Las Vegas - World super flyweight champion Juan Carlos Sanchez will defend his title on a Top Rank Solo Boxeo Tecate card which will also feature the very popular Jessie Magdaleno of Las Vegas and big, rugged heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz of Mexicali at the Hard Rock Hotel-Casino on Saturday, June 8.

Tickets are on sale now.  VIP ringside is $50, general admission $25 plus applicable fees. The big card will held at The Joint inside of the Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169.

Sanchez, 15-1-1, 8 KOs, of Los Mochis, Mexico, will defend his  IBF world title against contender Roberto Domingo Sosa, 24-0, 14 KOs, of Cordoba, Argentina. This will be the third title defense for Sanchez. Sosa just won an IBF eliminator bout to earn his spot in the title fight.

The card, televised on the UniMas network, will also feature:

-- Jessie Magdaleno, 14-0, 10 KOs, of Las Vegas. Jessie, trained by Pat Barry and Augie 'Kid Vegas' Sanchez, will take on Henry Maldonado, 16-1, 11 KOs, of Managua, Nicaragua in a super bantaweight bout.

-- Andy Ruiz, a huge punching heavyweight from Mexicali, has a record of 18-0, 12 KOs. He will face Carl Davis, 16-5, 12 KOs, of Chicago.

-- Jose Felix, 23-0-1, 18 KOs, of Los Mochis, Mexico, will be in a 10 round super featherweight bout.

There will be eight bouts on the big card.

First bell is 7 pm. The televised bouts will be at 9 pm.

Tickets are available at the Hard Rock Box Office, online at Ticketmaster.com or via phone 800-745-3000.

Media Contact:

Lee Samuels, Top Rank lee@toprank.com

Ricardo Jimenez, Top Rank  rjimenez@toprank.com

Making their Dallas debut, Garcia and Lopez boast a combined record of 64-2 (56 KOs) -- a winning percentage of 97% and a victory by knockout ratio of 87.5%.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with PR Best Boxing, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, tickets, priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25, plus additional service fees, will go on sale This Saturday!  May 11 at 10:00 a.m. CT.  Tickets can be purchased at the American Airlines Center box office (Monday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT), online at Ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet (Fiesta Foods, Macy's Wal-Mart and The Shops at Willowbend).

"Mikey proved in his last fight that he is a world champion. Now he has to prove he can remain a world champion when he faces one of the toughest men in the division in two-time world champion Juanma," said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank.  "This caps off an incredible run for boxing during the first half of 2013."

"Mikey Garcia versus Juan Manuel Lopez is a can't miss attraction," says Kery Davis, senior vice president, HBO Sports. "Dallas is a first-class sports destination and we're thrilled to be going to the American Airlines Center. June 15 is a date fight fans need to circle on their boxing calendar."

Garcia (31-0, 26 KOs), of Oxnard Calif., a 2010 graduate of California's Ventura County Police and Sheriff's Reserve Officer Academy, returns to the ring having won 14 of his past 16 bouts by knockout.  In his last fight, on January 19, he dethroned two-time featherweight champion Orlando Salido at Madison Square Garden via an eight-round technical win that had Garcia winning virtually every round against the seasoned veteran.  Garcia, 25, had a career-best year in 2011, knocking out previously undefeated contender Matt Remillard in the 10^th round in March to capture his NABF and NABO title belts. He followed that with four-round knockout title defense victories of Rafael Guzman and Juan Carlos Martinez in June and October, respectively. Guzman and Martinez had a combined record of 47-14-1 when they fought Garcia. Last year, he continued his winning ways, knocking out one-time world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion and former world champion Mauricio Pastrana, in the seventh and second rounds, respectively. He ended his 2012 campaign by knocking out former WBA featherweight champion Jonathan Barros in the eighth round on November 10, 2012. Garcia is trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed and trained by his brother, 2012 Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, the former IBF junior lightweight champion.

Lopez (33-2, 30 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, returns to the ring for the third time this year, with 21 of his past 22 victories coming by way of knockout.  The latest victims were Aldimar Santos and Eugenio Lopez on February 2 and April 20, respectively. The pride of Puerto Rico's only blemishes on his sterling record have come from Salido, who scored world title victories over Lopez in 2011 and 2012.  Lopez earned his first world title by knocking out defending WBO junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in the first round of their June 2008 fight. After five successful title defenses – four by knockout – he vacated the title and successfully challenged WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano, stopping him in the seventh round, on January 28, 2010, at Madison Square Garden. He successfully defended his featherweight crown twice during his 15-month reign  with an exciting second-round TKO of Bernabe Concepcion and an eighth-round TKO of two division world champion Rafael Márquez.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo or twitter.com/hboboxing.

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FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Media):

TOP RANK

Lee Samuels:  702-732-2717 / lee@toprank.com

Ricardo Jimenez:  909-615-3436 / ricardoej@aol.com

Fred Sternburg:  303-740-7746 / Toofred@aol.com

Ed Keenan:  609-399-1330 / Keenan@emcevents.com  

FOREMAN BOYS PROMOTIONS

George Foreman IV:  713-822-6637 / foremang4@gmail.com  

THE BEDFORD AGENCY

Lester Bedford:  817-296-4546 / wlbedford@aol.com  

HBO

Kevin Flaherty:  212-512-5052 / kevin.flaherty@hbo.com

AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER

Jenny Walker:  214-665-4217  / jwalker@americanairlinescenter.com

MEDIA CREDENTIALS

http://www.toprank.com/credentials    

The fantastic night of entertainment is Sands China’s latest world-class sporting event, part of its multi-tiered entertainment strategy aimed at diversifying Macao’s tourism economy through the varied offerings of its Cotai Strip Resorts, contributing to the city’s development into one of Asia’s top entertainment hubs and a world centre of tourism and leisure. Sands China held the highly-successful greater China debut of Ultimate Fighting Championship last November, and has hosted and sponsored numerous sporting events with some of the world’s most well-known athletes – from basketball greats Kobe Bryant and Yao Ming to tennis legends Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, and golf sensations like Rory McElroy and Lee Westwood. Zou Shiming’s recent April 6 professional debut had all the right ingredients and became another high-octane crowd pleaser, selling out tickets in advance. It was televised internationally to more than 30 countries, including to the U.S. via HBO 2 and in China on CCTV5.

"The exciting matches taking place at The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena on July 27 highlight the fact that boxing is a major global sport," said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

“Deciding to host Zou Shiming’s professional debut in April was a great move – for Sands China and for Macao,” said Edward Tracy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sands China Ltd. “We hosted a very successful event, and we remain committed to bringing the world’s best entertainment to Macao, helping to increase the diversity of attractions available. We’re extremely pleased to welcome Shiming back a second time in July for Fists of Gold II.”

"I was very pleased with how quickly Shiming learned what I was teaching during our first training camp and he is the hardest worker in the gym," said Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. "This time our main focus will be on getting him to punch harder.  Shiming will need to learn how to sit down on his punches to maximize their power.  I cannot wait to start working with him again." 

Zou (1-0), from Guizhou, won his professional debut April 6, via a dominant four-round unanimous decision over gritty Eleazar Valenzuela of Mexico. One of the most popular Olympic athletes in China, Zou was the world's greatest light flyweight, capturing gold medals in the World Amateur Championships in 2005, 2007 and 2011, along with gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games. He also owns an Olympic bronze medal from the 2004 games, making him his nation's first Olympic medallist in boxing as well as its first boxing gold medallist in the World Amateur Championships and the Olympics. He signed with Arum’s Top Rank at a press conference in Beijing in January.

Zou, who now campaigns as a flyweight, will be graduating to a six-round bout when he faces Jesus Ortega (3-1, 2 KOs) from Hermosillo, México. A stablemate of world flyweight champion Juan Estrada, the hard-hitting Ortega is an exciting prospect who is entering this fight on a roll, having won his last two fights – his most recent a third-round knockout victory against Arcadio Sanchez on April 19.

"Jesus and I are from Sonora, México,” said Alfredo Lopez, Ortega's trainer. “This is the state in Mexico that has produced champions. The great Julio César Chávez was born here and became champion. Orlando Salido – champion; Tyson Marquez – champion;  and current WBO world champion Juan Estrada, with whom we currently train. We know Zou well and have seen him fight. He was a very decorated amateur fighter. But Jesus is no amateur. Jesus spars with the best flyweights in the world, including Juan Estrada and Tyson Marquez. On July 27, Zou Shiming will become another stepping stone on the path to where we are going with Jesus, and that is to become Sonora's next world champion. Viva México!  Viva Ortega!"

In addition to Zou's return, the event line-up includes an undercard highlighted by two 12-round world championship fights. WBO/WBA flyweight champion Juan Estrada (22-2, 17 KOs), of Hermosillo, México, will be making the first defense of the titles he won from Brian Viloria on April 6 at the CotaiArena. Estrada will be facing undefeated Milan Melindo (28-0, 11 KOs), of Manadue, Philippines. Melindo, the number one contender and mandatory challenger, earned his shot at the title by knocking out once-beaten Tommy Seran in the fourth round on the April 6 card. Undefeated IBF featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich (16-0, 8 KOs), a native of Russia, now fighting from Oxnard, California, will be making his first title defense against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger Mauricio Muñoz (26-3, 12 KOs), of San Juan, Argentina. Gradovich captured the world title on March 1 when he dethroned defending champion Billy Dib via a split decision. Muñoz earned his title shot by defeating previously unbeaten contender Luis Franco in his last fight, October 13, 2012. The international telecast will open with a 10-round heavyweight rumble between undefeated contenders Andy Ruiz, Jr. (18-0, 12 KOs), of Mexicali, Mexico, and Joe Hanks (21-0, 14 KOs), of Los Angeles.

The undercard will also feature Genesis Servania (19-0, 6 KOs), of Cebu City, Philippines, in an eight-round super bantamweight bout against Konosuke Tomiyama (23-5-1, 8 KOs), of Tokyo, Japan; Paul Fleming (17-0, 12 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, in an eight-round super featherweight bout against Mike Tawatchai (26-1-1, 17 KOs), of Bangkok, Thailand; and Dodie Boy Peñalosa (10-0, 8 KOs) and Dave Peñalosa (5-0, 3 KOs), both from Cebu City, Philippines, in separate six-round featherweight and four-round super bantamweight bouts, respectively. Their opponents will be announced at a later date. Fleming and the Peñalosas were all knockout victors on the April 6 card.

ZOU SHIMING: Fists of Gold II kicks off at 6 p.m. on July 27 at the CotaiArena. Once details are announced, ticket sales will be available at all CotaiTicketing box offices* and can be booked online at www.CotaiTicketing.com, or by phone at +853 2882 8818 (Macao) / +852 6333 6660 (HK) / 4001 206 618 (mainland China). Tickets will also be available at Tom Lee Outlets, K11 Select and through Hong Kong Ticketing (customer service fee applies) at www.HKTicketing.com, or by phone at +852 3128 8288. 

For more information about the event, visit www.CotaiTicketing.com.

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Entertainment at Sands China Ltd. Properties

Sands China Ltd. has as a clear vision to establish Macao as Asia’s top entertainment destination.

The 15,000-seat CotaiArena™ is the only venue in Asia ranked in Pollstar’s Top 100 Worldwide Arena Venues based on ticket sales. It is the top entertainment destination in southern China, hosting the world’s and the region’s biggest names in music, sports and awards shows. Superstars frequently choose the venue as the starting point of their Asian tours.

The 1800-seat, multi-purpose Venetian Theatre is one of the most luxurious entertainment venues in greater China. Featuring ushers in black-tie, champagne service, gourmet food and beverage items and other unique, premium amenities, it offers an intimate, luxurious and exclusive venue experience. The Venetian Theatre is playing a key role in bringing the best in international and Chinese entertainment to Macao, with a luxury theatre experience like no other in the region.

The 650-seat Sands Macao Hotel theatre regularly features internationally-renowned singers, performers

and artists of the highest calibre. From traditional Chinese-costumed dancers to modern performances, and from singing troupes to contemporary bands, everything from Western rock to Cantonese pop is covered.

With an unbeatable diversity, the entertainment offering of Sands China Ltd. is ushering in a new era of entertainment in Macao.

About Cotai Strip Resorts – Macao’s Integrated Resort City

Sands China Ltd. is the leading developer, owner and operator of integrated resorts in Macao. The befittingly named Cotai Strip Resorts, situated on reclaimed land between the islands of Coloane and Taipa, is the one destination that provides a stunning array of experiences at the heart of Cotai. Cotai Strip Resorts has transformed a gaming-centric day-trip market into an integrated resort city and international hub for business and leisure travellers.

Pulsating with life, both night and day, Cotai Strip Resorts features an expansive offering of affordable luxury available nowhere else in Macao, with approximately 9,000 hotel rooms and suites, international superstar live entertainment, duty-free shopping with 600 retailers offering an unparalleled array of name brands, 1.3 million square feet (120,000 square metres) of meeting and exhibition space for Asia’s leading conferences and exhibitions, gaming excitement, transportation offerings and well over 100 dining options, including international restaurants, bars and lounges. Cotai Strip Resorts is a must-see destination providing every guest with an unforgettable experience and unparalleled excitement.

Comprised of the The Venetian^® Macao-Resort-Hotel; The Plaza™ Macao, featuring the Four Seasons Hotel Macao; and Sands^® Cotai Central, featuring the world’s largest Conrad, Sheraton, and Holiday Inn hotels, Cotai Strip Resorts is where Asia’s ultimate destination is all within reach.

Cotai Strip Resorts….truly Macao Starts Here™. For more information, please visit www.cotaistrip.com.mo/en/.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

VENETIAN MACAO

Public Relations, Venetian Macau Limited

Mabel Wu

Tel: +853 8118 2268 / +853 6240 5635

Email: mabel.wu@venetian.com.mo

TOP RANK

Lee Samuels

Tel: 702-732-2717 / 702-378-1083

Email:  Lee@toprank.com

Fred Sternburg

Tel: 303-740-7746 / 303-548-0707

Email: Toofred@aol.com

Ricardo Jimenez

Tel:  909-615-3436

Email: ricardoej@aol.com

MEDIA CREDENTIALS

Email: www.toprank.com/credentials