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 It's been nearly a year since Bernard Hopkins defeated Kelly Pavlik in a 12-round unanimous decision. This week, the boxer revealed his next bout -- a fight against hard-hitting Enrique Ornelas in his hometown of Philly on December 2.
The 12-round light heavyweight bout, dubbed the "Broad Street Brawl," will take place at the Liacouras Center at Temple University, and will be televised live on VERSUS, the growing sports cable network at 8 p.m. ET.
In addition to fighting, Hopkins' match will be for charity, as he has committed to donating one dollar from each ticket sold to three select charities.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Philadelphia & Susquehanna Valley is one of them, to which Hopkins will donate in memory of Shaun Negler, one of his biggest fans, whose last wish was to attend Hopkins' fight against Joe Calzaghe before succumbing to brain cancer in late 2008 at the age of 18, will be one beneficiary. The second recipient of the fight's proceeds will be The Hero Thrill Show, an annual day of events designed to raise money for the education of relatives of deceased police and fire personnel killed in the line of duty while protecting Philadelphia. Finally, one dollar will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. in memory of Hopkins' deceased mother Shirley who suffered from breast cancer and in recognition of all those who are currently battling the disease.
"I'm thrilled about the opportunity to once again bring a fight to the city of Philadelphia," said Hopkins, the former middleweight champion who owns a perfect 10-0 record in Philly. "A lot has changed in my career since I fought here six years ago and I want to give my fans the chance to see me fight again at home. To top it off, a portion of the proceeds from this fight will go to three charities that are extremely important to me. December 2 is going to be a great night for boxing and a great night for Philadelphia."
"Fighting Bernard Hopkins is an honor and I thank him for the opportunity," added Ornelas. "But once the bell rings, I'm going to do everything in my power to beat him and show the world what I can do when the spotlight is shining brightest."
Tickets for the bout -- priced at $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25 -- will go on sale on Thursday, October 15 at 10 a.m. ET exclusively through ComcastTIX online at ComcastTIX.com, or by calling 1-800-298-4200, or in person at the Liacouras Center box office.
44 years young, Hopkins is back in action and eager to continue to show the young guns how it's done.
Enrique Ornelas (29-5, 19 KOs) has emerged from the shadow of his older brother, super middleweight contender Librado Andrade, and carved out his own niche in the fight game with his aggressive style and fight-ending power. Fresh off of a fourth round stoppage of Roberto Baro in July, the 29-year-old Los Angeles based native of Jesus Del Monte, Guanajuato Mexico is eager to put his mark in the history books by becoming one of the few fighters to own a win over Bernard Hopkins.
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