HBO SPORTS SERVES UP A DOUBLEHEADER OF FURIOUS ACTION WHEN
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®: JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ VS.
JUAN DIAZ AND CHRIS JOHN VS. ROCKY JUAREZ
IS SEEN LIVE SATURDAY, FEB. 28 ON HBO
HBO Sports presents a doubleheader of furious ring action when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ VS. JUAN DIAZ AND CHRIS JOHN VS. ROCKY JUAREZ is presented live SATURDAY, FEB. 28 (10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT) from the Toyota Center in Houston, exclusively on HBO. The WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Emanuel Steward will be ringside for the event, which will be presented in HDTV and in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Other HBO playdate: March 1 (8:00 a.m.)
The highly anticipated main event pits former featherweight and super featherweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez (49-4-1, 36 KOs) from Mexico City, Mexico against former lightweight champ Juan Diaz (34-1, 17 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round blockbuster lightweight title contest. Competing for only the second time as a lightweight, Marquez looks to make a statement in his new division by taking on Diaz in his hometown for the belts vacated when Nate Campbell was unable to make weight for his Feb. 14 defense. The popular and engaging former unified lightweight champion, Diaz seeks to reestablish himself in the division and regain championship status.
The evening opens with undefeated featherweight title-holder Chris John (42-0-1, 22 KOs), from Jakarta, Indonesia, battling Houston’s Rocky Juarez (28-4, 20 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round bout. John has fought his entire career in Indonesia, Japan and Australia, and now puts his title on the line in his American debut. Top-rated challenger Juarez was last seen scoring an 11th-round victory over Jorge Barios on HBO in September.