HBO Championship Boxing

Antonio Margarito vs. Paul Williams

Arturo Gatti vs. Alfonso Gomez

Kermit Cintron vs. Walter Matthysse

July 14, 2007

Featured Bouts:

From the Home Depot Center in Carson, California

WBO Welterweight Title Bout (12 Rds)

Champion Antonio Margarito (34-4, 1 NC, 24 KOs). vs. # 1 ranked Paul Williams (32-0, 24 KOs)

From Caesars Atlantic City - Atlantic City New Jersey

Welterweight Bout (10 Rds)

Arturo Gatti  (40-8, 31 KOs) vs. Alfonso Gomez (16-3-2, 7 KO’s)

IBF Welterweight Title Bout (12 Rds)

Champion Kermit Cintron (27-1, 25 KO’s) vs. 5th ranked Walter Matthysse (26-1, 25 KO’s)

____________________________________________

Williams Seeks To End Margarito's Reign

July 14 At The Home Depot Center

Pride N' Punishment

Long Awaited WBO Welterweight Championship Battle Set For HBO;

Tickets On Sale Now

LOS ANGELES – In the annals of world history, July 14 is known as Bastille Day. On that fateful date in

1789 the people of France stormed and seized the dreaded Bastille, a prison beset by inhumane conditions

in Paris as the first step in the French Revolution, which eventually overthrew the 17-year monarchy of King

Louis XVI.

On Saturday, July 14, 2007, in the outdoor tennis stadium at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.,

undefeated and No. 1-ranked World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight contender Paul “The

Punisher” Williams (32-0, 24 KOs) looks to commemorate the holiday of Bastille Day by ending another

reign of terror – that of WBO welterweight champion Antonio “The Tijuana Tornado” Margarito (34-4, 1

NC, 24 KOs).

Billed as “Pride N’ Punishment,” the long-awaited, highly anticipated 12-round confrontation between

arguably the hardest-punching, most bitter rivals in the 147-pound division is presented by Goossen Tutor

Promotions and will be televised on HBO “World Championship Boxing.” The HBO broadcast starts at 9 PM

ET/ 11 PM PT.

Margarito, who was born in nearby Torrance, Calif., and currently splits his time between Tijuana, Mexico,

and La Habra, Calif., has been the WBO welterweight champion for more than five years. Referred to as “the

most feared man in boxing,” Margarito has made seven successful title defenses. He has only lost once in

the past 12 years – by technical decision to then-defending WBO light middleweight titleholder Daniel

Santos -- in a September 2004 battle that was stopped due to a cut on Margarito's eyebrow caused by an

accidental head butt.

Since that fight, Margarito returned to his welterweight roots and successfully defended his WBO crown

against, most notably, Kermit Cintron (TKO 5) in April 2005 and, most recently, Joshua Clottey (UD 12)

in December 2006.

An unusually tall welterweight at five-foot-11, Margarito possesses a relentless head and body attack and

power in both fists. The 29-year-old brings Mexican “pride” and 24 KO victories into the eagerly awaited,

grudge battle with Williams.

“Paul Williams has earned his shot at my title,” Margarito, who is co-managed by Francisco Espinoza and

Sergio Diaz, Jr. and trained by Javier Capetillo, acknowledged. “He has dominated his opponents and

the WBO has made him my mandatory. But he has never fought anyone with my ability, power and desire

and I will defend my title with everything I’ve got and do it in front of all my Mexican fans in Los Angeles and

those coming up from south of the border.”

Media from around the world have been touting Williams, the 25-year-old native of Aiken, South Carolina, as

boxing’s hottest future superstar. A lanky six-foot-one with knockout power in both mitts, Williams has

drawn favorable comparisons to a southpaw version of the legendary Thomas “Hitman” Hearns. Nicknamed

“The Punisher” for his inclination to attack his opponents to the head and body before eventually taking them

out, Williams has continually called out Margarito.

“I’ve been targeting Margarito for two years,” said Williams, who is managed and trained by George

Peterson. “I do give him credit for signing to fight me for his title instead of forfeiting it. However, I plan on

punishing him big time – and taking his belt – for making me wait so long.

“This is the fight I need to prove my greatness. I am determined to prove to the world that I should be

regarded as the most feared and dominant boxer in the world.”

On his pursuit to get Margarito, Williams has stopped his last five opponents, including then-undefeated

Argentinean Walter Matthysse (TKO 10 to win the North American Boxing Organization (NABO)

welterweight crown) in his first appearance at The Home Depot Center in May 2006. In his two most recent

starts, Williams demolished former two-time world champion Sharmba Mitchell (KO 4) and tough Santos

Pakau (TKO 6).

So, now the stage is set for what looms as the most explosive fight in recent memory, a throw back battle to

the great ring wars of years past.

“This is a can’t miss ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate,’’ promoter Dan Goossen boldly predicted. “It’s exactly

what fans want to see; two warriors throwing punch after punch in the middle of the ring, neither willing to

take a step backwards. I know it will be one of the most exciting and thrilling fights in years, an all-out war.”

Goossen, who secured the promotional rights to “Pride N’ Punishment’ with a winning purse bid paying the

fighters a total of $1.9 million and subsequent out-of-court settlement with Margarito's promoter, Bob Arum,

said The Home Depot Center was the perfect stadium for a fight of this magnitude.

“This is a fight everyone I know wanted to see,” Goossen said. “With Margarito’s Hispanic following in Los

Angeles and Mexico and Williams’ fight last year at Home Depot Center, this stadium was the obvious

No. 1 choice to host the event.

“With two big, strong and highly determined welterweights moving forward with similar, aggressive attacking

styles and knockout proficiency, it will be ‘bombs away’ from start to finish, reminiscent of the great

welterweight wars of yesteryear.”

The 8,000-seat tennis stadium at The Home Depot Center is one of the premier outdoor boxing stadiums in

Southern California. Under the lights in Carson, the facility has hosted some of boxing’s most exciting

matches, including Williams’ 2006 victory that earned him the No. 1 ranking in the WBO.

Home to the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, The Home Depot Center is the nation’s most complete

facility for training and events, and offers an electric atmosphere for boxing matches, concerts, soccer

games, tennis tournaments, track & field and other special events.

Other significant bouts on the card will feature the sole United States 2004 Olympic Games Gold Medal

winner, Andre Ward (12-0, seven KOs) in his first 10-round bout, and hard-hitting, highly touted, undefeated

Mexican heavyweight Cristobal “The Nightmare” Arreola (20-0-18 KOs), a Riverside, Calif. resident who is

coming off a KO victory over Malcolm Tann in Las Vegas this month.

Tickets for the July 14 “Pride N’ Punishment” fight are available for as low as $25, with VIP floor seats priced

at $300. Other tickets in the bowl are available at $50, $75 and $150 and are on sale now at all Ticketmaster

outlets and online at www.Ticketmaster.com, as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday

through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Group tickets are available online at www.aegtickets.com or by calling

1-877-AEG-TICKETS. The first bout will begin at 5:30 p.m. PT.

About The Home Depot Center

The Home Depot Center is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for

amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150 million, privately financed facility was

developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University,

Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis

stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a

10,000-seat facility for track & field and lacrosse, the ADT Event Center (a 2,450-seat indoor velodrome for

cycling) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports.

The Home Depot Center is home to three professional sports teams – Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles

Galaxy and Chivas USA, and Major League Lacrosse’s (MLL) Los Angeles Riptide. Named an Official U.S.

Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s

(USTA) High Performance Training Center and is the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer

Federation (USSF). The David Beckham Academy for youth soccer, Andre Agassi’s Safe Passage All-Stars

at-risk youth tennis program and Athletes’ Performance’s training center for elite and professional athletes

are all based at The Home Depot Center. The Home Depot Center has additionally been designated official

training sites for USA Cycling and USA Track & Field. For more information, please visit

www.homedepotcenter.com.

- Press Release issued by Goossen Tutor Promotions with a little editing from us (color, highlights, etc...)

____________________________________________

Gatti to return on July 14 in Atlantic City against Alfonso Gomez of "The Contender";

Kermit Cintron in co-feature

IBF Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron to defend crown against

 IBF #7 ranked contender Walter Matthysse

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Boxing’s most exciting fighter, Arturo Gatti, returns to the ring on Saturday, July 14

when he challenges rugged brawler Alfonso Gomez of “The Contender” in a 10 round bout from Boardwalk

Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, it was announced today by Main Events CEO Kathy Duva. IBF Welterweight

Champion Kermit Cintron will defend his crown against IBF #5 ranked contender and mandatory challenger

Walter Matthysse in a 12 round co-feature bout. Caesars Atlantic City will host the welterweight

doubleheader.

A separate announcement will be sent out shortly regarding ticket information (below).

Main Events is promoting the evening of boxing, in association with The Tournament of Contenders, LLC and

Caesars Atlantic City.

“Main Events is excited about returning to ‘The House That Gatti Built’ –Boardwalk Hall,” said Main Events

CEO Kathy Duva. “Fans know they are guaranteed to see a great fight when Arturo steps into the ring, and

with Kermit Cintron in the co-feature they know they will get more than their money’s worth.”

“Alphonso Gomez set the tone in the first season of The Contender by challenging Peter Manfredo in the

first fight of the season,” said Jeff Wald, an Executive Producer of The Contender and boxing promoter. “He

surprised everybody by winning that fight. Alphonso was the fan favorite for the first season of The Contender.

In spite of his lovable boyish charm and respectful polite demeanor beats the heart of a true warrior. Gomez

only knows one way to fight, keep attacking, go forward. He admires and respects Arturo Gatti and wants to

have the fans respect him in the same way.”

Gatti (40-8, 31 KOs) is a two-time world champion who is responsible for several of the top non-heavyweight

live gates in the history of Atlantic City, NJ. The 34-year-old Jersey City, NJ, resident by way of Montreal,

Canada, fought an epic trilogy against the man who is now serving as his trainer, Micky Ward. In a recent

ESPN.com poll asking fans to select boxing’s greatest trilogies, Gatti-Ward ranked second only Ali-Frazier.

Gomez (16-3-2, 7 KO’s) has won four of his last five bouts. The 26-year-old Whittier, CA resident by way of

Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico has not lost a bout since September 23, 2004, when he surrendered a decision

to Peter Manfredo in the opening season of “The Contender” series (L 7). The bruising Mexican veteran has

won his last three bouts by knockout. In his last bout on March 30, 2007, as part of “The Contender

Challenge: UK vs. USA” competition, Gomez traveled to Newcastle, England to batter Martin Concepcion

and earn a seventh-round stoppage (TKO 7).

Cintron (27-1, 25 KO’s) captured the vacant IBF Welterweight Championship in his last bout on Oct 28,

2006, when he dismantled Mark Suarez (TKO 6). The 27-year-old Reading, PA resident by way of Carolina,

Puerto Rico, has won his last three bouts since losing to Antonio Margarito on April 23, 2005, in an

unsuccessful bid to win the WBO Welterweight crown. Cintron has stopped seven opponents in the first

round and 13 opponents within the first two rounds. The welterweight bomber is ranked #7 by The Ring

magazine.

Matthysse (26-1, 25 KO’s) has stopped 18 opponents within the first two rounds. The 28-year-old Trelew,

Chubut resident by way of Esperanza, Santa Fe is the mandatory challenger for the IBF Welterweight

Championship. In his last bout on Oct 20, 2006, Matthysse stopped Jorge Dario David Gomez Perez in

two rounds (TKO 2).

HBO’s “World Championship Boxing” series will broadcast the doubleheader.

_______________________

Gatti-Gomez tickets on Sale Now

Cintron To Defend Title In "Welter Skelter" Co-Feature

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Tickets for the Caesars Atlantic City-hosted welterweight doubleheader featuring

Arturo Gatti vs. Alfonso Gomez and IBF Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron vs. Walter Matthysse

are on sale now. Tickets, priced at $300, $200, $150, $100, and $50, can be purchased by calling

Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420.

Main Events is promoting the evening of boxing, in association with The Tournament of Contenders, LLC and

Caesars Atlantic City.

“Main Events is excited about returning to ‘The House That Gatti Built’ –Boardwalk Hall,” said Main Events

CEO Kathy Duva. “Fans know they are guaranteed to see a great fight when Arturo steps into the ring, and

with Kermit Cintron in the co-feature they know they will get more than their money’s worth.”

“Alphonso Gomez set the tone in the first season of The Contender by challenging Peter Manfredo in the

first fight of the season,” said Jeff Wald, an Executive Producer of The Contender and Gomez’s boxing

promoter. “He surprised everybody by winning that fight. Alphonso was the fan favorite for the first season of

The Contender. In spite of his lovable boyish charm and respectful polite demeanor beats the heart of a true

warrior. Gomez only knows one way to fight, keep attacking, go forward. He admires and respects Arturo

Gatti and wants to have the fans respect him in the same way.”

- Press Releases issued by Main Events with a little editing from us (highlights, etc...)

Subject to change
 

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(6/7/07)