Press Release: When living legend Roy Jones, Jr. steps into the ring July 29, 2006, Idaho fight fans will have their first opportunity to watch a bonafide Hall of Fame candidate fighting live in Boise for the first time in more than 66 years, since former lightweight champion Jimmy Carter lost a ten-round decision to Jimmy Grow. Boise’s all-time greatest pro boxer was George Logan (25-9-2, 16 KOs), who fought from 1957 to 1965. Logan knocked out Hall of Fame heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles in the eighth round of their July 30, 1959 fight at the Boise Fairgrounds (Editor’s noter: Charles, maybe the greates light heavyweight of all time was well past his prime in 1959). Nearly three years later in Los Angeles, George was stopped on cuts by a 12-0 prospect named Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). In 2000, Vassiliy Jirov successfully defended his IBF cruiserweight title by ninth-round TKO against Saul Montana. Way back in 1914, Hall of Famer and former welterweight champion “Young” Peter Jackson lost a ten-round decision in Boise to Jim Downing.
In two other Boise fights, former world heavyweight champion James “Buster” Douglas registered a first-round knockout against Warren Williams in their 1998 match refereed by Boise’s own Jerry Armstrong, while ex-junior middleweight title-holder Denny Moyer took a 10-round decision from Memo Lopez in 1964. The great “Tiger” Jack Fox (156-22-12, 99 KOs) was perfect in five Boise fights over a 12-year period (1934-1946), winning all by knockout against Battling Lemorieux, Bud Zellar, Sonny Buxton, Pio Rico and Domingo Valin. Former light heavyweight champion Fox fought all over Idaho in Idaho Falls, White City Park, Sandpoint, Twins Falls, Pocatello and Preston.
Five-time world champion Jones (49-4, 38 KOs) keeps the Boise tradition alive July 29, against Prince Badi Ajamu (25-2-1, 14 KOs) in the 12-round main event on “Hold Nothing Back!”
Ex-IBF cruiser champion Arthur Williams (42-14-1, 29 KOs) fights Kenny Keene (51-3, 28 KOs), arguably Idaho’s greatest boxer of all-time, in a ten-rounder. Keene has won 43 of his 44 fights (25 KOs) in Idaho, including a 22-1 (12 KOs) record in Boise, and his only loss there was nearly 10 years ago.
Ex-IBF light heavy titlist William Guthrie (33-3-2, 26 KOs) takes on Luke Munsen (19-5, 13 KOs) in a twelve-round cruiserweight fight for a vacant regional belt.
Also added to the card in a is veteran heavyweight Frank Wood (26-3, 18 KOs), the reigning Mid-South heavyweight title-holder, against New Yorker Derrick Brown (12-2-1, 10 KOs), who is managed by one of the greatest women boxers of all-time, Christy Martin. Unbeaten Crow Creek Sioux cruiserweight Shawn Hawk (11-0, 8 KOs) faces Doug “The Kid” Kaluza (17-5-1, 10 KOs) in an eight-round match.
Boise light welterweight Hilario Lopez (8-4, 6 KOs) has been added to the card in a six-round bout against Steve Marquez (7-7-1, 6 KOs), whose younger brother, David Marquez (3-1-1), is matched against Caldwell (ID) light middleweight Edgar Hernandez (3-0). His nephew, lightweight Mario Hernandez (3-0, 2 KOs), also from Caldwell (ID), is scheduled to fight an opponent to be determined.
“Hold Nothing Back!” -- presented by Xyience, Inc. in association with Sports and Entertainment Media, Inc. -- will be broadcast live in North America on cable and satellite PPV beginning at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT. The event is being produced and distributed for North American Pay Per View by Integrated Sports and will be available in more than 50-million homes in the United States and Canada via InDemand, TVN, DirecTV & Dish Network in the US and Viewer’s Choice & Bell ExpressVu in Canada. The suggested retail price for the PPV telecast is only $24.95.
Tickets, priced at $50, $100, $150, $250 and $350 (plus handling fees), are on sale and available exclusively at the Qwest Arena Box Office. Call 208.331.TIXS (8947), toll free 888.330.TIXS (8497), or go on line at
www.qwestarenaidaho.com.