“After the success of our shows at Morongo in 2007, Golden Boy Promotions is very excited for what we have in store with them for 2008,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “We are excited to bring the loyal boxing fans of the Inland Empire another night of exciting boxing action.”
The main event will feature Los Angeles native Mora against Rito Ruvalcaba in a 10-round middleweight clash, while Escobedo faces Angel Chacon in the evening’s co-main event in a 10-round lightweight battle. The fights will be televised on TeleFutura’s “Solo Boxeo” beginning at 8 pm ET / PT.

“The Morongo is committed to providing world-class entertainment events for our guests,” said Sean Sullivan, general manager of the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. “To launch the New Year with a fight card of this caliber demonstrates our position as the leading casino resort in California.”

Tickets for the January 11th show, priced at $150, $100 and $50, are on sale and can be purchased at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Box Office at (951) 755-5391 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Doors for the live event open at 4 p.m. with the first bout beginning at 4:30 p.m. There are seven scheduled bouts on the card.

Sergio Mora (19-0-1, 4 KO’s) first made a name for himself on the boxing scene as a slick boxer with an exciting style who was destined for big things in the fight game. After his stint on the NBC reality show ‘The Contender’, the rest of the world learned the talent and personality of ‘The Latin Snake’, and with two big wins and a draw since he won ‘The Contender’ championship by defeating Peter Manfredo Jr., Mora has shown that he is ready for prime time once again in 2008. He will face former world title contender Rito Ruvalcaba (31-8, 27 KO’s), an experienced fighter from Tijuana, Mexico known for his knockout power.

“We are always excited when our first year champion Sergio Mora fights,” said Jeff Wald Co-Executive Producer of 'The Contender' and Promoter of Tournament of Contenders. “This is our first time at Morongo and on TeleFutura and we want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for partnering with us once again on what should be a great evening of boxing.” The main event will be presented in association with Tournament of Contenders.

2004 United States Olympian Vicente Escobedo (15-1, 11 KO’s) has drawn comparisons to fellow Olympian Oscar de la Hoya for his two-fisted attack in the ring and his class and accessibility outside of it. Coming off of a win over Miguel Mungia in October - his sixth win in a row - the rising Mexican-American star from Woodland, California, plans on keeping his winning streak going on January 11th against experienced southpaw Angel Chacon (30-8-2, 15 KO’s), a former world title challenger who hails from Vega Alta, Puerto Rico.