HBO is joining the month-long celebration of Mexico's independence
bicentennial with 200: Celebrate and
Dominate, a live Sept. 18 pay-per-view boxing card.
The main event on the card, set for the Staples Center in
Los Angeles, will pit former WBA welterweight champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley against
Mexican-American boxer Sergio Mora.
200: Celebrate and
Dominate is a production of Golden Boy Promotions, the Los Angeles-based
company founded by Oscar de la Hoya and headed by former Swiss banker Richard
Schaefer. Sponsors include Tecate beer, AT&T and DeWalt Tools.
Priced at $54.95 for HDTV and $44.95 for standard
definition, the live fight telecast will air at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Mosley, a five-time world champion, has dominated all
Mexican opponents he has faced in the ring. Many fight fans hope Mora, known as
the "Latin Snake," will be able to do what no Mexican great has done before:
take out Mosley.
In addition to the main fight, the event promises to attract
a large Hispanic audience as many of the fighters on the undercard are Latinos:
Prior to the Mosley vs. Mora bout, the event features two all-action fights
featuring 20 year-old Mexican phenomenon Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and rising star
"Vicious" Victor Ortiz.
"Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is a celebrated young fighter who has
already achieved rock star status in Mexico and is trying to cross over and
make it big in the United States," said Mark Taffet, senior vice president of
HBO Sports, who declined to predict the buy rate or expected revenue from the
PPV event.
The fight card will be available to more than 71 million
pay-per-view homes.
