DANIEL SANTOS TO DEFEND VS. SERGIO MARTINEZ ON FEB. 14TH
HBO to air tripleheader from site to be determined
Edited Press Release: Daniel Santos will defend his WBA 154-pound title against WBC interim titlist Sergio Martinez on Feb. 14, 2009 on an HBO tripleheader. [No site for the bout has been announced yet.] The event already features WBO/IBF lightweight champion Nate “Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) opposing his the IBF mandatory challenger Ali “Rush Hour” Funeka as well as another intriguing 154-pound pairing of welterweight world champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga (28-7-1, 22 KOs) and undefeated Alfredo “Perro” Angulo squaring off in a WBC elimination bout to determine mandatory challenger [whether the Mayorga-Angulo winner becomes the mandatory for WBC chanmpion Vernon Forrest or the winner of the WBC interim bout between Martinez and Santos is anybody's guess]. On Monday, Santos (32-3-1, 23 KOs) was offered the opportunity to step in to replace Joe Greene, who had been scheduled to face Martinez (44-1-1, 24 KOs) on Jan. 17th in Biloxi, Miss. Greene pulled out due to a kidney stone ailment.
Santos’s attorney Gabriel Penagaricano advised Don King Productions that 10 days was not enough time for Santos to adequately train and prepare to make a Jan. 17th appearance.
“I couldn’t have agreed more with Gabriel for not taking that fight on such short notice,” King said, “but I had an obligation to run it by him. Danny has worked hard to gain another world title, and even though Gabriel had just corresponded with me to advise of Danny’s desire to return to the ring, 10 days of preparation was not adequate. I am delighted we can move the same fight to Feb. 14 in order to give Danny the time he needs to be ready.”
Good fight - I say SM wins UD 12.
