LAS VEGAS (July 12 2011) – A solid undercard has been announced for the “Fire & Fury” pro boxing card, featuring World Boxing Association/International Boxing Association Light Heavyweight World Champion Beibut Shumenov in his third title defense, July 29 against two-time world title challenger Danny “The Bronx Bomber” Santiago, on TeleFutura’s“Sólo Boxeo Tecate” broadcast live from South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Fire& Fury” is promoted by KZ Event Productions (Shumenov and his brother, Chingis, own and operate the Las Vegas-based KZ Event Productions) in association with Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Guilty Boxing and South Point Hotel Casino and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T. Doors open at 5:30 PM PT, the first bout at 6:00 PM PT and the TeleFutura broadcast begins at 11:30 PM ET / PT (10:30 PM CT).
Tickets, starting at $25, are available for purchase at South Point’s box office, online at www.SouthPointEventCenter.com/tickets.php, or by calling 1.702.797.8055.
Fans at home can also be part of the action by participating in Cinturón Tecate and voting for the fighter in the main event who displays the most character in the ring by sending a text message to 55333. Voting will be open through the end of the weekend.
Other fights scheduled to complete the “Fire & Fury” card are a pair of WBA title bouts, in addition to an entertaining co-feature and two other competitive matches.
Shumenov (11-1, 7 KOs), the 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian who is now fighting out of Las Vegas, set a light heavyweight record for capturing a world title in the fewest career fights, 10, when (Jan. 10, 2010) he won a 12-round decision against Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas. Shumenov has successfully defended his WBA/IBA titles twice against No. 1 mandatory challenger Viacheslav Uzelkov (UDEC12) and three-time world champion William Joppy (KO6) last January in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. In his 11 pro fights, Beibut has defeated four world champions (Campillo, Joppy, Byron Mitchell and Montell Griffin) and two world title challengers (Uzelkov and Epifanio Mendoza).
WBA #15 ranked Santiago (31-4-1, 19 KOs), fighting out of Ocala, Florida, is a two-time world title challenger. His most significant victory was a fourth-round technical knockout of Elvir Muriqi (30-1). Santiago was also featured on the third season of The Contender reality television series.
The co-feature between popular Las Vegas super featherweight Lonnie Smith (13-2-2, 9 KOs) and Minnesota-invader Wilton “Pretty Warrior” Hilario (12-2, 9 KOs) is also scheduled to be shown on TeleFutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate”broadcast. Smith, rated No. 13 by the USBA, is riding an eight-fight win streak, while Hilario’s only two losses have been by decisions to Mario Honorio in their NABO title fight and undefeated Cuban Olympian Luis Franco.
Highly-regarded, unbeaten WBA FEDALATIN Welterweight Champion Ravshan Hudaynazarov (14-0, 12 KOs), rated No. 9 by the WBA, defends his title in a 10-round bout against veteran Hector “The Hurricane” Munoz(19-5-1, 12 KOs), the former USNBC titlist.
Undefeated, WBA No. 2-rated light heavyweight contender Gayrat Ahmedov (16-0-1, 12 KOs) defends his WBA International belt against veteran Max “The Fireman” Heyman (24-11-4, 14 KOs) in another 10-rounder.
Hudaynazarov and Ahmedov fight under the KZ Event Productions banner along with Beibut.
Las Vegas fan favorite Ramon Montano(17-9-2, 2 KOs) faces welterweight Juan Suazo (7-4-3, 5 KOs) in a six-round match. Also on the card against an opponent to be determined is Freddie Roach-trained, unbeaten super featherweight prospect Joel Diaz(4-0, 3 KOs) in a four-round bout. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
For additional information about “Fire & Fury,”Shumenov or any of KZ Event Productions’ fighters, visit www.KZEventProductions.com. For more information on Golden Boy Promotions, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxingor visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing
About KZ Event Productions, Inc.
KZ Event Productions is a full service, international boxing promotional company in Las Vegas, Nevada. Owned and operated by Beibut and Chingis Shumenov, its growing stable of champions include WBA/IBA light heavyweight World Champion Beibut Shumenov, WBA FEDALATIN welterweight champion Ravshan Hudaynazarov, WBA International light heavyweight champion Gayrat Ahmedov and WBA International light welterweight champion Alexandr Zhuravskiy.
About Golden Boy Promotions
Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar de la Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. In 2007, in its fifth year of promoting, Golden Boy Promotions set a record by selling over 2.5 million in pay-per-view homes in a single night. Also in 2007, Golden Boy Promotions established the record for highest grossing pay-per-view homes in a single year with more than 4 million total. In 2009, the company broke records again by breaking the million mark in pay-per-view homes again with the return of Floyd Mayweather. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing’s most active and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the United States and the world on networks such as HBO, HBO Latino, HBO Plus, SHOWTIME, TeleFutura, Televisa, ESPN2 and Fox Sports Net.
Golden Boy Promotions currently has over 70 fighters under contract, from future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins to current world champions and superstars Saul Alvarez, Robert Guerrero, David Haye, Chris John, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana and Victor Ortiz. Also included on the company’s roster are top contenders Librado Andrade, Abner Mares and Daniel Ponce De Leon as well as highly regarded prospects Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia, Frankie Gomez, Erislandy Lara, Seth Mitchell, Carlos Velasquez and Deontay Wilder.
About Cerveza Tecate
Tecate, cerveza con carácter, is the largest beer brand to sponsor boxing matches in the U.S. Part of its commitment to make boxing accessible to consumers is the title sponsorship of “Sólo Boxeo Tecate,” which creates an opportunity for local fans to witness some of the most exhilarating fights by today’s up-and-coming prospects. Additionally, Tecate has been a primary supporter of Golden Boy Promotions’ marquee events since 2007, and has launched a variety of initiatives to ensure consumers are part of the boxing experience, including boxer autograph signing sessions, commemorative cans, PPV mail-in rebate offers, and most recently the launch of a mobile museum “Tecate Museo de Boxeo,” which showcases decades of the most memorable moments in the sport.
