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Donaire vs. Mathebula & Rios
vs. Herrera
July 7 Doubleheader At Home Depot Center
Top-Five pound-for pound fighter and four-division world
champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE and undefeated
former world lightweight champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS
will headline a spectacular all-action doubleheader,
Saturday, July 7, under the stars at The Home Depot Center,
in Carson, Calif. Donaire, the reigning World Boxing
Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion, will
rumble with International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion
JEFFREY “Marvelous Mongoose” MATHEBULA in a world title
unification fight to determine the division’s top dog. Rios,
in search of more worlds to conquer, will battle
steel-fisted Top-10 contender MAURICIO “El Maestro” HERRERA,
in a 10-round junior welterweight bout for Southern
California bragging rights. The fights will be televised
live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets for The Home Depot Center’s
Donaire / Rios World Championship fight card go on sale
Tomorrow! Saturday, June 2, at 10 a.m. PT. Priced at $100,
$50 and $25, tickets can be purchased online at AXS.com or
by phone at 888-929-7849 as well as The Home Depot Center
Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
Suites are available by calling 1-877-604-8777. For
information of group discounts, please call 1-877-234-8425.
Combined, these four warriors boast a combined record of
102-6-3 (60 KOs) – a winning percentage of 92%.
"The event at The Home Depot Center has two very good
fights. Nonito Donaire, the 122-pound world champion, will
take on the IBF champion, Jeffrey Mathebula from South
Africa. In the other battle, Brandon Rios of Oxnard,
California, will take on Mauricio Herrera of Riverside,
California, in what should be a non-stop action fight," said
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.
Donaire (28-1, 18 KOs), a native of General Santos City,
Philippines, now living in the Bay Area of San Leandro,
Calif., is a consensus top-five pound-for-pound fighter. He
enters this fight riding an 11-year, 27-bout winning streak,
which includes an IBF/IBO flyweight title knockout victory
of defending champion Vic Darchinyan, and a fourth-round
blasting of former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir
Sidorenko, December 4, 2010. However, Donaire’s most
impressive victory occurred on February 19, 2011, when he
knocked out defending WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando
Montiel in the second round, ending Montiel’s 25-bout
winning streak while also claiming his third world title in
as many weight divisions. That victory was named the 2011
Knockout of the Year. Ten of Donaire’s last 12 victories
have come by way of knockout. He successfully defended his
World Bantamweight Championship last year by blitzing
undefeated Omar Narvaez, winning virtually every round en
route to a unanimous decision victory. In his last fight,
which took place February 4, Donaire captured the vacant WBO
122-pound title, winning a gritty split-decision battle over
former world champion Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr.
Mathebula (26-3-2, 14 KOs), of Johannesburg, South Africa,
returns to the ring on the heels of his biggest victory
where he captured the IBF junior featherweight title by
dethroning defending champion Takalani Ndlovu on March 24.
The split decision victory was sweet revenge for the split
decision loss he suffered in a title elimination bout to his
fellow countryman in 2010. Nearly six-feet tall, Mathebula
has proven to be a formidable opponent in the junior
featherweight division. Mathebula’s resume boasts title
elimination bout victories over Julio Zarate and Oscar
Chauke. A 2000 Olympian, Mathebula built an outstanding
amateur record of 101-4 before making his professional debut
in 2001.
Rios (30-0-1, 22 KOs), the former World Boxing Association
(WBA) lightweight champion, from Oxnard, Calif., is on the
hunt for his second world title in as many weight divisions.
He enters this fight having won 10 of his previous 12 fights
by knockout. One of boxing’s most exciting fighters, Rios is
known for his an all-action fan-friendly fighting style. His
trainer, former IBF junior lightweight champion Robert
Garcia, calls it a “throwback” style with a warrior’s
mentality that screams excitement. Highlight knockout
victories on Rios’ resume include Miguel Acosta, Anthony
Peterson, Urbano Antillon and John Murray. He returns to the
ring after winning a tough split decision over WBA interim
lightweight champion Richard Abril on April 14.
Herrrera (18-2, 7 KOs), of Riverside, Calif., enters this
fight having won five of his last six bouts, highlighted by
victories over Ruslan Provodnikov (17-0) and Mike Dallas,
Jr. (17-1-1). His two-year winning streak was snapped in
April when he came up short, losing a decision to undefeated
No. 1 contender Mike Alvarado -- a Fight of the Year
candidate. It was bombs away early and often proving that
Herrera has the chin and the skills to compete at a
world-class level. Herrera is currently world-rated No. 8 by
the IBF.
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