On Friday, May 4, a hard-hitting double-header comes to The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., when FOX Sports Regional Networks and FOX Deportes televise an exciting doubleheader featuring an all-Mexican clash between former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon of Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico Eduardo “El Chucky” Lazcano in the 12-round main event for the vacant WBC USNBC Super Featherweight Title, while in the co-feature, perennial contender and Las Vegas favorite Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith tangles with Derrick Ennis in a 10-round junior middleweight showdown.
De Leon vs. Lazcano and Smith vs. Ennis are presented by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. FOX Sports Regional Networks, the nation’s leading provider of local sports, and FOX Deportes, the leader in U.S. Latino sports media, will simulcast the event live at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT.
Already off to a fast start in 2012 thanks to his January 21 knockout win over Omar Estrella, former Junior Featherweight World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (42-4, 35 KO’s) has been putting in long hours in the gym to make sure he keeps the momentum going against Lazcano. The owner of a nearly three year reign atop the 122-pound weight class from 2005 to 2008, the 31-year-old former Mexican Olympian is now seeking a second divisional title at 126 pounds, and a win over Lazcano will keep the hard-hitting southpaw on the right track.
Fellow southpaw Eduardo “El Chucky” Lazcano (24-2, 11 KO’s), like De Leon, also had an impressive amateur background, winning over 50 fights. Now he wants to match his fellow countryman by bringing a world title back home in 2012. The winner of three fights in a row and nine of his last 10, the 26-year-old Lazcano recently picked up two regional super featherweight belts, decisioning Alejandro Barrera for the WBC FECOMBOX title and outpointing Heli Quiroz for the interim WBC Latino strap, but is biggest accomplishment to date would be beating former World Champion De Leon.
Las Vegas’ Ishe Smith (22-5, 10 KO’s) has shown off his extensive skill set in the ring from the time he turned professional in 2000, defeating Sam Garr, David Estrada and Randall Bailey along the way, but he truly introduced himself to fans around the world in 2004 as a member of the cast of season one of NBC’s hit boxing series, “The Contender.” Following the show, he has continued to rack up wins and face impressive competition, handing Pawel Wolak his first loss in 2008 and battling it out with the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Fernando Guerrero and Sechew Powell. Back in the ring for the first time since November of 2010, the 33-year-old is eager to show that the best is yet to come.
When you’re a fighter from the city of Philadelphia, you have a lot to live up to, and thus far, Derek Ennis (23-3-1, 13 KO’s) has done just that. A professional since 2002, the 31-year-old Ennis has racked up an impressive record, defeating the likes of Eromosele Albert, Troy Browning and Gabriel Rosado. The winner of 12 of his last 13 fights, Ennis knows that a win over Smith will catapult his career to the next level, which means that the Philly warrior in him will be on full display at The Joint on May 4.
The action in the ring won’t be all that will heat up viewers’ televisions as the two hour broadcast is set to include exclusive behind the scenes footage of the build-up to Mayweather vs. Cotto as well as special guests who will give their take on the action at The Joint as well as their predictions for the May 5 pay per view mega-fight.
Tickets, priced at $100, $60, $30, $25, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $125, go on sale SATURDAY, April 21 at 12:00 p.m. PT and will be available for purchase at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.
