As a world champion, Ruiz never backed down from a challenge, having faced mandatory contenders and top-rated fighters every time he defended his title. His penchant for squaring off against tough competition is also evidenced by his non-title fights of the decade with him having faced the likes of former World Champion Ruslan Chagaev and four-time world title challenger Jameel McCline. No one in the heavyweight division can compare to the record of success against top competition that the 17-year professional has racked up and he will continue his fearless trek into the history books with his 12th world title fight when he faces David “Hayemaker” Haye in the spring of 2010.

The date and location for Haye vs. Ruiz will be announced shortly. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing.

Contacts: Ramiro Gonzalez/Monica Sears, Golden Boy Promotions: (213) 489-5631
Bob Trieger, Full Court Press, (978) 664.4482

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Golden Boy Promotions 2009 Year End Newsletter!

Personally and professionally, 2009 was one of the most memorable years of my life. It was the year I retired from the sport that I had competed in since I was a child, which was a bittersweet moment, but at the same time, I had the opportunity to be involved with another great year of events as President of Golden Boy Promotions. It was a year in which we raised the bar even higher and delivered the best fights and events to boxing fans around the world. As big as this past year was, our work is far from done, and we expect an even bigger year in 2010. Thank you for all your support over the last year.

Happy Holidays,
Oscar de la Hoya
President - Golden Boy Promotions

OSCAR DE LA HOYA RETIRES
When boxing historian write about the sport a hundred years from now, the career of Mr. Oscar de la Hoya will certainly receive a prominent chapter. A ten-time World Champion in six weight divisions, the "Golden Boy" decided to hang up his gloves and retire from the fight game at the age of 36 on April 14, 2009 after a storied career that began at the age of five and that will certainly land him in Canastota's International Boxing Hall of Fame.

This is the love of my life, boxing is my passion, boxing is what I was born to do," said De La Hoya, who also won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1992. "When I can't do it anymore, when I can't compete at the highest level, it's not fair. It's not fair to me, it's not fair to the fans, it's not fair to anybody."

Winner of World Championships in every weight class from junior lightweight to middleweight, De La Hoya's final 39-6 (30 KO's) record includes fights against a Who's Who of the sport, including Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins, Sugar Shane Mosley, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, Julio Cesar Chavez, Felix "Tito" Trinidad, Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker, "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas, Ike "Bazooka" Quartey, Arturo "Thunder" Gatti, Genaro "Chicanito" Hernandez, Hector "Macho" Camacho and Jesse James Leija.

Despite walking away from boxing as an active fighter, De La Hoya still had plenty on his plate, this year including a part in a popular EA Sports commercial and an appearance as a downloadable playable character in the company's hit Fight Night Round 4 video game. De La Hoya also saw his MLS team, the Houston Dynamo, complete another stellar season as they made it to the Western Conference Championship game. He made a host of television appearances, including one on his good friend George Lopez's new series, "Lopez Tonight."

Like many boxers do after retirement, De La Hoya felt like he had one big fight left in him, so he competed in that big fight - literally - against 7 foot 1 NBA great Shaquille O'Neal on the series "SHAQ VS.," and emerged victorious via unanimous decision.

Now it's time to enjoy retirement, wait for that Hall of Fame phone call, and continue to promote big fight cards featuring boxing's stars of today and tomorrow.

IN THE RING
Golden Boy Promotions came out of the gate fast in 2009 and kept on running through a memorable year filled with spectacular events and memorable performances. Here's a look back at some of the most important moments of 2009: 
                       
January 24 - Sugar Shane Mosley vs. Antonio Margarito - STAPLES Center - Los Angeles, CA - HBO World Championship Boxing
This highly anticipated welterweight showdown shattered the attendance record for ANY event in STAPLES Center history, with 20,820 fans showing up to witness Sugar Shane Mosley turning back the clock with a vintage performance that resulted in a ninth round TKO of Antonio "The Tornado" Margarito and earned Sugar Shane the WBA Welterweight World Championship.

                         
February 28 - Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz; Chris John vs. Rocky Juarez - Toyota Center - Houston, Texas - HBO World Championship Boxing
In one of the best fights of the year, Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz shot out to an early lead against future Hall of Famer Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez before a packed house at the Toyota Center. With his trademark ability to make adjustments mid-fight, the resilient Marquez roared back en route to a ninth round TKO win that made him a two-belt World Champion in the lightweight division. In the co-feature, Featherweight World Champion Chris "The Dragon" John and Ricardo Rocky Juarez battled it out for 12 rounds that were so close that all three judges scored the fight 114-114, setting the stage for a late year rematch.
March 7 - James Kirkland vs. Joel Julio; Victor Ortiz vs. Mike Arnaoutis; Robert Guerrero vs. Daud Yordan - HP Pavilion - San Jose, California - HBO Boxing After Dark

In a tripleheader that reminded fight fans what the Boxing After Dark series truly represented, three rising stars took to the ring to show the world what they could do. When the smoke cleared, James Kirkland halted Joel Julio in six rounds, "Vicious" Victor Ortiz made a statement with a second round TKO of "Mighty" Mike Arnaoutis and Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero fought to a two round no decision with Daud "Cino" Yordan.

April 4 - Edwin Valero vs. Antonio Pitalua; Jesus Chavez vs. Michael Katsidis; Carlos Hernandez vs. Vicente Escobedo; Julio Diaz vs. Rolando Reyes - Frank Erwin Center - Austin, Texas - PPV

Continuing to lead the way as boxing innovators, GBP presented one of the most talent rich pay-per-view events ever with "Lightweight Lightning". In the main event, Edwin "El Inca" Valero continued to impress boxing fans with his second round TKO of Antonio Pitalua. Also in action that night, Michael "The Great" Katsidis stopped Jesus "El Matador" Chavez in the eighth round, Vicente "Chente" Escobedo decisioned Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez and Rolando "Pochito" Reyes scored a TKO over Julio "The Kidd" Diaz in the fifth round.

April 4 - Librado Andrade vs. Vitali Tsypko - Bell Centre - Montreal, Canada - Showtime Championship Boxing held on the same night as "Lightweight Lightning", Librado Andrade pounded out a 12-round decision win over Vitali Tsypko in a world title eliminator bout that earned Andrade a rematch with Super Middleweight World Champion Lucian Bute.

April 11 - Winky Wright vs. Paul Williams - Mandalay Bay Events Center - Las Vegas, Nevada - HBO World Championship Boxing

It had been nearly two years since one of boxing's best, Winky Wright, graced the ring. Never one to back down from a challenge, on April 11th he returned to face one the best and most feared fighters in the game today in Paul "The Punisher" Williams. Although he fell short of victory after a hard fought 12 rounds, Wright has vowed to get him back in the championship race in 2010. 
                      
May 2 - Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton - MGM Grand Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, Nevada - HBO PPV

                       
In a bout that captivated boxing fans in the United States and worldwide, the Philippines' Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao continued to establish himself as one of the best in the world with his second round knockout win over Manchester, England's favorite son, Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton. The event drew close to a million pay-per-view buys in the United States and over a million pay-per-view buys in the United Kingdom.

June 11 - 'Fight Night Club' - Club Nokia at LA Live - Los Angeles, California - VERSUS & RingTV.com
           
GBP and AEG launched their unique 'Fight Night Club' series on VERSUS and RingTV.com with a stellar card featuring some of the prospects from best Southern California. David Rodela, Charles Huerta, Luis Ramos Jr., Jose Ramos and Ricky Lopez all emerged victorious on the opening night of the series, which became a huge hit on the LA boxing scene.

June 26 - Daniel Jacobs vs. George Walton - Desert Diamond Casino - Tucson, Arizona - ESPN2's Friday Night Fights

Former amateur star and hot prospect Daniel "The Golden Child" Jacobs headlined his first ESPN2 Friday Night Fights against his toughest opponent to date, the veteran George Walton. Jacobs continued to shine brightly as he became the first fighter to halt the iron chinned Walton in the eighth round to improve to 17-0 as a professional.

June 27 - Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana - STAPLES Center - Los Angeles, California - HBO Boxing After Dark

In one of the year's most memorable bouts, Argentine Marcos "El Chino" Maidana outlasted local favorite "Vicious" Victor Ortiz in an action-packed slugfest that saw both fighters hit the canvas a total of four times before Maidana scored a sixth round TKO in a match that was a Fight of the Year candidate.

August 22 - Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi; Robert Guerrero vs. Malcolm Klassen; Daniel Jacobs vs. Ishe Smith - Toyota Center - Houston, Texas - HBO Boxing After Dark

Now a graduate of the University of Houston - Downtown, Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz returned to the ring following his epic February battle with Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez to take on brash New Yorker Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi. The two young stars fought it out tooth and nail for 12 closely contested rounds. When it was over, Diaz had his hand raised, but it was clear that all fight fans wanted to see a rematch of this entertaining fight between a heavy puncher and slick boxer. Also in action that night, Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero won the IBF Junior Lightweight World Title with a dominating 12-round decision win over Malcolm Klassen and Daniel "The Golden Child" Jacobs scored the biggest win of his career as he defeated Ishe "Sugar Shay" Smith.

September 19 - Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez - MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, Nevada - HBO PPV
      
Pound for pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather returned after nearly two years away from the sport and didn't lose a step as he scored a near-shutout decision win over Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez to improve to 40-0 with 25 KO's. The bout was a victory outside the ring as well, as the eagerly-anticipated showdown garnered over one million pay-per-view buys, making it only the third non-
heavyweight pay-per-view to break the one million buy mark. In undercard action, WBA Featherweight World Champion Chris "The Dragon" John faced Ricardo Rocky Juarez in a rematch of their February bout and John pounded out a unanimous decision win to move to 43-0 and retain his title, while Michael "The Great" Katsidis won a hard fought 12-round split decision over Vicente "Chente" Escobedo to win the interim WBO Lightweight World Title.

October 10 - Israel Vazquez vs. Angel Priolo - Nokia Theater - Los Angeles, California - HBO Plus / Fox Sports En Espanol

After more than a year and a half on the sidelines, pound for pound superstar Israel "El Magnifico" Vazquez stepped back through the ropes and put on an exciting performance in coming from behind dramatic fashion to stop always tough Angel Priolo in the ninth round, setting the stage for a stellar 2010 campaign.

November 7 - Nikolai Valuev vs. David Haye - Arena Nuremberger - Nuremberg, Germany - PPV
                    
Despite giving up 99 pounds in weight and nine inches in height, former Cruiserweight World Champion David "Hayemaker" Haye used his speed, boxing ability and power extremely effectively against the Russian giant Nikolai "The Russian Giant" Valuev, even stunning him and almost knocking him down in the fight's final frame, en route to winning a 12-round decision that earned him the WBA Heavyweight World Title and injected some much needed life into the division.

November 28 - Lucian Bute vs. Librado Andrade II; Ali Funeka vs. Joan Guzman - Colisee Pepsi - Quebec City, Canada - HBO Boxing After Dark

The atmosphere was electric in the Colisee Pepsi as Librado Andrade and Super Middleweight World Champion Lucian Bute met for the second time in one of the most anticipated sporting events in Quebec City history which sold out in less than two hours. On this night, Bute emerged victorious, but you can expect to see Andrade back in action and in the title hunt in 2010. In the co-main event, t
wo-division World Champion Joan Guzman and the rugged Ali Funekabattled for 12 rounds for the vacant IBF Lightweight World Title in a bout that ended in a draw.

December 2 - Bernard Hopkins vs. Enrique Ornelas - The Liacouras Center at Temple University - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - VERSUS

                      
It was a Philadelphia homecoming for the legendary Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins in the first Golden Boy Promotions East event. "The Executioner" didn't disappoint as he decisioned the game Enrique Ornelas to earn his 50th professional victory and set the stage for big fights in 2010. The fight marked Hopkins' first in Philadelphia since 2003 and also had a philanthropic element with one dollar from each ticket purchased being donated by Hopkins to three charities: Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Philadelphia & Susquehanna Valley, The Hero Thrill Show and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. with Golden Boy Promotions matching Hopkins' donations.

December 12 - Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi II; Victor Ortiz vs. Antonio Diaz - UIC Pavilion - Chicago, Illinois - HBO Boxing After Dark

GBP closed out 2009 in Chicago by giving Windy City fight fans a doubleheader to remember. In the main event, Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi evened the score with Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz via a 12-round unanimous decision. In the co-feature, "Vicious" Victor Ortiz got back on the winning track with a stoppage of rugged veteran Antonio "Toño" Diaz.

GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS CLOSE-UP
By promoting or co-promoting almost 50 shows in 10 countries on 6 television networks, Golden Boy Promotions made sure fans around the world had the opportunity to see the best fights and fighters on a consistent basis. Boxing fans responded with record viewing numbers, as Golden Boy's 2009 pay-per-view events were seen in over two million homes domestically including over one million pay-per-view buys for the September showdown between Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez, which was one of the largest pay-pay-view events ever and solidified Mayweather as one of the all time greatest pay-per-view attractions.

            
2009 saw GBP partner with AEG for its new which featured live monthly boxing in a night club atmosphere. It also continued its HBO Plus series "Next Boxing Generation" which visited 6 countries in 2009, making fans all over Latin America.

But for most fight fans, nothing beats being in the arena for a big fight and Golden Boy went worldwide in 2009 promoting or co-promoting fights not only in nine states across the country, but also around the globe, including countries such as Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and Uruguay.

Here in the States, the Sugar Shane Mosley vs. Antonio "The Tornado" Margarito bout produced record-breaking attendance numbers at Los Angeles' STAPLES Center, showing the boxing world that LA fight fans are just as eager for a good matchup as anywhere in the world. East Coast fans weren't shut out of the action either, as Golden Boy Promotions East put on its first event in Philadelphia on December 2 when boxing legend Bernard Hopkins defeated Enrique Ornelas. In addition, Golden Boy had a presence around the rest of the country as well including the Midwest, making two stops in the Windy City of Chicago and the Southwest with two huge events in Houston.

While the traditional forms of experiencing boxing were certainly in full bloom this year, new technology was added to the mix with Golden Boy putting itself on the cutting edge in 2009 with live internet streams of "Fight Night Club" in Los Angeles, the launching of the company Twitter account (http://twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing) and the formation of its online merchandise store (goldenboystore.com).

THE CHAMPS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW ARE HERE
As home to some of the best fighters in the world, Golden Boy Promotions continued to grow its roster of current and future world champions throughout the year. As 2009 comes to a close, Sugar Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez, David "Hayemaker" Haye, Chris "The Dragon" John and Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero all sit atop the boxing world with world title belts around their waists.

                                 

Who will join them in the future?
Will it be some of Golden Boy's veterans such as Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins, Librado Andrade, Jorge "La Hiena" Barrios, Joel "Cepillo" Casamayor, Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz, Antonio Escalante, Vicente "Chente" Escobedo, Ricardo Rocky Juarez, Enrique Ornelas, Gerry Penalosa, Daniel Ponce De Leon or Israel "El Magnifico" Vazquez?

Or will future World Champions come from the crop of established former World Champions who signed with Golden Boy this past year like Nate "The Galaxxy Warrior" Campbell, Joan "Little Tyson" Guzman, Vivian "Vicious" Harris, Jorge "El Niño de Oro" Linares and Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora?

One might also look to Golden Boy's impressive list of undefeated rising stars already working their way up the ranks to find World Champions of tomorrow including Rock Allen, Adrien "The Problem" Broner, Pablo Cesar Cano, Jermell Charlo, Danny "Swift" Garcia, Luis Enrique Grajeda, Daniel "The Golden Child" Jacobs, Erislandy Lara, Abner Mares, Lucas Matthysse, Craig McEwan, Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell, Marco Antonio Periban, Hector Sanchez, Carlos Velasquez, Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder and Hylon "Lil' Ced" Williams.
                                        
You may also want to start looking at the new crop of prospects who joined the Golden Boy team in 2009 - Omar Figueroa, Carlos Molina, Mike Perez, Luis Ramos Jr., Ronny Rios and Derrick Wilson - to see World Champions of tomorrow.

Any way you look at it, the future looks bright for Golden Boy.
THE OSCAR DE LA HOYA FOUNDATION
The Golden Boy Promotions team wasn't just busy in the ring in 2009, as the Oscar de la Hoya Foundation saw one of its busiest and most fruitful years yet. The Foundation was created over 14 years ago with the goal of bringing a better quality of life to those in the Los Angeles area. De La Hoya was ranked number five by Parade Magazine amongst the top celebrities who give back to their communities with his foundation benefiting the Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School, the Cecilia Gonzalez de la Hoya Cancer Center and the Oscar de la Hoya Children's Medical Center, both located at the White Memorial Hospital as well as numerous after school programs.

10th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament - June 1
                        
Celebrities including Oscar de la Hoya, George Lopez, Joe Pesci, Andy Garcia and "Piolin" played at the Lakeside Golf Club and helped to raise money for the continued success of the Foundation.

Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School
Founded in 2003 with the permanent facility opening on September 14 of this year.               

                        
Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening took place on October 29.
Built on the site of De La Hoya's former youth center and boxing gym.
Funded by over of 4.5 million dollars donated by the Oscar de la Hoya Foundation.
A student body consisting of 550 students in grades 9-12.
Facility Features 51,281 Square Feet of space on 0.81 Acres, 25 Classrooms including 4 Science Labs, 1 Computer Lab and a boxing gym.
In the past three years, the school has graduated 322 students with 72% of those being accepted into four-year universities.
Ranked 53rd among America's Best 100 High Schools by the U.S. News and World Report in December 2008.
Named a California Distinguished School in 2009.
First public school to open in Boyle Heights in 80 years.

"Providing our children a high-quality education and a safe environment is the best gift we can give them. Every student in the world should have access to a free, high-quality public education that prepares them for life. I encourage more people from the private and public sectors to take a more active role in education reform." -Oscar de la Hoya

13th Annual Turkey Giveaway - November 22
Golden Boy's current and future World Champion fighters helped pass out more than 500 turkeys at the Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School in East Los Angeles.
                       
28th Annual Miracle on 1st Street Toy Giveaway Program - December 19
Golden Boy fighters participated in a toy giveaway along with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Hollenbeck Youth Center in Los Angeles.
               
Cecilia Gonzalez de la Hoya Cancer Center:
Located at White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, CA
Over 1300 free cancer screenings provided.
Over 1500 free mammograms provided to uninsured women.
Over 900 patients treated in the Infusion Center with Chemotherapy for cancer care.
Over 600 patients treated in Radiation Oncology for cancer care.

Oscar de la Hoya Children's Medical Center:
Located at White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, CA
Admitted 435 infants to the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit.
Delivered 3,637 infants in the Labor & Delivery Department.
Offered free H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines to the high risk
individuals.
MISC. NEWS

AWARDS:
The work the Golden Boy Promotions team put forth in 2009 - in and out of the ring - certainly speaks for itself, but it's always fulfilling to earn recognition from one's peers, and that was the case as award season kicked in.
Oscar de la Hoya - Lifetime Achievement Sports Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation
Oscar de la Hoya - Lifetime Achievement Alma Award in Sports Television from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
Golden Boy Promotions - WBO Promoter of the Year
Golden Boy Promotions - WBA North American Promoter of the Year
Juan Manuel Marquez - WBO Fighter of the Year.
Juan Manuel Marquez - Tecate Athlete of the Year Premios Tecate
Juan Manuel Marquez - Tecate Boxer of the Year Premios Tecate
David Haye - WBA Honorable Mention Fighter of the Year
Chris John - WBA Fighter of the Year.
Chris John vs. Rocky Juarez - WBA Honorable Mention Fight of the Year.
Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana - WBA Fight of the Year
Victor Ortiz - Rising Star of the Year Premios Tecate
Juan Diaz - University of Houston - Downtown College Graduation with Academic Recognition from the Political Science Department

2009 SPONSOR HIGHLIGHTS:
It was a big year for sponsor activation for Golden Boy Promotions including thousands of hits on newsstands, online marketing campaigns, in-store activation, in radio and TV commercials and much more. We look forward to our continued relationships with our sponsors and growing the GBP brand in 2010.

A special thanks to all of our sponsors from 2009...

A SNEAK PEAK AT 2010
With 2009 behind us, Golden Boy Promotions looks forward to a HUGE 2010. Here's a glimpse into 2010:
                               
Six-Time World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley will be back in action against WBC Welterweight World Champion Andre Berto in a 12-round bout on January 30 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center which will be televised live on HBO's World Championship Boxing.
                             
Look out for the return of one of the sports greatest match ups of all time, as Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez are expected to meet for the fourth time. The first three fights will go down as one of the greatest trilogies in the history of boxing, and they want to top it off with a fourth fight to satisfy boxing fans around the world who are hungry for more.

GBP and AEG are excited to announce the return of their hit monthly boxing series, "Fight Night Club." The series will run from February through October, live from Club Nokia at LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles.

All content and photo's compliments of Monica Sears and Golden Boy Promotions.

Stay tuned for more BIG news from Golden Boy...

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID HAYE ON WINNING THE
HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE THIS PAST SATURDAY!
"HAYEMAKER" BECOMES GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS'
NEWEST HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION
FOLLOWING WIN OVER NIKOLAI VALUEV

LOS ANGELES, November 9 - It was a historic night in the Arena Nürnberger Versicherung in Nuremberg, Germany Saturday night, as London's David "Hayemaker" Haye became the first British-born Heavyweight World Champion since Lennox Lewis and joined Evander Holyfield as the only former Cruiserweight World Champions to own a heavyweight title. Haye defeated seven-foot giant Nikolai Valuev via majority decision to claim the WBA Heavyweight World Title becoming Golden Boy Promotions' newest Heavyweight World Champion.

"We're very proud of David and what he accomplished Saturday night," said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. "The odds were stacked against him, but he kept his focus, stuck to his game plan and put that title belt around his waist. This is a new era for the heavyweight division and I can't wait to see what mountains David will climb next."

"David looked tremendous during his 12-round battle with Valuev," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "I'm really impressed with his skills inside of the ring and his charisma outside of the ring. We are going to do everything we can to get David the big fights so he can unify the heavyweight division and put it back on the boxing map."

The charismatic Haye (23-1, 21 KO's) has been one of the UK's most popular boxing figures thanks to his exciting style, punching power, charisma and quick wit. He won the Cruiserweight World Title in just his 21st professional fight when he knocked out Jean-Marc Mormeck in seven rounds in 2007, and then quickly unified three of the cruiserweight titles in his next fight by stopping Enzo Maccarinelli in two rounds. He began his assault on the heavyweight division in 2008 and on Saturday night, the six-foot three inch, 218-pound Haye gave up nearly a foot in height and 98 pounds in weight to Russia's Valuev, but with a disciplined and effective fight plan, the 29-year-old earned the WBA Heavyweight World Title by scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 114-114.

The Golden Boy Promotions team congratulates David Haye, it's newest Heavyweight World Champion and will announce future plans for Haye shortly.

Contacts: Ramiro Gonzalez/Monica Sears, Golden Boy Promotions: (213) 489-5631