Bethlehem, PA—Tickets go on sale Friday, July 27, for the world-class boxing card set for Friday evening, Sept. 21, at the Event Center of the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
Featured in the doubleheader main events are: light-heavyweights Gabriel Campillo, of Madrid, Spain, against Sergey Kovalev, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 10 rounds; welterweights Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, PA, against Antwone Smith, of Miami, FL, 12 rounds.
Tickets are priced at $130 (luxury suites), $80 and $55. They go on sale Friday at the Sands Event Center, all Ticketmaster outlets and at the offices of Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in Philadelphia, PA.
The Sept. 21 card marks the fifth boxing card in the series televised by NBC Sports Network Fight Night in 2012 and the second NBC Sports Network card at the Sands, which hosted the June 1 show. That night, junior middleweight Gabriel Rosado knocked out Sechew Powell and Cruz out-pointed Prenice Brewer in a front of a standing-room-only crowd in the inaugural boxing show at the 2,000-seat Sands Event Center.
Campillo (above left) is ranked No. 3 in the world by the IBF. He last boxed Feb. 18 when he lost a controversial 12-round split decision to champion Tavoris Cloud in Corpus Christi, TX. Two years earlier, Campillo lost another 12-round split decision for the WBA belt against Beibut Shumenov in Las Vegas, NV.
A pro since 2002, the 33-year-old Campillo is 21-4-1, 8 K0s. This will mark his third fight in the United States.
Kovalev (above right), originally from Chelyabinsk, Russia, boxed on the June 1 card at the Sands, knocking out Darnell Boone, of Atlanta, GA, in two rounds. A pro since 2009, the 29-year-old Kovalev is 18-0-1, 16 K0s. He is ranked No. 13 by the WBC.
Cruz (left) will be making the first defense of his WBC Continental Americas title against Smith.
A pro since 2009, the 25-year-old Cruz is a big attraction in Bethlehem and this will be his third hometown appearance. In addition to his 12-round decision on June 1 against Brewer, he also K0d Doel Carrasquillo, of Lancaster, PA, in six rounds on July 1, 2011, in a temporary tent set up outside the Sands and he also drew a packed house that night of 1,300.
Smith (right) is an aggressive battler from Miami, FL. He has been in with some of the best at 147 and 154 pounds. His 21-4-1 record includes 12 K0s and he has scored wins over Jerome Ellis, Richard Gutierrez and Henry Crawford.
Five additional fights complete the card.
ABOUT SEPTEMBER 21
The Campillo-Kovalev and Cruz-Smith fights top a seven-bout card at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. First fight is 7.15 pm. Tickets priced at $130 (luxury suites), $80 and $55 can be purchased through the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922), all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) or at the box office at the Sands Event Center (610-297-7414). Tickets also can be purchased online at www.peltzboxing.com, www.SandsEventCenter.com and www.Ticketmaster.com. In Bethlehem, tickets are available at Deja Brew, Inc., 101 West 4th Street (610-865-2739) and at Pronto Insurance Notary, 232 East 3rd Street (610-419-6790). NBC Sports Network will televise the Campillo-Kovalev and Cruz-Smith fights, beginning at 9 pm. The card is being promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with Sampson Boxing and the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
