Ivan “Terrible II” Morales 17-0-0, 12 KO of Tijuana Mexico, the brother of future Hall of fame fighter Erik Morales, will make his debut in the United States as he takes on former World Champion Contender Luis Maldonado 38-8-1, 29 KO of Mexicali, Mexico in a 10 round Jr. Bantamweight bout on September 8, 2012 at the Pechanga Resort & Casino Grand Ballroom in Temecula, California. The fight will air on the popular Solo Boxeo series on Telefutura network and is presented by Oscar De Le Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Ringside Ticket Inc, Pechanga Resort & Casino and Tecate beer.
Morales is only 21 years old, but has learned his craft from his brothers, former WBO Champion Diego Morales and the legendary Erik Morales, and has developed excellent boxing skills and punching power. In fact, he was impressive enough to catch the eye of Oscar De Le Hoya, who just recently signed Morales to a promotional contract. Morales had an outstanding 2011, winning 7 fights with 5 of those wins coming by knockout. However, he now prepares to step up in opposition as he takes on Luis Maldonado.
Maldonado has an impressive resume, as he has fought for the WBO World title against Fernando Montiel. He also challenged Nonito Donaire for the IBF Flyweight title, only to come up short each time. He has been in the ring with many of the top fighters in the world, bringing with him a lot of experience and punching power to test the talented but young Morales.
Also on the card is former amateur standout Julian Ramirez 3-0-0, 3 KO of Los Angeles, California. Ramirez is the nephew of the late former Jr Lightweight Champion Genaro Hernandez. The very popular Hernandez passed away last year after battling cancer. Ramirez has great skills and has tremendous power, as evidenced by his 3 wins by knockout. Ramirez had a spectacular amateur career with 73-5 record, as well as winning the National PAL Championship four times, a Junior Olympic title and the Mexico Games championship. Ramirez has all of the talent to become a World Champion.
There will be a minimum of four more great fights with the first one starting at 7:00pm and doors opening at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $55 and $35 and can be purchased at the Pechanga Box Office directly or by calling (877) 711-2946 from noon to 8pm daily, or anytime online at pechanga.com.
