NEW YORK - Promoter Don King and his boxers Felix “Tito” Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr.—who will meet in a huge match staged at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 19—have teamed with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, to help educate and raise awareness regarding the deadly disease. Trinidad and Jones have agreed to donate $50,000 each to Komen for the Cure from their upcoming “Bring on the Titans” boxing event.
Both prizefighters were present at a press conference on Trinidad’s home island of Puerto Rico on Dec. 6 promoting the upcoming match when Carlos Barba, a former Telemundo and Univision television executive and current founder of Spanish-language network CaribeVision Station Group, made a surprise announcement that he would make a $1 million contribution to the organization to aid in its efforts to save lives and end breast cancer forever.
“My good friend Carlos Barba heard that Felix, Roy and I are doing our part to help KO cancer and he was moved to make a large donation,” King said. “Like so many others, his family has been impacted by cancer and he wanted to continue his fight against it. He couldn’t have picked a better organization than the good people at Komen for the Cure, and I am sure my friends at Madison Square Garden and HBO will be joining this magnanimous effort.”
Jones encouraged King to join with him in this cause after participating in a fundraising walkathon during October in his hometown of Pensacola, Fla.
“I mentioned to Don that we should try to do something to help, and like everything else he has taken the ball and is running with it.” Jones, an illustrious eight-time world champion, said. “I’m so happy to be able to help in any way I can to KO cancer. This is a fight that will never end until we conquer this disease that has taken so much from so many.”
Trinidad will oppose Jones in the ring, but he is on his opponent’s side on the issue of breast cancer.
“Roy Jones and I are donating money from our purses to help fight breast cancer and that is a good thing,” said Trinidad, the most popular prizefight ever from Puerto Rico. “Everyone wants to strike a blow against breast cancer.”
This initiative is particularly meaningful given that breast cancer remains the No. 1 health concern of women.
“Being a part of this event is a way for Komen to step out and engage an entirely new audience we would probably not be able to reach otherwise,” said Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “Breast cancer impacts everyone—spouses, children and friends, and we want to reach them in a meaningful way where they live, work and play. Of course, the fight against breast cancer transcends beyond the ring and we need everyone, everywhere engaged in our movement to end this disease once and for all.”
The Trinidad vs. Jones “Bring on the Titans” domestic pay-per-view telecast will begin at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT on Jan. 19 and is being produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View, available in more than 61 million pay-per-view homes.
