Don King's World Championship Boxing Event - Minnesota's First in Twenty Years, a Tremendous Success.

ST. PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS--(BW SportsWire)--March 10, 1999--Don King Productions and U.S. Satellite Broadcasting brought Minnesota its first championship event in twenty years on Saturday, March 6, packing more than 4,000 people into the Women's Sports Pavilion on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Many Minnesota citizens, celebrities and public officials joined promoter Don King and USSB president and CEO Stanley E. Hubbard to watch world championship boxing return to the Twin Cities for the first time since 1980. They were thrilled as St. Paul's own Will Grigsby successfully defended his IBF junior flyweight title for the first time with a unanimous 12-round decision victory over Carmelo Caceres.

"Don King is the best in the business and it's always an honor and a pleasure to work with him and his tremendous organization. We brought championship boxing back to Minnesota in a big way," said Hubbard. "What was most impressive though, was to see the time and the energy Don devoted to non-boxing issues and individuals in Minnesota. He really left a piece of his heart and soul behind. Don is a generous man and made many important charitable contributions, while reaching out to touch and inspire the lives of many in the Twin Cities. Minnesota is lucky to have a friend in Don King."

"We also greatly appreciate the enthusiasm of Minnesota's "sports fans," Hubbard continued. "Having entertainment giants such as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, public officials such as Minnesota's governor and several players from the Minnesota Vikings and other local sports teams enjoying the event added the kind of excitement usually associated with events in New York and Las Vegas."

"Only in America can a Jesse Ventura become governor," said King. "It shows he is a man for the people and he displayed that Saturday night with his attendance and support of one of his hometown champions and the sport of boxing in Minnesota."

"This championship event was titled "The Homecoming," because this is the first of what we intend to be many more championship boxing events brought back to the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota in the future," continued King.

In addition to Grigsby's victory, the USSB/Don King Productions card included WBA number one heavyweight contender Henry Akinwande stopping Reynaldo Minus in the second round, Larry Donald winning a unanimous 10-round decision over Art Pendergrass, and Randall Bailey scoring a third-round TKO of Rodney Wilson. The bouts were seen exclusively on USSB on the DIRECTV/USSB system.

The next world championship boxing telecast for both Don King and USSB will be the heavyweight unification bout between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis on Saturday, March 13, from Madison Square Garden.

U.S. Satellite Broadcasting

United States Satellite Broadcasting Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: USSB), provides consumers nationwide with an unprecedented collection of premium movie channels. The DIRECTV/USSB system is the only place where consumers can get programming from USSB(R) and DIRECTV(R). Every DIRECTV/USSB system allows viewers to switch between satellite (USSB(R) and DIRECTV(R)) and local TV channels with the touch of a single button on the DIRECTV/USSB system remote control. The DIRECTV/USSB system is The Standard in Satellite TV(R) with hardware distributed by the greatest brand names in consumer electronics history. This product is delivered through a broad range of distribution channels including over 26,000 retail locations, Bell Atlantic and Southwestern Bell and the over 2 million satisfied customers who tell their friends and neighbors. The company's headquarters are located in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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