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PHILADELPHIA, PA - Philadelphia’s beloved Bernard Hopkins returns to the city of brotherly love to make another professional debut—this time as President of promotional company Golden Boy Promotions East.
Hopkins will host the March 3 fight card at the New Alhambra Sports and Entertainment Center in South Philadelphia that features his nephew—and one of the hottest prospects in boxing—unbeaten junior welterweight Demetrius Hopkins (22-0-1, 14 KOs) in the main event. Demetrius, who has been patiently waiting for a chance to fight for a belt, will have his wish granted as he is to face Mario Ramos (16-1-1, 3 KOs) for the USBA Jr. Welterweight Title. “I have been waiting for this opportunity and now it’s a reality,” said Hopkins. “I am looking forward to winning my first title and continuing my career to more championships.”
The card will air nationally on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.” "We have been trying hard to bring a fight to Philadelphia with the intentions of making it a great night for Philly fight fans," said Hopkins. "There is no better way to introduce our company to the area than to have a Philadelphia fighter like Demetrius to represent us on live national television."
The co-main event pits welterweight contender Larry Mosley (15-1, 6 K0s) against Miguel Figueroa (24-5-1, 14 K0s), of Camden, NJ. The seven bout fight card is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions East in association with Peltz Boxing and Joe Hand Promotions and sponsored by Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, whose multi-fight deal with Golden Boy East continues to flourish. “Working with Bernard Hopkins and Golden Boy Promotions East has paired one of the fastest growing promotional companies with one of the fastest growing venues in Atlantic City,” says Larry Mullin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Borgata. “Golden Boy Promotions East has brought boxing back to the east coast, and we are excited to sponsor this event in Bernard Hopkins’ hometown.”
Both exciting match-ups will be televised live on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” beginning at 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT. It will be the debut fight card for Golden Boy East on the cable network. “ESPN2’s Friday Night Fight viewers will enjoy a night of boxing and we are excited to have another established and recognized promoter in Golden Boy East Promotions and ESPN2 working together to deliver boxing fans the very best,” said Doug Loughrey, Programming Manager at ESPN.
First bout starts at 7:30pm ET. Tickets for fight night are priced at $35, $45, $50, and available at 215-765-0922 or visit www.peltzboxing.com.
In addition to the night’s featured fights, the card will be stacked with local talent as 2004 Golden Gloves Champion and recent St. Joseph’s University graduate Chazz Whitherspoon (9-0 6 KOs), and Olympian Rock Allen (5-0, 5 KOs)—both hot off their stellar amateur careers—seek to continue their unblemished professional records in front of their hometown on fight night. Rounding out the all-Philadelphia under card will be Mike Jones (1-0, 1 KOs) and Kaseem Wilson (1-0), with the exception of Charles Cavallo (7-0, 1KOs) who is from Trenton, New Jersey.
Continuing to show new dimensions to his game with each successive bout, unbeaten Demetrius Hopkins is ready to make an assault on the top ten rankings in 2006. Winner of three straight bouts by knockout, the ‘Gladiator’ has displayed an uncanny ability to not only outbox opponents, but out punch them as well. In his last bout on December 3rd, the 25-year-old took out Jesse Feliciano in just four rounds.
Former amateur star Larry Mosley is now making a splash on the pro scene after a two year layoff from 2003 to 2005. Since returning to action, Mosley has been impressive and sharp, stopping three consecutive opponents, with no foe going past four rounds. In his last bout, the Los Angeles native stopped normally durable Jeremy Yelton in two rounds.
A hard-nosed battler who has amassed a sizeable fan following in Philadelphia, Camden, New Jersey’s Miguel Figueroa knows only one direction when he steps into the ring – forward. Winner of his last two bouts – both at the New Alhambra – this former IBA Americas champion is eager to welcome Mosley to Philadelphia with his two fists on March 3rd.
For Bernard Hopkins, who is transitioning from his storied run as the undisputed middleweight champion of the world to promoter, the stakes are high for putting a fight on in Philadelphia. “I feel like I am preparing for one of the biggest fights of my life,” said Hopkins. “Philly fight fans are no joke and if we don’t give them a great night of boxing, their going to knock-me out.”
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By Media Report (February 13, 2006)
