FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THREE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS TO BE TELEVISED ON HOLMES/BUTTERBEAN PAY-PER-VIEW SHOW JULY 27 AT NORFOLK SCOPE

    NORFOLK, VA. (July 12, 2002) - The WIBF Intercontinental Super Middleweight crown will be on the line when Jacqui Frazier-Lyde (8-1, 8 KOs) challenges the European women's champion, Heidi Hartmann (2-0-1, 2 KOs), in one of three live televised title bouts on the Larry Holmes/Butterbean heavyweight pay-per-view card, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 27 at the Norfolk Scope.

    The undercard, announced by the promoters, DDP and PROSTAR, includes the NABF Middleweight championship bout between Carl "The Squirrel" Daniels (47-4-1, 30 KOs) and Mexico's Kirino Garcia (32-23-1, 25 KOs). Additionally, another top-flight Mexican fighter, Cosme "Chino" Rivera (23-7-2, 16 KOs) will challenge Golden "14-Karat" Johnson (22-5-2, 16 KOs) for the WBC Continental America's 140-pound title.

    The scheduled 10-round showdown between Larry "Easton Assassin" Holmes, former world heavyweight champion, and Eric "Butterbean" Esch, the IBA Super Heavyweight champion, is being tagged "RESPECT: One Will Give it, One Will Get It." The pay-per-view card can be seen live at 9 ET/6PT at a suggested retail price of $19.95. Live gate tickets for the show at the Norfolk Scope are also on sale at $25, $35 and $50. Tickets are available through Ticketmasters by calling (757) 671-8100. Tickets can also be purchased at the Norfolk Scope box office, located at 201 E. Brambleton in Norfolk, VA or by calling (757) 664-6464.

    Holmes (68-6, 44 KOs) claims his bout against Butterbean (63-2-3, 48 KOs) will be the 52-year-old's last ever appearance in the ring. However, Holmes' ties to the world heavyweight title won't be the only story of the night in Norfolk on Saturday, July 27. The daughter of former heavyweight champion "Smokin" Joe Frazier, Jacqui, looks for her first win since a fourth-round demolition last December of Suzie Taylor to capture the WIBF Light Heavyweight title. The single loss on the Philadelphia native's record occurred a year ago when she dropped a highly publicized majority decision to Laila Ali, the daughter of another former heavyweight champ, Muhammad Ali. Frazier-Lyde's last bout was June 4th and was ruled a no contest when her opponent, Erin Toughill, suffered a cut on her forehead from an accidental head butt in the third round and could not continue.

An accomplished kickboxer and contact sports expert, Heidi Hartmann, from Germany, has only fought three times over 2.5 years with both victories being crushing knockouts. Her first bout, November 27, 1999, was ruled a draw but she bounced back to stop Bianca Gulyas in the fifth-round and pounded Sone Jordana in a fourth-round TKO to claim the WIBF European Super Welterweight title 11 months ago.

    Carl Daniels is coming off a rugged setback to undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, which was held February 2. Battling heroically, the durable former world light middleweight champion was forced to succumb in the 10th round to Hopkins, considered by many to be the best "pound-for-pound" fighter in the world. Daniels' most heralded victory in a distinguished 13-year pro-career was a unanimous points win over heavy-handed Mexican and former world champion, Julio Cesar Green, in 1995 to capture the WBA 154-pound crown. Fighting out of St. Louis, the bout against Kirino Garcia will be Daniels' 10th championship fight.

Kirino Garcia, from Juarez, Mexico, got off to a rocky start dropping his first 18 professional fights. Since then, however, he has turned it around, running up an impressive 32-5 mark with one draw. The difference between the first and second halves of Garcia's career occurred when his manager put him in the ring with opponents who were between 10 and 20 pounds heavier to hone his ring toughness. This strange strategy seems to have worked. As the former Mexican Middleweight champion and WBC International Light Middleweight title holder, Garcia has beaten former world champions Meldrick Taylor, Simon Brown, as well as Frankie Randall and took another former world champion, David Reid, the 10-round distance at the peak of his career two years ago.

The reigning NABF Welterweight champ, Golden Johnson has sparred with the "Golden Boy," six-time world champion Oscar de la Hoya. He has fought very tough opposition, registering gallant efforts against top rated Ben Tackie of Ghana and former world champion, Shane Mosley. A product of the fertile high school football country of Killeen, Texas, Golden has posted several impressive wins while slugging his way up the boxing ranks. He's held numerous titles including the NABF, USBA and IBF Lightweight crowns. The cousin of former world boxing champion, Reggie Johnson, Golden has solid skills, speed and mobility. He has utilized a sharp jab and is most effective with a vicious, forceful body punch.

The current IBA welterweight champion, Cosme Rivera, is a tenacious boxer out of Huatabampo, Mexico, who has subdued his last two opponents, Hicklet Lau and Wilfredo Negron, in one-sided 12-round decisions. In fact, 10 of Rivera's last 11 bouts have been championship contests and the granite-chinned, hard-nosed champion has emerged the victor in six of those bouts. The superbly conditioned Rivera has gone the 12-round distance in his last four fights.

All bouts are subject to change.

RESPECT: One Will Give It, One Will Get It



MAIN EVENT: 10 Rounds HEAVYWEIGHT (Over 200 lbs.)
LARRY "Easton Assassin" HOLMES        ERIC "Butterbean" ESCH
Former World Heavyweight Champ IBA Super Heavyweight Champ
Easton, PA        Vs. Jasper, AL
68 -6, 44 KOs            63-2 -3, 48 KOs

10 Rounds - SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT (168 lbs.)
WIBF INTERCONTINENTAL SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
JACQUI "Sister Smoke" FRAZIER - LYDE         HEIDI HARTMANN
WIBA Light Heavyweight WIBF European Super Welterweight
Philadelphia, PA            Vs.          Oldenburg, Germany
8-1, 8 KOs                     2-0-1, 2 KOs

12 Rounds - MIDDLEWEIGHT (168 lbs.)
NABF MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
CARL "The Squirrel" DANIELS KIRINO GARCIA
St. Louis, MO Vs. Juarez, MEXICO
47-4 -1, 30 KOs            32-23-1, 25 KOs


12 Rounds - SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT (140 lbs.)
WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICA'S SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
GOLDEN "14-Karat" JOHNSON        COSME "Chino" RIVERA
NABF Welterweight Champion IBA America's Welterweight Champ
Killeen, TX Vs.    Huatabampo, Mexico
22-5-2, 16 KOs                 23 - 7 - 2, 16 KOs


CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE


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