Since the August 4th official announcement of the Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins vs. Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev light heavyweight title unification fight, the boxing world has been waiting and wondering when and where the two will meet and put their respective titles on the line. The wait is over as Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events announced today that the fall's most anticipated boxing event will take place Saturday, Nov. 8 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ live on HBO World Championship Boxing.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, go on sale on Friday, Sept. 5 at noon ET and will be available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Both fighters have a history of big fights on the Jersey Shore as Hopkins has fought 19 times in Atlantic City, five of which took place at Boardwalk Hall. Kovalev fought his only two American title defenses in Atlantic City, both of which were knockouts. Most recently against Blake Caparello on August 2nd.
"Atlantic City is a second home to me," said Hopkins. "Some of my most memorable victories and greatest accomplishments of my career have taken place there including my fights against Antonio Tarver and Kelly Pavlik. I expect Philly to represent and come out to Boardwalk Hall to see me make history once again."
"I am happy to be back in Atlantic City," said Kovalev. "This is my third time fighting there, but this is the most special because this time I am facing the legendary Bernard Hopkins."
"November 8 is going to be a great night for boxing in Atlantic City, said Oscar De La Hoya, founder and president of Golden Boy Promotions. "I would like to thank Caesars Atlantic City, Global-Spectrum, the Atlantic City Alliance, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) for working together to bring this fight to the boardwalk, where east coast fans can get to see a historic fight between Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev and show the world what a big fight night is all about."
"This fight is exactly where it belongs," said Kathy Duva, Chief Executive Officer of Main Events. "Sergey Kovalev made his last two title defenses in Atlantic City and Bernard Hopkins fought much of his career there. Boardwalk Hall has a rich history in boxing and it holds a lot of great memories for Main Events, working in conjunction with Ken Condon and Caesars. I look forward to making some more memories on November 8th."
"We're thrilled to have one of the top boxing matches in the country here in Atlantic City," said John Palmieri, Executive Director of CRDA. "We've been known for hosting great fight events for many years, and we welcome the fans, as usual, to experience all the action at both Boardwalk Hall and throughout the city."
"Bernard Hopkins is a world champion athlete who grew up and trained in the greater Philadelphia area, just a short ride from Atlantic City, so this fight is going to be a great draw for the destination," said Kevin Ortzman, President and General Manager for Caesars, Bally's and Showboat Atlantic City. "Some of the greatest boxing matches and sporting events have been hosted in Historic Boardwalk Hall - and this November, Atlantic City will once again be the backdrop to one of the most historic bouts in the sport - Caesars is proud to sponsor this event and look forward to an entertaining weekend this fall."
Hopkins vs. Kovalev is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T and Hortitsia Vodka. The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.
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