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Atlantic City, NJ—Welterweights Ronald Cruz and Manuel Guzman, who live and train within forty miles of each other in Pennsylvania, will take their in-state rivalry to New Jersey when they meet in an eight-round contest Saturday evening, April 23, in the Palladium Ballroom at Caesars Atlantic City.
The Cruz-Guzman fight will serve as the semifinal to the scheduled 12-round main event which features Omar Sheika, of Paterson, NJ, against Garrett Wilson, of Philadelphia, PA, for the vacant United States Boxing Association (USBA) cruiserweight title. The first of seven fights begins at 7.30 p.m. in the 1,450-seat ballroom, the first time it has been used for boxing.
Cruz, 24, of Bethlehem, PA, is coming off a pair of strong performances. He knocked out Jeremy Bryan, of Paterson, NJ, last Oct. 30 at Bally’s Atlantic City, then followed with a third-round K0 over Dillet Frederick, of Fort Myers, FL, on Feb. 26 in the same ring.
A pro less than 28 months, Cruz is 11-0, 8 K0s.
Guzman, 28, of Lancaster, PA, comes into this fight having lost an eight-round decision to former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali last Dec. 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Ali is unbeaten in 11 pro fights himself.
Prior to that, Guzman got off the floor in the first round and knocked out Ardrick Butler, of Philadelphia, PA, in two rounds July 9, 2010, at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall.
A pro since 2006, Guzman is 7-10-2, 3 K0s. He has never been stopped and was the first boxer to beat then-undefeated Tommy Rainone, of New York, in 2008.
Five additional fights complete the card.
Tickets priced at $50 and $75 are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing Promotions (215-765-0922) and all Ticketmaster outlets (800-736-1420). They also can be purchased online at www.peltzboxing.com and www.Ticketmaster.com.
