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Final Quotes Before Ortiz-Lopez

Published

12 years ago

June 22, 2012

The Sweet Science

VICTOR ORTIZ, JOSESITO LOPEZ, HUMBERTO SOTO & LUCAS MATTHYSSE ARE CONFIDENT AND READY TO GO:

FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

‘Ortiz vs. Lopez’ This Saturday, June 23 From STAPLES Center In Los Angeles

At 9 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast) Live on SHOWTIME^®

LOS ANGELES (June 21, 2012) – The final press conference for one of the most oft-discussed fight cards of the year – “Ortiz vs. Lopez” taking place this Saturday, June 23 and televised live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from STAPLES Center – took place Thursday before boxing media and fans, who turned out for the free-to-the-public event.

With much at stake, popular former World Champion Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO's), of Ventura, Calif., will take on former NABF Champion Josesito Lopez (29-4, 17 KO's), of Riverside, Calif., for the vacant WBC Silver Welterweight Championship in Saturday’s 12-round main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.

In a collision of world-rated super lightweights in the 12-round co-feature, former Three-Time World Champion Humberto “Zorrita” Soto (59-7-2, 34 KO’s), of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, will be opposed by hard-hitting, top-rated contender Lucas Matthysse (30-2, 28 KO’s), of Trelew, Argentina, for the vacant WBC Continental Americas 140-pound title.

Preliminary fights will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The featured televised prelim will be unbeaten Jermell Charlo (17-0, 8 KOs), of Houston, Texas, against Denis Douglin (14-1, 8 KOs), of Marlboro, N.J., in a 10-round junior middleweight scrap.

Tickets priced at $250, $150, $100 and $50 are available online at www.staplescenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000 or at STAPLES Center box office. Fight live fight Saturday is at 2:30 p.m. PT. Doors at STAPLES Center open at 2 p.m.

Here are what the fighters and executives had to say Thursday from the press conference at STAPLES Center.

VICTOR ORTIZ

“Josesito, I take nothing from him. He’s a great fighter and I’ve been watching him as much as he’s been watching me. No disrespect on my end. We both plan to do one thing and that is to destroy each other. I will hold my hand up at the end. I’ve been working too hard. Tune in guys and thank you for checking out this fight. Get your beers and your chips and everything you need to get ready and come support us or check us out on SHOWTIME.”

JOSESITO LOPEZ

“I am prepared for this fight. I have a very, very tough man ahead of me and I’m going to have to fight the fight of my life, but this is what I’m used to. I have prepared really well for this moment. I’ve had a tough training camp and I’m ready to get in there. This is an anxious moment to get in there and prove myself.”

HUMBERTO SOTO

“I’m very happy to be here in Los Angeles. It’s like my second home. I’m very well prepared for this fight. We know the level of fighter that Matthysse is. It’s the level of fighter that I have been asking for. The winners are going to be the fans. On Saturday you’re going to see a great fight.”

LUCAS MATTHYSSE

“I’m very happy that Golden Boy invited me back. Soto is a very good fighter. We’re excited and we’re going to put on a great fight.”

JERMELL CHARLO

“I’m just coming to do what I have to do like I did last time. I’m going to show up and I’m going to do what Team Charlo does. I take no opponents for granted. I don’t look at him as an underdog. I look at myself as an underdog.When I walk in the ring I take it step by step. You’ll see Saturday.”

DENIS DOUGLIN

“I am really excited about this fight. I’m from the East Coast so a lot of you guys have probably never seen me before. It’s a tough fight. I’m really excited to fight Jermell. We’re both up-and-coming fighters. He’s 17-0. I’m 14-1. A lot of people probably look at me as the underdog, but I don’t look at myself that way. Look out for me.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA (President, Golden Boy Promotions)

“This event is an exciting one. We are really looking forward to it.We have two tremendous fighters who are hungry, who are just ready to go to war Saturday night. SHOWTIME is looking forward to it and all the people are looking forward to it. We are truly excited.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA (Executive Vice President & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports)

“SHOWTIME has a long history of bringing boxing fans the best matchups, the most exciting, action- packed fights and this is a perfect example.We have Victor Ortiz, one of the most charismatic and entertaining stars in boxing. He is never in a bad fight and he is always exciting. And we have Josesito Lopez. For those of you who don't know the name, this is not an easy fight for Victor by any means and I want to take a moment to pay tribute to Josesito because when Andre Berto was no longer available to take this fight, there were a lot of names that were proposed as opponents.Josesito was the guy who stepped up on short notice. He was the guy who said ‘I’ll do it. I’ll rise to the challenge,’ and that is the kind of spirit and that is the kind of backbone that he has. He is not backing away from a challenge and this will be an exciting fight. I guarantee it.

“We also have Humberto Soto and Lucas Matthysse, two of the most underrated and underappreciated fighters in the sport, (both) knockout artists. Do not get a drink; do not go to the bathroom during that fight. It will be a thriller all the way through. For those of you who watch boxing, we had a great fight in March between Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez and it is a candidate for Fight of the Year. I actually think the Fight of the Year might be Matthysse vs. Soto.That's how interested I am in this fight.”

“Ortiz vs. Lopez,” a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Silver Welterweight Championship taking place Saturday, June 23, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif., is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT T. The co-feature will see former Three-Division World Champion Humberto “Zorrita” Soto battle Argentinean knockout artist Lucas Matthysse in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight title which is presented in association with Baja Boxing Promotions and Arano Box Promotions. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader begins live at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with preliminary fights airing on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

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The Sweet Science

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Articles

Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

8 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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