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NEW YORK (September 23, 2009) – Undefeated world champions JUAN MANUEL “JuanMa” LOPEZ and YURIORKIS GAMBOA will be serving shots of tropical punch when they defend their titles, in separate fights, headlining “Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12,” Saturday, October 10, broadcast Live on Pay-Per-View from the WaMu Theater in the “Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden. Lopez will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight title against top contender and Tanzania native ROGERS MTAGWA. Gamboa will be defending his World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight belt against Panamanian strongman WHYBER GARCIA. The televised portion of this boxing extravaganza will begin at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT with two exciting 10-round bouts – undefeated Top-10 heavyweight contender ODLANIER SOLIS of Cuba against two-time world title challenger FRES OQUENDO of Puerto Rico, and super welterweight contenders PAWEL WOLAK of Poland against CARLOS NASCIMENTO of Brazil. These eight sluggers boast a combined record of 182-25-2 (132 KOs), a winning percentage of 87% and a victory by knockout ratio of 73%.
Top-10 middleweight contender and New York fan favorite IRELAND’S JOHN DUDDY will also be featured, on the non-televised undercard in a 10-round middleweight bout.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Arena Boxing U.S. and PR Best Boxing, remaining tickets to “Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12,” priced at $250, $150, $75 and $50, can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, and online at www.thegarden.com.
“The Latin Fury series is taking the next big step as it makes its debut at the “Mecca of Boxing” featuring the next generation of Hispanic superstars in JuanMa and Yuriorkis,” said promoter Bob Arum. “Latin icons like Roberto Duran and Felix Trinidad in the past and now Miguel Cotto, who has sold more tickets to The Garden than any other fighter in this millennium, have solidified their international popularity by fighting before standing room only crowds of rabid fans at The Garden.”
Lopez (26-0, 24 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, is in the second year of his world title reign, which began on June 7, 2008 when he ended the three-year tenure of defending champion Daniel Ponce De Leon via a first-round knockout. Lopez, already a Top-10 pound for pound favorite, has successfully defended his title four times since, all by knockout, extending his victory by stoppage streak to 14. He was named Puerto Rico’s 2008 “Fighter of the Year” where he went 4-0, (4 KOs), including three first-round knockouts, all in world championship fights. Looking to repeat, he returns to the ring for the third time in 2009, having stopped two-time world champion Gerry Peñalosa and undefeated North American Boxing Association (NABA) super bantamweight champion Olivier Lontchi in 10 and 9 rounds, respectively this year.
Mtagwa (26-12-2, 18 KOs), a native of Dodoma, Tanzania has made Philadelphia, Penn., his base since moving to the U.S. in 2000. The former African Boxing Union super bantamweight champion has incrementally advanced his career by fighting and defeating some of the best competition at 122 and 126 pounds. Career highlights include winning the vacant U.S. Boxing Association (USBA) featherweight title in 2005 via a 10th-round TKO of Joe Morales. He successfully defended the title twice, knocking out Art Simonyan and Alvin Brown, both in the fourth round. His come-from-behind 10th-round TKO victory over Tomas Villas last year, ending Villa’s three-year, 12-bout unbeaten streak, was considered a 2008 Fight of the Year candidate.
Currently world-rated No. 6 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 9 by the WBO, Mtagwa is trained by Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts, one of only three men to have beaten Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
Gamboa (15-0, 13 KOs), a native of Guantanamo who now hails from Miami, Fla., has been considered one of boxing’s brightest lights dating back to his amateur days, which included winning Olympic gold at the 2004 games. Since making his professional debut in 2007, Gamboa has sought – and defeated – the toughest and most experienced opposition available.
In only his second year as a professional he collected the NABF and WBC International super featherweight titles and then moved down in weight to collect the NABO featherweight title in three consecutive fights, with victories over Johnnie Edwards, Darling Jimenez and Al Seeger, respectively, destroying Edwards and Seeger in the first round while winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Jimenez.. He captured the WBA featherweight title in his last fight knocking out four-time world title challenger Jose Rojas in the 10th round on April 17. The two-fisted Cuban KO artist boasts a lethal combination of power and speed, an amateur background second to none (he is a four-time Gold Medal winner in the Cuban National Championships) and a victory by knockout ratio that’s on par with JuanMa Lopez.
Garcia (22-6, 15 KOs), from Panama City, Panama, has an exciting and aggressive style as well as being a fan favorite. He enters this fight having won four of his last five fights. The lone blemish, a tough world title loss to WBA super featherweight champion Jorge Linares last year. He has won WBA Latin American titles at 126 and 130 pounds as well as the NABA featherweight title. He is currently world-rated No. 13 by the WBA.
Solis (14-0, 10 KOs), a native of Havana, Cuba, now based in Miami, Fla., was a teammate of Gamboa when he won the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal and followed that feat with the super heavyweight gold mead at the 2005 World Championships. He was known as the successor to the legendary Cuban heavyweight Felix Savon after defeating Savon two of the three times they fought each other. Other notable amateur victories for Solis include a third-round stoppage of David Haye in the finals of the 2001 World Championships. He enters this fight having won his last four bouts by knockout, including two for the WBC International title, with victories over Chauncy Welliver and Kevin Burnett in October and January, respectively. He is currently world-rated No. 7 by the WBC.
Oquendo (31-5, 20 KOs), a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico who fights out of Chicago, has claimed over 64% of his victories by way of knockout, including Clifford Etienne (19-0), David Izon (27-3), and Obed Sullivan (39-7-2). He has twice challenged for the world heavyweight title, coming up short both times against Chris Byrd and John Ruiz in consecutive fights. Currently world-rated No. 13 by the WBC, he enters this fight having won five of his last six bouts. This year he has gone two-for-two, with knockout victories of Mark Brown (15-1) and former world champion Bruce Seldon (40-7), for the WBC Latino and NABA interim titles, respectively.
Wolak (24-1, 16 KOs), a native of Debica, Poland, now living in Mount Arlington, NJ., has created a tremendous local following with his fan-pleasing, go-for-broke style of fighting. The former New York State middleweight and Polish International and IBA Americas junior middleweight champion returns to the ring having won his last three fights, two by knockout.
Nascimento (22-1, 18 KOs), of Sao Paulo, Brazil, enters this fight riding a six-fight winning streak, five by knockout. A trophy case that displays Brazilian, WBO Latino and WBC Latino junior middleweight titles, his only professional blemish is a 2007 world title loss to undefeated WBO junior middleweight champion Sergiiy Dzinziruk. Nascimento is currently world-rated No. 19 by the WBC.
Duddy, (26-1, 17 KOs) of Derry, Northern Ireland, returns to The Garden, where he has never lost, for the eighth time in his professional career, the most recent in February where he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Matt Vanda. A former WBC Continental Americas middleweight champion, with victories over former world champion Yory Boy Campas and world title challenger Howard Eastman, Duddy returns to the ring for the first time since suffering a split decision loss to Billy Lyell in April. He is currently world-rated No. 10 by the WBO.
The “Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12” pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $39.95. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. For “Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12” fight week updates, log on to www.toprank.com.
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Top-10 middleweight contender and New York fan favorite IRELAND’S JOHN DUDDY will also be featured, on the non-televised undercard in a 10-round middleweight bout.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Arena Boxing U.S. and PR Best Boxing, remaining tickets to “Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12,” priced at $250, $150, $75 and $50, can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, and online at www.thegarden.com.
“The Latin Fury series is taking the next big step as it makes its debut at the “Mecca of Boxing” featuring the next generation of Hispanic superstars in JuanMa and Yuriorkis,” said promoter Bob Arum. “Latin icons like Roberto Duran and Felix Trinidad in the past and now Miguel Cotto, who has sold more tickets to The Garden than any other fighter in this millennium, have solidified their international popularity by fighting before standing room only crowds of rabid fans at The Garden.”
Lopez (26-0, 24 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, is in the second year of his world title reign, which began on June 7, 2008 when he ended the three-year tenure of defending champion Daniel Ponce De Leon via a first-round knockout. Lopez, already a Top-10 pound for pound favorite, has successfully defended his title four times since, all by knockout, extending his victory by stoppage streak to 14. He was named Puerto Rico’s 2008 “Fighter of the Year” where he went 4-0, (4 KOs), including three first-round knockouts, all in world championship fights. Looking to repeat, he returns to the ring for the third time in 2009, having stopped two-time world champion Gerry Peñalosa and undefeated North American Boxing Association (NABA) super bantamweight champion Olivier Lontchi in 10 and 9 rounds, respectively this year.
Mtagwa (26-12-2, 18 KOs), a native of Dodoma, Tanzania has made Philadelphia, Penn., his base since moving to the U.S. in 2000. The former African Boxing Union super bantamweight champion has incrementally advanced his career by fighting and defeating some of the best competition at 122 and 126 pounds. Career highlights include winning the vacant U.S. Boxing Association (USBA) featherweight title in 2005 via a 10th-round TKO of Joe Morales. He successfully defended the title twice, knocking out Art Simonyan and Alvin Brown, both in the fourth round. His come-from-behind 10th-round TKO victory over Tomas Villas last year, ending Villa’s three-year, 12-bout unbeaten streak, was considered a 2008 Fight of the Year candidate.
Currently world-rated No. 6 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 9 by the WBO, Mtagwa is trained by Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts, one of only three men to have beaten Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
Gamboa (15-0, 13 KOs), a native of Guantanamo who now hails from Miami, Fla., has been considered one of boxing’s brightest lights dating back to his amateur days, which included winning Olympic gold at the 2004 games. Since making his professional debut in 2007, Gamboa has sought – and defeated – the toughest and most experienced opposition available.
In only his second year as a professional he collected the NABF and WBC International super featherweight titles and then moved down in weight to collect the NABO featherweight title in three consecutive fights, with victories over Johnnie Edwards, Darling Jimenez and Al Seeger, respectively, destroying Edwards and Seeger in the first round while winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Jimenez.. He captured the WBA featherweight title in his last fight knocking out four-time world title challenger Jose Rojas in the 10th round on April 17. The two-fisted Cuban KO artist boasts a lethal combination of power and speed, an amateur background second to none (he is a four-time Gold Medal winner in the Cuban National Championships) and a victory by knockout ratio that’s on par with JuanMa Lopez.
Garcia (22-6, 15 KOs), from Panama City, Panama, has an exciting and aggressive style as well as being a fan favorite. He enters this fight having won four of his last five fights. The lone blemish, a tough world title loss to WBA super featherweight champion Jorge Linares last year. He has won WBA Latin American titles at 126 and 130 pounds as well as the NABA featherweight title. He is currently world-rated No. 13 by the WBA.
Solis (14-0, 10 KOs), a native of Havana, Cuba, now based in Miami, Fla., was a teammate of Gamboa when he won the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal and followed that feat with the super heavyweight gold mead at the 2005 World Championships. He was known as the successor to the legendary Cuban heavyweight Felix Savon after defeating Savon two of the three times they fought each other. Other notable amateur victories for Solis include a third-round stoppage of David Haye in the finals of the 2001 World Championships. He enters this fight having won his last four bouts by knockout, including two for the WBC International title, with victories over Chauncy Welliver and Kevin Burnett in October and January, respectively. He is currently world-rated No. 7 by the WBC.
Oquendo (31-5, 20 KOs), a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico who fights out of Chicago, has claimed over 64% of his victories by way of knockout, including Clifford Etienne (19-0), David Izon (27-3), and Obed Sullivan (39-7-2). He has twice challenged for the world heavyweight title, coming up short both times against Chris Byrd and John Ruiz in consecutive fights. Currently world-rated No. 13 by the WBC, he enters this fight having won five of his last six bouts. This year he has gone two-for-two, with knockout victories of Mark Brown (15-1) and former world champion Bruce Seldon (40-7), for the WBC Latino and NABA interim titles, respectively.
Wolak (24-1, 16 KOs), a native of Debica, Poland, now living in Mount Arlington, NJ., has created a tremendous local following with his fan-pleasing, go-for-broke style of fighting. The former New York State middleweight and Polish International and IBA Americas junior middleweight champion returns to the ring having won his last three fights, two by knockout.
Nascimento (22-1, 18 KOs), of Sao Paulo, Brazil, enters this fight riding a six-fight winning streak, five by knockout. A trophy case that displays Brazilian, WBO Latino and WBC Latino junior middleweight titles, his only professional blemish is a 2007 world title loss to undefeated WBO junior middleweight champion Sergiiy Dzinziruk. Nascimento is currently world-rated No. 19 by the WBC.
Duddy, (26-1, 17 KOs) of Derry, Northern Ireland, returns to The Garden, where he has never lost, for the eighth time in his professional career, the most recent in February where he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Matt Vanda. A former WBC Continental Americas middleweight champion, with victories over former world champion Yory Boy Campas and world title challenger Howard Eastman, Duddy returns to the ring for the first time since suffering a split decision loss to Billy Lyell in April. He is currently world-rated No. 10 by the WBO.
The “Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12” pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $39.95. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. For “Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12” fight week updates, log on to www.toprank.com.
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