Showtime's two-stage, single-elimination bantamweight tournament will begin with two semifinal bouts on Saturday, December 11 at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash., the network announced on Thursday.

The 12-round semifinal bouts, which pit 115-pound beltholder Vic Darchinyan (35-2-1, 27 KOs) against Abner Mares (20-0-1, 13 KOs) and titleholder Yonnhy Perez (20-0-1, 14 KOs) against Joseph Agbeko (27-2, 22 KOs) in a rematch, were originally thought to be headed for a location in Mexico.

Showtime will televise the two fights live at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

The winners of each semifinal fight will meet in the ring in the 2011 tournament final with the losing fighters competing in a consolation bout.