SUGAR SHANE MOSLEY RETURNS
TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO FACE RICARDO “EL
MATADOR” MAYORGA AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER
IN CARSON ON SEPT. 27
For
Immediate Release
MOSLEY’S FIRST
BOUT IN LOS ANGELES AREA SINCE 2000
LOS ANGELES (August 7, 2008)
—Four-time world champion Sugar Shane
Mosley has agreed to tangle with former three-time
world champion and supreme provocateur Ricardo
“El Matador” Mayorga at The Home
Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on Saturday,
Sept. 27.
The last time Sugar Shane
Mosley stepped foot in the ring in Los Angeles
was against Oscar de la Hoya in 2000 at STAPLES
Center, in a fight that catapulted him to boxing
superstardom. Eight years later, on Saturday,
Sept. 27, Mosley will return home to fight at
the Home Depot Center in Carson, California,
a Los Angeles suburb, for the first time since
that epic bout to face three-time world champion
Mayorga in a boutcontested at the 154-pound
limit.
Tickets for the event priced
at $350, $150, $75 and $50 go on sale Thursday,
Aug. 7 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster
outlets, on the Web at www.Ticketmaster.com
or charge-by-phone at (213) 480-3232. Tickets
are also available for sale at The Home Depot
Center Box Office, open Monday through Friday,
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT, and on event days.
Event suites, group packages and VIP packages
are available by calling 1-877-AEG-TICKETS (1-877-234-8425)
or by visiting www.aegtickets.com.
“It’s
been eight years since I fought at home and
I can’t wait to fight at The Home Depot
Center,” Mosley said. “Mayorga’s
a big talker and I know things are going to
heat up between us, but I’ve been down
this road before. All the talking in the world
isn’t going to help him when we step into
the ring, that’s where Mayorga will have
to eat his words”.
Mayorga followed by saying,
“Fernando Vargas and all of his supporters
in Southern California told me I couldn’t
back up the talk in November but I did,”
referring to his domination of former two-time
world champion “Ferocious” Fernando
Vargas at STAPLES Center on Nov. 23. “I
will do to Mosley exactly what I did to Vargas
or even worse. Mosley will have to prove to
me he can stand up and fight the way Vargas
tried to do.”
President of Golden Boy Promotions
Oscar de la Hoya, who having fought both fighters
has a unique vantage point said, “I know
Mosley and Mayorga very well, having been in
the ring with both of them and in all honesty,
nothing compares to Shane’s speed or Ricardo’s
power. That makes this a perfect clash of styles
and one that should result in a great fight
when the bell rings.”
Don King, Mayorga’s
promoter, who thinks Mayorga will win if he
comes in at his best commented, “Mayorga
too often fights two opponents, himself and
the other guy. Shane Mosley should pray that
Mayorga continues to fight two opponents. If
Mayorga fights single-mindedly, nobody can beat
him. The only person that can beat Mayorga is
Mayorga. I predict Mayorga will put on one of
the best performances of his life and knock
Sugar Shane Mosley out.”
Golden Boy Promotions Chief
Executive Officer Richard Schaefer, who is happy
to be bringing Mosley back to his Southern California
fans, responded, “Bringing Shane Mosley
home to fight in Los Angeles has been a goal
of ours for years and finally that dream has
become a reality. Add in the great reception
that Ricardo Mayorga got when he beat Fernando
Vargas last year in Los Angeles and I’m
sure this is an event that all fight fans will
want to see.”
Kery Davis, Senior Vice President
of Programming of HBO Sports, said, “September
27th should be an exciting night of boxing and
we are really looking forward to presenting
the action live on HBO. We have a doubleheader
on tap for the evening and there is plenty on
the line for all the fighters.”
Rod O’Connor, General
Manager of The Home Depot Center, said, “The
Home Depot Center and AEG are proud to partner
once again with Golden Boy Promotions and Don
King Productions to bring another marquee fight
to southern California boxing fans. In 2008,
The Home Depot Center has hosted two of boxing’s
most storied matchups, including Vazquez vs.
Marquez III and De La Hoya vs. Forbes. Mosley
vs. Mayorga on September 27th will complete
the year’s greatest hat trick in boxing.”
A world champion in three
weight classes who has honorably worn the “Sugar”
name, Sugar Shane Mosley, 36, (44-5, 37 KOs)
is considered one of boxing’s all-time
best. A native of Pomona, California, Mosley
won his first title in 1997 when he defeated
Philip Holiday for the IBF World Lightweight
crown. Mosley successfully defended his Lightweight
title eight times, impressively winning them
all by knockout. Mosley then skipped the junior
welterweight division and moved directly to
welterweight. In his third fight at 147 pounds,
Mosley in 2000, defeated Oscar de la Hoya for
the WBC World Welterweight title, the first
of two wins over “The Golden Boy.”
The second victory over De La Hoya, in 2003,
netted Mosley the WBC and WBA Super Welterweight
belts. After two close losses to Winky Wright
in 2004, Sugar Shane returned with a vengeance,
winning five of six bouts that included two
stoppage victories of Fernando Vargas, a win
over Luis Collazo and a razor-thin decision
loss to Miguel Cotto. On Saturday, Sept. 27,
Mosley plans on starting another winning streak
at the expense of Ricardo Mayorga.
Mayorga (28-6-1, 22 KOs),
34, hails from Managua, Nicaragua. He burst
upon the boxing world in 2002 in his first world
title shot against then-World Boxing Association
welterweight champion Andrew “Six Heads”
Lewis. A virtual unknown at the time, Mayorga
taunted his opponent by allowing him to punch
him in the face repeatedly while he left his
hands at his waist before sending the champion
to the canvas with a thunderous assault in round
five that left Lewis unfit to continue in the
match. Few could have predicted at the time
that Mayorga would shock the world again when
he took on Boxing Writers Association of America
2002 Fighter of the Year Vernon “The Viper”
Forrest, who held the WBC World Welterweight
Title when they met. Forrest appeared to be
as perplexed as Lewis when the Nicaraguan bomber
smothered him with a barrage of combinations
that sent him to the canvas in the first round.
Forrest lasted until just the third round before
the referee waved off the beating. Mayorga proved
he was no fluke by agreeing to an immediate
rematch with Forrest where he notched a majority-decision
win. In his last 10 fights, Mayorga has faced
five reigning world champions, four former world
champions and one world-ranked fighter.
Mosley vs. Mayorga is presented
by Golden Boy Promotions and Don King Productions
with Mosley promoted by Golden Boy Promotions
and Mayorga by Don King Productions and sponsored
by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines. The
bout will be televised live as part of a double
header on HBO’s World Championship Boxing
beginning at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET. The
co-featured bout will be announced shortly.
For more information, please
visit www.goldenboypromotions.com.