Home Depot Center News

Saturday, July 7 at The Home Depot Center Live on HBO Boxing After Dark
Tickets Are On Sale Now!

LOS ANGELES (June 19, 2012) - Top-Five pound-for pound fighter and four-division world champion NONITO \"The Filipino Flash\" DONAIRE and former world middleweight champion KELLY \"The Ghost\" PAVLIK will headline a spectacular all-action doubleheader, Saturday, July 7, under the stars at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, California. Donaire, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion, will rumble with International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion JEFFREY \"Marvelous Mongoose\" MATHEBULA in a world title unification fight to determine the division's top dog. Pavlik will battle contender WILL \"Power\" ROSINSKY of New York in a 10-round super middleweight bout. The fights will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Promoted by Top Rank, tickets at The Home Depot Center are priced at $100, $50 and $25, can be purchased online at AXS.com or by phone at 888-929-7849 as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Suites are available by calling 1-877-604-8777. For information of group discounts, please call 1-877-234-8425.

\"The event at the Home Depot Center has two very good fights. Nonito Donaire, the 122-pound world champion, will take on the IBF champion, Jeffrey Mathebula from South Africa. In the other battle, Kelly Pavlik will take on Will Rosinsky of New York in what should be a hard-hitting action fight,\" said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.

Donaire (28-1, 18 KOs), a native of General Santos City, Philippines, now living in the Bay Area of San Leandro, Calif., is a consensus top-five pound-for-pound fighter. He enters this fight riding an 11-year, 27-bout winning streak, which includes an IBF/IBO flyweight title knockout victory of defending champion Vic Darchinyan, and a fourth-round blasting of former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko, December 4, 2010. However, Donaire's most impressive victory occurred on February 19, 2011, when he knocked out defending WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel in the second round, ending Montiel's 25-bout winning streak while also claiming his third world title in as many weight divisions. That victory was named the 2011 Knockout of the Year. Ten of Donaire's last 12 victories have come by way of knockout. He successfully defended his World Bantamweight Championship last year by blitzing undefeated Omar Narvaez, winning virtually every round en route to a unanimous decision victory. In his last fight, which took place February 4, Donaire captured the vacant WBO 122-pound title, winning a gritty split-decision battle over former world champion Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr.

Mathebula (26-3-2, 14 KOs), of Johannesburg, South Africa, returns to the ring on the heels of his biggest victory where he captured the IBF junior featherweight title by dethroning defending champion Takalani Ndlovu on March 24. The split decision victory was sweet revenge for the split decision loss he suffered in a title elimination bout to his fellow countryman in 2010. Nearly six-feet tall, Mathebula has proven to be a formidable opponent in the junior featherweight division. Mathebula's resume boasts title elimination bout victories over Julio Zarate and Oscar Chauke.

A 2000 Olympian, Mathebula built an outstanding amateur record of 101-4 before making his professional debut in 2001.

Pavlik (39-2, 34 KOs) from Youngstown, Ohio, has won two straight bouts with his new trainer Robert Garcia of Oxnard, California. Rosinksy (16-1, 9 KOs) from Queens, NY, is a former U.S. National Champion and a three-time New York Golden Gloves champion. He is trained by Felipe Gomez.

For Additional Information: (Media)

Lee Samuels, Top Rank: (702) 732-2717
Ricardo Jimenez, Top Rank: (909) 615-3436
Fred Sternburg, Sternburg Communications: (303) 740-7746
Ed Keenan, EMC Events: (609) 399-1330
Kevin Flaherty, HBO: (212) 512-5052
Alison Salcedo, The Home Depot Center: (310) 630-2032
Media Credentials: www.bzapr.com