By Andy Samuelson (contact)

Wed, Dec 3, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Mexican/American fight fans in Las Vegas will get to watch their beloved son Saturday night when Oscar De La Hoya goes up against Manny Pacquiao in a mega fight at the MGM Grand.

But if they want an early appetizer, they can swing over to another casino tonight to see a pair of Mexican/American fighters in Miguel Torres and Manny Tapia square off in a bantamweight title bout at The Joint at the Hard Rock.

The prize isn’t a boxing belt, even though the pair of mixed martial artists grew up watching beloved Mexican pugilists like Julio Cesar Chavez.

“I was always a fan of boxing but there was no boxing available (when I was growing up),” said World Extreme Cagefighting 135-pound champ Torres (34-1), who puts his title on the line against the undefeated Tapia (10-0-1) in the main event of WEC 37. The first bouts start at 2:45 PT, with the live show on Versus (Ch. 67) kicking in at 5.

The two fighters both said that in addition to high stakes of a championship, they are excited to be a part of such a historic night.

“I think about it that I'm fighting Torres for a world title and that we're both Mexican-Americans and to be honest it's crazy,” said Tapia in an interview with the WEC.

The 28-year-old Tapia, known for his bull-like mentality and stand-up boxing ability, won’t take anything away from the 27-year-old Torres, who he met on a recent joint promotion trip to Mexico.

At the same time, Tapia, a native of Chino, Calif., who was in line for a 135-pound title shot long before two leg injuries pushed back the clock, said the belt is the bottom line.

“He's a well-rounded fighter, he's the world champ," Tapia said. "And I'm going to try to take that away from him."

The straight-shooting Torres, a big betting favorite tonight, knows just how easily that can happen. He only has to look back to last month at WEC 36, when heavy favorite Urijah Faber was upset at the hands of Mike Brown for confirmation.

“I take it in strides. I don't forget where I come from. I don't forget who I am," said the East Chicago, Ind., native who teaches and trains at his recently opened gym in Hammond, Ind.

But because of Faber’s upset and WEC decision to do away with its heavier weight classes, Torres is in position to be the face of the organization.

“I don't really look for the spotlight too much," said Torres, a skilled jiu-jitsu fighter with strong submission skills, who easily took care of Yoshiro Maeda in June when Tapia withdrew with the leg injury.

"A lot of people have been telling me it's my turn to be the golden boy. I don't look at it that way. In the fight game, anything can happen."

And with a fight (whether its boxing or MMA) between two fighters with Mexican ancestry, Tapia says all bets are off.

“It’s going to be a war,” he said.