto, Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella
Entertainment have announced two more high-impact fights
from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. on
Saturday, Feb. 11..
In a 10-round junior middleweight showdown before the main
event, Cuban star Erislandy Lara returns for the first time
since his controversial fight against Paul Williams to
battle fellow contender Ronald Hearns. Opening the SHOWTIME
Championship Boxing broadcast will be a 10-round
featherweight matchup which will see unbeaten Gary Russell
Jr., the consensus 2011 "Prospect of the Year" award winner,
look to continue his meteoric rise against Dat Nguyen.
"Repeat or Revenge: Ortiz vs. Berto II" is the highly
anticipated 12-round welterweight rematch of USA Today and
Ring Magazine's 2011 Fight of the Year between former World
Champions "Vicious" Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto which will
take place Saturday, Feb. 11 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
in Las Vegas, Nev. The co-featured fights will see top
contenders Erislandy Lara and Ronald Hearns square off and
2011 "Prospect of the Year" Gary Russell Jr. take on Dat
Nguyen. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and
DiBella Entertainment and will air live on SHOWTIME at 9:00
p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). A special
three-fight undercard telecast will air live on SHOWTIME
EXTREME® beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west
coast).
Tickets, priced at $300, $150, $100 and $50, are on sale and
are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations
(select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino).
Ticket sales are limited to eight per person. To charge by
phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800)
745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at
www.mgmgrand.com or
www.ticketmaster.com.
One of Cuba's greatest amateur boxers and the owner of three
consecutive national championships and one world
championship, Erislandy Lara (15-1-1, 10 KO's) defected from
his homeland in order to chase glory as a professional and
he is well on the way to achieving that goal. Unbeaten in
his first 16 professional fights, Lara was the victim of one
of the most controversial decisions in recent history last
July when judges awarded former World Champion Paul "The
Punisher" Williams a 12 round decision win in a fight most
observers believed the Guantanamo native won. Undeterred,
the 28-year-old will be back in the ring on Feb. 11 and is
determined to be the lone judge on fight night.
The name "Hearns" is royalty in boxing circles thanks to the
exploits of soon-to-be inducted Hall of Famer Thomas "The
Hitman" Hearns. The Hitman's son, 33-year-old Ronald "The
Chosen One" Hearns (26-2, 20 KO's), is doing his best to
continue the family business into the next generation. A
professional since 2004, the lanky boxer-puncher has won
five of his last six fights, with the only loss coming in a
middleweight title bout against Felix Sturm in 2011. Now
back at 154 pounds, Hearns feels stronger, faster and ready
to issue Lara his second straight defeat.
Named the 2011 "Prospect of the Year" by ESPN, Sports
Illustrated and The Ring Magazine, 23-year-old Gary Russell
Jr. (19-0, 11 KO's) earned those accolades the old fashioned
way - by fighting. The Maryland southpaw was 6-0 last year,
fighting as often as possible, dazzling fans and opponents
alike along the way. Now ready to make his move on the
featherweight elite, Russell can't wait to surpass his 2012
campaign with even more big wins.
Vietnam native Dat Nguyen (17-2, 6 KO's) is an ultra-tough
competitor known for his straight-ahead style and
willingness to go toe-to-toe with anyone who dares step into
the ring with him. Winner of six of his last seven bouts,
the 29-year-old, who now makes his home in Vero Beach,
Florida, is hoping that a win over the unbeaten Russell will
be the catalyst for a 2012 to remember for him.
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