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After compiling an impressive 5-1 record against fighters from Thailand in Golden Boy Promotions’ inaugural Boxing World Cup in October of 2005, the warriors of Mexico are back to defend their title against the Philippines’ finest in the 2007 World Cup, the sport’s only international competition.
In the main event of the evening, WBO Junior Featherweight World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon of Chihuahua, Mexico will put his title on the line against number one contender Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista of Cebu City, Philippines.
The co-featured championship bout will be just as explosive with power-punching Jhonny Gonzalez of Mexico City, Mexico defending his WBO Bantamweight crown against former World Champion Gerry Peñalosa of Manila, Philippines.
This historic showdown, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with SGG Sports Promotions and international match maker Sampson Lewkowicz, will take place on Saturday, August 11th, at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California.
HBO Boxing After Dark will televise the two co-featured world championship fights live beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET with a tape delayed airing on the West Coast at 10:00 p.m. PT.
A series of exciting undercard bouts featuring the best of Mexico squaring off against their Philippine counterparts will be announced shortly.
The country with the most victories at the second Boxing World Cup, which was created by Golden Boy Promotions in 2005, will be awarded a specially engraved trophy made by IceLink – one of the leading jewelry manufacturers and designers in the world.
One of boxing’s most exciting young stars, thrill a minute WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (31-1, 28 KO’s) has firmly established himself as a fighter to watch in the coming years. The 26-year-old southpaw won his first world title on October 29, 2005, when he out-pointed Thailand’s previously unbeaten Sod Looknongyangtoy over 12 rounds.
After a second round knockout over Gerson Guerrero in his first title defense, De Leon met Looknongyangtoy again last July, but this time, the rapidly improving champion was in fearsome form as he knocked his challenger out in just 52 seconds.
In October of last year, De Leon made the third defense of his crown with an eighth round blowout of Al Seeger and most recently out-pointed former World Champion Gerry Peñalosa in March to log his fourth successful defense.
Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista (23-0, 17 KO’s) may only be 20 years old, but this Filipino bomber has already established himself as a very dangerous 122 pounder and a strong candidate for world title honors.
The WBO Intercontinental and WBO Youth Super Bantamweight Champion, Bautista has shown an ability to not only take out his opponents with either hand, but to also box effectively over the 12 round championship distance, something few young fighters can pull off successfully.
In his last bout, on May 5th, he impressed the fight community with a 12 round unanimous decision win over Sergio Medina.
Perhaps boxing’s hardest pound-for-pound puncher, Jhonny Gonzalez (34-5, 29 KO’s) has terrorized opponents ever since turning pro in 1999. A native of Pachuca who now resides in Mexico City, Gonzalez won his first world title in October of 2005 when he stopped 73 fight veteran Ratanachai Sor Vorapin in seven rounds.
For an encore, Gonzalez has knocked out future hall of famer Mark “Too Sharp’ Johnson and decisioned two division world champion Fernando Montiel. Now, after falling short in his bid to win a 122 pound title by losing in a classic fight to Israel Vazquez last September, Gonzalez, who most recently stopped Irene Pacheco in nine rounds in March, returns to clean out the rest of the 118 pound division.
Gerry Peñalosa (51-6-2, 34 KO’s), a seasoned southpaw from Manila with close to 18 years experience as a pro, has gone 5-1 with three knockouts since his return to the ring in 2004 after a two year layoff.
He is a former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion with three defenses under his belt who impressively stopped highly regarded contender Mauricio Martinez in October of 2006. On March 17th of this year, Peñalosa lost a controversial 12 round decision to young gun Daniel Ponce De Leon. On August 11th, he’ll get another shot at a world championship belt when he battles Jhonny Gonzalez.
Tickets for the 2007 Boxing World Cup, priced at $275, $150, $85, $60 and $40, go on sale Friday, June 15th at 10 a.m. PT. The quickest and most convenient way to purchase tickets is by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone or by visiting the Web site at www.ticketmaster.com.
The Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone number is (916) 649-TIXS. Tickets are also available at the ARCO Arena Box Office and Sacramento-area Ticketmaster outlets.
