A big night of fights await fans at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 7. The night will heat up as undefeated rising stars Diego De La Hoya (13-0, 7 KOs) of Mexicali, Baja California and Jason “El Animal” Quigley (10-0, 9 KOs) of Donegal, Ireland are set to headline the preliminary undercard in respective step up fights.
First, in defense of his WBC Youth Super Bantamweight Title, De La Hoya will face off against fellow unbeaten Rocco Santomauro (13-0, 1 KOs) of Duarte, Calif. in an eight to ten round showdown. Quigley will take on the experienced “King” James de la Rosa (23-3, 13 KOs) of San Benito, Texas in a 10-round middleweight event set to open up the stream available on select channels before the pay-per-view event and digitally on HBO Boxing’s YouTube Page, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com, Ring TVLive.com and additional websites and outlets where Ring TV is available starting at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT.
Additionally, boxing’s top prospects will be on the sport’s biggest stage as undefeated talents Rashidi “Speedy” Ellis (14-0, 11 KOs) of Lynn, Mass. is set to fight in an eight-round welterweight event, Washington D.C.’s Lamont Roach Jr. (10-0, 3 KOs) will participate in an six-round super featherweight fight and newly signed Golden Boy Promotions’ fighter David Mijares of Santa Monica, Calif. will make his professional debut in a four-round super lightweight bout. Opponents will be announced shortly.
“We have a stacked undercard set for the fans on May 7 and luckily for the fans watching from home, they will also be able to get in on the action by watching the impressive Diego De La Hoya and Jason Quigley on select channels and various digital outlets,” said Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.
“I am looking forward to being part of one of the biggest boxing events of 2016,” said Diego De La Hoya. “This is my chance to perform in front of a big stage and give everyone a great fight against another undefeated top prospect.”
“I’m delight and excited to be on the undercard of such a big show,” said Jason Quigley. “This is exactly the platform I need to be able to show the world what I’m capable of and what I’m here to do. James De La Rosa is simply just another hurdle on my path to be coming a world champion and lifting them belts.”
“I am excited to get the chance to fight Diego De La Hoya, he is a top fighter and beating him puts me at the top,” said Rocco Santomauro. “I have Sugar Shane Mosley in my corner and he has trained me to make sure I keep my undefeated record. It’s going to be a battle to the end. I think a lot of people will be interested in the dynamic of this fight. I am going to use my new Mosley KO power. Just watch, on May 7 the boxing world will know that I have arrived”
“I was looking forward to fighting a bigger name, but Jason Quigley is a strong, young fighter,” said James De La Rosa. “He doesn’t have half my experience as a professional, but I applaud his confidence for stepping up. I’ve been in camp since January and although my last fight was canceled I am ready to face Quigley on May 7.”
Just 21 years old, Diego De La Hoya has shown maturity beyond his years in the ring, and despite the pressure of being the cousin of Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, the Mexicali native’s poise outside the ring has garnered him a growing legion of fans. In 2015, De La Hoya began his move on the super bantamweight elite with five wins highlighted by back-to-back victories over former world title challengers Manuel “Suavecito” Roman and Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz, Ramiro “Zurdo” Robles, Jose “Hollywood” Estrella, and Giovanni “Lloviznas” Delgado. De La Hoya kicked off 2016 in style in February with a fourth-round body shot knockout of Arturo “Fuerte” Badillo setting the stage for a tough fight against fellow unbeaten Rocco Santomauro on the Canelo vs. Khan undercard.
Ready to take a step to the next level in his promising career, 28-year-old Rocco Santomauro made his name on the Las Vegas scene, winning 10 of his 13 professional bouts in the ‘Fight Capital of the World.’ Always looking to entertain the crowd on fight night, Santomauro is coming off an impressive six-round victory over Jose “Hollywood” Estrella in February 2016, and now he’s got his sights set on taking away De La Hoya’s perfect record.
The fighting pride of Donegal, Ireland, 24-year-old middleweight Jason Quigley has built a huge fan following in his adopted home of Los Angeles, California, and that’s no surprise considering the has ended nine of his 10 professional fights by knockout, eight in two rounds or less. Quigley was last seen in the ring on November 20 going the distance against Marchristopher Adkins and in 2016, Quigley won a first round knockout over Freddy Lopez. Now in the toughest challenge of his career thus far, Quigley will be looking to make a statement over the experienced San Benito middleweight “King” James de la Rosa on May 7.
“King” James de la Rosa is the fighting pride of Harlingen, Texas, boasting a record of 23 wins, against 3 losses, with 13 wins coming by way of knockout. De la Rosa has been boxing since he was five years old and became a professional boxer at the age of 17. De la Rosa holds key victories over Abel Perry, Tim Coleman and Tyrone Brunson. De la Rosa’s biggest victory came on Sept.12, 2014, against former Mexican Olympian and Interim WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo on the undercard of Mayweather-Maidana II. “King” took 2015 off to a great start with new trainer James Johnson and All-American track and field strength and conditioning coach, Hickel Woolery.
Undefeated welterweight Rashidi Ellis may have the nickname “Speedy,” but it’s his punching power that has been leading him to victory as of late. Winner of four straight fights by knockout, the 22-year-old most recently dispatched Victor “Pambele” Gonzalez in four rounds to win the vacant WBA Fedecentro and interim WBC Latino Welterweight titles. On May 7, he makes his Las Vegas debut on one of the biggest sporting events of 2016.
Also fighting in Las Vegas for the first time this May will be Washington, D.C. super featherweight Lamont Roach Jr. A stellar amateur who won multiple amateur titles before turning professional in 2014, the 20-year-old Roach has barely lost a round on his way up the 130-pound ladder. 2015 was a busy year for Roach Jr. as he took on and defeated Herbert “Sensational” Quartey, Jose Miguel Castro, Christian Santibanez and Jose “Flash” Bustos. The super featherweight doesn’t plan to slow down as 2016 has already proven to be a good year with a victory over Jesus Lule on the undercard of Luis Ortiz vs. Tony Thompson in March 2016.
Some fighters are made in the gym. The 20-year old David Mijares was seemingly born into the sport. As Mijares’ father worked with legendary musician Bob Dylan, his pregnant mother visited the boxing gym and her water broke. David wasn’t delivered in the gym, but as he grew up, it was his second home and he would even put on gloves and do drills as a toddler. By the age of 12, he began competing, going on to compile a 57-12 record as an amateur. Among his accomplishments were three National PAL Championships, a 2015 Golden Gloves title, and a Bronze medal in the 2015 USA National Championships. Even more impressively, he did it all while excelling in his studies and even playing the Euphonium for the nationally-ranked orchestra at Santa Monica High School. Now, he is set to make his professional debut in the largest stage in boxing, opening the night for Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan.
