RENO - Reno's Joey Gilbert will soon be fighting in Northern Nevada, it just won't be in Reno on Aug. 19.
The 30-year-old Gilbert, 11-1 with 8 knockouts, will instead fight Aug. 5 at Montbleu Resort Casino as part of a large card promoted by Gary Shaw Productions.
The Eldorado Hotel Casino issued a press release Wednesday, saying Gilbert, who rose to international prominence on the NBC reality series "The Contender," would be on the Aug. 19 card at the Reno Events Center, part of which would be televised on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" series.
The Nevada Appeal ran a story on that press release on Thursday.
The Reno card will be presented by Goossen Tudor Promotions, in conjunction with Circus Circus Reno, the Eldorado Hotel Casino and the Silver Legacy Resort Casino.
"I love the Carano family (owners of the Silver Legacy)," Gilbert said through his Reno law office Friday. "It feels bad not fighting on their card. It was a tough financial decision. Boxing is a business and it was a matter of covering costs and still making money for the fight."
Gilbert, a three-time national champion for the University of Nevada, will defend his North American Boxing Organization middleweight belt against an opponent to be named, but it wasn't clear whether his bout will be televised by Showtime, which will be showing at least two other bouts.
The card at Montbleu (formerly Caesars Tahoe) will feature IBF bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez, Mexico City, 35-3 (31), defending his belt for the seventh time in a rematch with South Africa's Silence Mabuza, 19-1 (15).
The 31-year-old Marquez stopped the 28-year-old Mabuza when they last met on Nov. 5 at Caesars Tahoe. On that same card, Gilbert took a six-round unanimous decision over James North.
Also on the Aug. 5 card, Rafael's brother, former WBA-IBF featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, Mexico City, 44-3-1 (33), will meet Thailand's Terdsak Jandaeng, 24-1 (15), for the WBO Interim featherweight championship.
Which bouts will be shown on Showtime isn't certain, but the card will be televised beginning at 9 p.m. EST/PST (delayed on the West Coast).
Also scheduled to appear is NABO-NABA flyweight titlist Glenn "The Filipino Bomber" Donaire, who will compete in a non-title, eight-round contest against an opponent to be named.
They will reportedly be joined by undefeated welterweight Arturo Morales, 17-0-1 (6), of Mexico, and Alejandro Perez, 5-0-1 (2), of Salinas, Calif., among others.
This will be Gilbert's first bout since he stopped former "Contender" Jimmy Lange in three rounds in Fairfax, Va., on Feb. 18, to claim the NABO belt. The pair first met on a card on "The Contender," a five-round encounter which Gilbert won via decision.
Due to deadline issues, no attempt was made to contact either the Eldorado or Goossen Tudor Promotions.
•Contact Mike Houser at mhouser@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1220