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When super featherweight sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa, 9-0 (8), steps into the right to fight Darling Jimenez, 23-2-2 (14), for the vacant WBC international championship in Primm, Nevada tonight, it is not only the HBO debut for the spectacular 2004 Olympic Gold Medallist from Cuba, but also the first HBO show for Gamboa’s promoter Ahmet Öner and his ARENA Box-Promotion.
The “Night of the Rising Stars” at Terrible’s Primm Valley Casino Resorts is a joint-venture co-promotion of ARENA and Gary Shaw Productions, LLC. It will be broadcasted on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” at 9:45 p.m, live ET/tape-delayed PT, and features a giant tripleheader including Gamboa vs. Jimenez and the world class junior middleweight bouts James Kirkland, 21-0 (18), vs. Eromosele Albert, 21-1 (10), and Alfredo Angulo, 12-0 (9) vs. Richard Gutierrez, 24-1 (14).
“This is what every promoter in the world is working for”, states Öner. “Everybody wants to be on HBO – I made it in only one and a half years. If Gamboa beats Jimenez – which I am pretty confident he will – this might be the beginning of a long and successful relationship. The future starts now!”
At HBO’s fighter’s meeting Öner grabbed the chance to talk to ring legend and TV-expert Lennox Lewis who will be ringside tomorrow night along with Bob Papa and Max Kellerman.
“You’ve got some very exciting prospects”, said Lewis. “I can’t wait to see Gamboa and I also want to take a look at your heavyweight Solis. I hear he’s the next big think. Those exceptional talents are the future of the sport.”
Originally Solis was planned to give his US debut on the undercard of Saturday’s show in Primm. “Unfortunately he didn’t get his visa”, explains Öner. “But we are preparing our next US show for June 27th. Hopefully we can present all three 2004 Olympic Gold Medallists – Gamboa, Solis and Yan Barthelemy – on the same card then.”
