RSS 2.0 FeedVol. 3, No. 9, September 2007, Sports
September Sizzles
Football, baseball, boxing and MMA to spice up the month
A mid-September weekend indicates why Vegas is unparalleled.
As if the bevy of college football games wasn’t enough, there is more.
As if the second week of pro football, wrapped around baseball pennant races wasn’t enough, there is more. Beyond the parlays, teasers, pushes, money lines, betting lines and electric sports book atmosphere, lies a special event.
Here come fireworks on the eve of Mexican Independence Day.
Boxing, with a Hispanic-laden major card, anchors the Las Vegas special-events lineup on September 15 at MGM Grand. Juan Manuel Marquez battles Jorge Barrios and Rocky Juarez opposes Robert Guerrero in separate world-title fights. Top-ranked middleweight Kassim Ouma and super-lightweight Steve Forbes fill out a strong card.
Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya is promoting the event on Mexican Indepen-dence Day weekend.
Could it be a better fit?
“This reminds me of the days when Julio Cesar Chavez would constantly fight all the great rivals,” De La Hoya says. “This is the perfect setting to watch the top Latino fighters. This will shape up to be a wonderful weekend. This is one of my favorite days to fight, but this year I’m excited to show off some of the greatest fighters under the Golden Boy promotional banner. I think this show will be one of the best events of the year.”
De La Hoya has capitalized both on Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day weekends. He’s battled Floyd Mayweather and Ricardo Mayorga on the last two Cinco de Mayo Saturdays. His Mexican Independence weekend battles go back to 1997.
De LaHoya fought Chavez, Hector Camacho, Felix Trinidad, Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley in events that tied in to the holiday. Now he does it as a promoter.
Two title fights, two Los Angles stalwarts and a Las Vegas-based star complete a well-balanced promotion. L.A. sports fans have numerous reasons to spend the weekend here.
Check these records: The main event fighters are a combined 94-6 with 69 knockouts; Juarez and Guerrero combine to produce a 47-5 record with 32 knockouts; and fighters on the four-fight package stand 234-21 with 140 knockouts.
Marquez hopes to continue a strong Vegas ride. He waged what could be the fight-of-the-year with revered Mexican stalwart Marco Antonio Barrera in March. Marquez delivered the fight of his life to capture the World Boxing Council 130-pound title he now defends against Barrios.
The sizzling performance enabled Marquez to advertise himself as the next Mexican hero. His 47-3-1 mark includes 35 knockouts and an unusual anecdote. Marquez was dropped three times in the opening round of his 2004 battle with champion Manny Pacquiao. From that position, he was probably a 100-1 shot to get back in the fight. But he did, rallying from the deep deficit to snare an improbable draw.
Marquez-Barrios continues a stellar 2007 boxing campaign for Las Vegas. Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather have all headlined high-profile cards. Each has gained national and international television distribution. De La Hoya and Mayweather produced one of Nevada’s biggest events of all time and restored boxing to the cover of major magazines.
“This has been a great run for boxing,” says Mark Taffet, the senior vice-president of pay-per-view for HBO. “It is taking its place at the forefront of the boxing world. You are seeing the kind of matches that make the sport great. The best fighters are going up against the best fighters. Boxing is back.”
Marquez defends the WBC super featherweight title September 15. Juarez and Guerrero go after the IBF featherweight title. Juarez, the 2000 Olympic silver medalist, is 27-3 with 19 knockouts; Guerrero, from Gilroy, California, is 20-2-1 with 13 knockouts.
Ouma, 25-3-1 with 15 knockouts, faces unbeaten Sergio Mora from Los Angeles. Mora is 19-0 with four knockouts.
Forbes, a former champion, stands 32-5 with nine knockouts. The Vegas resident opposes Francisco Bojado, 17-2, with 11 knockouts.
Men of Steele
Former boxing referee Richard Steele operates mixed martial arts battles September 1 at the Riviera and September 21st at Orleans. Steele is slowly gaining a prominent spot in the mixed martial arts lineup.
Other matchups include the WEC at Hard Rock September 5, New Era Fighting at Cox Pavilion September 14 and UFC at the Palms September 19. Crown boxing comes to the Orleans on September 28.
King of Kings
Las Vegas is the king of football wagering and the Hilton Supercontest is the king among kings.
A $1,500 buy-in puts competitors in line for a share of $750,000. About 500 entries are expected this year, with payouts down to 20 places and the top prize hitting six figures.
This is where the big players weigh in. Contestants pick five games per week against the spread. Each victory counts as a point. After 17 weeks, the most points determine a winner.
Many people believe they can pick five games a week. The key to prospering in a contest is to avoid, or minimize the one-in-four weeks. There’s also nothing like the pressure of selecting games in the final two weeks, amid rampant ramifications. A person can drop 20 places with just two losses.
As if the bevy of college football games wasn’t enough, there is more.
As if the second week of pro football, wrapped around baseball pennant races wasn’t enough, there is more. Beyond the parlays, teasers, pushes, money lines, betting lines and electric sports book atmosphere, lies a special event.
Here come fireworks on the eve of Mexican Independence Day.
Boxing, with a Hispanic-laden major card, anchors the Las Vegas special-events lineup on September 15 at MGM Grand. Juan Manuel Marquez battles Jorge Barrios and Rocky Juarez opposes Robert Guerrero in separate world-title fights. Top-ranked middleweight Kassim Ouma and super-lightweight Steve Forbes fill out a strong card.
Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya is promoting the event on Mexican Indepen-dence Day weekend.
Could it be a better fit?
“This reminds me of the days when Julio Cesar Chavez would constantly fight all the great rivals,” De La Hoya says. “This is the perfect setting to watch the top Latino fighters. This will shape up to be a wonderful weekend. This is one of my favorite days to fight, but this year I’m excited to show off some of the greatest fighters under the Golden Boy promotional banner. I think this show will be one of the best events of the year.”
De La Hoya has capitalized both on Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day weekends. He’s battled Floyd Mayweather and Ricardo Mayorga on the last two Cinco de Mayo Saturdays. His Mexican Independence weekend battles go back to 1997.
De LaHoya fought Chavez, Hector Camacho, Felix Trinidad, Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley in events that tied in to the holiday. Now he does it as a promoter.
Two title fights, two Los Angles stalwarts and a Las Vegas-based star complete a well-balanced promotion. L.A. sports fans have numerous reasons to spend the weekend here.
Check these records: The main event fighters are a combined 94-6 with 69 knockouts; Juarez and Guerrero combine to produce a 47-5 record with 32 knockouts; and fighters on the four-fight package stand 234-21 with 140 knockouts.
Marquez hopes to continue a strong Vegas ride. He waged what could be the fight-of-the-year with revered Mexican stalwart Marco Antonio Barrera in March. Marquez delivered the fight of his life to capture the World Boxing Council 130-pound title he now defends against Barrios.
The sizzling performance enabled Marquez to advertise himself as the next Mexican hero. His 47-3-1 mark includes 35 knockouts and an unusual anecdote. Marquez was dropped three times in the opening round of his 2004 battle with champion Manny Pacquiao. From that position, he was probably a 100-1 shot to get back in the fight. But he did, rallying from the deep deficit to snare an improbable draw.
Marquez-Barrios continues a stellar 2007 boxing campaign for Las Vegas. Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather have all headlined high-profile cards. Each has gained national and international television distribution. De La Hoya and Mayweather produced one of Nevada’s biggest events of all time and restored boxing to the cover of major magazines.
“This has been a great run for boxing,” says Mark Taffet, the senior vice-president of pay-per-view for HBO. “It is taking its place at the forefront of the boxing world. You are seeing the kind of matches that make the sport great. The best fighters are going up against the best fighters. Boxing is back.”
Marquez defends the WBC super featherweight title September 15. Juarez and Guerrero go after the IBF featherweight title. Juarez, the 2000 Olympic silver medalist, is 27-3 with 19 knockouts; Guerrero, from Gilroy, California, is 20-2-1 with 13 knockouts.
Ouma, 25-3-1 with 15 knockouts, faces unbeaten Sergio Mora from Los Angeles. Mora is 19-0 with four knockouts.
Forbes, a former champion, stands 32-5 with nine knockouts. The Vegas resident opposes Francisco Bojado, 17-2, with 11 knockouts.
Men of Steele
Former boxing referee Richard Steele operates mixed martial arts battles September 1 at the Riviera and September 21st at Orleans. Steele is slowly gaining a prominent spot in the mixed martial arts lineup.
Other matchups include the WEC at Hard Rock September 5, New Era Fighting at Cox Pavilion September 14 and UFC at the Palms September 19. Crown boxing comes to the Orleans on September 28.
King of Kings
Las Vegas is the king of football wagering and the Hilton Supercontest is the king among kings.
A $1,500 buy-in puts competitors in line for a share of $750,000. About 500 entries are expected this year, with payouts down to 20 places and the top prize hitting six figures.
This is where the big players weigh in. Contestants pick five games per week against the spread. Each victory counts as a point. After 17 weeks, the most points determine a winner.
Many people believe they can pick five games a week. The key to prospering in a contest is to avoid, or minimize the one-in-four weeks. There’s also nothing like the pressure of selecting games in the final two weeks, amid rampant ramifications. A person can drop 20 places with just two losses.
Casino Connection Sports Editor Dave Bontempo is an award-winning sports writer and broadcaster who calls boxing matches all over the world. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, as well as numerous PGA, LPGA and Seniors Golf Tour events, and co-hosted the Casino Connection television program with Publisher Roger Gros.
Please login to post your comments.