DiBella brings hottest New England boxing show of 21st century to MGM Grand Arena at Foxwoods, March 12 live on HBO World Championship Boxing

Posted on | January 27, 2011 | No Comments

TICKETS ON SALE

Sergio Martinez vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk, Andy Lee vs. Craig McEwan

NEW YORK, NY (Jan 27, 2011) – DiBella Entertainment is bringing the hottest New England pro boxing show of the 21st century Saturday night, March 12 to MGM Grand Arena at Foxwoods, featuring two sensational middleweight showdowns, live on HBO World Championship Boxing from Mashantucket, Connecticut.

World Boxing Council (“WBC”) Emeritus and The Ring Magazine middleweight champion, Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs), the consensus 2010 Fighter of the Year, headlines against World Boxing Organization (“WBO”) junior middleweight champion, Sergiy “Razor” Dzinziruk (37-0, 34 KOs), in the 12-round main event for the VACANT World Boxing Council Diamond middleweight title.

A pair or exciting middleweights, Andy Lee of Ireland and Scotland’s Craig McEwan, square-off in the 10-round “Celtic War” co-feature, each facing the stiffest test of their respective young careers.

“We’re excited to be bringing a loaded card like this to New England, which has hosted some of boxing’s all-time greatest fights over the years, especially at the beautiful MGM Grand Casino at Foxwoods,” promoter Lou DiBella said. “We’re showcasing the Fighter of the Year, Sergio Martinez, against an unbeaten champion, Sergiy Dzinziruk, as well as ‘Celtic War’ a few days before St. Patrick’s Day. Andy Lee has tremendous appeal in Ireland and the U.S., particularly in Irish-American markets relatively close to Foxwoods like New York City and Boston. Andy’s fighting an unbeaten prospect, Craig McEwan, in a perfect match-up between Irish and Scottish rivals. McEwan is also handled by the 2010 Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, who is from Dedham, Massachusetts and will be enjoying a homecoming. The undercard will have some of the best East Coast prospects in action.”

“Diamond Elite: Martinez vs. Dzinziruk” will be presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Gary Shaw Productions and Banner Promotions. Lee vs. McEwan will be presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Golden Boy Promotions. Both bouts will be broadcast live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT.

Tickets for “Diamond Elite: Martinez vs. Dzinziruk,” are priced at $450, $250, $125, $75, and $50 and on sale through the MGM Grand at Foxwoods box office. Tickets can be purchased online at www.mgmatfoxwood.com, by calling the MGM Grand at Foxwoods at 1-866-646-0609, or in person at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods box office.

Last April, Martinez captured WBC/WBO middleweight crowns, in just his second bout at the 160-pound weight class, with a dominating 12-round victory against Kelly Pavlik at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Seven months later on November 20, Argentina native by way of Oxnard, California, returned to Boardwalk Hall to face Paul Williams in a rematch of his razor-thin majority decision loss, which was widely heralded as one of the best fights of 2009. If their first showdown was Fight of the Year, Martinez left no doubt about the 2010 Knockout of the Year, putting Williams to sleep only a minute into the second round, when Sergio unloaded a booming overhand left that knocked Williams out cold, sending shockwaves throughout the sports world. To cap off 2010, Martinez was lauded by nearly every publication and organization – including ESPN, the Boxing Writers Association of America, Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated, MaxBoxing.com, BoxingScene.com, AOL Fanhouse, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, El Paso Times, San Antonio Express-News, Secondsout.com, and The Ring Magazine – as Fighter of the Year.

The 34-year-old Dzinziruk has held the WBO junior middleweight (154 lbs.) title since 2005 when he won a 12-round decision versus Daniel Santos in his adopted home of Germany. Since then, the native of Ukraine has defended his title successfully six times, including his last bout which served as both his American debut and first fight under the joint promotional banner of Gary Shaw Productions and Banner Promotions. In that bout, on May 14, 2010, in Santa Ynez, California, Dzinziruk systematically broke down Daniel Dawson en route to a 10th-round stoppage.

Lee (24-1, 18 KOs), 26, is riding a nine-fight win streak since his lone career setback to Bryan Vera in 2008. Since then, the Emmanuel Steward-trained Irish slugger has compiled some of the best wins of his career over the likes of experienced veterans James Cook, Willie Gibbs, Michael Walker, and former world title challenger Mamadou Thiam. Lee, a 2004 Irish Olympian now living in New York City, is ranked #5 by the WBA and #14 by the WBC.

McEwan (19-0, 10 KOs), 28, was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, but he now lives in Hollywood, California where he trains with the world renowned Roach. McEwan is coming off the biggest win of his career on July 23, 2010, when he took a decision from former world title challenger Danny Perez. McEwan also holds a victory over Bryan Vera, the only man to defeat Lee as a professional.

A full undercard will be announced shortly.

For more information about DiBella Entertainment, including a list of all upcoming bouts, please visit www.dbe1.com, or follow Lou DiBella on twitter, @loudibella.