J.C. CANDELO VS ANGEL HERNANDEZ FOR VACANT NABF

January 3, 2002 - Promoters Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions, and Bobby Hitz /Bobby Hitz Boxing Promotions, Inc., will present a sensational double championship fight card on Friday, January 25, 2002, at the Ramada Plaza Hotel O'Hare, located at 6600 N. Mannheim Road in Rosemont, Illinois. The event will be a special telecast, the first of its kind, on ESPN and ESPN2. The Johnson-Tarver
fight will headline a 1 ½-hour telecast on ESPN from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM (Central Time). At its conclusion, the Reid-Tackie fight will headline a 1 ½-hour telecast on ESPN2 from 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM (Central Time).

ELIMINATOR REGGIE JOHNSON VS ANTONIO TARVER 42-6-1, 24 KOs, Houston, Tx. 18-1, 16 KOs, Orlando, Fl. In the main event of the ESPN telecast, North American Boxing Federation and United States Boxing Association light heavyweight champion Reggie "Sweet" Johnson, 42-6-1, with 24 knockouts, of Houston, Tx., will defend the titles against Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver, 18-1, with 16 knockouts, of Orlando, Fl. In addition to the two titles, the fight will an IBF eliminator to determine the No. 1 ranked
light heavyweight contender and mandatory challenger for the IBF world title.
REGGIE "Sweet" JOHNSON… · NABF light heavyweight champion, one successful defense… · USBA light heavyweight champion… · Rated WBC #2, IBF #2, WBO #4, WBA #5… · World championship fights: 7-5… · Former IBF light heavyweight world champion, two successful defenses...

· Former WBA middleweight world champion, three successful defenses... · Former USBA middleweight champion, three successful title defenses... A former two-time world champion, Reggie scored impressive wins against top-ten ranked contenders in his last two fights. He said, "Our division is alive and well. Light heavyweight is the place to be right now. This is a great time to be the NABF and USBA light heavyweight champion. After January 25, all roads to championships will cross Reggie Johnson Boulevard. And there is a stop light there for those expecting to pass through." Reggie has fought top opposition, including current or former world champions Roy Jones Jr., William Guthrie, Jorge Castro twice, John David Jackson, Steve Collins, and James Toney.

ANTONIO "Magic Man" TARVER… · Rated WBO #2, IBF #4, WBC #4, WBA #7… · 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, 178 pounds… · 1995 World amateur champion, 178 pounds… · 1995 Pan American Games champion, 178 pounds … Antonio is coming off his two best wins as a pro - both were impressive knockouts against world-rated contenders. He said, "I am the best light heavyweight. I want my shot, and I challenge everyone to step up. My goal is to become world champion, to challenge
and beat the best fighters out there. Beating the contenders like Johnson, Telesco, and Del Valle is my goal, and if Roy Jones is at the end of the rainbow, so be it."

ELIMINATOR TEDDY REID VS BEN TACKIE 19-4-1, 13 KOs, Baltimore, Md. 23-2, 14 KOs, Glendale, Ca.
The main event of the ESPN2 telecast will feature two fighters with one-punch knockout power - USBA jr. welterweight champion Teddy Reid, 19-4-1, with 13 knockouts, of Baltimore, Md., will fight NABF counterpart champion Ben "Wonder" Tackie, 23-2, with 14 knockouts, of Glendale, Ca., in a title unification bout. In addition to the two titles, this fight will also be an IBF eliminator to determine the
No. 1 ranked jr. welterweight contender and mandatory challenger for the IBF world title.
TEDDY REID… · USBA jr. welterweight champion… · Rated IBF #4, WBC #23… A hard-hitting contender, Teddy has fought good opposition and scored several impressive wins. He has won two in a row and is 7-1 in his last eight fights. He has beaten five previously undefeated fighters: Terrance Cauthen, Roy Bohannon, Eamonn Magee, Carl Griffin, and Fred Muwonge. BEN "Wonder" TACKIE… · NABF jr. welterweight champion… · Rated IBF #3, WBC #7, WBA
#13… Ben has fought top opposition throughout his career, including former world champions John John Molina, Fred Pendleton, Roberto Garcia, and Goyo Vargas. He is 5-1 in his last six fights - all six fights were exciting and all five wins were impressive. After his last fight, a win against contender Ray Oliveria, Michael Katz of houseofboxing.com reported, "It was ESPN2 at its best, boxing at its most exciting, another candidate for fight of the year." DOORS OPEN: 6:00 PM, FIRST FIGHT: 7:0 PM TICKET PRICES: $35, $50, $75, $100. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT: BOBBY HITZ BOXING PROMOTIONS, INC. - 630-295-9800 (tel.), 630-582-4388 (fax), bobbyhitzboxing@aol.com
(email).