NEW YORK, November 29 – This Saturday night, December 1 marks the return of Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto to Madison Square Garden in New York City where he will face undefeated WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Austin Trout. Before Cotto enters the ring in the main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader, some of his island’s finest up-and-comers, including Jorge Melendez and Jeffrey Fontanez will step through the ropes on what promises to be a crowd-pleasing undercard.
Also in action in the Big Apple will be Newark, New Jersey’s Michael Perez, New Brunswick, New Jersey’s Jorge Diaz and The Bronx’s Eddie Gomez, adding a genuine local flavor to fight night at The Garden.
Making his Madison Square Garden debut, Manati’s Jorge Melendez (24-2-1, 23 KO’s) has thrilled Puerto Rican fans for years with his knockout power and exciting style. Putting his 11-fight winning streak on the line in a fight that will be aired exclusively in Puerto Rico as part of the event’s pay-per-view broadcast on the island, the 23-year-old power-puncher is prepared to show that he is a force in the super welterweight division. Melendez will face Greensboro, North Carolina’s James Winchester 15-6 (5 KO’s) in an eight-round fight.
Another ferocious youngster out of Puerto Rico, 20-year-old Caguas native Jeffrey Fontanez (9-0, 8 KO’s) will also be making his New York City debut and will appear on the Puerto Rican pay-per-view broadcast. Fontanez, who is 6-0 in 2012 with three first round knockouts, will fight help to continue the long-standing Puerto Rico-Mexico boxing rivalry when he meets Tijuana’s Pedro Arcos (12-2-1, 9 KO’s) in a four/six-round junior lightweight bout.
Newark’s Michael “The Artist” Perez (17-1-1, 10 KO’s) bounced back from the lone loss of his career in January against top prospect Omar Figueroa by stopping Eric Cruz in two rounds in June and decisioning Fidel Maldonado Jr. in August. On Saturday, the red-hot prospect who has fought five times in his family’s native Puerto Rico, will attempt to close the year with another win as he faces Obregon, Mexico’s Fernando Carcamo (10-4, 7 KO’s) in an eight-round lightweight clash that will open Puerto Rico’s pay-per-view telecast.
New Brunswick, New Jersey’s Jorge Diaz (16-1, 10 KO’s) was a highly decorated amateur who is now pursuing his dreams of professional glory at 126 pounds. A local favorite making his fifth appearance at Madison Square Garden, Diaz rebounded from the lone loss of his career against Teon Kennedy in 2011 with a third round technical knockout victory over Rafael Lora in September of 2011. He will attempt to make it two straight when he squares off against Houston’s Victor Sanchez (3-4-1) in a six-round featherweight bout.
Twenty-year-old junior middleweight phenom Eddie Gomez (11-0, 8 KO’s) is coming off of a blistering second round knockout of Saul Benitez in October and the Bronx product is back in action this weekend, this time making his Madison Square Garden debut. In the opposing corner will be Gomez’ toughest test to date, fellow unbeaten Luis Hernandez (9-0, 5 KO’s) of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, who he faces in a fight scheduled for six rounds.
In the opening bout of the evening scheduled for six rounds in the middleweight division, unbeaten John Thompson (9-0, 3 KO’s) of Newark takes on Port Au Prince, Haiti’s Eli Augustama (6-5, 3 KO’s).
“Showdown: Cotto vs. Trout” is a 12-round battle between Four-Time and Three-Division World Champion Miguel Cotto and undefeated WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Austin Trout taking place on Saturday, December 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The co-featured fights will see Jayson Velez take on Salvador Sanchez in a 10-round fight for the vacant WBC Silver Featherweight title and Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs battle Chris “The Irish Ghost” Fitzpatrick in an eight-round middleweight fight. The event is promoted by Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Greg Cohen Promotions, sponsored by The Puerto Rican Tourism Board and Corona and will be televised live on SHOWTIME at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
Tickets priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are available for purchase at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.
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