MICKEY BEY JR VS ROBERT RODRIGUEZ Set – FOX Sports Networks BOXING NEWS
The Saturday, February 2 FOX Sports Networks and FOX Deportes televised event from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has added even more explosive action to go along with its main event of Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez vs. Lanard Lane with the announcement of Robert Rodriguez as Mickey Bey Jr.’s opponent and Jose Ruiz as the opponent of 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz Jr. as well as the addition of 2008 Olympian Badou Jack and unbeaten prospects Chris Pearson, Lanell Bellows and Luis Arias to the event’s undercard.
This hard-hitting night of action is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions and sponsored by Corona. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. PT on fight night and the first bell rings at 7:00 p.m. PT. The FOX Sports Networks and FOX Deportes bi-lingual simulcast will air live at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT. FUEL TV will rebroadcast the fight on March 31 at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT.
Reserved seating tickets are priced at $80 or $60 and general admission tickets are available for $30. Tickets are available online atwww.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 / www.ticketmaster.com.
After a hiatus from the ring to start 2012, undefeated East Los Angeles top prospect Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (14-0, 11 KO’s) has wasted no time getting reacquainted with fight fans, as he’s scored back-to-back knockout victories over veteran competitors Manuel Leyva (TKO3) and Pavel Miranda (KO1) to close out the year. Looking better than ever with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach in his corner, the 20-year-old Gomez hopes to keep his knockout streak going in 2013 starting February 2 against Lane.
A native of Philadelphia who now makes his home in Houston, Texas, Lanard Lane (13-2, 8 KO’s) recently returned from a nearly two-year layoff while he spent time concentrating on his other profession as a firefighter to score an eighth round stoppage over Milton Ramos in March before losing a razor-thin majority decision to blue chip prospect Joseph Elegele in June. On February 2, he vows to not leave it in the judges’ hands when he tackles the unbeaten Gomez.
A member of the 2004 United States Olympic team and a 2003 United States National Champion, Cleveland, Ohio’s Mickey Bey Jr. (18-0-1, 9 KO’s) has followed up his stellar amateur career with 18 professional wins without a loss in his seven-year career. The 29-year-old, who defeated Hector Velasquez in his most recent bout in November of 2011, plans to begin making up for lost time when he steps through the ropes February 2.
Fighting out of Greeley, Colorado, 22-year-old Robert Rodriguez (7-2, 3 KO’s) is a 2008 United States amateur champion now fighting his way up the ladder in the pros. A solid competitor who can box or bang, Rodriguez returns to fight in Las Vegas for the first time since 2010.
2012 United States Olympian Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz Jr. (1-0) got his professional career off to a great start on December 15 with a four round shutout victory over Vicente Alfaro in front of his hometown fans in Los Angeles. On February 2, the 20-year-old from South El Monte, California, who is the newest member of the Golden Boy Promotions team, returns to action to make his Las Vegas debut.
A rugged competitor from the fighting island of Puerto Rico, Jose Ruiz (2-2) entered the pro game in 2012 and stayed busy with four bouts. Looking to earn his third victory on February 2, he is expected to push U.S. Olympian Joseph Diaz Jr. hard from bell to bell.
A member of the 2008 Gambian Olympic team, Badou Jack (11-0, 8 KO’s) now makes his home in Las Vegas. After turning professional in 2009, Jack began fighting in the United States in 2011, impressing fans from Atlantic City to New York to Las Vegas. Making his second appearance at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on February 2, the 29-year-old light heavyweight hopes to keep his unbeaten record intact in an eight-round bout, his first since his May 2012 win over then 17-0 Alexander Brand.
Trotwood, Ohio’s Chris Pearson (7-0, 6 KO’s) began making his mark in 2012, winning all six of his professional bouts while proving that he had the skill and will to become a force to be reckoned with. In 2013, the 22-year-old former amateur standout expects even bigger and better things, starting with his Las Vegas debut on February 2 in an eight-round junior middleweight fight.
Now making his home in Las Vegas, Kansas City native Lanell Bellows (3-0, 3 KO’s) has become the latest member of the Mayweather Promotions roster to attract the attention of boxing insiders and fight fans. The winner of all three of his bouts by knockout since turning professional in 2012, Bellows will have the Vegas crowd in his corner during his four-round super middleweight battle on February 2.
Luis Arias (1-0), another Mayweather Promotions fighter out of Las Vegas, takes to the ring in a six-round super middleweight match-up. A native of Milwaukee, Arias is a decorated former amateur champion who won his pro debut via a four round decision over Josh Thorpe last November.
Opponents for Jack, Pearson, Bellows, and Arias will be announced shortly. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com orwww.mayweatherpromotions.com, become a follower on Twitter at www.twitter.com/
For more information on FOX Deportes visit www.FOXDeportes.com, become a follower on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FOXDeportes or visitwww.facebook.com/FOXDeportes on Facebook.
