ATLANTIC CITY, December 8, 2008 -- World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Welterweight Champion Kendall Holt (24-2, 13 KOs) will now defend his title against Philadelphia’s Demetrius Hopkins (28-0-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday, December 13 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Originally, Holt was to defend his title in a rubber-match against former champion Ricardo Torres, but Torres became ill in training camp and on Sunday announced he was unable to fight. Hopkins, already scheduled to fight on the card and stepped in.
Featured on the undercard will be undefeated NABF jr. middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (26-0, 8 KOs) from Brooklyn, NY defending his title against “Irish” James Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) from Wicklow, Ireland.
Also appearing on the undercard is separate bouts will be super lightweight Omar Chavez (12-0-1, 9 KOs) from Culiacan, MX; Jersey City’s Jorge Diaz (6-0, 5 KOs) will appear in a six-round bantamweight bout; Russian Olympian, middleweight Matt Korobov (1-0, 1 KO) from Orotukan, Russia will fight in his second bout as a professional; Atlantic City’s own super flyweight Qa’id Muhammad (3-0, 3 KOs); and Paterson’s Glenn Tapia will make his pro debut as a super welterweight.
Holt vs. Hopkins and Foreman vs. Moore will be broadcast on a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, (SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Kendall Holt won the WBO title against then-champion Ricardo Torres on July 5, 2008 in a short and brutal bout that lasted only sixty-one seconds. Holt was knocked down twice in the first thirty seconds. He returned to his feet following the second knockdown and saw Torres moving in to finish him off. Holt then landed a crushing overhand right that sent Torres to his knee, held up only by the ropes where the fight was stopped. Torres, who suffered a concussion, took several minutes to return to his feet before being whisked off to a local hospital for further tests. Holt, the newly crowned champion, himself headed to the hospital for stitches over his right eye.
A top contender at 140-pounds and ranked #10 by the WBO, Hopkins holds key victories over Steve Forbes, Ernesto Zepeda and Jesse Feliciano. With Hopkins hailing from Philadelphia, and Holt from Paterson, N.J., it is essentially a home-game for both fighters. Ricardo Torres had captured the vacant WBO title with a split decision over Mike Arnaoutis, another Atlantic City fan favorite, on November 18, 2006.
Tickets for Holt-Hopkins are priced at $200, $100 and $50 and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-736-1420, or at any Ticketmaster outlet nationwide.
Tickets can also be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office. Doors will open at 8:00 pm and the main event is scheduled for 11:00 p.m.
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