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Quotes From Canelo-Angulo Kickoff Presser

Published

11 years ago

January 22, 2014

The Sweet Science

“TOE TO TOE: CANELO VS. ANGULO”

FORMALLY ANNOUNCED IN LOS ANGELES: KICKOFF PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Saturday, March 8 Live On SHOWTIME PPV From The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas; Tickets on Sale Now!

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 21, 2014) – Hundreds of fans turned out on a Tuesday afternoon to witness up close and personal Mexican boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez, fan favorite Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo and four other world-class action fighters for a jam-packed press conference hosted by Golden Boy Promotions to formally announce “TOE TO TOE: Canelo vs. Angulo,” a fantastic four-fight telecast on Saturday, March 8, on SHOWTIME PPV^® from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Joining the popular main event fighters at the Los Angeles Central Public Library Outdoor Plaza undefeated Two-Division World Champion Leo “Terremoto” Santa Cruz, former Three-Time World Champion Cristian “El Diamante” Mijares and Ricardo “Dinamita” Alvarez, a brother of Canelo Alvarez,

In what will be a slugfest in the March 8 main event, Canelo (42-1-1, 30 KO’s), of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, will make his return to the ring to face the fearless Angulo (22-3, 18 KO’s), of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. In three 12-round world title fights on an all-action pay-per-view undercard, unbeatenWBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Santa Cruz (26-0-1, 15 KO’s), of Los Angeles by way of Huetamo, Michoacán de Ocampo, Mexico, will defend his title against Mijares (49-7-2, 24 KO’s), of Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico; unbeaten Omar “Panterita” Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KO’s), of McAllen, Texas, will risk his WBC Interim Lightweight Title against Ricardo Alvarez (23-2-3, 14 KO’s), of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and Chicago’s “King” Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6 KO’s) will defend his IBF Junior Middleweight Championship against undefeated Jermall Charlo (17-0, 13 KO’s), of Houston.

Tickets are on sale and priced at $600, $400, $200, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Before fighter introductions and a press conference that was streamed live on the SHOWTIME Sports website officially began, a nervous Angulo had several inches of his shoulder-length hair cut. It will be donated to Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, who emceed the proceedings, and Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager, SHOWTIME Sports, were the first to speak at the podium, followed by the fighters.

Schaefer mentioned that “almost 6,000” seats had already been sold for the event and that he expected “a full house.” Espinoza announced that ALL ACCESS: Canelo vs. Angulo would premiere on Friday, Feb. 29, on SHOWTIME with Episode 2 on Wednesday, March 5.

In the top bout preceding the pay-per-view telecast, former two-time World Champion Jorge “Niño de Oro” Linares (35-3, 23 KO’s) will face Nihito Arakawa (24-3-1, 16 KO’s) in a 10-round lightweight match.

See below for quotes from the boxers and executives:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Former Super Welterweight World Champion

“Alfredo Angulo is a very strong fighter, and he knows how to come forward. He knows how to throw a punch and take a punch and he comes to fight.

“I’m sure you want to see a fight and you don’t want to see a guy who is going to be running all night.

“I’ve prepared myself very well to give you all a great fight. I’m glad Alfredo has some fans here today, but my fans are better.

“I can’t tell you all the things I learned from my last fight [against Floyd Mayweather on a record-shattering pay-per-view event last September], but there is a long list. I don’t take it as a loss. I take it as a learning experience. And that is what’s going to keep me going. That’s the greatest thing about this sport. You learn and you move on.

“We have two different styles and you really can’t compare the two. Angulo’s aggressive. I’ve fought bigger guys but I see him as a middleweight coming down to super welterweight.

“We offered this fight to [Miguel] Cotto first, but he wasn’t ready. We wanted to give you guys, the media, and the fans this fight. This is for the fans.

“Losing is part of boxing. Muhammad Ali lost and he’s still the greatest of all time. So a loss isn’t going to prevent me from being the future of boxing.”

ALFREDO ANGULO, Former WBO Interim Junior Middleweight World Champion

“I’m the same Alfredo Angulo as I’ve always been and I’m going to always give the fans great fights. I think that I earn respect in my fights and March 8 is going to be no different.

“I don’t know if he’s the most powerful fighter I’ve faced, but I know I have to give my all in this fight for my fans. This fight is for the fans.

“What’s this fight going to mean if I win? I don’t know. Once I win, then you can ask that.

“He [Canelo] knows the heart that I have. He’s knows it very well; that the advantage I have over him.

“I know I have some doubters. But if you doubt me, go ahead and look up my fights on YouTube.”

CHEPO REYNOSO, Canelo’s Trainer

“Like always, we respect Mexican fighters, especially Alfredo Angulo. He’s a tough fighter, a very good fighter and very strong. Thank you for coming out and supporting boxing because there are some great Mexican fighters on this card.”

VIRGIL HUNTER, Angulo’s Trainer

“Each man has to come to grips that they are coming off a loss. Alfredo came so close to upsetting [Erislandy] Lara and I’m just pleased he’s getting this fight. I couldn’t be happier for him.

“You can’t say that Alfredo doesn’t deserve this fight because Angulo was up on most of the scorecards in his last fight and Canelo was shut out on his. I think this is as good a time as any and that this fight makes sense. Alfredo has come to understand the importance of defense. Initially he had a disdain for defense but I’ve been teaching him the importance of that aspect of the game.

“Whoever wins this fight is going to have to fight to win it. I’ve called this a must-win fight for Canelo to stay relevant and I think he definitely has something to prove.”

LEO SANTA CRUZ, Two-Division World Champion

“I’m very happy and I’m very prepared for this fight. Mijares is a great fighter.

“When I was in the beginning of my career, I used to see him fight. I once sparred against Jose Navarro to help him fight against Mijares. I watched that fight and I know that he’s a great fighter that will give me a tough fight.

“We come 100 percent ready and we’re trying to the fans a great fight. Hopefully, it’s one of the best fights of the night.”

CRISTIAN MIJARES, Former World Champion

“I’m very happy to be on such a big card like this, in the co-main event of the big fight between Canelo and Angulo.

“I’m motivated because I’m coming back. I know it’s going to be a very good fight against Leo Santa Cruz because he’s a very good fighter.

“I’m motivated. I’m coming here to win, I’m coming here to be a world champion. I’m not going to give away anything. I’m expecting to win. It’s going to be a war. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

RICARDO ALVAREZ, Top Lightweight Contender

“I know this is a big opportunity for me. I understand this opportunity that my promoter has given me. Figueroa is very aggressive and styles make fights so I know it’s going to be a great fight.

“I’m motivated. I know I can make history for me and my family [if triumphant, it will mark the first time three Mexican-born brothers have won a world title]. We made history once before in Mexico when all six of my brothers and I fought on the same card. I want to make history again.”

RICHARD SCHAEFER, Golden Boy Promotions CEO

“This fight is like an infomercial. You remember when you were ready to order and they’re like: ‘Wait, there’s more.’ That’s what this card is; one great fight after the other. Action-packed.

“This is the kind of card you want to make sure to have the carne asada and the cerveza ready when the first fights go live on SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View at 6 o’clock.”

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

“This is a boxing card that has everything for the true fight fan. Canelo Alvarez is taking on the most dangerous opponent of his career in Alfredo Angulo, who is perhaps the strongest puncher and fighter that Canelo has yet face and I have no doubt this fight will be an action fight for as long as it lasts.”

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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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