ESPN Boxing

LAS VEGAS -- Kendall Holt and Ricardo Torres are 1-1 in a pair of wild junior welterweight title bouts. Now, they're set to make it a trilogy.

Holt will defend his 140-pound belt against his rival Dec. 13 in Atlantic City, N.J., Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN.com Friday evening.

The bout will air as a special edition of Showtime's "ShoBox: The New Generation" series, Showtime's Gordon Hall said.

"I think it is so compelling, this rivalry," duBoef said. "It's why Showtime and Top Rank wanted to make this happen. It's these types of fights that make the sport so special. These guys have given fans amazing action. They're both legit punchers who have fought 12 memorable rounds."

DuBoef said he has sent contracts out to both fighters and "both principals have agreed on the terms. It's going to be a great fight."

Their first two certainly were memorable.

Torres retained the title in their first controversial meeting in September 2007 in Torres' native Colombia, stopping Holt in the 11th round in a fight in which both men were knocked down.

Holt was hit with a beer bottle thrown by a spectator during the fight, fans pelted the ring with liquid and debris throughout and there were several questionable calls by referee Geno Rodriguez before he stopped the bout with Holt leading on two of the three official scorecards.

In the July 5 rematch in Las Vegas, which Showtime also carried, Holt avenged the defeat with a savage first-round knockout in the likely round of the year. It was 61 seconds of mayhem as Torres (32-2, 28 KOs) knocked Holt (24-2, 13 KOs) down twice before he rallied to knock him cold after an accidental head butt.

After one bout on Torres' turf and the rematch on neutral territory, the third fight will take place in Holt's backyard. He's from Paterson, N.J., not far from Atlantic City.

DuBoef said the bout likely would take place at Boardwalk Hall in the 4,000-seat, smaller upstairs arena.