DANNY GARCIA VS. ASHLEY THEOPANE TOPS FEBRUARY 26 ESPN’S “FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS” UNDERCARD

UNDEFEATED PROSPECTS JERMELL CHARLO & OMAR FIGUEROA ALSO RETURN TO ACTION IN EL PASO

LOS ANGELES, February 8 – Unbeaten Philadelphia phenom Danny “Swift” Garcia will begin 2010 with his toughest fight to date on Friday, February 26 when he squares off against British veteran Ashley Theopane in the 10-round junior welterweight co-main event of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

Also on the February 26 card – which is headlined by the 10-round featherweight battle between El Paso favorite Antonio Escalante and Juarez’s Mickey Roman – will be bouts featuring top Texas prospects Jermell Charlo and Omar Figueroa, Mexico’s Luis Enrique Grajeda and Uganda’s Sharif Bogere.

“King of The Border”: Escalante vs. Roman, which is presented by Golden Boy Promotions, will be broadcast live on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” beginning at 10:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm MT / 7:00 pm PT on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN360.com.  Doors open at 6:00 pm MT, with the first bell ringing at 7:00 pm MT.

Tickets priced at $20, $30, $50 and $75 (plus convenience charges) are on sale now and available for purchase at the UTEP Box Office and all Ticketmaster Outlets. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone through the UTEP Box Office at 915-747-5234 and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.

21-year old Philadelphia native Danny “Swift” Garcia (15-0, 10 KO’s) is coming off a huge 2009 that saw him continue to rise up the junior welterweight ranks in impressive style.  With a record of 4-0 last year against a quartet of opponents that had a combined 114 fights of professional experience, Garcia is ready for another groundbreaking year in 2010 beginning with his showdown against Theopane.

Born and raised in London, England, charismatic Ashley Theopane (25-3-1, 7 KO’s) has paid his dues over the course of his six-year professional career and he’s amped up for his ESPN2 fight against Danny Garcia.  Unbeaten in 17 of his last 18 bouts dating back to 2005, Theopane is coming to Texas with victory on his mind.

Also on the show is a six-round welterweight bout featuring unbeaten prospect Luis Enrique Grajeda (8-0, 7 KO’s) of Chihuahua, Mexico.  Grajeda is a former amateur star who is on his way to even greater success in the professional ranks.  In his last bout, on December 12, he halted 5-0 Ruben Amezcua in six rounds.

Proudly waving the Texas flag on February 26 will be Houston welterweight Jermell Charlo and Weslaco junior welterweight Omar Figueroa.  The 19-year old Charlo (10-0, 5 KO’s), who takes on Missouri’s Travis Hartman (11-15-1, 8 KO’s) in an eight round bout, has knocked out two of his last three opponents, including 6-0 Abdon Lozano in his most recent bout on December 12.  20-year old Figueroa (8-0, 8 KO’s) has lived up to his nickname of “Panterita” with a fast and ferocious style that has ended all of his professional bouts in three rounds or less.  He will face Julian Rodriguez (17-17-4, 11 KO’s) of Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico in a six round contest.

Also in action will be highly-touted Ugandan prospect Sharif Bogere (13-0, 7 KO’s), who will take on Jose Hernandez (10-1, 4 KO’s) of Fort Worth, Texas in a six-round junior welterweight bout.

In the evening’s opening fight, El Paso’s own Eric Bautista makes his professional debut against unbeaten Albuquerque knockout artist Michael Brooks (2-0, 2 KOs) in a four round cruiserweight bout.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and follow Golden Boy Promotions on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing.