CELEBRITY GUESTS AND NEAR FISTICUFFS MAKE FOR LIVELY PRESS CONFERENCE IN LAS VEGAS

Though the press conference held today at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas was principally to discuss the high-stakes super lightweight showdown between IBF #3-rated Victor “Mermelada” Cayo (20-1, 18 KOs) IBF #4-ranked Lamont Peterson for the right to challenge Amir Khan, it was the celebrity guests present and the antics of the always-colorful Edison “Pantera” Miranda that stole the show.

Cayo and Peterson, who were respectful and succinct in their remarks at the podium, will meet in a 12-Round IBF Elimination bout that will serve as the main event on Friday, July 29, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and live on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Miranda (34-5, 29 KOs) and Cuba’s Yordanis Despaigne (8-1, 4 KOs) will meet in a sensational 10-round light heavyweight firefight to open the telecast.

With all-time-great champions “Iron” Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad in the audience, Colombia’s Miranda used his turn at the podium to launch into a hilarious tirade against the fighting abilities of opponent Despaigne, his promoters and trainers for thinking Despaigne is talented and against Despaigne himself for daring to get in the ring.

To his credit, Despaigne seemed unfazed and even got quite a chuckle out of Miranda’s words.

Things got tense when Miranda and Despaigne were asked to face off for a photo opportunity and had to be separated quickly.

“The boxing greats in the audience and the tension between the two light heavyweights made for an old-time boxing atmosphere today,” said even co-promoter Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing. “I think what we all learned today is that not only will Cayo vs. Peterson be a fantastic battle fought at a very high level of skill, but Miranda against Despaigne is going to be explosive because of how much these two genuinely dislike each other.”

Topping the all-action undercard will be Miami, Florida, via Cuba’s undefeated knockout artist Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy 12-0 (10 KO’s) in an eight-round super featherweight matchup against Kansas City’s Gerardo Robles (14-9, 6 KOs).

In a 10-round battle with a touch of international flavor, Chelyabwsk, Russia’s undefeated Sergey Kovalev (15-0, 13 KOs) will face Nairobi, Kenya’s Douglas Otieno (23-6, 12 KOs) for the NABA Light Heavyweight Championship.

Also featured is a six-round light heavyweight scrap between Las Vegas’ (via Sweden) Badou Jack “The Ripper” (6-0, 5 KOs) and Athens, Georgia’s Timothy Hall Jr. (6-11, 4 KOs); and in a four-round lightweight attraction, popular Las Vegas fighter Cameron Kreal will make his highly anticipated pro debut against fellow Las Vegas resident Franky Martinez (0-3).

In conjunction with Warriors Boxing Promotions and Blue Wave Group,

“FIGHT NIGHTS” at The Cosmopolitan combines the mystique and excitement of legendary Las Vegas boxing matches with a new and socially dynamic experience. Tickets are on sale now and priced at $250 for VIP tables, $150 for ringside seats, $100 for floor seats, $50 for grandstand seating and $20 for general admission tickets and are available for purchase by calling 877-551-7778 or atwww.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com.