SUNRISE, Fla.- Boxing
promoter Don King will present another tremendous international
boxing event in South Florida when his “St. Valentine’s Day
Massacre” lands at BankAtlantic Center on Saturday, Feb. 14
featuring unified lightweight world champion -and Jacksonville
native- Nate “Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) opposing
International Boxing Federation mandatory challenger Ali “Rush
Hour” Funeka, from East London, South Africa.
Colorful crowd favorite
and former three-time world champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga
(28-7-1, 22 KOs), from Managua, Nicaragua, will appear against
World Boxing Council No. 3-ranked super welterweight Alfredo
“Perro” Angulo (14-0, 11 KOs), from Mexicali, Mexico. This match
is an elimination bout to determine the WBC’s No. 1 ranking at
the 154-pound limit and become the mandatory challenger to the
organization’s champion.
Another bout of great
importance at 154 pounds will be showcased when interim WBC super
welterweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (44-1-1, 24
KOs), from Buenos Aires, Argentina, takes on former welterweight
world champion Kermit "The Killer" Cintron.
The BankAtlantic Center
will be configured in a fan-friendly half-house configuration
with only the best seats in the lower bowl and floor areas being
placed for sale. In addition, promoter Don King has created a
special “Valentine’s Day 2-for-1” ticket promotion where almost
everyone who buys a seat will get an additional ticket for free,
starting at just $25 (except a small number of golden circle
seats).
“A two-for-one ticket
offer and setting up the arena so all fans will be as close to
the ring as possible are innovative and great ideas for this
card,” King said. “This way, more of my Florida neighbors can
afford to bring their sweethearts, family or friends to see this
great night of boxing on Valentine’s Day at BankAtlantic
Center.”
Florida Panthers
President Michael Yormark is excited to have boxing at
BankAtlantic Center, the Florida Panthers home arena.
“Don King is one of the
biggest names in sports and we are honored to welcome him to the
BankAtlantic Center,” said Yormark. “His track record for
promoting world-class events speaks for itself. That said, it is
a great thrill to bring boxing to the BankAtlantic Center for the
first time, which once again reinforces our ability to
successfully host nearly any type of event.”
Tickets priced at $200,
$75, $40 and $25 (with all seats 2-for-1 excepting a limited
number of golden circle seats) will go on sale at 10 a.m. on
Friday and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge
by phone at (800) 745-3000, by visiting
www.ticketmaster.com or at the
BankAtlantic Center box office.
Campbell picked up his
world titles in a tremendous, upset victory over then-unified
lightweight champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz. Campbell outgunned
and battered the previously unbeaten Diaz for 12 rounds on March
8 in Cancun, Mexico. He won the fight by split decision but
there was little doubt among the Mexicans assembled in an outdoor
bull ring that Campbell had made good on his pre-fight prediction
to take his younger but more heralded opponent into deep water to
defeat him.
His win culminated a
made-in-Florida dream that saw Campbell escape from his violent
upbringing in a Jacksonville ghetto, embark on an improbable
career in boxing at the late age of 24 and reach the pinnacle of
his sport.
The fast-handed and
even-faster-talking new champion’s first defense of his titles
was slowed by Joan Guzman, who failed to make weight the day
before the two were scheduled to meet on Sept. 13 in Biloxi,
Miss. Guzman said he was too weak to fight over the limit,
scratching the match altogether.
The road gets no easier
for Campbell, who must now meet his IBF mandatory challenger in
Funeka. This will be the first time the South African has
appeared outside of his country, but he was able to stop highly
regarded Zahir Raheem in the fourth round when they met on July
25 to earn the right to face Campbell.
At his loquacious best,
Campbell is still no match for the Nicaraguan boxer also
appearing on the card, flashy Ricardo Mayorga, who is in a class
by himself when at his trash-talking best. Mayorga, who often
trains in South Florida but will make his first prizefighting
appearance here, tends to batter opponents outside the ring
verbally as well as physically inside the squared circle.
His meteoric rise
captured the imagination of the boxing world when he dethroned
reigning 2002 Fighter of the Year Vernon “The Viper” Forest twice
in succession in 2003. He went on to face some of the most well
known boxers in the sport including Cory Spinks, Felix “Tito”
Trinidad, Oscar de la Hoya, “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas and, most
recently, “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
Mayorga is a dangerous
marauder who always comes to fight. Extra motivation may come
from the fact that the young, undefeated prospect Alfredo Angulo,
26, thinks he can dispatch the big-fight veteran Mayorga, 35, in
just his 15th professional appearance.
A win here for Mayorga
would extend his notable career, while Angulo would benefit from
beating, by far, the biggest name on his building resume. Known
for his punching prowess, Angulo must first prove he will not be
overly influenced by the withering verbal assaults he can expect
from Mayorga designed to mine the depths of his being in search
of the slightest weakness or trigger point—a ploy that his
ensnared fighters of much greater experience and left them
psychologically disheveled.
Another bout of
significance at 154 pounds will also be featured when interim WBC
super welterweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (44-1-1,
24 KOs), from Buenos Aires, Argentina, faces the highest profile
opponent of his career in former IBF welterweight champion Kermit
“The Killer” Cintron (30-2, 27 KOs), from Reading, Pa.
Martinez, 33, earned his
interim title in his last appearance on Oct. 4 when he dominated
Alex Bunema, making him quit after eight rounds. The former
champion Cintron, 29, brings a title-fight experience and
considerable skills into his first fight at 154 pounds.
The event is promoted by
Don King Productions with a full undercard. Campbell vs. Funeka
is presented in association with One Punch Productions. Mayorga
vs. Angulo is a co-promotion with Gary Shaw Productions.
Campbell vs. Funeka, Mayorga vs. Angulo and Martinez vs. Cintron
will also be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
BankAtlantic Center was recently
recognized by trade publication Pollstar as the No. 11
ranked arena in the United States and was also nominated for
‘Arena of the Year’ as part of the annual Pollstar Awards. Home
to more than 185 events annually and the Florida Panthers Hockey
Club, the BankAtlantic Center is consistently a top 15 worldwide
venue according to Pollstar. The BankAtlantic Center
welcomes more than two million guests each year and is also the
home of Sawgrass Live presented by BankAtlantic and two monthly
magazines Unrestricted and Panthers Insider.
Don King Productions has promoted
over 500 world championship fights with nearly 100 individual
boxers having been paid $1 million or more. DKP also holds the
distinction of having promoted or co-promoted seven of the 10
largest pay-per-view events in history, as gauged by total buys,
including three of the top five: Holyfield vs. Tyson II, 1.99
million buys, June 1997; Tyson vs. Holyfield I, 1.6 million buys,
November 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, 1.58 million buys, August
1995.
DKP has promoted or co-promoted 12
of the top 20 highest-grossing live gates in the history of the
state of Nevada including four of the top five: Holyfield vs.
Lewis II, paid attendance: 17,078, gross: $16,860,300 (NOTE: Also
second-highest live-gate gross for any event in the history of
the world.), date: Nov. 13, 1999; Holyfield vs. Tyson II, paid
attendance: 16,279, gross: $14,277,200, date: June 28, 1997;
Holyfield vs. Tyson I, paid attendance: 16,103, gross:
$14,150,700, date: Nov. 9, 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, paid
attendance: 16,113, gross: $13,965,600, date: Aug. 19, 1995.
