DEVON ALEXANDER AND MARCOS MAIDANA SET FOR FEBRUARY 25 BATTLE AT ST. LOUIS’ SCOTTRADE CENTER
ADRIEN BRONER TO MAKE FIRST TITLE DEFENSE AGAINST
UNDEFEATED #1 RATED CONTENDER ELOY PEREZ
DOUBLEHEADER TO BE TELEVISED LIVE ON
HBO’S BOXING AFTER DARK
ST. LOUIS, MO (January 16) – On Saturday, February 25, four of boxing’s most compelling athletes will begin 2012 in pivotal HBO Boxing After Dark televised battles from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. In the main event, the pride of St. Louis, Devon Alexander “The Great,” squares off against Argentinean knockout artist Marcos “El Chino” Maidana as the two junior welterweight stars move up to face off in a 10-round welterweight showdown. The co-featured fight will see Adrien “The Problem” Broner make his first title defense when he puts his WBO Junior Lightweight World Title on the line against unbeaten number one rated WBO contender Eloy “Prince” Perez.
“The main event features two top junior welterweight stars looking to make a statement as they move up to the welterweight division,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “Alexander will have his hometown fans cheering him on against Maidana, who is one of the most feared punchers in the game. In the co-feature, you have two young, undefeated fighters squaring off with a flashy, fast and strong Broner taking on a hungry, motivated and relentless Perez. These are must-win fights for all four fighters and a night boxing fans won’t want to miss.”
“I’m extremely excited to make my welterweight debut in such a big fight,” said Alexander. “Maidana is one of the best fighters in the game right now and I believe that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Come February 25, I win this fight convincingly.”
“I’m excited to be preparing myself to fight back in the United States against an elite opponent like Alexander on Feb. 25,” said Maidana. “It’s a great opportunity to prove myself and I won’t let it go. I know it’s a tough fight, but I love big challenges, especially in a new weight division. As always, I promise all the fans another war in the ring.”
“Get ready to come to swag class, because I’m taking Eloy Perez to school on February 25,” said Broner. “I’m going to treat this fight just like the last 22. I will train like it’s the last fight of my life and will come out victorious.”
“I’m looking forward to fighting Adrien Broner on February 25 and to hearing the words “AND THE NEW…,” said Perez. “Golden Boy Promotions gave me the opportunity to work with them two years ago and they have groomed me for this moment and I will not disappoint them.”
“I would like to thank Golden Boy and The Great Promotions for making such a great fight possible,” said Darryl Jones President of Boxing Operations of The Great Promotions. “I believe Alexander vs. Maidana has ‘Fight of the Year’ potential. Devon’s having a tremendous camp and we are preparing for war.”
“Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana in a main event on HBO before a big crowd in St. Louis is a recipe for a terrific night of boxing action,” said Kery Davis, senior vice president of programming, HBO Sports. “It is a great way to kick off the season for Boxing After Dark.”
“This is a terrific sports town and Devon Alexander ranks among our city’s biggest sports heroes, both inside and outside the boxing ring,” said Mike McCarthy, CEO of Scottrade Center. “We’re thrilled to welcome Devon and his legion of fans back to Scottrade Center as the eyes of the sports world once again focus on St. Louis for what promises to be another unforgettable night of boxing.”
“Alexander vs. Maidana,” a 10 round welterweight fight taking place on Saturday, February 25 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with The Great Promotions and Universum Box Promotions and sponsored by AT&T and DeWalt Tools. Also featured will be Adrien Broner vs. Eloy Perez in a 12 round fight for Broner’s WBO Junior Lightweight World Title which is presented in association with R&R Promotions. The fights will be broadcast live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets, priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Scottrade Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by phone at 800-745-3000, or online at ticketmaster.com. There is a facility fee on all tickets purchased at all locations, including at the Scottrade Center Box Office. Additional Ticketmaster service charges and handling fees apply to all tickets purchased through Ticketmaster outlets, by phone or online. For disabled seating, call 314-622-5420.
A talented boxer whose technical accuracy and defensive skill led him to the WBC Super Lightweight World Title in 2009 with a win over Junior Witter, St. Louis’ own Devon Alexander “The Great” (22-1, 13 KO’s) unified the WBC and IBF World Titles seven months later with a technical knockout win over Juan Urango. Although he lost his belts in January of 2011 against Tim Bradley, Alexander bounced right back in June with a 10 round win over tough Argentinean Lucas Matthysse. Now, he looks to conquer a new weight division as he moves up to welterweight to tackle Matthysse’s countryman Maidana and please his hometown fans in the Gateway City where he has compiled an 8-0 record.
Firmly cemented amongst the 140-pound weight class elite, Santa Fe’s Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (31-2, 28 KO’s) made it two for two in 2011 with a win over future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales in a “Fight of the Year” candidate in April that earned him the interim WBA Super Lightweight World Title and then followed that victory up with a blistering fourth round knockout over Petr Petrov in September in Argentina. Now looking for nothing but big fights in 2012, Maidana will compete in a new weight class as he takes on former World Champion Alexander in an intriguing clash of boxer vs. banger.
Cincinnati’s Adrien “The Problem” Broner (22-0, 18 KO’s) has been on the fight game radar for years as a result of his intriguing mix of blinding speed and thudding power, but in 2011, he made his move on the elite in impressive style. Starting off the year with wins over John Revish (first round technical knockout), former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (unanimous decision) and Jason Litzau (first round technical knockout), the 22-year-old won his first world title in November with a third round knockout over Martin Rodriguez in front of his hometown fans in Cincinnati, Ohio. Now, he turns his attention to February 25 where he will make his first title defense against unbeaten number one rated contender Eloy Perez.
Salinas, California’s 25-year-old Eloy “Prince” Perez (23-0-2, 7 KO’s) has taken his game to a new level as evidenced by his recent string of impressive performances. The current NABO junior lightweight and former WBC USNBC super featherweight champion owns wins over tough challengers such as “Dangerous” David Rodela, Dominic Salcido, Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez, Daniel Jimenez and Ira Terry. Perez has ended his last two fights with impressive knockoust, sending a signal to champion Adrien Broner that he’s coming to fight this February.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.scottradecenter.com follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/DAlexandereal, www.twitter.com/ChinoMaidana, www.twitter.com/AdrienBroner, www.twitter.com/eloyprinceperez, www.twitter.com/ScottradeCenter or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.facebook.com/ScottradeCenter. Follow HBO Boxing news at www.hbo.com/boxing, on Twitter @hboboxing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hboboxing.
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