Maidana vs Morales press notes
23.02.11
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 22) - To become a legend, you must beat a legend and on Saturday, April 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., six "Action Heroes" will be featured in one night of all-out action fights where every bout pits two fighters looking to prove something against each other.
The HBO Pay-Per-View televised event features Five-Time and Three-Division World Champion Erik "El Terrible" Morales taking on former WBA Interim Super Lightweight World Champion Marcos "El Chino" Maidana in the main event. The telecast also features former Undisputed Junior Middleweight World Champion Winky Wright facing current European Middleweight Champion Matthew "Mack The Knife" Macklin as well as former World Champions Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero and Michael Katsidis "The Great" squaring off in what promises to be a slugfest.
"Given the styles, heart and determination of both fighters, Morales vs. Maidana has Fight of the Year written all over it," said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions.
"Plus, we have a crossroads battle between a future Hall of Famer in Winky Wright, against a young slugger trying to make a name for himself in the U.S. in Matthew Macklin. You can expect one of the greatest matchups of lightweights in the game today when Robert Guerrero and Michael Katsidis, two warriors who will leave everything in the ring, face each other. I personally can't wait to watching all three of these great fights on April 9."
"Boxing fans are filled with anticipation for April 9," said Mark Taffet of HBO Pay-Per-View. "Boxing legends Erik Morales and Winky Wright in tough comeback fights; non-stop action fighters like Marcos Maidana and Michael Katsidis; and courageous Robert Guerrero continuing his rise to the top. We're looking forward to a great event."
The pride of Tijuana, Erik "El Terrible" Morales (51-6, 35 KO's) has epitomized the heart and skill of the Mexican warrior for 18 years and at 34 he believes he still has plenty to offer the boxing world.
A winner of world titles at junior featherweight, featherweight, and junior lightweight, Morales' resume reads like a who's who of the best of this era, with his list of vanquished foes including Daniel Zaragoza, Junior Jones, Wayne McCullough, Kevin Kelley, In-Jin Chi, Paulie Ayala, Jesus Chavez and Carlos Hernandez. The last man to defeat Manny Pacquiao, which he did in their first of three bouts in 2005, "El Terrible" is best remembered for his classic trilogy with Marco Antonio Barrera, a rivalry which captivated all of Mexico and the entire boxing world. Following his 2007 bout with David Diaz, Morales took a nearly three year hiatus from the ring, but upon his return in 2010, he has been in championship form with wins over Jose Alfaro, Willie Limond and Francisco Lorenzo, setting the stage for one of boxing's most highly anticipated showdowns when he takes on Maidana.
"Marcos Maidana is an exciting young fighter and there is no quit in either of us," said Morales. "Like true warriors, we will keep fighting until the end. I know my hand will be raised as the winner when it is over."
Quickly becoming known as one of boxing's most exciting fighters, Santa Fe, Argentina's Marcos "El Chino" Maidana (29-2, 27 KO's) has won over legions of fans in the United States since he made his American debut in June of 2009. It was in that fight that Maidana burst onto the international boxing scene with a stunning upset victory over "Vicious" Victor Ortiz. The bout lasted less than six rounds, but saw Maidana hit the canvas three times and Ortiz twice before the action was halted in the sixth round in a fight that received mention as a Fight of the Year candidate.
One of the most powerful and concussive punchers in the sport, as evidenced by the fact that 93% of his wins came via knockout, 27-year-old Maidana once again wowed fans in his last fight on December 11, 2010 when he took on WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Amir Khan in the Boxing Writers Association of America 2010 Fight of the Year.
In a back-and-forth battle, Maidana fought through a first round knockdown and endured through the early rounds as he closed the gap against Khan in the late rounds. Khan survived a vicious tenth round onslaught by Maidana in which he looked to be on the brink of being knocked out, and went on to win a close unanimous decision in an instant classic. Maidana will look to give his fans a little more of his brand of boxing excitement when he faces Morales on April 9.
"Erik Morales is one of the greatest fighters of all-time and I'm honored and excited to be fighting him," said Maidana. "But when the bell rings, I will put respect aside and do what I do best - which is knock my opponent out."
The Morales vs. Maidana pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $44.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Morales vs. Maidana fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.