PONCE DE LEON CHALLENGES ISRAEL VAZQUEZ; SAYS FIGHT WITH BAUTISTA IN THE WORKS
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 21 Jan 2007
WBO Super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon of Mexico issues an open challenge to WBC champion and fellow Mexican Israel Vazquez to unify their belts.
"My desire is to show that I am the best superbantam in the world, and for that reason I look forward to fight with Israel Vazquez," Ponce De Leon told Ernesto Castellanos of Esto.
Ponce De Leon further said that he is willing to have the fight money of this fight put together and 80% of it goes to the winner. "I make a formal proposal to him that we join our prize money and the winner takes 80 per cent and the loser 20. Thus he will not be able to say that there is no money fighting with me," Ponce de Leon said.
However, Vazquez is scheduled to face pound-for-pound fighter Rafael Marquez on March 3 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a fight considered by many to be one of the best pairings in the year so far. In the event that Vazquez loses to Marquez, Ponce de Leon said he will then want to fight Rafael Marquez for a unification bout.
In the meantime, Ponce De Leon said he is expecting to fight Filipino Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista next, probably in March, in the United States.
Ponce de Leon and Bautista were earlier scheduled to meet on March 4 in the Philippines for the WBO World Cup but negotiations hit a snag and the World Cup had been moved to a later date, probably in July or August. Meahwhile Bautista had been penciled to fight in the undercard of the Montiel-Gorres world championship fight on February 24 in Cebu against a yet to be named opponent.
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