RISING STARS JESSIE VARGAS & DEANDRE LATIMORE TO CO-HEADLINE SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION IN SEPARATE BOUTS ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 AT THE JOINT AT HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO LAS VEGAS

Local Fighters Take Center Stage in Front of Hometown Fans;

Televised Live on SHOWTIME^® at 11 p.m. ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, February 9 - Two rising Las Vegas stars with their sights set on world title fights in 2012 will step into the ring at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on Friday, February 24, when unbeaten welterweight Jessie Vargas and hard-hitting junior middleweight Deandre Latimore co-headline a ShoBox: The New Generationdoubleheader.

Both bouts, which are presented by Mayweather Promotions, are scheduled for 10 rounds and will be televised live on SHOWTIME^® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Doors open on fight night at 6 p.m. with the first fight beginning at 6:30 p.m.  Opponents for both fighters will be announced shortly. 

Tickets, priced at $100, $60, $30, $25, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $125, are on sale now and may be purchased at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Once considered the fight capital of the world's best kept secret, 22-year-old Jessie Vargas (17-0, 9 KO's) burst onto the global boxing scene in 2011 with a spectacular year that included early knockouts of former World Champion "Vicious" Vivian Harris and top contender Walter Estrada, but on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz in September, Vargas really showed off his skills and his heart when he scored a hard-fought decision win over then undefeated fellow rising star Josesito Lopez.  Now hoping to keep the momentum going in 2012, Vargas will headline his first ShoBox telecast on February 24.

Twenty six-year old southpaw Deandre "The Bull" Latimore (22-3, 17 KO's) is a six-year professional whose exciting style and knockout power always get the fans on their feet. Latimore is a former world title challenger whose 2009 split decision loss to Cory Spinks in their IBF World Championship fight was one of the most controversial of that year.  Bouncing back with wins in three of his next four fights, including two in a row, the St. Louis born Latimore is amped up for his first fight in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas and his first appearance on the acclaimed ShoBox series.

For more information, visit www.floydmayweather.com, follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/FloydMayweather,www.twitter.com/mayweatherpromowww.twitter.com/Jessie_Vargas or www.twitter.com/deandrelatimore or visit us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/FloydMayeweather,www.facebook.com/Mayweatherpromotions orwww.facebook.com/Jessie_Vargas.

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