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Quotes From Malignaggi-Judah Presser

Published

11 years ago

October 16, 2013

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Oct. 15, 2013) – Golden Boy Promotions formally announced at a press conference today a major fight card for Saturday, Dec. 7, at Barclays Center live on SHOWTIME^® highlighted by a 12-round match between two of the most talented fighters in Brooklyn’s boxing history, Five-Time, Two-Division World Champion Zab“Super” Judah (42-8, 29 KO’s) and Two-Time, Two-Division World Champion Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (32-5, 7 KO’s). The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^®telecast will air live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The fighters are pictured above, barely able to contain smiles, in Tom Casino-Showtime photo.

Check out Michael Woods’ coverage from ESPNNewYork.com here and here.

In the 12-round co-main event WBA Interim Super Welterweight titleholder Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12 KO’s), of Miami by way of Cuba, battles former WBA world champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout (26-1, 14 KO’s), of Las Cruces, N.M,by way of El Paso, Texas for the interim WBA 154-pound world title.

Staten Island’s undefeated “Sir” Marcus Browne (7-0, 6 KO’s), a 2012 U.S. Olympian, will box an opponent to be determined in the opening bout of the telecast that also will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges go on sale this Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. ET and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

Below please find what Judah, Malignaggi and executives Eric Gomez, Brett Yormark and Stephen Espinoza said today at Barclays Center:

ZAB JUDAH, Five-Time, Two-Division World Champion

“Once again we are here. This is truly one fight that I never thought that we [looking at Malignaggi] would be on the other side of the coin. There is so much history here.

“I lost my last fight here at Barclays and Paulie lost his last fight at Barclays Center and it didn’t mean anything. We are still two dynamite fighters. Our skills speak for themselves.

“A lot of people wanted this fight to happen. On Dec. 7, we are coming to bring fireworks.

“I have known Paulie for a long time. I watched him grow throughout the years. I was always very proud of him because he represented the ‘BK’. I always stood by his side. On Dec. 7, you are going to see a great fight. You’re going to see some of the fastest hands in the world.

“We might break a jab count because I throw a lot of jabs and Paulie throws a lot of jabs. I think we are going to give a good, classy act of boxing that night. Get ready.

“My main edge over Paulie will be hand speed and power. Paulie has quick hands too. He throws a lot of punches, but he has nothing to hold me off..

“It’s been proven in the past that you have to know how to hold me back. He can punch; we’re going to see.

“I’ve been waking up and going to the gym, sparring young guys and training. I am already putting in work at the gym.”

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI, Two-Time, Two-Divison World Champion

“I’ve been around Zab a long time and never expected to be across the ring from him, but, you know, we have to give Brooklyn what Brooklyn wants. So, it starts there.

“Zab and I go back a long way. I can remember when Zab worked my corner for a fight [1999 Empire State Games at Hofstra University]. Zab was an honorary coach and working the corner for all the amateurs. He actually trained us that week.

“So we go back even before I was a pro, seeing Zab in the gym, seeing Zab sparring even before I had my first amateur fight.

“I kind of got a late start in boxing. I was 16 when I started and had my first amateur fight when I was 17. So I had always heard about Zab through the years.

“It’s been a long road. It’s had its ups and downs. Speaking of the last fight, some things irk me. That result definitely irked me. I don’t mind losing a decision; it’s close and can go both ways. Things happen. There hasn’t been a day since June 22 that I don’t get at least one or two people, no matter what city I’m in, come up to me and say, ‘Paul, you got screwed in that Broner fight.’

“On Dec. 7, Zab and I are going to put on a great show. It’s going to be the best main event we’ve had yet and that the fans will look forward to because we have the perfect venue for it. When they made Barclays Center, it was made for fights like this.

“This is going to be a civil war. Whenever you have a fight at a high level, you are always representing your city, the city you come from. It’s usually Brooklyn against another city. But being it’s Brooklyn against Brooklyn, it becomes a borough divided and you end up breaking it into neighborhoods and who is going to support what neighborhood. So it’s pretty cool.

“It’s old school. It’s the way old school fighters came up, winning their regions first and then moving on to the world stage. We’ve been on the world stage and now we’re bringing it back to the grassroots again.

“I’ve fought friends in the amateurs, but never in the pros. Once the bell rings, we both have a goal. We’re both competitors and we both want to win. Once somebody lands that first punch, then the other guy hits you a little harder, before you know it you’re mad and in the mood for a fight.

“Zab’s a crafty guy, a veteran, very versatile and still has those fast hands and southpaw stance. He’s been around for a long time because of his ability and craftiness and his ring intelligence. So there’s some stuff to deal with. But that’s why you go to training camp, devise a game plan and then you put it all on the line, you put it all together.

“I expect a tough fight. There’s a lot on the line. I don’t think anybody wants to lose in their home city to another guy from his home city. There’s a lot of bragging rights on the line. I expect both of us to fight hard and to leave nothing in the ring. I expect it to be entertaining for everybody.”

MARCUS BROWNE, 2012 U.S. Olympian and Undefeated Pro

“We’re back again; this is my fifth time [fighting at Barclays Center] and it’s kind of feeling routine now. I’m going to put on a good show and do what I have to do. I hope you all come out on Dec. 7 and enjoy the show.”

ERIC GOMEZ, Vice President and Matchmaker of Golden Boy Promotions

“This is a great fight for Brooklyn. It’s what Barclays Center wants; it’s what Stephen Espinoza wants at SHOWTIME. I’m just so happy that we got it done.

“What can I say about Zab Judah? It seem just like yesterday he was fighting for his first world title. He’s had 50 fights now in his illustrious career and he’s always very, very exciting. You can always say when there’s a Zab Judah fight, there’s going to be excitement, there’s going to be speed, there’s going to be power, something’s going to happen. And that’s what he’s done throughout his career.

“When we first went to Team Malignaggi about this fight, they said the same thing. We know Zab, its an interesting fight, we’ll fight anybody. That is Paulie’s career; he’s fought everyone. That’s all he knows how to do. He’s been doing it since he was a little kid.

“Paulie himself is a former champion, he went all the way to Ukraine, to face Senchenko in a fight that nobody gave him a chance, and he came back with the belt.

“It’s a very important fight for both fighters, a very important fight to Paulie, he recognized that. I’m very happy for him and he’s going to put a show on for everybody.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Barclays Center

“The featured bout, The Battle of Brooklyn, is particularly meaningful to me because both Paulie and Zab are proud Brooklynites and I’m proud to call them friends.

“This is the culmination of our first year of boxing in Brooklyn so it’s fitting to have Paulie and Zab, two of the top fighters to come out of this borough, taking the ring in this building.

“Brooklyn is known for its great champions. Besides the two great boxers here today, this borough is home to legends Tyson, Bowe, and Breland. But you can’t be more Brooklyn than the Paulie and Zab, and we are proud to be hosting their fight.

“Paulie, Zab and the other major fighters who have fought here have made Barclays Center the heart of boxing on the east coast. And I promise you, the best is yet to come.

“I’m also proud to welcome Staten Island’s own Marcus Browne here today. Marcus has fought four times at Barclays Center and he has won them all. He is the perfect example of what Barclays Center is all about, a local place for boxers to be inspired to become future champions. ”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports

“The hallmark of SHOWTIME boxing this year has been exciting, evenly matched, entertaining fights. That’s our calling card. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a superstar or an up-and-comer, everyone knows that if you fight on SHOWTIME you’ve got to fight a real fight, a meaningful fight. If you’re looking for mismatches or appearance fights, you have to look elsewhere because week after week, month after month, SHOWTIME has been bringing you the most exciting, most entertaining, most meaningful fights in boxing.

“That’s the reason why we have such a great working relationship with Barclays Center — because our interests and goals are exactly the same. Brett Yormark and his staff are committed to bringing the most iconic, entertaining high-profile events to this great venue. Really, iconic is the word that first comes to mind when we talk about Barclays Center.

“When you talk boxing and you mention the words iconic and Brooklyn in the same sentence, you have to mention Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi. These two boxers wear Brooklyn as a badge of honor. They have each fought a who’s who list of champions and Hall of Famers; Mayweather, Cotto, Hatton, the list goes on and on. They each held multiple world titles but on Dec. 7 there is something at stake that is actually more important than world titles.

“The co-featued bout features two of the most skilled boxers in the sport today, Erislandy Lara and Austin Trout. As usual when we’re here at Barclays Center, we are featuring several local fighters, including Marcus Browne and Salam Ali who for my money are two of the most exciting young fighters in boxing.”

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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

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

Published

9 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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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

9 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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