Former World Champion Daniel Ponce de Leon heads back home to Mexico to begin his 2012 campaign for a second divisional title when he meets countryman Omar Estrella in a 12 round bout for the vacant WBC USNBC Featherweight title on Saturday, January 21 at The Boxing Warehouse in Ensenada B.C., Mexico.
In the evening’s co-main event, bantamweight phenom Leo Santa Cruz will put his unbeaten record and WBC Youth Bantamweight title on the line in a 10 round fight against veteran Alejandro Hernandez.
Cuauhtemoc’s Daniel Ponce de Leon (41-4, 34 KO’s) reigned as the WBO Junior Featherweight World Champion for nearly three years, making six successfully defenses while developing from a wild-swinging brawler to one of the top fighters in the world, still keeping his crushing knockout power intact. The winner of seven of his last nine fights and unbeaten in 14 fights in his native Mexico, the hard-hitting southpaw is about to embark on a title run at featherweight which begins in Ensanada with his bout against Omar Estrella.
24-year old Tijuana native Omar “Dinamita” Estrella (15-3-2, 10 KO’s) will have local fans in his corner on January 21, and with an opportunity to crash into the world rankings on the table, expect him to deliver the performance of his career. The current Mexican Pacific Coast featherweight champion, Estrella has won eight of his last nine fights and four in a row, but no victory would be bigger than if he can take down Ponce De Leon and take home WBC USNBC belt.
A fighter whose name showed up on many “Top Prospect” lists at the end of 2011, Huetamo Michoacan, Méxiconative Leo “Terremoto” Santa Cruz (18-0-1, 10 KO’s) now wants to make his move on the bantamweight elite in 2012. He went 4-0 in 2011 and the 23-year-old Santa Cruz delivered statement after statement, using his blistering body attack to finish Stephane Jamoye and Jorge Romero, while adding two more knockout wins over Jose Lopez and Everth Briceno, keeping his WBC Youth title belt untouched.
Alejandro “Payasito” Hernandez (24-8-2, 13 KO’s) has won three regional titles over the course of his decade long career, yet he is only 25 and approaching his prime as his January fight with Santa Cruz draws close. The winner of two of his last three fights, Hernandez, who challenged for the WBO Flyweight World Title in 2008, is eager to rise to the top at 118 pounds and that quest begins in Ensenada against Santa Cruz.
The doubleheader is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Box Latino and sponsored by Corona. The Televisa broadcast will air on Canal 5 and begins at 10:30 p.m. CT. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. PT and the first fight begins at 5:30 p.m. PT.
Tickets, priced at 80 pesos and 200 pesos are on sale now and available for purchase at all Farmacia Del Sol locations in Ensenada B.C., Mexico.
The fights will also be available in the United States as AT&T* is exclusively delivering the series across threes screens (TV, Online and Mobile) to AT&T U-verse members. The U-verse broadcasts will air live at 9:30p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT on AT&T U-verse TV, U-verse Online at www.att.net/boxeo and, for subscribers to U-verse Live TV mobile application, on qualifying mobile phones.**
