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Judah: “After This, Paulie Is Going To Be A Full-Time Commentator”

Published

11 years ago

December 6, 2013

The Sweet Science

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI VS. ZAB JUDAH FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Zab Judah, Former Five-Time and Two-Division World Champion

“I’m the real Brooklyn, New York.

“This is my office. They built this arena for me and on Saturday night I’m going to show the world why.

“We’re in a gladiator sport. We have to fight to the best of our abilities. People want to see tough fighters with skills. Even though my last fight was a setback, it still got me back here today.

“Paulie wasn’t born here, he migrated from somewhere else. To me if we were comparing sneakers I’d be Jordans at Foot Locker and he’d be Canal Street, he’s not authentic.

“I’m authentic, I’m from here. I’m born and raised here.”

“I feel great because I know we’re going to have a Brooklyn champion in myself.

“I’m going to make sure Paulie’s job [as SHOWTIME announcer] is locked in stone. After this he’s going to be a full-time commentator.

“I came up doing this, I probably have more street fights than I have gym sparring sessions. You can ask anyone in my neighborhood, I was fighting anybody. I’m 36-years-old. I’ve never done anything but box.

“This isn’t a game for me. People keep saying this fight is friendly but at the end of the day these are the old Roman days. Only thing different is I can’t behead him, so I’m going to knock him out.

“I do the impossible. I’m the only one to put more hands on Floyd Mayweather than anyone ever has.

“I don’t like to talk too much, but I’m ready.

“I love this, I’m good at this, we’re the headliners.

“I know that this is a special opportunity for me, it’s the opportunity to crown yourself the King of your city.”

“This is the old Roman days, there can only be one king and I’m taking it back to that. Saturday night, I’m back.”

Paulie Malignaggi, Former Two-Time, Two-Division World Champion

“Team Malignaggi worked really hard this camp and we’re ready.

“I was blown away to be in the main event of such an incredible card. When I saw the co-features I said ‘Wow.’

“Seeing everyone come up here [to the podium] one-by-one really lets me know how amazing this card is.

“It humbles me and blows me away that I’m still fighting with these top-level athletes.

“Me and Zab have had a lot of longevity across these years. The fact that we’re still at this level speaks volumes about our skills, determination and ring savvy.

“Camp has been hard. I was very motivated, even without a world championship on the line. Zab is right, there can only be one king.

“Beating a Zab Judah leads to a world title fight. I have no doubt about it.”

“The rewards of winning a fight like this are motivating in and of itself.”

“This is like working in those gladiator days. You didn’t get to pick who you fought. It could’ve been your friend, but it’s either him or you.

“Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose on Saturday night. I’ve prepared very well.

“One thing we say in Brooklyn, is ‘Brooklyn, stand up!’ and Saturday I know Brooklyn will stand up.”

Devon Alexander, IBF Welterweight World Champion

“[To Shawn Porter] I already beat you. So it isn’t going be any different Saturday night.

“I’m ready. I’m 120 percent ready. I’m focused. Shawn is a solid fighter. He stepped to the plate like some people didn’t. You guys know I was supposed to fight somebody else but Shawn Porter stepped up to the plate and now I’ve got to take care of him.

“I’m going to continue to win, continue to prove to people that I’m an elite fighter, that I deserve to be at the top, and that’s what I’m going to do.

“Come Saturday night my winning ways are going to continue.”

Shawn Porter, Undefeated Welterweight Contender

“I’m here, Showtime Shawn Porter is in the building.

“We had camp in Las Vegas. It was beautiful. It’s been beautiful being here in Brooklyn and I’m ready to do it.

“This was my hardest camp training for my hardest fight.

“Not to take anything from Alexander, except his belt, but I know what he’s got to bring and I’m ready to handle it.”

Erislandy Lara, WBA Super Welterweight Interim World Champion

“I just want to thank my whole team for all the hard work we’ve put in this camp”

“On Saturday night, I’m going to be ready for Trout and we’ll see who’s got the balls to win this fight”

Austin Trout, Former Light Middleweight World Champion

“I’m happy to be here, I’m happy to bring it back to Brooklyn. New York runs in my blood. A lot of people don’t know my mother, my grandmother, were both born and raised here. New York is in my blood.

“Over a year ago I came back to New York and I retained my title going against Cotto and I’m looking to have a repeat to regain my title back because I feel like that’s my belt.

“Earlier this year I may have lost it, but I learned a lot from it and it’s made me the better, stronger fighter, a stronger man.

“You all are going to see the reinvention of Austin Trout Saturday night.”

Sakio Bika, WBC Super Middleweight World Champion

“I feel so very blessed and so very happy. On Saturday, Anthony Dirrell says he is going to take the belt off of me. I am not so sure it will happen. I don’t know if he can do it. I don’t know if he has the balls to do it.

“On Saturday it will just be Anthony Dirrell in the ring. On Saturday Anthony will step in the ring and feel the power.”

Anthony Dirrell, Super Middleweight Contender

“Come Saturday, it’s destiny. I’ve been through a lot – cancer in 2006. I overcame that. Motorcycle accident that broke my legs and hands. I overcame that. So Sakio Bika can’t hold me back. This is meant to be and come December 7 it’s over. It’s going to be trouble for him.

“He looks for the knockout, but doesn’t get it every time. I’m going to be looking for the knockout so that’s what’s going to happen.

“So everyone come out and support December 7. It’s a hell of a card.”

Sadam Ali, Undefeated Welterweight and 2008 U.S. Olympian

“I’m very excited for this fight. Second time fighting at the Barclays Center, my home, in front of my hometown of course. And look at the card we have going on, it’s going to be so exciting top to bottom and I’m just ready to go out there and show what I can do.”

Marcus Browne, Rising Light Heavyweight Star and 2012 U.S. Olympian

“I’m grateful to be on this card. You’ve got guys like Paulie that watched me coming up in the amateurs.

You’ve got guys like Zab that I watched coming up as a kid. So this is a beautiful thing with all of these other guys on this card. I mean it’s a great card.”

“I’m a fan first, but at the end of the day I’ve got to take care of business.

“I’m ready to go on Saturday night and I know these guys are. So God bless you guys and enjoy the show.”

Bernard Hopkins, IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion and Golden Boy Promotions Partner

“First, there’s a lot of history here in Brooklyn. It’s becoming a major hotbed for boxing. At the Barclays Center, we’re making history and I’m happy to be part of that and also part of the promotion.

“The four televised fights could be a main event on any day on any card. So to me, it’s an early Christmas present to those who tune in and also come to the fight.

“To see four championship fights in December, closing out the year with a bang, are something special. But to see Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah, two Brooklyn legends that have basically the same fans, collide will be an extra treat for fight fans.

“This year has been a great, record-breaking year for ratings and of course the highest grossing pay-per-view of all time.

“The main event is going to be one of those fights where don’t know who is going to win. It is going to be a barnburner. Its impossible to say that one guy has a landslide chance of winning. It is just that close.”

Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center

“Welcome back to the Barclays Center. We appreciate everyone being here today. We are thrilled to host another outstanding night of boxing at Barclays Center this Saturday night. The ‘Battle of Brooklyn’ between Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah has great significance because the two represent the strength and the resilience of this great borough. As Paulie has said ‘It’s exciting to win a world title but it doesn’t compare to winning the world championship of Brooklyn.’

“This is the culmination of our first year of boxing in Brooklyn, so it’s fitting to have two of the greatest fighters from here taking the ring in this building on Saturday night. More than just a feature bout, Golden Boy Promotions has delivered an exciting fight card from top to bottom and we look forward to giving boxing fans another great at Barclays Center.

“Thanks to fighters like Paulie and Zab, Bernard Hopkins, Peter Quillin, Danny Jacobs, Danny Garcia, Louis Collazo, Eddie Gomez and up-and-comers like Marcus Browne, Sadam Ali and many others, Barclays Center has become the heart of boxing on the East Coast. It has also become a place for local boxers to become inspired to become future champs.”

Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports

“This is a special card. There’s really no other way to describe it. When we, Golden Boy, Barclays Center and SHOWTIME first began putting this card together, we wanted it to be something special, something memorable to cap off the year.

“We quickly decided that we wanted not just one or two good fights, or even, three good fights, but four high-quality, competitive, evenly matched fights. Three world title fights capped off by the ‘Battle of Brooklyn’ between Paulie and Zab, the two most well-known and accomplished fighters from Brooklyn in the sport today.

“As Bernard pointed out, it’s no exaggeration to say that these are four main-event quality fights. Sakio Bika and Anthony Dirrell have been main event fighters. Erislandy Lara and Austin Trout have both been main event fighters. Devon has been in numerous main event fights and of course, we all are familiar with Paulie and Zab’s great history.

“This is the type of card that SHOWTIME has become known for. High quality and competitive fights top to bottom. No mismatches, no one or two fight cards.

“Most of all I’d like to thank the fighters, acknowledge that it takes the commitment of the fighters to fight tough fights. It’s something that often goes unrecognized, but every fighter on this card has agreed to, has made the commitment, to fight in a tough fight. And that’s what makes this card so special.”

# # #

ABOUT “JUDAH VS. MALIGNAGGI”:

Judah vs. Malignaggi is a 12-round fight for the NABF Welterweight title taking placeon Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Super Judah Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T, Grudge Match and Casamigos Tequila. In the co-featured bout, Devon Alexander puts his IBF welterweight title on the line in a 12-round bout against Shawn Porter, Erislandy Lara defends his interim WBA Super Welterweight title in a 12-round fight against Austin Trout and Sakio Bika defends his WBC Super Middleweight title against Anthony Dirrell in a 12-round bout. The SHOWTIME telecast begins at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT immediately following ALL ACCESS: Broner vs. Maidana which begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT. The telecast will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, available 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.

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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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