Golden Boy Boxing: Stacked Undercard Supports Marquez vs. Diaz II

It’s no surprise that the rematch of the 2009 Fight of the Year between Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez and Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz has made boxing fans around the world circle July 31 on their calendars.

Now, Golden Boy Promotions is upping the ante, making the event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. the card of the year as the big guns of the boxing world will roll into Las Vegas to fight on one of boxing’s biggest televised cards. The bouts scheduled for Saturday, July 31 will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

They are six fighters with combined records that add up to 153 wins, 12 losses, 3 draws and 108 knockouts who have won nine world titles between them. Among them is an Olympic Gold Medalist and an Olympic Silver Medalist and on July 31, they all fight on the same pay-per-view telecast.

In a 12-round bout immediately before the main event, New York phenom Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs looks to capture his first world championship when he takes on unbeaten Russian Dmitry Pirog for the vacant WBO Middleweight crown.

Former Three-time World Champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and future Hall of Famer/former Four-time World Champion Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor will square off in a 10-round junior welterweight bout that will put the winner in line for a huge fight in either the lightweight or junior welterweight divisions.

Opening the pay-per-view telecast, former Two-time World Champion Jorge “El Niño De Oro” Linares will face perennial contender and 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Rocky Juarez in a 10-round lightweight bout that is a must-win, crossroads fight for each boxer.

“When we were putting together this event, we knew Marquez vs. Diaz II was a sure-fire Fight of the Year candidate,” said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions.

“Then we said, why not go one step further and pack this card with three more fights that have the potential to do what Marquez and Diaz did in 2009? This is without question the most stacked pay-per-view card we have ever put on and the fans will love every minute of it.”

“With Marquez and Diaz, we knew we had the Fight of the Year again; now we have the Night of the Year,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “In addition to the main event, we have a world title fight between Jacobs and Pirog, and two bouts with significant title implications in Guerrero-Casamayor and Linares-Juarez. If you’re a boxing fan, this is one night you can’t miss.”

Long seen as the future of the sport, the time for Brooklyn’s Daniel Jacobs (20-0, 17 KOs) is now, and on July 31, he will challenge for his first world title. The current NABF and NABO Middleweight Champion who has defeated George Walton, Ishe Smith, Jose Berrio and Juan Astorga in successive bouts, the 23-year-old Jacobs is well-prepared for prime time and his possible ascent to the next level this summer.

A decorated boxer with a number of pro titles to his name, Temryuk, Russia’s Dmitry Pirog (16-0, 13 KOs) will make his United States debut against Jacobs, and he is ready to make an impression in the fight capital of the world.

After big decision wins over Kuvanych Toygonbayev and Kofi Jantuah, Pirog halted Eric Mitchell and Sergei Melis in his last two bouts, adding to his impressive 81 percent knockout rate. The Jacobs-Pirog bout is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arthur Pelullo’s Banner Promotions and German Titov Promotions.

Three-time World Champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (26-1-1, 18 KOs) is one of the fight game’s most popular fighters, not only for his knockout abilities and talent in the ring, but also for his devotion to his wife, Casey, during her battle with cancer. Now back on active boxing duty after an April TKO win over Roberto Arrieta, the 27-year-old is on track to regain a world title, but he must first get past veteran Joel Casamayor.

Seen by most observers as the premier Cuban fighter of this era, former Olympic Gold Medalist Joel Casamayor (37-4-1, 22 KOs) still has more goals to attain before he hangs up his gloves, and that means winning a fifth world championship in a third weight class.

One of the craftiest and toughest boxers in the world, the 38-year-old “El Cepillo” has won six of his last seven bouts (with his lone loss coming against Juan Manuel Marquez) and has his sights set on adding a win over Guerrero to his resume.

A former Two-division World Champion with four title fight victories to his name, Jorge “El Niño De Oro” Linares (28-1, 18 KOs) is the latest “Golden Boy” to make his mark in the fight game.

A precise puncher with an exciting style, the 24-year-old from Barinas, Venezuela is fresh off of a win over Francisco Lorenzo in March and expects nothing less than an all out battle from Rocky Juarez when they meet in a 10-round lightweight bout this July.

2000 Olympic Silver medalist Rocky Juarez (28-6-1, 20 KOs) has consistently thrilled fight fans in the nine years since his pro debut. Now the only thing the Houston native has left to achieve is winning a world title. More determined than ever to put championship gold around his waist, Juarez aims to make a statement on July 31 when he battles Linares in what is expected to be an all-action fight from start to finish.

Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Tecate and AT&T. The 12-round rematch of the “2009 Fight of the Year” is scheduled for Saturday, July 31 and will be for Marquez’s WBA and WBO Lightweight titles. The championship fight will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for Marquez vs. Diaz II are priced at $350, $250, $150, $100 and $50 and are on sale now. Tickets are available for purchase at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The Marquez vs. Diaz II pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95 and will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Marquez vs. Diaz II fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

Marquez and Diaz will appear larger-than-life on the big screen presented by NCM Fathom. Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” will be broadcast in high definition live to more than 270 movie theaters nationwide at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 PT. Tickets to see this fight on the big screen are available at theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.