Top Rank Boxing: Chavez Jr, Duddy, Arce, Barrera, Morel Headline Latin Fury 15

Top Rank will present its most ambitious and compelling Latin Fury card in its 15-event history. Latin Fury 15: La Furia de México will feature undefeated WBC No. 1 super welterweight contender and son of the living legend, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., in rumble against Top-10 middleweight contender “Ireland’s” John Duddy for the WBC Middleweight Silver Championship.

WBO interim bantamweight champion Eric Morel will defend his title against three-time world champion Jorge Arce, five-time world champion Marco Antonio Barrera makes his 2010 debut in a 10-round lightweight battle against Adilton De Jesus, and the broadcast will open up with Salvador Sanchez III, in an eight-round featherweight bout.

“This is a major step in the history of the Latin Fury series, evolving from a niche audience to a mainstream sports attraction,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, chairman on Top Rank. “The Alamodome will be set up for 17,000 people and to fill those seats we are featuring the biggest names in Mexican boxing.”

Chavez Jr (40-0-1, 30 KOs), of Culiacan, México, is the son of Mexico’s greatest fighter Julio César Chávez. Chávez, 24, took up the “family business” in 2003, winning a four-round decision in his professional debut. Seven years later, the reigning WBC Latino super welterweight champion and superior gate attraction is poised to make his own mark in the boxing world.

In preparation he has enlisted legendary trainer Freddie Roach to take him to the next level. Last year Chávez, the WBC’s No. 1 super welterweight contender, won 10-round unanimous decisions over Luciano Cuello and Troy Rowland and stopped Jason LeHoullier in the first round.

Making his 2009 achievements even more impressive was the fact that Chávez’s opponents had a combined record of 69-3-1 when he defeated them.

Duddy (29-1, 18 KOs), a native of Derry, Ireland who also resides in Queens, New York, has been a Madison Square Garden fan favorite and box office attraction for most of the last decade. He made his Texas debut on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium, winning a 10-round decision over Mexican super welterweight champion Michael Medina.

The former WBC Continental Americas middleweight champion boasts a record that includes victories over former world champion Yory Boy Campas, former world title challenger Howard Eastman and rugged contenders Matt Vanda and Anthony Bonsante. Duddy is currently world-rated No. 8 by the WBC.

Morel (42-2, 21 KOs), of San Juan Puerto Rico, captured the WBA flyweight title in 2000, winning a 12-round decision over defending champion Sornpichai Pisnurachank. His three-year reign as champion included five successful defenses. Since losing the title, Morel has won nine of his last ten bouts, including two NABO junior bantamweight and one NABO bantamweight title fights.

After elevating himself to becoming the WBO’s No. 1 bantamweight contender, “Little Hands of Steel” captured the WBO interim bantamweight title, winning a vicious 12-round split decision against the legendary two-division world champion Gerry Peñalosa in February.

Arce (54-6-1, 41 KOs), of Los Mochis, México, is one of México’s most colorful sports personalities attracting legions of fans from both sides of the border as much for his ring entrances as for his ring performances. He backs up his non-stop talk with non-stop action.

A veteran of 15 world championship fights and eight interim world championship fights, winning 11 and all eight, respectively, it’s hard to find a year he hasn’t held a world title dating back to 1998 when he captured the WBO junior flyweight championship belt.

He captured the vacant WBO junior bantamweight title in January, winning a technical decision over Angky Angkota. The fight was stopped in the seventh-round after an accidental clash of heads produced a severe cut over Angkota’s right eye. It went to the scorecards with Arce leading on all of them 60-54, 60-54 and 58-56.

Barrera (65-7, 43 KOs), of México City, is considered the greatest Méxican fighter of his era. With world title victories over Erik Morales (2), Naseem Hamed, Johnny Tapia, and Paulie Ayala, who could argue? He has won 21 of the 25 world championship fights winning multiple world titles at 122, 126 and 130 pounds.

During a four-year stretch beginning in December 2000, Barrera fought nine current or former world champions in a row, winning eight of them. This will be “The Baby Face Assassin’s” first fight in the Lone Star State since his 2005 second-round knockout victory of Mzonke Fana, in defense of his WBC super featherweight title, in El Paso.

Sanchez (19-3-2, 9 KOs), from Tianguistenco, México, is the nephew and namesake of former WBC featherweight champion and Hall of Famer Salvador Sanchez. A professional for five years, Sanchez, 24, enters this fight riding a three-year, nine-bout winning streak. His last victory was in March in Cowboys Stadium, a six-round knockout of Jaime Villa.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Tecate, Latin Fury 15: La Furia de México, will take place Saturday, June 26, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and will be produced and distributed Live on Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25, go on sale this Friday April 30 at Noon CT, and can be purchased at the Alamodome box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.Ticketmaster.com.