On Saturday, November 17 boxing’s most electrifying young star, Adrien “The Problem” Broner will step up in weight to challenge the hard-hitting WBC Lightweight World Champion Antonio DeMarco at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the main event of HBO World Championship Boxing®.
In the co-main event, two of the United States’ top hopes for heavyweight world championship glory will clash when undefeated Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell takes on once-beaten Johnathon Banks in a 12-round bout for Mitchell’s NABO heavyweight title. The fight was originally scheduled for July 14, but was rescheduled when Mitchell suffered a hand injury forcing him to withdraw from the original date.
“I’m not coming just to win this fight, I’m coming to knock DeMarco out,” said Broner. “This fight is speed vs. power and it’s going to be just another day in the ring for me. Going up in weight is going to be different and I know he can hit, but you can’t hit what you can’t see and I’m too fast and furious for him. Power is nothing if you can’t connect; it’s like moving a sack of rocks.”
“This is another tough fight that has been presented to me and I’m going to do everything to keep my WBC title,” said DeMarco. “Broner talks a big game but he’s never been in the ring with a hungry Mexican fighter like me. I wanted this fight from the moment it was offered to me because I know I’ll be the first person to beat Broner and put him in his place. When I put my hands on him, he’ll regret his decision to move up to my division.”
“It’s taken a while, but I’m happy to finally be back in action and fighting a great opponent like Johnathon Banks,” said Mitchell. “I love fighting in Atlantic City because I know my fans from Maryland and the D.C. area will be out in force cheering me on. I am going to give them all a great fight.”
“I’m looking to steal the show on November 17” said Banks. “I’ll prove what a true boxer at the highest level can do against a football player. The winner of our fight should be next in line for a title shot. I plan on making sure that winner is me.”
“This is the perfect doubleheader the week before the Thanksgiving holiday because I guarantee that when it’s over, you’ll be thanking these four boxers for two great fights,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “Broner vs. DeMarco is a great mix of styles and we’ll see how Adrien handles the move up to lightweight against a hard and accurate puncher like DeMarco. The heavyweight fight between Mitchell and Banks should produce an American heavyweight ready to fight for a world title, and I can’t wait to see who prevails.”
“I applaud HBO for making this fight a reality because this is the type of fight that boxing fans around the world can appreciate,” said New Jersey based promoter, Gary Shaw. “My fighter, world champion Antonio DeMarco, is a warrior and a proud champion who brings nothing but pure excitement to the ring. Broner has never face a fighter like DeMarco or his level of competition. For Antonio it’s another fight in which the challenger talks about upsetting the champion, but DeMarco knows what he needs to do to retain his title.”
“Atlantic City’s reputation was built on hosting boxing’s most talented and feared fighters competing in mega-championship bouts that are still talked about to this very day,” said Don Marrandino, Eastern Division President for Caesars Entertainment. “Boardwalk Hall is synonymous with legendary names like De La Hoya, Hopkins, Gatti, Holyfield, Tyson, and on November 17th Broner, DeMarco, Mitchell and Banks will add to that traditional.”
“Fight fans from coast-to-coast should circle November 17 on their calendars because we have a terrific night of boxing programming lined up,” said Kery Davis, Senior Vice President, Programming, HBO Sports. “A lot of questions will get answered, including will Seth Mitchell continue to fast-track through the heavyweight division and can Adrien Broner move up in weight to the 135-pound division and capture a world title belt? The competition in Johnathon Banks and Antonio DeMarco, respectively, will be formidable and we look forward to an exciting night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.”
Unbeaten, charismatic and getting better with each fight, 23-year-old Adrien “The Problem” Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) has already won a world championship at 130 pounds, knocking out Vicente Martin Rodriguez in three rounds in November of 2011. He then defended his belt with a fourth round technical knockout victory over then undefeated of Eloy Perez in February and stopped Vicente Escobedo in July. Now, the Cincinnati phenom looks to close out an exciting year on November 17 when he will introduce his improved speed, power and dynamic style to the lightweight division staring with Antonio DeMarco.
Despite Broner’s fast start in the fight game, Tijuana southpaw Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KO’s) believes he will be the first man to solve “The Problem” in the ring. A professional for over eight years, the 26-year-old banger first won the WBC Interim Lightweight World Title in 2009, but lost the belt to Edwin Valero in 2010. Since then, he has looked unstoppable, winning the WBC crown in October of 2011 with an 11th round stoppage of Jorge “El Nino De Oro” Linares and then defending the title twice, knocking out Miguel Roman in five rounds and John Molina in just 44 seconds.
A former standout linebacker for Michigan State University, Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (25-0-1, 19 KO’s) found his true calling in the prize ring and he has quickly built a reputation as the kind of fighter that can reinvigorate the heavyweight division. The 30-year-old is soft spoken outside the ring, but a ferocious competitor between the ropes, and the Maryland resident has blasted through top contenders Timur Ibragimov and Chazz Witherspoon in a combined five rounds, with the latter bout showing that Mitchell not only has the power to succeed, but the heart as well.
Three-time national amateur champion Johnathon Banks (28-1-1, 18 KO’s) has earned a PhD in the ring thanks to his work with Emanuel Steward and Wladimir Klitschko over the years and now he’s ready to make his run for the heavyweight title. A professional since 2004, Banks’ only loss came in a cruiserweight title fight against Tomasz Adamek in 2009 and after that fight, the 30-year-old from Detroit has put together an 8-0-1 record, the perfect way to lead into the biggest fight of his nine-year career.
Broner vs. DeMarco, a 12-round fight for DeMarco’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, November 17 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions, sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Caesars Atlantic City and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets priced at, $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, go on sale on Thursday, October 11 at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.
