EL PASO---Ticket Sales for the VIVA MEXICO!, the April 9th HBO Pay-Per-View boxing event in El Paso, Texas (Don Haskins Center) featuring Marco Antonio Barrera vs Mzonke Fana, is off an running to the second fastest start ever for a boxing event in El Paso. University of Texas El Paso officials report that over 3,500 tickets have been sold since sales opened this past Saturday, February 26.  The gross sales have exceeded $350,000.  These opening weekend numbers are second only to Oscar De La Hoya's fight in the El Paso Sun Bowl in 1998.

"We had a huge opening weekend," said Carol Roberts Spence, director of Special Events at UTEP.  "We anticipated a big opening, but this certainly exceeded our expectations.  There's obviously a lot of enthusiasm in the community for the event."

According to promoter Oscar De La Hoya, he's not surprised at response of El Paso fight fans.  "This is an indication of not only what a great event we have, but also a reflection of what a great fight town El Paso is," said De La Hoya.  "Anytime you give El Paso a quality event, the fans there respond in a big way."

Capacity for the event is approximately 12,000 and De La Hoya expects to sell every seat.  "If this opening weekend is an indication, which we believe it is, this event is headed for a sell out," said a confident De La Hoya.  "And this is exactly why we felt El Paso was the right spot for Marco Antonio Barrera and VIVA MEXICO!  We are pleased, but certainly not surprised."