Karl Freitag
Editor-In-Chief
Fightnews.com

Replay or Revenge?
Torres-Holt rematch will sort out unfinished business

July 2, 2008

By Karl Freitag

Photo: Chris Cozzone

"I don't remember the first fight being controversial at all," says WBO junior welterweight champion Ricardo Torres (32-1, 28 KOs) about his TKO11 win over Kendall Holt (23-2, 12 KOs) last September in Barranquilla, Colombia. "I beat Holt fair and square."

Holt, on the other hand, remembers something completely different. "I was just prepared to face Torres," he states. "I didn't prepare to face the hostile crowd. I didn't prepare to face a referee who was making a lot of mistakes."

Holt and Torres are set to settle the score once and for all on a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation this Saturday, July 5, live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). The rematch will take place at the Planet Hollywood hotel in Las Vegas.

The Holt camp says the hostile crowd in Colombia showered the ring with full beer cans and bottles, that someone from Torres' camp grabbed Holt's leg during the bout, that referee Gino Rodriguez lost control of the situation, and that the fight was stopped prematurely. Holt also recalls that he was hit in the face by a full beer can someone from the audience hurled into the ring after he had knocked down Torres in round six.

"Holt didn't get hit with anything," counters Torres. "The only thing he got hit with was my punches. That's why he went down. As far as I'm concerned, obviously the WBO, it was a fair win.....Holt should be grateful for the way he was treated in Barranquilla. He was treated as a very nice guest. He got everything he needed while he was there. He got treated better than I do in my own country!"

The champion gave this warning for Saturday night. "In the ring, there are just two of us. It doesn't matter where we fight. It's just going to be me and him."

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