It is hard to believe what WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins has achieved during his 23-year long professional career. He was the middleweight champion for ten years, notched a record 20 successful title defenses of that crown and at 46-years-old, has become the oldest fighter in boxing history to win a world title.
It’s also hard to believe that a young lion like former World Champion “Bad” Chad Dawson, who has wanted a shot at Hopkins for years, will finally get his opportunity to stop Hopkins from continuing his record-breaking journey. Hopkins vs. Dawson takes place on Saturday, October 15 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
In addition to this championship main event showdown, the televised pay-per-view undercard will also feature Antonio DeMarco vs. Jorge Linares in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Lightweight World Title, Kendall Holt vs. Danny Garcia in 12-round bout for the vacant NABO Junior Welterweight Title which will also be an eliminator for the number one rating by the WBC and the number two rating by the IBF and Paulie Malignaggi vs. Orlando Lora in a 10-round welterweight battle.
Tickets for Hopkins vs. Dawson, priced at $300, $150, $75 and $25, are on sale now and they are available for purchase online here
Hopkins vs. Dawson is a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T and Ripley’s Believe It or Not, a new sponsor to the fight game who forged a relationship with Hopkins earlier this year when they made a wax figure of the future Hall of Famer, which will be unveiled during fight week in Los Angeles and displayed at a Ripley’s Odditorium in the future. DeMarco vs. Linares is presented in association with Teiken Promotions.
A future Hall of Famer, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO’s) has shocked the world by accomplishing more after 40 years old than most athletes do in their entire careers. A proud native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hopkins rebounded from a seemingly dead end struggle with life in the streets and a stint in prison to become an inspirational figure who has proven that hard work and determination will allow you to overcome any odds. After coming up the hard way in the ring, Hopkins won the IBF Middleweight World Title against Segundo Mercado in April of 1995 and he wouldn’t surrender the belt for 10 years, defending the title a record 20 times against the likes of John David Jackson, Glen Johnson, Simon Brown, Antwun Echols, Keith Holmes, Felix Trinidad, William Joppy, Oscar de la Hoya and Howard Eastman. Following the controversial loss of his title to Jermain Taylor in 2005, Hopkins reinvented himself as a light heavyweight at the age of 41, shocking Antonio Tarver with a unanimous decision victory in 2006, but he wasn’t done yet as he went on to defeat Winky Wright, Kelly Pavlik and avenge a previous loss to Roy Jones Jr., with the only blemishes on his record being a narrow split decision loss to Joe Calzaghe and a controversial draw with Jean Pascal. Even after all of those accomplishments, the best was yet to come, as the 46-year-old Hopkins decisioned Pascal in their rematch in May of this year, earning him the WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Titles and true boxing immortality.
At just 29 years old, New Haven, Connecticut’s “Bad” Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KO’s) has been considered one of the top fighters in the sport for years and despite his impressive 7-1 record in world title fights, he knows that everything is riding on his October 15 showdown with “The Executioner.” The son of a former boxer, Dawson was a stellar amateur, posting a 67-13 record that included an under-19 National Championship. He turned professional in 2001 and fluctuated from middleweight to light heavyweight in his early years, winning a WBC Youth title at 160 pounds in 2003 that he defended three times. In 2005, he defeated Ian Gardner for the vacant NABO middleweight title, but in 2006 he decided that light heavyweight would be his home, and he quickly made his mark with a 12 round win over Eric Harding that earned him the NABF light heavyweight crown. In his next fight, on February 3, 2007, Dawson won his first world championship, decisioning 31-0 Tomasz Adamek. Over his next six fights, Dawson established himself as one of boxing’s best as he scored two wins each over Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson and while he lost his belt to Jean Pascal via decision in August of 2010, a clear-cut win over Adrian Diaconu in May put him right back in line for another world title and the biggest fight of his life.
Hard-hitting Mexican standout Antonio DeMarco (25-2-1, 18 KO’s) has been a favorite among fight fans ever since his exciting win over Nick Casal in 2007 and he continues to impress with his power and tenacious style. The former WBC Interim Lightweight World Champion and 25-year-old Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico native has notched knockout wins over Kid Diamond, Jose Alfaro and Daniel Attah. After suffering his only defeat in the last five years, a 2010 loss to the late Edwin Valero, DeMarco has learned his lesson and is well-prepared to regain his title and re-cement his place among the lightweight elite.
Nicknamed “El Nino de Oro” (“The Golden Boy”), Venezuela’s Jorge Linares (31-1, 20 KO’s) is one of the most accomplished 25-year-old fighters you will ever find, already having compiled two world championships in two weight divisions. In 2007, Linares won the WBC Featherweight World Title with a tenth round technical knockout over Mexican great Oscar “Chololo” Larios, then a little over a year later, he added the WBA Super Featherweight World Title with a fifth round stoppage of Whyber Garcia. After losing his belt in 2009, the exciting sharpshooter began his assault on the lightweight division, defeating top contender Rocky Juarez and former World Champion Jesus “El Matador” Chavez along the way. Now, he has moved his training camp to Hollywood to train with the legendary Freddie Roach at Wild Card Boxing Club and will be more than ready for his shot at a third divisional championship against DeMarco.
A talented boxer who enters the ring with a compelling mix of speed and power, Kendall “Rated R” Holt (27-4, 15 KO’s) is believed by many to just be hitting his prime at the age of 30. A former WBO Junior Welterweight World Champion, the Paterson, New Jersey native owns wins over David Diaz, Isaac Hlatshwayo and Ricardo Torres, and his highlight reel of knockout victories is one of the best in the sport. Fresh off of knockout wins over Lenin Arroyo and Julio Diaz, Holt is looking forward to his showdown with Garcia as he looks to climb back into the world title picture.
Twenty-three year-old Danny “Swift” Garcia (21-0, 14 KO’s) eagerly took up the challenge to earn his place among the revered Philadelphia warriors of the past when he turned professional in 2007, and he hasn’t disappointed yet. He has sailed to a perfect professional record while putting himself in position to move into title contention. A winner of four of his past five fights by knockout, Garcia has already defeated top competition like Ashley Theophane, Mike Arnaoutis and former World Champion Nate “Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell, and nothing would make him happier than adding Holt to his list of vanquished foes.
Brooklyn-native Paul “The Magic Man” Malignaggi is a proud Italian-American who plans on continuing a strong boxing tradition established by Willie Pep and carried on by Rocky Marciano, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Graziano, Carmen Basilio and Vinny Paz. Known for his fast hands and even faster mouth and wit, the Brooklyn native has at the same time become one of the most loved (by his fans), hated (by his detractors) and well respected (by all) fighters of the past decade.
