Bradley vs. Marquez is official!
Photos: Chris Farina/Top Rank
Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight Champion and the pride of Palm Springs TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY, JR. will make the biggest defense of his world title when he faces Méxican icon and four-division world champion JUAN MANUEL “Dinamita” MARQUÉZ. The only two fighters to defeat Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao in the last seven years, Bradley will be looking to further state his case as one of boxing’s elite pound for pound fighters while Márquez attempts to add yet another highlight to his storied career — becoming the first Méxican fighter to win world titles in five different weight divisions. Both enter this rumble fresh from Fight of the Year caliber performances.
Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Wynn Las Vegas, Márquez Boxing, and Tecate, Bradley vs. Márquez will take place Saturday, October 12, at the Thomas & Mack Center, on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.
Tickets to the Bradley vs. Márquez welterweight championship event, priced at $800, $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, will go on sale Tomorrow! Friday, June 21, at 3:00 p.m. ET / Noon PT. They can be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, online at UNLVtickets.com, at UNLVtickets Outlet Town Square Las Vegas Concierge, or by calling 702-739-FANS (3267).
“It will be an honor to step in the ring with Márquez, I am looking forward to displaying my skills and giving the fans a competitive fight,” said Bradley. “I know that the one thing he and I will have in common, stepping into that ring, is that we’re both warriors. Neither one of us will take defeat as an option and with that being said we can say the countdown has officially begun. October 12 will not just be another fight but a memorable fight for not only him and me but for the world of boxing.”
“This is a very tough fight. I am facing an undefeated fighter who has something that I want very much, said Márquez. “It is a complicated fight but not impossible to win. I want that fifth world title. Bradley is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. I think we have the styles to make a great fight.”
“This fight will be a very exciting confrontation between the two best fighters in the world today,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “Timothy Bradley, the undefeated, reigning world welterweight champion, has always distinguished himself in the ring. Juan Manuel Márquez is the most popular fighter in México and is coming off a sensational win over Manny Pacquiao. Márquez will try with all of his might to win his historic fifth world championship.”
“The phenomenal victories registered by both Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Márquez in their last ring performances makes the October 12 showdown in Las Vegas a fight fan’s dream,” said Mark Taffet, senior vice president, HBO Sports. “Bradley-Márquez is one of the sport’s elite and most highly anticipated matchups of 2013.”
“We are thrilled to work with Top Rank in presenting this highly-anticipated match-up,” said Maurice Wooden, president of Wynn Las Vegas. “This will undoubtedly be an exciting event for both our guests and boxing fans as Juan Manuel Márquez attempts to become the only fighter in México’s boxing history to win world titles in five weight classes by defeating current champion, Timothy Bradley Jr.”