PRESS RELEASE: Former 2000 Mexican Olympian and now super bantamweight World Contender, Daniel Ponce De Leon, will headline "Night of the Olympians," an exciting nationally televised fight card on Friday, April 29th, at the Laredo Entertainment Center.   The seven bout card, which begins at 7:00 p.m., is being presented by Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. De Leon (23-1, Mexico City), world rated by all three major boxing organizations (#7 IBF, #11 WBC, #12 WBA), will be taking on highly regarded Ricardo Barajas (22-3, Oxnard, California) in a ten-round, Super Bantamweight main event.

Featured on the undercard will be two other Olympians as well as three Laredo fighters.  Former amateur World Champion, Abner Mares, represented Mexico in the 2004 Olympics.  Mares (2-0, Guadalajara, Mx) will be taking on a yet to be named opponent in a six-round super bantamweight contest.  A 2004 United States Olympian, Vicente Escobedo (2-0, Oxnard, California), will be fighting a six-round super featherweight bout.  His opponent is to be named as well.

Laredo will be well represented on the card with Gabriel Holguin, Hector Ferreyro and Cesar Holguin all fighting.  Gabriel Holguin will put his 17-4 record on the line against Monterrey, Mexico's Erick Esquivel (12-4) in an eight round semi-main event bout.  Ferreyro, 9-5-1, will take on Jesus Valadez (10-21, Piedras Negras, Mx) in a cruiserweight six-rounder.  Cesar Holguin, 1-0, will be fighting a four welterweight bout against an opponent to be named.

Tickets for the event are priced at $50 (Ringside), $30 and $20 and are available the Laredo Entertainment Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster Outlets.  Tickets can be ordered online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 956-712-1566.

De La Hoya, a former Olympic Gold Medalist (1992) and eight-time world champion as a pro, believes the Laredo boxing fans are in for an exciting night of boxing on April 29th.

"Without question, these three Olympians, De Leon, Mares and Escobedo, represent some of the best young lower weight fighters in the world," De La Hoya pointed out.  "The combination of these outstanding prospects and the three exciting fighters from Laredo should make for an exciting night of boxing."

De La Hoya, presenting his third event in Laredo, feels fans will be most impressed with De Leon's power.  "He's (De Leon) a very aggressive fighter and a huge puncher," he stated.  "We feel he is in line to be one of Mexico's next great fighters and Mares could be right behind him."

Both Mares and Escobedo signed with Golden Boy Promotions out of the 2004 Olympics and De La Hoya feels they are both world championship talents.

“Abner Mares is the most decorated fighter coming out of the amateur ranks from Mexico,” said De La Hoya. “He’s been the only world champion from Mexico in the amateur ranks and we all know, whoever saw the Olympic games, that he got robbed in his fight against the reigning amateur world champion. He’s a very exciting fighter, very explosive and charismatic.

"Vicente Escobedo had a spectacular first fight on the Hopkins-Eastman card. TV executives and boxing people who saw him are saying that he can be a force to be reckoned with in the pro ranks very soon.  Both he (Escobedo)and Mares look like future world champions.”

As for Holguin, De La Hoya would like to help the local fighter get a rematch with former World Champion Yory Boy Campas on a future card.  "I heard their fight (split decision win by Campas) was really close, one that Holguin may have won," he commented.  "Hopefully we can come back down the road and help make that fight for Gabriel.  Gabriel is an exciting fighter and certainly deserves a rematch.  But first, he's going to have his hands full with Erick Esquivel on April 29th."