CLASH OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT TITANS WHEN TYE FIELDS (6’ 9”) FACES MICHAEL GRANT (6’ 7”); CASAMAYOR VS. ANCHONDO IN BATTLE OF EX-WORLD CHAMPIONS ON PER-VIEW CARD FRIDAY, MARCH 11, AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD IN LAS VEGAS
Ron ‘The American Dream’ Johnson,
Aaron Williams in title bout highlight undercard
A clash of heavyweight titans, matching 6-foot-9-inch Tye Fields and 6-foot-7-inch Michael Grant, plus a battle between two former world champions, Joel Casamayor and
Michael Anchondo, highlight a nationally and internationally televised pay-per-view card
Friday, March 11, at the Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas,
Nev.
Also on the six-bout card presented by Sterling Promotions in association with American Dream Presents and Heads Up Entertainment, in separate fights will be light heavyweight Ron Johnson and cruiserweight Aaron Williams, who’ll be fighting for the World Boxing Council/United States National Boxing Council interim 200-pound championship.
All four fights are scheduled for 10 rounds.
The card will be televised live, starting at 7 p.m., on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada and on a tape delay basis internationally. The suggested price is $24.99 for the card, which is available through cable and satellite providers.
Fields, a southpaw who now resides in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has a record of 44-2 with 40 knockouts. While Fields is renown for his size, he has been untested during his 12-year pro career, meeting primarily less than top-notch competition. This fight against Grant not only will be Fields’ toughest test, but could go a long way in determining the 35-year-old’s future in the heavyweight division.
The 38-year-old Grant, of Atlanta, has a record of 46-4 with 34 knockouts and has met far better opponents, including former world champion Lennox Lewis. Grant challenged, unsuccessfully, for Lewis’ World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles during 2000. In his most recent bout Aug. 21, Grant dropped a 12-round decision to No. 1-ranked (World Boxing Organization) heavyweight Tomasz Adamek.
Casamayor, the former World Boxing Association super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion, has a record of 37-5-1 with 22 knockouts, while Anchondo, the former WBO junior lightweight champ, has a mark of 30-3 with 19 knockouts.
The 39-year-old Casamayor, a southpaw from Miami, Fla., was the WBA 130-pound champion during 2000 to 2002 and the WBC 135-pound champ during 2006 and 2007. But he’s best known for his two wins over the late Diego Corrales and, more recently, his knockout victory over Michael Katsidis.
Anchondo, from La Puente, Calif., is 11 years younger and won the WBO 130-pound championship at age 22.
The 24-year-old Johnson, originally from Cleveland but now residing in Las Vegas, has a record of 11-1 with three knockouts. The slick boxer has won five straight.
He’ll face Garrett Wilson, a 28-year-old from Philadelphia who has a record of 9-5-1 with four knockouts.
Williams, like Johnson, a 24-year-old who is originally from Cleveland but now residing in Las Vegas, has a record of 20-3-1 with 13 knockouts.
His opponent for the WBC/USNBC interim title will be determined.
A fifth bout on the card features undefeated super welterweight Dante Moore, who has a record of 6-0-1 with four knockouts. Moore is the third Cleveland native who resides in Las Vegas on the card. His opponent in the six-round bout will be determined.
The sixth bout will be announced.
Tickets, priced at $25, $40, $60, $90 and $150, are available at the Planet Hollywood Theatre box office from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday or by calling the Planet Hollywood box office at 702-785- 5555, ext. 55620 during those hours. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or at www.ticketmaster.com
The card starts at 6:30 p.m. with doors to the Planet Hollywood Theatre opening at 6.
