HBO's late-night boxing series heats up with an explosive doubleheader when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: DANIEL PONCE DE LEON VS. REY BAUTISTA AND JHONNY GONZALEZ VS. GERRY PENALOSA is presented SATURDAY, AUG. 11 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT), from the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, as well as closed-captioned for the hearing impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.
In the main event, junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (31-1, 28 KOs) of Chihuahua, Mexico puts his title on the line against undefeated contender Rey Bautista (23-0, 17 KOs), from Cebu City, Philippines, in a scheduled 12-round bout. Ponce De Leon, a 26-year-old southpaw, has defended his crown three times. His opponent in this 122-pound bout is the dangerous Bautista who can knock out any fighter with either hand, despite being just 20 years old.
In the opening bout, bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez (34-5, 29 KOs), from Mexico City, takes on former world champion Gerry Penalosa (51-6-2, 34 KOs), of Manila, Philippines in a title fight scheduled for 12 rounds. Gonzalez, who is considered one of boxing's hardest pound-for-pound punchers, looks to clean out the rest of the 118-pound division with a win. Penalosa, a seasoned southpaw with almost 18 years of pro experience, has won five of six bouts since ending a two-year layoff in 2004.