FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 6, 2007 Don King Brings World Championship Boxing to ARCO Arena Undefeated WBC Light Heavyweight Champion ‘Bad’ Chad Dawson Takes on Undefeated No. 1-Ranked Mandatory Challenger Adrian Diaconu on Sept. 29; TICKETS TO BATTLE OF ‘THE UNDEFEATED’ GO ON SALE SATURDAY SACRAMENTO, Calif.
Promoter Don King, in association with Maloof Sports and Entertainment, will present a highly anticipated world championship battle of the undefeated at ARCO Arena on Saturday, Sept. 29, when World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson takes on WBC No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Adrian “The Shark” Diaconu, from Romania now fighting out of Montreal, Canada. Tickets priced at $30, $50, $75, $100 and $250 will go on sale Saturday (Sept. 8) at 10 a.m. PT. The quickest and most convenient way to purchase tickets is by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at (916) 649-TIXS or by visiting their Web site at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available for sale at the ARCO Arena Box Office and at all Sacramento-area Ticketmaster outlets. The main event will be televised on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
“I couldn’t be more excited to be promoting this light heavyweight championship with the Maloofs at ARCO Arena on Sept. 29,” an ebullient Don King said. “We are looking forward to bringing World Championship Boxing to a region with such rich boxing heritage.” “The Maloof family loves the sport of boxing going all the way back to my father,” Gavin Maloof said. “We are proud to be bringing Don King to Sacramento to promote this world championship card at ARCO Arena. It will be a great event for boxing fans in Sacramento.” Dawson (24-0, 16 KOs), from New Haven, Conn., possesses the WBC 175-pound title Roy Jones Jr. held from 1997 to 2004. Dawson won the title in a magnificent display of boxing, pounding on then-previously undefeated champion Tomasz Adamek (31-0). Both fighters tasted the canvas on Feb. 3 in Kissimmee, Fla., but Dawson built a strong scorecard lead, survived his knockdown and won a 12-round decision. Diaconu (24-0, 15 KOs) earned the WBC No. 1 ranking and became mandatory challenger to Dawson by scoring a third round technical knockout over Rico Hoye in an elimination bout staged in Montreal on May 9. Possessing knockout power in both hands, Diaconu will certainly be looking to test Dawson’s chin in the hope of gaining his title.
Press Conference Quotes
Quotes taken at ARCO Arena Press Conference in Sacramento in the morningAnd at AT&T Park Press Conference in San Francisco in the afternoon Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007 “Bad” Chad Dawson: “The ring is my home. It’s where I’m most comfortable. This is going to be my coming out party. They said Tomasz Adamek was tough and look what I did to him. I’m going to do what I did to Adamek to Diaconu on Sept. 29. “I’ve seen Diaconu’s last few fights. He’s tailor-made for me. He can try to come inside on me or work from the outside. I’ve got a plan to cover whatever he tries to do. I put in the work in training camp. I’ve got a couple more weeks to go. I’ve learned so much from my new trainer Eddie Mustafa in the first five weeks of training for this fight. I will have a tough fighter in front of me [on Sept. 29] but I will do what I have to do to win. Eddie Mustafa (Dawson’s trainer): “I’ve seen that Diaconu has said he’s coming to kick Chad’s ass. I want to remind him that you’ve got to bring your ass to the fight to do that. Talk’s cheap. You’ve got to bring it.” Adrian “The Shark” Diaconu: “I have had good training, sparring and diet leading up to this fight. I’m not so good with English so you’ll have to let my actions speak for me in the ring. “On September 29 I’m going to put everything in my two hands, all of my experience and preparation, to win the fight.” Pierre Bouchard (Diaconu’s trainer) “We respect Chad Dawson. He had a great fight with Tomasz Adamek to become WBC light heavyweight champion but on September 29 there will be blood in the water and the shark will attack.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 12, 2007 Two Boxing World Championships at ARCO Arena on Sept. 29 Battle of ‘The Undefeated’ in World Boxing Council Light Heavyweight Championship:Champion ‘Bad’ Chad Dawson Takes on No.-1 Ranked Adrian ‘The Shark’ Diaconu International Boxing Federation Bantamweight Championship:Champion Luis ‘El Demoledor’ Perez Squares Off Against Joseph ‘King Kong’ Agbeko SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Promoter Don King, in association with Maloof Sports & Entertainment, will present two world championship boxing matches at ARCO Arena on Saturday, Sept. 29 where the main event will feature a battle of “The Undefeated” with World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson opposing WBC No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Adrian “The Shark” Diaconu. The second world championship features two once-beaten fighters with Luis “El Demoledor” Perez (25-1, 21 KOs), from Nicaragua, making the first defense of his International Boxing Federation bantamweight title opposing British Commonwealth champion Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko (24-1, 21 KOs), from Ghana. Tickets priced at $30, $50, $75, $100 and $250 are on sale now and can be purchased most easily by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at (916) 649-TIXS or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at the ARCO Arena Box Office and at all Sacramento-area Ticketmaster outlets. Both world championships will be televised on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). A full, domestically non-televised undercard will be announced soon. Dawson (24-0, 16 KOs), a 25-year-old southpaw from New Haven, Conn., possesses the WBC 175-pound title Roy Jones Jr. held from 1997 to 2004. He will have a fresh face in his corner when he makes his second title defense as previous trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. has been replaced by veteran Eddie Mustafa. “I felt like I had to make a change,” said Dawson, who is training in Las Vegas. “Floyd is a great trainer, but our personalities just weren’t clicking. “Eddie Mustafa understands what I need to do to get better,” said Dawson, who has been described by Mustafa as an exceptional athlete. “I am still young and learning every day. Eddie is great at identifying weaknesses and making them disappear.” Mayweather took over from two-time Trainer of the Year award-winner Dan Birmingham, who had been with Dawson since 2005. Mayweather was in Dawson’s corner on Feb. 3 in Kissimmee, Fla., when Dawson upset previously unbeaten Tomasz Adamek (31-0) to win the WBC light heavyweight crown and during his first successful title defense against Jesus “Chuy” Ruiz on June 9. Dawson’s longtime friend and manager, Mike Criscio, does not see any problems with the change in trainers. “I have known Chad since he was 11 years old,” Criscio said. “I have seen him go from a boy, to a teenager, and now to a man. Simply put, Dawson is a phenomenal athlete. Just about any trainer can be with him at this point in his career and win with him.” Dawson has a tough test in front of him as Diaconu, aptly nicknamed “The Shark” for his ferocious attacks to the body, will attempt to pressure the champion into making mistakes. “Since Diaconu has an aggressive style, my game plan is to keep the jab in his face and work off of that,” Dawson said. “I know I am quicker and more agile than him, so I know I can outbox him.” Diaconu is in a similar position that Dawson faced when he fought Adamek. Dawson was undefeated, but nothing in his record stood out as a harbinger of his subsequent domination of the seemingly invincible Pole. Adamek admitted after the fight that Dawson was by far the fasted opponent he had ever faced. “Diaconu has a great record, but I don’t think he has been tested by someone of the likes of Chad,” Criscio said. “Chad had not been greatly challenged before he won his title earlier this year because he was so young. Diaconu is almost in the same position as Dawson was with Adamek. Chad has to be very careful because we know this guy is tough.” Dawson said he will not be overlooking Diaconu. “I respect all of my opponents,” Dawson said. “I know Diaconu is solid, but when I bring my “A” game to him, it is going to be tough for him to hang with me.” Diaconu (24-0, 15 KOs), 29, born in Romania and now fighting out of Montreal, won the British Commonwealth light heavyweight championship by scoring a unanimous decision over Andre Thysse in Montreal on May 16, 2006. He earned the WBC No. 1 ranking and became mandatory challenger to Dawson with a third-round technical knockout over Rico Hoye in an elimination bout staged in Montreal on May 9. Possessing knockout power in both hands, Diaconu will certainly be looking to test Dawson’s chin in the hope of gaining his title. “Chad has been saying that I have never fought anyone important and there is some truth in what he says.” Diaconu said. “The reason for that is because the last two years nobody wanted to fight me. I was too much of a risk for the bigger names. “Dawson better be 100-percent ready and not underestimate me like Rico Hoye did or he is going to get the same surprise. This is my time. It is my turn to shine. I waited very patiently for this opportunity and I am ready for anything Chad brings. I will step into the ring on fight night a very confident man with one goal in mind, to break Dawson down and bring the WBC light heavyweight championship home to Montreal.” “I am ready and very well prepared to deliver the goods in the biggest fight of my life. All my years of training since I was a small boy in Romania, my more than 250 amateur fights, my amateur gold medals and my undefeated pro record will serve me well on September 29. Diaconu is trained by Pierre Bouchard.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein will call the action from ringside for the domestic television audience with Jim Gray and Karyn Bryant serving as roving reporters. The executive producer and director of the telecast will be David Dinkins Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing. SHOWTIME’s telecast of both world championship matches will take place during the premium network’s free preview weekend and will be available in approximately 54 million homes, a record for SHOWTIME previews.
About Don King Productions
Don King Productions has promoted over 500 world championship fights with nearly 100 individual boxers having been paid $1 million or more. DKP also holds the distinction of having promoted or co-promoted seven of the 10 largest pay-per-view events in history, as gauged by total buys, including three of the top five: Holyfield vs. Tyson II, 1.99 million buys, June 1997; Tyson vs. Holyfield I, 1.6 million buys, November 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, 1.58 million buys, August 1995. DKP has promoted or co-promoted 11 of the top 15 highest-grossing live gates in the history of the state of Nevada including four of the top five: Holyfield vs. Lewis II, paid attendance: 17,078, gross: $16,860,300 (NOTE: Also second-highest live-gate gross for any event in the history of the world.), date: Nov. 13, 1999; Holyfield vs. Tyson II, paid attendance: 16,279, gross: $14,277,200, date: June 28, 1997; Holyfield vs. Tyson I, paid attendance: 16,103, gross: $14,150,700, date: Nov. 9, 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, paid attendance: 16,113, gross: $13,965,600, date: Aug. 19, 1995. About Maloof Sports & EntertainmentMaloof Sports & Entertainment includes the Sacramento Kings (NBA), Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA) and ARCO Arena. Led by Joe and Gavin Maloof and owned by the Maloof family with a group of long-term partners, the organization is committed to the community in Sacramento and to making a positive, meaningful difference in the lives of families in need and at risk in the Sacramento region. For more information about Maloof Sports & Entertainment, please visit kings.com, sacramentomonarchs.com and arcoarena.com or call 916-928-0000. About Showtime Championship BoxingSHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING just celebrated 20 years of hard-hitting, explosive programming last year. In March 1986, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was born when “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler defeated John “The Beast” Mugabi in a spectacular and unforgettable 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas. Since that time, the network has aired some of the most historic and significant events in the sport including both Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson bouts. Always at the forefront of boxing, SHOWTIME has set itself apart by telecasting “great fights, no rights” on the first Saturday of every month. SHOWTIME is the first network to regularly deliver live boxing in High Definition. In addition, SHOWTIME continues to be a pioneer in sports television with a number of interactive features across multiple platforms making SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts the most enjoyable, immersive viewing experience for the boxing audience. For information on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at
http://www.sho.com/boxing.
