Beterbiev-Koelling, Magdaleno-Juarez, Ramirez-Reed on Nov. 11
World championship boxing comes to Fresno. Undefeated champions JESSIE MAGDALENO and JOSE RAMIREZ will headline “Fight For Water,” an exciting card benefiting the California Latino Water Coalition. Magdaleno and Ramirez, world-rated No. 5, will be defending their World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight and World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas super lightweight titles, respectively. Both fights, and the ARTUR BETERBIEV – ENRICO KOELLING International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight title elimination bout, will take place Saturday, November 11 at Save Mart Center at Fresno State.
Magdaleno (25-0, 18 KOs), from Las Vegas, Nev., will be defending his title against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger CESAR JUAREZ (20-5, 15 KOs), from Mexico City. Local favorite and farmer rights activist Ramirez (20-0, 15 KOs), of Avenal, Calif., will be risking his title and his world rating against Top-10 contender MIKE "Yes Indeed" REED (23-0, 12 KO), of Waldorf, MD
All three fights will be televised live and exclusively at 10:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on the ESPN app.
Promoted by Top Rank®, tickets to this world championship event go on sale Tomorrow! Friday, September 15, at 10 a.m. PT. Priced at $150 (floor), $88, $58 and $33, plus applicable fees, tickets may be purchased at select Save Mart Supermarkets, online at Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 800 or at the Save Mart Center Box Office. For the Box Office hours go to savemartcenter.com.
“A great fight inside and outside the ring,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “Jessie and Jose are going to light it up on November 11 because that’s the only way they know how to perform. Fresno is one of my favorite places to watch a fight because the fans are so great. And you can’t fight for a better cause than for the water rights of the Central Valley farmers. They are America!”
"Now that my first title defense is under my belt I am even more inspired to work hard every day and remain a world champion," said Magdaleno. "Juarez is not only my mandatory challenger he is the next obstacle in establishing my legacy in the sport. I don’t go around obstacles. I go through them."
"I’m ready to show the world how hard I have worked and trained for this moment,” said Ramirez. “And to do it at home for my city -- to bring awareness to our immigration issues and to get the Temperance Flat dam built for water storage, makes it that much more important to me,” said Ramirez.
"Jose is headlining the largest televised sporting event in our city's history,” said Rick Mirgian, Ramirez’s advisor. “The combination of ESPN's coverage in a Top-10 Arena and a homecoming fight for a local hero on the big stage will make this a very special night."
The previous Top Rank events at the Save Mart Center, headlined by Jose produced a sellout of 13,700 last December, and 13,100 in 2015.
One of the most prestigious arenas in America, 'Venues Today,' a leading industry publication, listed the Save Mart Center among its 'Top Stops' for venues in the 10,000 to 15,000 capacity category. The venue came in as the No. 1 ranked collegiate venue, No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 12 based on concert grosses. Save Mart Center was one of seven SMG-managed arenas to rank in the Top 10 in this size category
