A member of the 2008 United States Olympic team who is rapidly speeding up the welterweight ladder, Brooklyn’s Sadam “World Kid” Ali will look to announce his arrival on the international stage at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday, November 8, when he faces his biggest challenge to date in the form of veteran Luis Carlos “El Potro” Abregu. The bout will open the HBO World Championship Boxing telecast headlined by the light heavyweight title unification showdown between Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins and Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev beginning at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.
“This is the big fight I’ve been asking for, and I’m ready to perform on November 8,” said the unbeaten Ali. “Abregu is a seasoned veteran. He hits hard and he comes to fight. It’s the type of win that will put me in the title picture, and I can’t wait to put on a great fight for the fans and bring the win back to Brooklyn.”
“I’ve been sitting back watching my fellow Argentinian brothers Marcos Maidana, Lucas Matthysse and Diego Chaves all get their opportunities to fight in the U.S. and now its my time to show the boxing world the best fighter from Argentina is me,” said Abregu. “I have been avoided by Manny Pacquiao, Brandon Rios and Ruslan Provodnikov so I thank Sadam Ali for stepping up to fight me. November 8 I will show the fans why I am the best and most exciting fighter from Argentina! Viva!”
“The cold war is officially over – but that peace will not extend to the ring when two of the top contenders in the 147-pound division go head to head in Atlantic City,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “I have made a promise to the fans that nothing will stand in our way of putting on the best fights our sport has to offer – consider this monster match-up between a Top Rank fighter and a Golden Boy Promotions fighter another example of making good on that pledge.”
“Can’t miss this battle,” said Carl Moretti, Vice President of Boxing for Top Rank, “This is youth versus experience. There is no chance of it going the distance – whoever wins, wins by knockout.”
“A main event of the caliber of Hopkins vs. Kovalev merits a worthy co-feature like Ali vs. Abregu,” Peter Nelson, Vice President of Programming, HBO Sports said. “An even match-up, this fight is likely to be decided on whether Ali has perfected his multifaceted style to a greater purity than Abregu’s lethal punch.”
One of the welterweight divisions top young talents, 26-year-old Sadam “World Kid” Ali (20-0, 12 KOs) took a slow and steady approach to his professional career after representing the U.S. in the 2008 Olympic Games, but since signing with Golden Boy Promotions in 2013, Ali has been fighting in the fast lane and looking more and more impressive each step of the way. Winner of recent bouts over Jay Krupp, Jesus Selig, Michael Clark and Jeremy Bryan, the dynamic Ali can make a move into the 147-pound top ten with a victory over Abregu this November.
A shining example of the hard-hitting and rugged fighters produced by Argentina, Salta’s Luis Carlos “El Potro” Abregu (36-1, 29 KOs) goes for the knockout every time he steps into the ring making him a fan favorite both at home and abroad. Winner of seven straight fights (six by knockout) since the lone loss of his career via decision to Timothy Bradley in 2010, the 30-year-old power hitter and WBC Silver champion has scored victories over Thomas Dulorme, Antonin Decarie and Jean Carlos Prada in his last three bouts, and with that trio holding a combined 73-1-1 record, Abregu is more than ready for the unbeaten Ali.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
“Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T, Hortitsia Vodka and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Ali vs. Abregu is a 10-round welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank. The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.
“24/7 Hopkins/Kovalev” premieres Saturday, Oct. 18 at 12:15 a.m. ET/PT on HBO immediately following the live World Championship Boxing telecast.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.
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