LOS ANGELES (July 17, 2012) – On September 8, 2012, Tijuana, Mexico’s WBC Lightweight Champion, Antonio DeMarco (27-2-1, 20 KOs), will put his title on the line when he faces Covina, California’s, John Molina, Jr. (24-1, 19 KOs). The 12-round championship bout will take place at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., as the co-feature to Andre “SOG” Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) vs. “Bad” Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KOs) promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions, televised live on HBO® World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:15 PM ET/PT.
Looking to keep his World Championship belt in his next defense, DeMarco will face the hard punching and highly respected Molina in a bout that is guaranteed to be explosive.
“I will represent my country of Mexico with courage and honor when I step in the ring with Molina,” said DeMarco. “I accomplished my dream of becoming a world champion and now I will die in the ring to keep it. Molina is fighting for his first world title so he’s going to bring a lot of heart into the ring, but my heart and desire to keep my belt will take me to victory. I will remain champion!”
“DeMarco is a Mexican warrior who has shown great resilience in the ring,” said promoter Gary Shaw. “His hunger to stay on top will be evident in this fight. Both DeMarco and Molina like to come forward so I expect to see some fireworks on fight night. The fans will witness one of the best fights in 2012.”
Goossen Tutor’s Molina is riding a 5-fight knockout streak in his last 6-wins and is keen to show the boxing world why he belongs on the championship level. This will be his first opportunity to win a world title and he promises to leave it all in the ring when he challenges Demarco for his WBC belt.
Said Molina, “I’m glad to hear DeMarco will have courage and honor in the ring. I will leave it all in the ring that night and I will realize my dream of becoming a world champion. I promise you, when we’re done, it will be considered a fight of the year candidate. I do not anticipate this fight going 12-rounds.”
“These are the type of fights that gets everybody’s heart beating faster,” said promoter Dan Goossen. “You certainly won’t see any hugging or high-fiving between these two punchers.”
Other undercard bouts will be announced shortly.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25 (plus fees) are available for purchase on at the Oracle Arena box office by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com.
