Golden Boy Boxing: “Action Heroes” Lineup Announced

To become a legend, you must beat a legend and on Saturday, April 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., six “Action Heroes” will be featured in one night of all-out action fights where every bout pits two fighters looking to prove something against each other.

The HBO Pay-Per-View televised event features Five-Time and Three-Division World Champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales taking on former WBA Interim Super Lightweight World Champion Marcos “El Chino” Maidana in the main event.

The telecast also features former Undisputed Junior Middleweight World Champion Winky Wright facing current European Middleweight Champion Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin as well as former World Champions Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Michael Katsidis “The Great” squaring off in what promises to be a slugfest.

“Given the styles, heart and determination of both fighters, Morales vs. Maidana has Fight of the Year written all over it,” said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “These two fighters only know one way to fight, and that’s moving forward. Plus, we have a crossroads battle between a future Hall of Famer in Winky Wright, against a young slugger trying to make a name for himself in the U.S. in Matthew Macklin.

“You can expect one of the greatest matchups of lightweights in the game today when Robert Guerrero and Michael Katsidis, two warriors who will leave everything in the ring, face each other. I personally can’t wait to watching all three of these great fights on April 9.”

“Boxing fans are filled with anticipation for April 9,” said Mark Taffet of HBO Pay-Per-View. “Boxing legends Erik Morales and Winky Wright in tough comeback fights; non-stop action fighters like Marcos Maidana and Michael Katsidis; and courageous Robert Guerrero continuing his rise to the top. We’re looking forward to a great event.”

The pride of Tijuana, Erik “El Terrible” Morales (51-6, 35 KO’s) has epitomized the heart and skill of the Mexican warrior for 18 years and at 34 he believes he still has plenty to offer the boxing world. A winner of world titles at junior featherweight, featherweight, and junior lightweight, Morales’ resume reads like a who’s who of the best of this era, with his list of vanquished foes including Daniel Zaragoza, Junior Jones, Wayne McCullough, Kevin Kelley, In-Jin Chi, Paulie Ayala, Jesus Chavez and Carlos Hernandez.

The last man to defeat Manny Pacquiao, which he did in their first of three bouts in 2005, “El Terrible” is best remembered for his classic trilogy with Marco Antonio Barrera, a rivalry which captivated all of Mexico and the entire boxing world. Following his 2007 bout with David Diaz, Morales took a nearly three year hiatus from the ring, but upon his return in 2010, he has been in championship form with wins over Jose Alfaro, Willie Limond and Francisco Lorenzo, setting the stage for one of boxing’s most highly anticipated showdowns when he takes on Maidana.

“Marcos Maidana is an exciting young fighter and there is no quit in either of us,” said Morales. “Like true warriors, we will keep fighting until the end. I know my hand will be raised as the winner when it is over.”

Quickly becoming known as one of boxing’s most exciting fighters, Santa Fe, Argentina’s Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (29-2, 27 KO’s) has won over legions of fans in the United States since he made his American debut in June of 2009. It was in that fight that Maidana burst onto the international boxing scene with a stunning upset victory over “Vicious” Victor Ortiz. The bout lasted less than six rounds, but saw Maidana hit the canvas three times and Ortiz twice before the action was halted in the sixth round in a fight that received mention as a Fight of the Year candidate.

One of the most powerful and concussive punchers in the sport, as evidenced by the fact that 93% of his wins came via knockout, 27-year-old Maidana once again wowed fans in his last fight on December 11, 2010 when he took on WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Amir Khan in the Boxing Writers Association of America 2010 Fight of the Year.

In a back-and-forth battle, Maidana fought through a first round knockdown and endured through the early rounds as he closed the gap against Khan in the late rounds. Khan survived a vicious tenth round onslaught by Maidana in which he looked to be on the brink of being knocked out, and went on to win a close unanimous decision in an instant classic. Maidana will look to give his fans a little more of his brand of boxing excitement when he faces Morales on April 9.

“Erik Morales is one of the greatest fighters of all-time and I’m honored and excited to be fighting him,” said Maidana. “But when the bell rings, I will put respect aside and do what I do best – which is knock my opponent out.”

A mainstay on the pound-for-pound list throughout his reign as Undisputed Junior Middleweight World Champion and as a top middleweight contender, St. Petersburg, Florida’s Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KO’s) is a gifted technician in the ring whose skill and savvy have befuddled opponents for two decades. The 39-year old Wright won his first world title in 1996 when he defeated Bronco McKart for the WBO Junior Middleweight crown and, with the exception of a majority decision loss to Harry Simon and a controversial majority decision loss to Fernando Vargas that most observers had Wright winning, he reigned over the 154-pound division for eight years.

His biggest wins came in 2004 when he defeated Shane Mosley in back-to-back bouts. In 2005, Wright moved up to the middleweight division and issued defeats to Felix Trinidad, Sam Soliman and Ike Quartey, proving over and over that he was among boxing’s pound for pound best. His only defeats in nearly a decade came at the hands of future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins (at Light Heavyweight) and Paul Williams in his last fight in April of 2009.

On April 9, he returns to the ring to begin his search of a fourth world championship. A win for Wright likely means a world title shot will be in his immediate future. A loss for Wright likely means the end of a great career and induction into the Hall of Fame in five years. In Wright’s mind, the later is not an option right now.

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring on April 9th,” said Wright. “I feel stronger, faster and sharper than ever, and I’m ready to reclaim what’s mine, but first, I’ll have to show Matthew Macklin some new tricks in Vegas.”

A gritty battler hailing from Birmingham, England, Matthew Macklin (28-2, 19 KO’s) is coming back to fight in the United States for the first time since 2005, eager to show fans in Las Vegas just why he has become a European sensation over the last few years. A crowd-pleaser whose only loss in the last seven years was in a classic 10-round brawl with Jamie Moore, the 28-year old Macklin has since won 11 in a row, six by knockout, including a first round TKO of 26-2 Amin Asikainen in September of 2009 that earned him the European Boxing Union Middleweight title.

Macklin has defended his title twice, most recently against Ruben Varon (W12) last December, but he’s ready to make a splash on the international stage against one of the best fighters in the game. For Macklin, like Wright, a win on April 9 likely secures him a world title shot. A loss will mean heading back to the drawing board in the U.K. to rebuild, but Macklin fully intends on making some history of his own at the expense of the future Hall of Famer.

“This is exactly the kind of fight I’ve been looking for and I believe it will bring out the absolute best in me,” said Macklin. “Wright is someone I’ve looked up to throughout my career but this is my time to make a big impact in the U.S. and this is the perfect fight to do that in.”

One of boxing’s most talented and inspiring fighters, 27-year-old Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (28-1-1, 18 KO’s) has built up an impressive boxing resume in winning the IBF Featherweight title in 2006, defending it several times, then moving up to junior lightweight and winning a World Championship there in 2009. His achievements are even more impressive when you consider that he has done all of it while helping to care for his wife Casey who was diagnosed with Leukemia in late 2007.

In early 2010, Guerrero vacated his title in order to be at his wife’s side as she went through treatment which thankfully sent her cancer into remission. With Casey on the mend, Guerrero returned to the ring, and re-established himself as one of the premier fighters in the world with wins over Roberto David Arrieta (TKO8), Cuban great Joel Casamayor (W10) and former U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo (W10). In 2011, he will seek a world title in a third division, but first must get past Katsidis who will is looking to make some lightweight noise of his own.

“The opportunity to face Michael Katsidis after our first fight did not happen is something that means a great deal to me,” said Guerrero. “I appreciate the fact that Michael stepped up for this fight especially when other champions and contenders wouldn’t. I think together we’re going to put on a great fight for the fans.”

The hard-charging pride of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, Michael Katsidis “The Great” (27-3, 22 KO’s) is a thrill-a-minute warrior who has gained fans around the globe with his “go-for-broke” fighting style. Often compared to the late Arturo Gatti for his tendency to be involved in all-action, dramatic fights (as well as his tendency to get cut), Katsidis is an offensive machine who moves in one direction…forward at his opponents.

A two-time holder of the WBO Interim Lightweight crown, the 30-year-old is currently riding a streak of memorable performances which includes a stoppage of Jesus “Matador” Chavez, a stirring win over Vicente Escobedo, a three-round blitz of then-undefeated Kevin Mitchell. Continuing that run, in his most recent bout, he took on Juan Manuel Marquez in a Fight of the Year candidate that saw Katsidis put the future Hall of Famer on the canvas before being halted in the ninth round by the Mexican superstar. Katsidis will look to make a comeback statement against Robert Guerrero on April 9.

“Robert Guerrero is an outstanding young fighter and our styles match up well for a fight everyone will remember,” said Katsidis. “But I’m going to take him places he’s never gone in the ring and I know I will come out with a big win.”

Tickets for “Action Heroes” priced at $350, $250, $150, $75, $50 and $25 are on sale now and availableto charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

“Action Heroes” featuring Morales vs. Maidana in a 12-round junior welterweight bout, Wright vs. Macklin in a 10-round super middleweight fight and Guerrero vs. Katsidis in a 12-round lightweight battle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Erik Morales’ Box Latino and Universum Box Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools and Tres Generaciones.

Wright vs. Macklin is presented in association with Winky Promotions and Guerrero vs. Katsidis is presented in association with Sampson Boxing. The bouts will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

The Morales vs. Maidana pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $44.95, 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 of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Morales vs. Maidana fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

A stacked slate of undercard bouts, including the rest of the HBO Pay-Per-View broadcast, will be announced at a later date.