NEW YORK (June 15, 2012) – An injury has forced heavyweight Chris Arreola to withdraw from his scheduled June 23 fight against Mike Mollo, which was slated to open the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast on SHOWTIME®. The premium network will move ahead with a doubleheader featuring two 12-round fights.
In the main event, former World Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO’s), of Ventura, Calif., will face Josesito Lopez (29-4, 17 KO’s), of Riverside, Calif., for the WBC Silver Welterweight Championship. The co-feature will match world-ranked fighters, former Three-Time World Champion Humberto “Zorrita” Soto (59-7-2, 34 KO’s), of Los Mochis, Mexico, and hard-hitting Lucas Matthysse (30-2, 28 KO’s), of Chubut, Argentina, in a battle for the WBC Continental Americas super lightweight title.
The doubleheader emanating from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif. will air live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). It will be preceded by preliminary bouts airing live on SHOWTIME Extreme at 7 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). In the main match-up on SHOWTIME Extreme, Jermell Charlo (17-0, 8 KO’s), of Houston, risks his perfect record against Denis Douglin (14-1, 8 KO’s) of Marlboro, N.J., in a 10-round junior middleweight bout. Also featured on the SHOWTIME Extreme telecast will be an eight-round super lightweight clash between undefeated Omar Figueroa (17-01, 14 KO’s), of Weslaco, Tex., and veteran Alain Hernandez (18-10-2, 10 KO’s) of Tijuana, Mexico.
Tickets priced at $250, $150, $100 and $50 are available online at www.staplescenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000 or at STAPLES Center box office.