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"THE HITMAN" VS. "THE MAGIC MAN"
RICKY HATTON AND PAULIE MALIGNAGGI SET TO
MEET IN
140-POUND WORLD TITLE BOUT
AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA SATURDAY, NOVEMBER
22;
LIVE ON HBO'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
Fans may call it "Manchester Muscle vs. New York Flash,"
"England vs. The United States," or "Brawler vs. Boxer."
Regardless of how it is described, the Junior Welterweight
World Championship bout between England's Ricky "The
Hitman" Hatton and New York's Paulie "The Magic
Man" Malignaggi on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas will be a clash between the two best
140-pound fighters in the world and one of the most intriguing
and exciting fights of 2008.
Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $300 and $150 are still
available for purchase. Ticket sales are limited to four (4)
per person at the $1,000 price level and a total of two (2)
tickets either at $750, $500, $300 or $150. To charge by
phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702)
474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at
www.ticketmaster.com.
"I am looking forward to returning to America, fighting again
at the MGM Grand and taking on Malignaggi," said Hatton. "Las
Vegas is like a second home to me. The fans treat me like
gold and I promise them another exciting value for money
fight."
Malignaggi said, "I am thrilled to be involved in the biggest
140 pound fight of '08. This will be my first fight in Las
Vegas, which makes it all the more exciting. Las Vegas'
nickname is the "City of Lights", so it is only fitting that
on November 22, 2008 "The Magic Man" will be lighting "The
Hitman" up all over the MGM Grand Garden Arena."
Hatton vs. Malignaggi, a 12-round Junior Welterweight
World title bout for Hatton's Ring Magazine and IBO Junior
Welterweight World Championships is presented by Golden Boy
Promotions in association with Punch Promotions and DiBella
Entertainment, and will air live on HBO's World Championship
Boxing at 7:00 p.m. PT / 10:00 p.m. ET.
Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, said,
"Hatton is an aggressive puncher who swarms his opponents from
start to finish while Malignaggi is one of the purest boxers
in the game today. As a fan, I am excited to see if Hatton
can lure Malignaggi into a brawl or if Malignaggi can dictate
the tempo and make the fight his. No matter what happens, I
think when their styles collide, it's going to make for great
action and great drama."
DiBella Entertainment President, Lou DiBella, said, "Paulie
Malignaggi is a champion and an elite fighter. I am thrilled
that he will be able to achieve superstardom when he fights
Ricky, one of the world's most popular and accomplished
fighters."
Kery Davis, senior vice president of programming for HBO
Sports, said, "Ricky Hatton and Paul Malignaggi are two
fighters who put it all on the line each time they enter the
ring. This is an important fight for both of their careers."
Richard Sturm, president of Sports and Entertainment for MGM
MIRAGE, said, "We welcome the return of Ricky Hatton and his
supporters to MGM Grand in November as well as the opportunity
to host Paulie Malignaggi's Las Vegas debut. We have no doubt
this could be one of the most exciting events of 2008 for the
fans as well as our customers and look forward to an electric
atmosphere inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena."
An international superstar hailing from Manchester, England,
the storied career of Hatton (44-1, 31 KOs) began in
1997 and for the last 11 years, he has been thrilling fight
fans around the world with his aggressive style in the ring
and down to earth attitude outside of it. Owner of wins over
Kostya Tszyu, Vince Phillips, Luis Collazo, Jose Luis Castillo
and Juan Urango, Hatton - a two division world champion - fell
short of the pound-for-pound and world welterweight
championships in his 2007 super fight against Floyd
Mayweather. However, the 29-year-old bounced back
impressively at his natural weight of 140 pounds in May as he
scored a near shutout 12-round unanimous decision over Juan
Lazcano.
Known for his flashy style and pound for pound ability to
out-talk any fighter in the world, Brooklyn's Malignaggi
(25-1, 5 KOs) has also developed a positive reputation for his
heart and determination to overcome adversity throughout his
seven-year pro career. A dazzling boxer with a stiff jab,
lightning speed and quick combinations, the 27-year-old gained
a legion of fans for his gutsy effort in a 12-round defeat at
the hands of Miguel Cotto in 2006, and even more followers
jumped on his bandwagon when he nearly shut out Lovemore N'dou
in 2007 to win the IBF World Junior Welterweight crown.
Malignaggi has since defended his title against Herman Ngoudjo
and in a rematch against N'dou, but a victory over Hatton is
what this New Yorker is truly seeking.
For room packages and availability and event ticket
information about the MGM Grand, call (800) 929-1111 or (702)
891-7777 or log onto the World Wide Web at
www.mgmgrand.com.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship
boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena
offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with
excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting
and sound. Prominent events to date have included world
championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson
as well as Oscar de la Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather and George
Foreman vs. Michael Moorer; and concerts by The Rolling
Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul
McCartney, Bette Midler, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Phil
Collins, Billy Joel, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, Sting, Jimmy
Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM
Grand Garden Arena also is home to the annual Academy of
Country Music Awards (ACMA) and U.S. Open of Motocross.
An exciting undercard will be announced in the near future.
For more information visit
www.goldenboypromotions.com
and
www.rickyhitmanhatton.com.
9-29-2008
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