Odlanier Solis vs Kevin Johnson OFF once again - for good

This fight is back ON! October 10, Latin Fury PPV @ Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK (August 27, 2009) – Undefeated world champions JUAN MANUEL “JuanMa” LOPEZ and YURIORKIS GAMBOA will be serving shots of tropical punch when they defend their titles, in separate fights, headlining “Island Warriors: Latin Fury 12,” Saturday, October 10, broadcast Live on Pay-Per-View from the WaMu Theater in the “Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden. Lopez will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight title against top contender and Tanzania native ROGERS MTAGWA. Gamboa will be defending his World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight belt against Panamanian strongman WHYBER GARCIA. The televised portion of this boxing extravaganza will begin at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT with two exciting 10-round bouts – undefeated Top-10 heavyweight contenders ODLANIER SOLIS of Cuba against KEVIN JOHNSON of Asbury Park, NJ, and world-rated super welterweight contenders VANES MARTIROSYAN of Glendale, Calif. against CARLOS NASCIMENTO of Brazil. These eight sluggers boast a combined record of 174-19-3 (125 KOs), a winning percentage of 89% and a victory by knockout ratio of 72%..

Solis (14-0, 10 KOs), a native of Havana, Cuba, now based in Miami, Fla., was a teammate of Gamboa when he won the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal and followed that feat with the super heavyweight gold mead at the 2005 World Championships. He was known as the successor to the legendary Cuban heavyweight Felix Savon after defeating Savon two of the three times they fought each other. Other notable amateur victories for Solis include a third-round stoppage of David Haye in the finals of the 2001 World Championships. He enters this fight having won his last four bouts by knockout, including two for the WBC International title, with victories over Chauncy Welliver and Kevin Burnett in October and January, respectively. He is currently world-rated No. 7 by the WBC.

Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs), of Asbury Park, NJ, is considered on of the top U.S. heavyweight prospects. He enters this fight off his most impressive victory, a sixth-round stoppage of previous undefeated contender Devin Vargas, the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing team captain, in May. After dropping Vargas twice and dictating the fight with his powerful jab, Johnson finished the job in the sixth round when his corner threw in the towel. It was Johnson’s third consecutive knockout victory, seen nationally on ESPN Friday Night Fights, propelling him up the world ratings where he is currently ranked No. 6 by the WBC and WBA and No. 9 by the WBO.