King to promote Rosi-Pettway fight on March 4

The International Boxing Federation junior middleweight title bout between champion Gianfranco Rosi and No. 1-ranked Vincent Pettway of Baltimore will be held March 4 at the new MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, a spokesman for promoter Don King said yesterday.

King won the bidding for the match with a purse proposal of $327,000 on Tuesday, only four thousand more than one offered by Spanish promoter Enrique Soria.

Rosi, of Italy, has been idle since defending his crown against France's Gilbert Dele in January. Pettway last fought in April, defending his USBA title by knocking out Dan Sherry.

A title bout between World Boxing Council super-lightweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez of Mexico and World Boxing Organization champion Giovanni Parisi of Italy will be co-featured on the Rosi-Pettway pay-per-view show.