Boxing Coverage on Sherdog.comHooker vs. Perez Added to Kovalev-Ward Undercard
Main Events, Roc Nation and HBO announced Friday afternoon that
unbeaten junior welterweight contender Maurice Hooker will oppose
Darleys Perez in one of the featured televised undercard bouts on
the massive Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward event next month.
The last time the world saw Hooker, he wasted no time in dispatching Tyrone Barnett. “Mighty Mo” obliterated his opponent in just over two minutes at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on the undercard of Ward-Alexander Brand event in August. He’ll likely have a much stiffer challenge against Perez, who is a former world champion at lightweight.
“For my part, I promise to put on a show for the fans in Las Vegas
and the pay-per-view audience at home,” Hooker (21-0-2, 16 KOs)
said. “No one punches like me. It’s going to be lights out. I will
be dedicating this fight to Aaron Pryor, who passed away, earlier
this week. I can’t think of a better way to honor ‘The Hawk’s’
legacy than with a big win. I look to be a world-class junior
welterweight champion like him.”
Like Hooker, Perez (33-2-1, 21 KOs) is coming off an impressive knockout win. He last fought in May where he flattened Ubadel Soto in the second. The win allowed him to bounce back from a draw and loss in back-to-back bouts to Anthony Crolla, to whom he lost his WBA 130-pound title.
“This is my chance get back into the limelight,” said Perez. “I have fought all over the world and facing Maurice Hooker in Las Vegas on Nov. 19 is perhaps my last chance to show that I have a lot left inside the ring and I plan to take full advantage of it because losing is not an option. I will move up to the 140-pound division and I will be ready to challenge this young lion who has never fought a guy like me before. There will be fireworks in Las Vegas and I plan to go home a winner.”
Kovalev-Ward goes down Nov. 19 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. HBO Pay-Per-View will broadcast the event, dubbed “Fight of the Year,” beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Additional bouts will be announced soon.
The last time the world saw Hooker, he wasted no time in dispatching Tyrone Barnett. “Mighty Mo” obliterated his opponent in just over two minutes at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on the undercard of Ward-Alexander Brand event in August. He’ll likely have a much stiffer challenge against Perez, who is a former world champion at lightweight.
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Like Hooker, Perez (33-2-1, 21 KOs) is coming off an impressive knockout win. He last fought in May where he flattened Ubadel Soto in the second. The win allowed him to bounce back from a draw and loss in back-to-back bouts to Anthony Crolla, to whom he lost his WBA 130-pound title.
“This is my chance get back into the limelight,” said Perez. “I have fought all over the world and facing Maurice Hooker in Las Vegas on Nov. 19 is perhaps my last chance to show that I have a lot left inside the ring and I plan to take full advantage of it because losing is not an option. I will move up to the 140-pound division and I will be ready to challenge this young lion who has never fought a guy like me before. There will be fireworks in Las Vegas and I plan to go home a winner.”
Kovalev-Ward goes down Nov. 19 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. HBO Pay-Per-View will broadcast the event, dubbed “Fight of the Year,” beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Additional bouts will be announced soon.
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