“BIG” MICHAEL GRANT (6′ 7″) FACES TYE “BIG SKY” FIELDS (6′ 9″); CASAMAYOR VS. NEW OPPONENT MANUEL LEYVA ON PPV CARD FRIDAY, MARCH 11 AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD IN LAS VEGAS

Posted on | March 8, 2011 | No Comments

Ron ‘The American Dream’ Johnson, Aaron Williams in title bout highlight exciting undercard action!

A clash of heavyweight titans, matching 6-foot-7-inch Michael Grant of Atlanta against 6-foot-9-inch Tye Fields of Las Vegas, plus a battle between former world champion Joel Casamayor of Miami, Florida, and highly regarded Manuel Leyva of Mexico highlight a nationally and internationally televised pay-per-view card Friday, March 11, in the Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev..

Also on the card presented by Sterling Promotions in association with American Dream Presents and Heads Up Entertainment, in separate fights will be light heavyweight Ron Johnson and cruiserweight Aaron Williams, who’ll be fighting for the World Boxing Council/United States National Boxing Championship interim 200-pound title.

All four fights are scheduled for 10 rounds.

The card will be televised live, starting at 7 p.m. (Pacific)/10 p.m. (Eastern) on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada and on a tape delay basis internationally. The suggested price is $24.99 for the card, which is available through cable and satellite providers. The pay-per-view telecast is being produced and distributed by MultiVision Media, Inc.

The 38-year-old Grant has a record of 46-4 with 34 knockouts and has met far better opponents, including former world champion Lennox Lewis. Grant challenged, unsuccessfully, for Lewis’ World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles during 2000.

Grant burst back into the international spotlight in his most recent bout Aug. 21 with a stellar but, ultimately, unsuccessful, 12-round effort against No. 1-ranked (World Boxing Organization) heavyweight Tomasz Adamek.

Fields, a southpaw who now divides his residences between Las Vegas and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has a record of 45-2 with 41 knockouts. While Fields is renown for his size, he has been untested during his 12-year pro career, meeting primarily less than top-notch competition. This fight against Grant not only will be Fields’ toughest test, but could go a long way in determining the 35-year-old’s future in the heavyweight division.

Casamayor, the former World Boxing Association super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion, has a record of 37-5-1 with 22 knockouts, while Leyva has an impressive mark of 20-1 with 12 knockouts.

The 39-year-old Casamayor, a southpaw who’s originally from Cuba, was the WBA 130-pound champion during 2000 to 2002 and the WBC 135-pound champ during 2006 and 2007. But he’s best known for his two wins over the late Diego Corrales and, more recently, his knockout victory over Michael Katsidis.

The 28-year-old Leyva, a southpaw from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico has won 14 straight, the past four by knockout.

The 24-year-old Johnson, originally from Cleveland but now residing in Las Vegas, has a record of 11-1 with three knockouts. The slick boxer has won five straight.

His opponent, 27-year-old Brent Urban from Dallas, has a record of 7-3-1 with five knockouts.

Williams, like Johnson, a 24-year-old who is originally from Cleveland but now residing in Las Vegas, has a record of 20-3-1 with 13 knockouts.

His opponent, 34-year-old Shane Steele from Louisville, Ky., has a record of 7-3 with five knockouts.

Other bouts on the card include:

Heavyweight Razvan Cojanu of Las Vegas, who represented Romania at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, making his pro debut against an opponent to be determined in a four-round bout;

Super middleweight Semen Uporov of Las Vegas (10-1, 5 KOs) against Duane King of Reidsville, N.C., (2-2, 0 KOs) in a six-round fight;

Light heavyweight Hiromitsu Miura of Tokyo (5-0, 3 KOs) against an opponent to be determined in a four-round clash;

And super welterweight Dante Moore of Cleveland (6-0-1, 4 KOs) against an opponent to be determined in a four-round battle.

Tickets, priced at $25, $40, $60, $90 and $150, are available at the Planet Hollywood Theatre box office from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday or by calling the Planet Hollywood box office at 702-785-5555, ext. 55620 during those hours. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or at www.ticketmaster.com.

The card starts at 6:30 p.m. with doors to the Planet Hollywood Theatre opening at 6.

The pay-per-view telecast is being produced and distributed by MultiVision Media, Inc., and is available through cable and satellite providers, starting at 7 p.m. (Pacific)/10 p.m. (Eastern) on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada and on a tape delay basis internationally. The suggested price is $24.99.

All bouts are subject to change.