On Saturday, October 1st, Brian Vera will look to shock the boxing world, once again, when he squares off against top-rated middleweight contender, “Irish” Andy Lee (26-1, 19KO’s) in the much anticipated rematch between the two DiBella Entertainment stable-mates. Lee-Vera II is scheduled for 10 rounds, and will be co-feature bout to Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez’ (47-2-2, 26KO’s) middleweight title defense against undefeated European champion, “Dazzling” Darren Barker (23-0, 14KO’s). The fights are being presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Matchroom Sport, and Caesars Atlantic City, and is sponsored by Corona. The telecast will be aired live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.
Vera’s career has seen its fair share of ups and downs. After starting out at 14-0, Vera earned himself a spot on the second season of “The Contender”. In his first bout on the show, Vera was knocked out in two rounds by eventual season finalist, Jaidon Codrington. Vera bounced back two months later with a decision win over 14-1-1 Max Alexander and followed by the fightagainst Lee on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” in March 2008.
Lee came out fast, dropping Vera in the first, and it looked like the Irishman was going to walk right through the Vera. Not only was Vera able to survive, he began to slowly turn the tide. By the middle rounds, Vera had lured Lee into a war. In the seventh frame, with the two exchanging heavy blows, Vera caught Lee with a big punch and the referee jumped in, calling a halt to the contest,giving Vera the upset TKO victory.
Since that fight, the two middleweight contenders’ careers have gone in divergent paths. Lee has won 11 fights in a row, working his way into the top of the middleweight ratings (WBA #2, WBO #2, WBC #6). Vera, on the other hand, failed to capitalize on the Lee victory, losing his next three fights and had many boxing insiders saying that his career was coming to an end. Looking to prove he still had a lot left, Vera refocused himelf, winning three of his last four, including a third-round TKO over former super middleweight world title challenger, Sebastien Demers (31-2) and a 10-round decision victory over former junior middleweight world champion, Sergio Mora.
Now with the much anticipated rematch right around the corner, Vera is as confident as ever that the outcome will be the same.
“I am feeling great going into this fight. After the first win with Andy Lee, I had some management problems that were distracting. I have a good team around me now and I am very motivated to get this job done and look good doing it,” said Vera.
Vera continued, “The fight is going to play out the same way, the only difference is that I am going to look better and more skilled doing it. I am tougher and stronger than him. I proved that in our first fight, have proved it since, and, because of that, I will knock him out and derail his plans for the second time in his career.”
While just winning the fight, which will be Vera’s first ever on the HBO network, might be good enough for some fighters, it isn’t for Vera.
“Winning is a paramount in this game, but not only do I want to win in this fight, I want to win it in spectacular fashion, and stopping him is a way to accomplish that. This is going to be an exciting fight. Fights like these are good for boxing and good for the fans.”
Lee-Vera II is being presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Caesars Atlantic City, and is sponsored by Corona. The fight will be aired live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.
Tickets are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.
