Home Depot Center News

LOS ANGELES, March 28 - It's the night before the biggest boxing event of 2008 and before the fists fly, the fiesta will start when Golden Boy Promotions presents \"Noche de Boxeo y Musica,\" a night of boxing and music, on Friday, May 2, at The Home Depot Center's Tennis Stadium in Carson, California.

The fights, featuring 2004 U.S. Olympian and lightweight contender Vicente Escobedo and rising junior middleweight star Julio \"Baby Face\" Garcia in separate co-featured bouts, will air live on Telefutura's 'Solo Boxeo' (8:00 p.m. ET / PT delayed on the West Coast) as part of the unprecedented extravaganza being planned for Oscar de la Hoya's \"Homecoming\" weekend in Los Angeles.

Following the exciting evening of boxing, musical sensation Los Tucanes De Tijuana will perform their hits for fans in attendance at 9:00 p.m. PT. The popular Norteño band, made famous by the sounds of the accordion and the baja sexto (a 12-string guitar fused with a bass), has been nominated for numerous Latin Grammy's and are one of the most popular bands of its kind in Mexico and the United States.

\"Noche de Boxeo y Musica\" tickets, which include an exciting night at the fights plus the musical performance, are priced at $100, $60 and $30, and will go on sale this Friday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m. PT, and may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, including www.Ticketmster.com and Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at (213) 480-3232. Tickets are also available for sale at The Home Depot Center Box Office, open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT, and on event days. Event suites, group packages and VIP packages are available by calling 1-877-AEG-TICKETS (1-877-234-8425) or by visiting www.aegtickets.com.

2004 United States Olympian Vicente Escobedo (16-1, 11 KO's), who faces Argentinean Roberto Arrieta (27-12-4 10 KO's), has drawn comparisons to fellow Olympian Oscar de la Hoya for his two-fisted attack in the ring and his class and accessibility outside of it. Coming off a hard-fought win over Pascali Adorno in January - his seventh victory in a row - the rising Mexican-American star from Woodland, California, but now living in Los Angeles, Escobedo plans on keeping his winning streak alive on May 2nd.

\"I am so excited to be able to showcase my talents on this great boxing weekend,\" said Escobedo. \"I consider my fight to be the warm-up act to Oscar's fight and as I have lived in Los Angeles for awhile and fought here too, I expect a great turn-out from my LA-based fans. I will not disappoint them.\"

Just 20 years old, Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Mexico's Julio Cesar \"Baby Face\" Garcia (40 -3, 33 KO's), who will face Sergio Rios (18-6, 16 KO's) of Oxnard, California, has more experience than most world champions, with 43 fights to his name already. Winner of 40 of those bouts, including 34 knockouts, Garcia - who has earned an amazing eight regional title belts - hopes to add a world championship belt to his trophy case in 2008, but first he must emerge victorious against Rios to keep those hopes alive.

\"I can't wait to fight in Los Angeles and show the world why I am a great fighter and will have a major championship by the end of this year,\" said Garcia. \"After the fight I plan to go to the concert to celebrate my victory.\"

Friday's night of boxing and music is part one of the \"Homecoming\" celebration weekend that brings Oscar de la Hoya back to Los Angeles, when he will fight Steve Forbes on Saturday, May 3 in the 27,000-seat soccer stadium at The Home Depot Center. This fight is the first-ever boxing event in the soccer stadium, and marks De La Hoya's first fight in LA since 2000. Tickets are on sale now for the Golden Boy Promotions/AEG fight at all Ticketmaster outlets and The Home Depot Center Box Office. For more information on the \"Homecoming\" weekend, including both Friday and Saturday's events, please visit www.goldenboypromotions.com.

CONTACTS
Ramiro Gonzalez/Monica Sears
Golden Boy Promotions
(213) 489-5631

Debbie Caplan
Caplan PR/Golden Boy Promotions
(818) 831-4151

Kelly Swanson
Swanson Communications
(202) 783-5500

Alison Groendal
The Home Depot Center
(310) 630-2032
or
Michael Roth
AEG
213) 742-7155