By Victor Salazar

NEW YORK -- You better believe Saturday night's alright for fighting, especially in New York on Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend!

Three-time world champion ROMAN "Rocky" MARTINEZ and World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight world champion VASYL LOMACHENKO will go mano a mano for Martinez's WBO junior lightweight world title and the boxing gem of Puerto Rico, FELIX "El Diamante" VERDEJO, will risk his WBO Latino lightweight crown, undefeated record and No. 2 world rating against JUAN JOSE MARTINEZ in the co-main event of a championship doubleheader Saturday, June 11 -- one day before the famed Puerto Rican Day Parade -- at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The two bouts, scheduled for 12 and 10 rounds, respectively, will be televised live on HBO beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The non-televised undercard will feature the U.S. debut of two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time World Amateur Champion ZOU SHIMING from The Peoples Republic of China in a 10-round flyweight bout.

The five gladiators boast a combined record of 87-6-3 (53 KOs) -- a winning percentage of 91% with over 60% of their victories coming by way of knockout.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Puerto Rican Best Boxing, Diamante Promotions, SECA and Madison Square Garden, tickets to the Martinez vs. Lomachenko / Verdejo vs. Martinez championship doubleheader will go on sale Today! Thursday, April 28, at Noon ET. Priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $35, tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com. 

Martinez (29-2-3, 17 KOs), from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, is a three-time WBO junior lightweight world champion. He won his first world title on March 14, 2009, knocking out defending champion Nicky Cook in the fourth round in Manchester, England. He successfully defended that title twice during his 19-month reign, knocking out Feider Viloria and Gonzalo Munguia before losing a 12-round decision to Ricky Burns on September 4, 2010. Martinez's second reign as world champion began on September 15, 2012, winning the vacant title via a split decision over top contender Miguel Beltran, Jr. Martinez successfully defended his title twice during his 15-month reign, scoring a split decision victory over Diego Magdaleno and a draw against Juan Carlos Burgos before being dethroned by undefeated former WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia on November 9, 2013. Martinez's current world title reign began on April 11, 2015 when he defeated defending champion Orlando Salido via a 12-round decision. In their rematch, on September 12, Martinez retained his title by virtue of a draw. Both fights were worthy of Fights of the Year consideration.

The greatest amateur boxer of his era and arguably of all time, two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko (5-1, 3 KOs), of Odessa, captured the vacant WBO featherweight title on June 21, 2014, winning a scintillating majority decision over the previously unbeaten Gary Russell Jr. It was Lomachenko's third professional bout, tying him with Thailand's Saensak Muangsurin for fewest fights to win a world title. Muangsurin won a junior welterweight title in 1975, also in his third professional fight. Russell, a former U.S. Olympian and current World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight world champion, was totally blitzed by Lomachenko, battered around the ring throughout the fight. From the outset of his professional career, Lomachenko made it known that he was ready for the best in his division. He made his professional debut in 2013 knocking out the WBO's No. 7-rated featherweight contender Jose Luis Ramirez (24-2-2, 15 KOs) in the fourth round of a bout that was scheduled for 10. Less than five months later, on March 1, 2014, in his second professional bout, he challenged WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido, losing a split decision to the heavier defending champion whose title had been stripped because he could not make the weight limit.

Since winning the world title, Lomachenko has successfully defended it three times, winning a 12-round unanimous decision on November 23, 2014, against No. 1 contender Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (51-1, 33 KOs), a ninth-round knockout of Gamalier Rodriguez (25-2-3, 17 KOs) on the undercard of the May 2, 2015 Floyd Mayweather - Manny Pacquiao extravaganza and a 10th-round knockout of Top-10 contender Romulo Koasicha (24-4, 14 KOs), on the undercard of the November 7, 2015 Timothy Bradley - Brandon Rios world welterweight championship . Lomachenko first gained international renown by winning gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Games as a featherweight and a lightweight, respectively.