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10/08/2007 Archived Entry: "Angel 'Toro' Hernandez - 'Mexican Warrior' Personified!"
Angel 'Toro' Hernandez - 'Mexican Warrior' Personified!
Chicago’s Most Exciting Fighter Returns to the Ring Just in Time for Hispanic Heritage Month (through Oct. 15)
ESPN Deportes Poll- Favorite Sports in Hispanic Households:1) Boxing (62%), 2) Soccer (61%), 3) MLB (59%), 6) NFL (50%)
Press Release
Photo by Juan C. Ayllon
Angel Hernandez on right with the CBZ's Jorge Bravo
CHICAGO, September 26, 2007 - After 18 months of inactivity due to a promotional conflict (not with Don King), one of boxing’s most exciting fighters, Angel “Toro” Hernandez (27-6, 16 KOs), returns to the ring on Don King’s October 13th “El Dia de Los Diaz” event at the Sears Centre. Toro, a Chicago resident and fight fan favorite, faces former Chicago Golden Gloves Champ, Louis Turner (11-0), in an 8-round middleweight bout.
Having fought in memorable wars on HBO, HBO Latino, ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” Telemundo and at Chicago venues including the Allstate Arena, Hernandez is a fight fan's dream. Entering every fight with a carefully laid out game plan, Toro can be a skilled boxer when he chooses to be. However, once he gets tagged, the plan typically goes out the window and “the war” that Angel is notorious for, is on.
Hernandez, the former NABF champion, knows that this is a “must win” situation. Over his illustrious career, he has won 27 bouts and lost 6, all in impressive fashion, against some of the sports very best boxers including Winky Wright, JC Candelo, Kassim Ouma and Wilfredo Rivera.
After winning his first 13 fights, Hernandez, a relative new comer, stepped way up in class to face Puerto Rican star Wilfredo Rivera (28-3), a fighter who was in the prime of his career. Hernandez would suffer his first loss, a 10-round decision, against Rivera, a fighter whose losses read like badges of honor. Rivera dropped two decision losses to Hall of Famer, Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker. Rivera’s other loss came at the hands of another superstar in his prime, Oscar de La Hoya. Those three bouts were all for the WBC welterweight title.
But this loss was more of a win for Hernandez’ career. This performance put the division on notice that there was another great Mexican warrior on the horizon. Since then, Toro has packed venues with fans who know exactly what they will witness when he steps in the ring- a Mexican warrior at work.
Angel’s big shot came when he was tapped to fight IBF light middleweight champion Winky Wright (45-3) in the co-main event of the HBO Pay-Per-View mega-fight, Roy Jones Jr. vs. Antonio Tarver I. In a display of heart and sheer will to win, Hernandez lost a 12-round decision to the sport’s most skilled and elusive boxer, but gained many new fans for his gut-check performance.
Born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, Angel’s father was a professional baseball player who pitched for the Mexico City Red Devils. Invited to try-out for the NY Yankees, Angel’s dad suffered a career ending injury before he could realize the dream of playing for the famed NY team.
In 1992, after his father was killed in an auto accident, the family moved to Chicago. In Mexico, Toro dreamed of being a pitcher like his father, but turned to boxing not long after arriving in the Windy City.
Married with 3 kids, Hernandez (bi-lingual, of course) lives in Chicago near Cellular Field. Julio Hernandez, Angel’s brother and manager, is a personality on the wildly popular WOJO morning radio show “El Pistolero.”
About El Dia de Los Diaz:
One of the most exciting prizefighters in the sport of boxing today, undefeated World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization lightweight champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, and the reigning International Boxing Federation lightweight champion Julio “The Kidd” Diaz will meet in a compelling lightweight world-title unification match at Chicagoland’s new Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on Saturday, Oct. 13.
Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100, $75 and $35 are available from the Sears Centre Box Office, select AMCORE Bank Outlets, by phone at 1-888-SEARSTIX, or on-line at www.searscentre.com.
“El Dia de Los Diaz” (“Day of the Diaz”) will also feature a full undercard of domestically non-televised attractions headlined by Chicago’s emerging heavyweight contender “Merciless” Mike Mollo (18-1, 11 KOs), taking on another Chicago fight-fan favorite Art “The Polish Warrior” Binkowski (16-1-3, 11 KOs). Mollo stunned Mike Tyson conqueror Kevin McBride with a second-round stoppage in Chicago on Oct. 7.
The event is being promoted by Don King Productions in association with Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Sears Centre. The main event will be telecast on HBO’s Boxing After Dark series beginning at 11 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT (tape delayed on the West Coast).
