Golden Boy Promotions is looking to end the year in spectacular fashion. With what is already being looked at as one of the biggest pay-per-view events in the history of the sport on September 14, headlined by Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to an already super stacked undercard including the likes of Danny Garcia, Lucas Matthysse, Ishe Smith, Carlos Molina, Pablo Cesar Cano and more. What more can a boxing fan ask for? How about another stacked card with a ton of talent on the eve of the event! That is exactly what we are getting.
On Thursday, September 12th, live from the MGM Grand Premier Ballroom, undefeated Shawn Porter (21-0-1, 14 KOs) will be headlining the card as he takes on Julio Diaz (40-8-1, 29 KOs) in a rematch to their 2012 fight that ended in a draw. Porter has been on a fast road to success since being the chief sparring partner for, Manny Pacquiao a few years ago. With no big names on his resume, he stepped up in competition against the seasoned vet himself, Julio Diaz. It was a very close fight that saw it 96-94 once for both men, and 95-95 on the deciding judge’s card. Since this fight, Diaz went on to give Amir Khan all he could handle on his home turf, dropping a very close decision victory, but still managing to put Khan on the deck in the process. This fight is very important for both men, not only will a win serve as vindication from their previous bout, it will move each man a step forward to the top ranks in the Welterweight division.
Also in action that night will be Mayweather promotions standout, Badou Jack (15-0, 10 KOs) vs. Marco Antonio Periban (20-1, 13 KOs) in what looks to be a hell of a fight. In Periban’s last fight, he thrilled boxing fans around the world in a toe to toe slugfest with, Sakio Bika for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight Title. The end result was a majority decision victory for Sakio Bika. A lot of fans felt that the only reason Bika won, was because of his affiliation with Al Haymon. In Jack’s last bout, he fought a very tough Farrah Ennis. It was not one of Jack’s most exciting performances, however, he did dominate winning virtually every round on all three judges’ scorecards. This fight, on paper, looks to be the fight of the night since both men are come forward, look for the knockout type fighters. The fight is scheduled for 10 rounds, but I do not expect it to go very deep into the second half.
Another action packed fight between two undefeated prospects scheduled, which could also be a fight of the night, pits Hugo Centeno Jr (19-0, 10 KOs) vs. Julian Williams (13-0, 7 KOs) in a classic ‘somebody’s O has to go’ type of fight since both men are coming in with undefeated records. Hugo is yet another tough up and coming fighter that is building a solid buzz for himself out of Southern California. He is currently being managed by Joel De La Hoya and has a very bright future for himself. Julian Williams is a tough Philadelphia fighter that sports the same rugged mentality into the ring as the former greats from his city. Looked at as a road warrior of sorts, Williams has fought all over the country and is just waiting to get his name in the mix and this could be the fight to do so. A win will give either fighter the extra push needed to begin getting recognition amongst up and coming prospects.
Tickets are on sale now, prices are as follow; $25, $50, $75, $100 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-635-8000. This event will be held in the MGM Grand Premier Ballroom. The card begins at 7:00 pm pst and will be televised live on Fox Sports.