ERROL SPENCE JR. VS. SHAWN PORTER MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT & AUDIO RECORDING

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ERROL SPENCE JR. VS. SHAWN PORTER MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT & AUDIO RECORDING

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Ray Flores
Thank you very much, operator. We greatly appreciate the media joining us from around the world. We continue the countdown for the big night of boxing coming your way on Saturday, September 28. That is a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. This is a stacked card from top to bottom.

It is a loaded event and our main event, which we are joined by the main event participants, is hotly anticipated welterweight title unification matchup, the IBF Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence, Jr. and the WBC champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter, get closer to their battle for welterweight supremacy.

The four-fight Pay-Per-View card starts at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. It is preceded by FS1 PBC prelims that come your way at 7:30 p.m. Et/4:30 p.m. PT. Tickets for the event are going quickly and they are promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions and Shawn Porter Promotions. They’re available right now at AXS.com or if you live in the Los Angeles area, at the STAPLES Center box office.

Now a man that has been very busy promoting big events all over the world, the President of TGB Promotions, a man who knows boxing better than anybody, here is Mr. Tom Brown.

Tom Brown
Well thank you, Ray, and thanks everyone for joining us today. Both Errol and Shawn are having great training camps. There’s tremendous excitement about this fight and both fighters are in incredible shape. It’s really a sensational matchup and one of the best fights that can be made in boxing’s hottest division, the welterweights, with two world champions, unifying the title.

Errol Spence Jr. is one of the most talked about fighters in the sport. Many consider him to not only to be the best welterweight in the division but the best fighter in the world. But he’s going to get all he can handle from Shawn Porter, who has always faced the best of the best in his illustrious career. This is really the type of fight that elevates the sport of boxing. So it’s going to be a tremendous night of boxing, a big night on Saturday September 28. We have a great card and I hope everyone joins us. Thank you very much.

R. Flores
Thank you very much, Tom. And as Tom pointed out, both Shawn Porter and Errol Spence, Jr. are in impeccable shape. Now this man I’m getting ready to introduce, one of the champions, captured his title last September with a victory over Danny Garcia, also holds wins over the likes of Andre Berto, also Adrien Broner and Devon Alexander, while taking on the best in the division throughout his career, most recently coming off a title defense victory against Yordenis Ugas live on FOX in March. He is originally from Akron, Ohio but now living and training in Las Vegas alongside his father, Kenny Porter.

He is a two-time welterweight champion of the world. I know he’s very happy on this Tuesday, especially with his Cleveland Browns picking up a very impressive victory over the New York Jets yesterday. His record 30 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, 17 win by way of knockouts. Please welcome the always entertaining and charismatic “Showtime” Shawn Porter.

Shawn Porter
What’s up, everybody? Thanks for having me on. We’re about two weeks away and I couldn’t be any more excited than I am right now. So I’m even excited to do these interviews right now with you guys, so let’s go, let’s do it.

Q
Where does that mentality come from you where there really does seem to be a genuine willingness to just look down the list and fight the best guys available that you and your team can make a match against, Spence being the next one?

S. Porter
It’s how I grew up. It’s how my dad raised me and it’s where I come from. We were never allowed to shy away from any challenge and that’s the way I’ve lived my life. So when it comes to taking on Errol Spence, to me it’s like taking on any other fighter. It’s not like taking on, as everyone has coined him, the boogeyman or the best welterweight in the world. To me I’m taking on another great, exciting fighter and I’m going to beat that great, exciting fighter.

Q
So it is Spence specifically that you wanted to fight or was it Spence was a guy that had one of the other world titles?

S. Porter
I think it’s Spence specifically. I think it’s specifically Spence because of not only him having a belt but who is and what he’s done in the sport so far. Being undefeated and, again, being coined as the boogeyman of the division I’m like, “Yo, I need that. I need to beat that guy. I need to fight that guy.” And so that’s where the hunger really comes from for me.

Q
So then what was it can you say that put that in your mind or had your dad put that in your mind? Did you ever talk about that?

S. Porter
Again, it’s how I was raised. I can tell you story after story that would confirm that that was how I was raised. But I was ten years old playing football against guys who were 12 and 13 years old and it doesn’t sound that big but back then when you’re ten going up against preteens it’s a big deal.

So even at that young age, my dad has always challenged me and made sure I not only put out my best but I was going up against the best. And you look up, I’m 31 now and this is 100% familiar territory for me because it’s where I come from.

Q
Did you just embrace fighting all those big names pretty much right off the bat as long as the business was right?

S. Porter
Yes. For me it was always about embracing the name or the opportunity or the fighter, whatever you may want to call it. I think for me coming into the game, the way that I came into the sport and the business being ran the way that it was ran for me, I was always told who I would fight and there was never really ever a fountain of guys to pick from. They were always hey this is who’s next, this is when, this is where, and so that’s how I’ve been bred into this sport.

So when you talk about fighting the mandatory challenger, Yordenis Ugas, and why would you fight him and a lot of different questions were posed to me, in my mind he’s the mandatory, he’s the guy they told me I had to fight. That’s who I’m going to fight. So, again, I think it’s the mindset that I’ve had a very young age from that seems to resonate for me.

Q
Tom, I was wondering if you could speak to that.

T. Brown
Where I really saw it with Shawn the first time was it was our second PBC show on March 13 back in 2015 when Roberto Garcia pulled out. We brought another opponent in. There was never any questioning; he was fighting. We brought Erick Bone in and he was a tough kid. Both Shawn and his father just said whoever you get, we’re here to fight. So that’s where he really showed me that he was a fighter, both he and his father, just what he talked about, the way he was raised back in Ohio.

Q
Could you talk a bit about your time fighting at that much higher weight and some of the fighters you specifically fought there and if that gives you confidence going into this fight with Spence?

S. Porter
I think fighting 165 pounds is no secret that the majority of the guys that I fought as an amateur were a lot bigger than Errol Spence, not just bigger than Errol, they were a lot bigger than Errol Spence and I’m talking about guys like Daniel Jacobs, who fights at 160 pounds, 168 pounds now. I fought against Oleksandr Usyk, who is unified champion over there in the Ukraine, a heavyweight now. I fought him at 165 pounds back in the day when we were about 20 years old and beat him.

I have wins against Jacobs and Demetrius Andrade. Me and Andrade were one and one in the amateur division. The last time that we fought we were 165 pounds and I beat him to go to a tournament as the amateur. The experience is there. The experience against taller, bigger opponents is there.

For me looking at Errol Spence, I don’t look at him like he’s a bigger guy than me. I don’t think he’s one of the bigger guys in the division. I think that he’s been matched up against guys who have made him look a lot more powerful and bigger and stronger than he is. Trust me when I say he’s met his match in this one.

Q
Can you talk about how you’ve balanced broadcasting and fighting and if you’ve had problems straddling those two professions and your focus going into this fight?

S. Porter
I’m blessed because FOX Studios is just a rock’s throw away from Vegas so I can get there in just an hour. I do my thing. I actually have workouts and routines set around the filming and then on the ride home after we film. So it really has not been a hard thing for me to balance at all, the even more blessed part about it is I know the majority of the guys.

I’ve seen the majority of the fighters for a long, long time, then as amateurs and now I’ve known them as pros. So when it comes to things like being there to talk about these guys even that part of it is not strenuous for me because I know a lot of these guys, I know their styles, I know what they do, what they bring to the fight. So usually for me I’m just kind of shaping up on their statistics more than I am on who they are and who they bring to the ring. So it has not been a hard thing for me to balance and I’ve enjoyed it very, very much to this point.

Q
I know a couple weeks ago you mentioned that you were going to spar with Demetrius Andrade. I just wondered if you had the opportunity to do that and how it went if you did.

S. Porter
We’re still working on getting Andrade to Vegas. We tried to get him in D.C. He had some family conflicts going on and now we’re working on getting him into Vegas in the day or two so that we can get that last little bit of great work in. He’s a tremendous athlete.

We’ve used him time and time again when I fought southpaws and even when I fought orthodox fighters because he gives us such great work and he’s definitely a tough competitor and he makes it fun and enjoyable as well. So we do look forward to having him in Vegas and finishing up time with him in the next couple of days.

Q
Spence has said he’s going to knock you out and there are other people who have said that he’s going to be the first person to do that. Has that surprised your or driven you at all because you’ve always shown such a great chin?

S. Porter
I’m not surprised to hear him say he wants to knock me out. He’s even said I’m going to knock you out. I’m not surprised to hear him say that because I know his mentality. I know who he is as a person. He’s very, very driven and competitive, and I get that. The part about it for me is I think he may be trying to psyche himself out into thinking he can do it.

I think I have a proven chin. I’ve got a record for saying no fighter really wants to prove his chin. We never want to get hit, get hurt, anything like that but I’ve taken some pretty good shots from some top guys out there and I’ve managed to handle that and win and come out on top.

So when it comes to Errol Spence, I don’t look at his power any different than anyone else I’ve been in the ring with and I’m going to go at him like I’ve gone at Keith Thurman, like I’ve gone at Danny Garcia, like I’ve gone at Yordenis Ugas, Devon Alexander and the list goes on from there.

Q
Shawn, he said that you were a dirty fighter obviously in one of those FOX shows. Does that bother you or what was your opinion of that?

S. Porter
No, it doesn’t bother me. I think that’s his perspective. I think there may have been looking at film of me maybe and pulling on some things that he can take advantage of and he may think that my roughness, he’s misconstruing that for dirtiness.

If he can’t handle the roughness then you will find out real soon, and if that’s what’s working for us well then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll be rough, we’ll be hard, we’ll be rugged, we’ll keep the pressure on him and we all know pressure bursts pipes.

Q
Shawn, do you think it’s a psychological advantage for you a little bit that he’s thinking about that and that he’s mentioning this? Do you think that’s in his head a little bit or how do you view that?

S. Porter
At this point, I do. I think that there’s more than just that in his mind when it comes to fighting me. I think he knows that he’s up against a lot. I think that those certain things that he’s trying to be aware of or make the referee aware of, I think that that’s a mistake on his behalf. I think he may be looking at those things and overlooking other things, like my skill and my talent and my speed and my quickness and my boxing ability, So I think that he’s in trouble. I think it’s only a matter of time before the world finds out.

Q
When you look at Errol’s style, how do you see that faring against your style compared to when you fought Ugas? Do you see yourself having an easier or harder time dealing with Errol compared to Ugas?

S. Porter
No comparison. I think styles makes fights. I think you said it yourself. They’re two completely different styles. I think that they both have or in Yordenis’ case had, things that present problems for anyone that are in the ring.

I think for me I think my speed and my quickness against Errol Spence is definitely going to be superior. I think my foot movement is going to be superior and I think that it’s going to open up a lot more opportunities. I think that Yordenis in the ring with me was a little confused. He was expecting me to have a different style than I came to him with and I think that really shook him up. I’m expecting to shake up Errol Spence.

Q
One of the things I remember when we spoke a couple of months ago was that you wanted to have a pay-per-view main event on your resume and now that you got that, especially in a title unification, how does it feel being on this type of unique platform that so few fighters have had the opportunity to headline a pay per view?

S. Porter
It’s been a lot of fun. It definitely has been an eye-opener as well. Someone just sent me a picture telling me that the fights were going to be shown in theaters and I already knew that but to actually see it and have a preview of yourself at a movie theater is pretty cool. I’m at the theaters every other week so I’m going to do the best I can to sell the fight and let people know that they can go watch it at their local theater. I think that’s awesome.

It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to fight week. I hope it gets even more fun and gets more exciting. Fight week is something that I’ve been looking forward to.

Q
Given that the winner will have two of the four world titles, do you see this fight as the winner should be considered the number one welterweight in the world?

S. Porter
I do. I think that myself and Errol Spence, are the number one and number two guys. You call who you want to be number one and number two but the best part about it is one is about to fight two and one is about to get eliminated. I think that after I beat Errol Spence, especially the way I beat Errol Spence, I think that this will see me as the number one guy in the division.

Q
Will you talk to us about what you gained from that sparring with Benavidez?

S. Porter
That’s a big dude right there. That’s a fast dude. He’s competitive and honestly I really did enjoy the whole experience of being in the ring with him and being in the gym with him as well. He’s a dynamite guy. Being in the ring with him, I think at that point challenging ourselves and finding out where we were in camp and I think we found out that the conditioning that I was in at that point was great and we knew that we still had a couple of steps that we could pick up. But being in the ring with a big guy like that we definitely were able to find out that we were exactly where we wanted to be in camp at that point in time.

Q
Now I see that you predicted — do I have this right — you predicted an eighth round knockout of Spence next week?

S. Porter
Well someone else came on the line and they predicted that knockout. I did say I liked the thought of that prediction but I myself did not make that prediction, no, sir.

But if you’re asking me if I am going to knock him out, if I want to knock him out, heck yes. Do I have what it takes? Heck yes. And I think that we’ve come up with a great game plan and we definitely at some point will be looking at pressuring him and knocking him out.

Q
Is there anybody that you fought that’s maybe a little bit similar to Errol Spence?

S. Porter
If I had to say it would be between Danny Garcia and Kell Brook. I think that Errol Spence has great boxing ability, a great one-two, great basic fundamentals. He’s very, very fundamental structured, a lot like Kell Brook, and I think that that he tries to dictate the pace and do the things that he like to do in the ring, a lot like Danny Garcia. So I think he’s a mixture of those two.

Q
Does it bother you that people say that Errol’s on a whole different level as far as boxing and that you can’t box with him?

S. Porter
I’m from where LeBron James is from, northeast Ohio. He said in northeast Ohio everything is earned, nothing is given. With that being said, I know how it feels to prove people wrong. I know what it feels like to do the impossible and do the things that people don’t expect you to do.

So it doesn’t bother me that people don’t give me credit for my boxing ability or say things like me not being able to box with Errol Spence on the outside, things like that. It just leaves room for me to do what I do where I come from. Where I come from is proving people wrong and doing the impossible and that’s what I’m looking forward on the 28th.

Q
I know you’re always motivated but like is it motivations on another level right now because you want to prove so many different people wrong?

S. Porter
No. The odds, the betting odds, they don’t give me any more energy or drive to do anything different. It’s my understanding that I’m going to see a lot of people who say, “Hey, man, I bet on you, man. Thanks.” And there’s going to be a lot of people out there saying, “Man, I should have bet on you.” That’s always fun to hear and see. So I’m looking forward to that.

Q
Would you agree that the intensity in this fight is based on who’s the best at 147, it’s not personal. It’s more business?

S. Porter
I think it’s both and the reason why I say it’s both is because I think the business part of it is just about showing who’s the best fighter and who has the best style and who’s more determined, all that good stuff. But I think that at the same time we both are challenged to show that we have a great team, great families, all that kind of stuff. So, I think it kind of mixes a little bit. But in terms of there’s nothing personal in terms of me taking shots at him, at Errol or anybody else in the division based on what they do in their personal life. It’s all based around the business and the training and all that kind of stuff.

Q
Do you see the perspective that this is a legacy fight for you?

S. Porter
Yes, I think it’s cool to be in my position. I’m the only one that’s taken on all those guys and still here to continue moving forward. I think if anything if we do want to talk about the betting odds and things like that. I think you take into consideration what I’ve done and who I’ve done it against. And how I’ve performed. I think that if you take into account that I’ve fought Danny Garcia at in his prime basically, Keith Thurman in his prime basically. Just recently Ugas who is a great boxer. I think that if you take in all that into account you might say, man, like, alright I think this fight is going to be a little more competitive and harder to choose the winner than I think it is going to be.

S. Porter
I’m looking forward to the 28th. I’m sure you guys are used to hearing that. But the thing you’re not used to hearing is the world is about to be shocked. Team Porter has done a fantastic job at getting prepared for Errol Spence. We are overlooking anything that he can do in the ring. But we definitely feel like we are the superior athlete, the superior fighter. And we are all looking forward to the 29th and shocking the world on the 28th. Thank you, guys, so much for the interviews. And I’ll see you all soon.

R. Flores
This next fighter just gets it done and at a very high level. As his level of opposition increases, he continues to wipe out his opponents, and he has a very tough test ahead of himself. His record, 25 and 0, 21 wins by way knockout. Please welcome the reigning and defending IBF welterweight champion of the world Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr.

Errol Spence Jr.
Hey how it’s going? Happy to be here. Training camp has been really good. I am excited that it’s only two weeks away. It’s going to be a great match up between two great champions. I’m always ready to fight. So, I hope everybody’s coming to the fight. It’s going to be an amazing night and might be the Fight of the Year this year.

Q
Porter seems to be a guy that would be more your equal than maybe your past few opponents. What is your opinion of that?

E. Spence
I see him as a tough opponent. He’s the world champion and he throws a lot of punches. He is very energetic. So that’s why he’s a success. He’s a rough guy and he does whatever it takes to win. So from that aspect and him beating Danny Garcia, I see him as a tough test.

Q
How are you prepared to deal with that element of the physicality he brings that’s not necessarily to the exact letter of the rules?

E. Spence
I’m a guy that I feel like I can ward it off or write it off. Or may do the exact same thing. So I feel like I’ve fought opponents just as physical as Shawn, or just just as strong as him. I feel like that won’t really play a part in this fight.

Q
Were you disappointed you couldn’t get Pacquiao next and sort of settled for Porter?

E. Spence
I was just looking for the next available guy. I wanted a unification fight too. Shawn Porter was the easiest fight to make and the quickest fight to make. So, that’s why I decided with the fight, Shawn Porter.

I wanted the chance to beat Pacquiao. Pacquiao is a bigger name and a bigger fight. So, of course I wanted that fight. But Shawn Porter is the champion too. He has the build. So, I definitely wanted to unify too. I knew that if I wasn’t going to get Pacquiao there was going to be a good chance I was going to fight Shawn Porter.

Q
Mikey Garcia had maybe a little bit of a bigger name, maybe a bigger fan base. I think most people would look at the fight between yourself and Shawn perhaps is the more competitive fight. Where do you stand on that? Which is the bigger fight in your mind?

E. Spence
I’d say Mike Garcia is the bigger name than Shawn Porter. But as a fan friendly fight or as an entertainment fight and tough fight, I would say this fight with Shawn Porter is going to be I feel like way more entertaining than the Mikey Garcia fight. I feel like the Shawn Porter fight is bigger just because it’s a unification fight.

Q
Do you think that it’s been easier this time around just because you have the experience of preparing for a Pay-Per-View event against Mikey Garcia? Or would you say it’s more or less the same?

E. Spence
I think it’s a lot easier. Because the first fight I was traveling to New York doing things and going back to California doing things. So I was basically going in and out of camp. I would say the first time it was harder than the second go around.

Q
Do you believe the winner of this fight should be considered the best welterweight in the world?

E. Spence
Definitely. There’s no way around it. The winner is the unified champion. So, I definitely think the winner should be considered the top welterweight in the world and that makes me even more excited and hungry to win.

Q
This fight you’ve been a lot more vocal that you’re going for a knockout. Usually you’re’ more reluctant to say that. Just wanted to know if that has to do with his style how your styles will mesh, your overall respect for him as a fighter, or just the mindset you’re bringing to this fight?

E. Spence
It’s just my overall mindset and something I want. I feel like the way he fights and the way he comes forward, I think I can exploit that. But I can’t go in there and just force knock out. I’m going to try to work a bit and break him down.

Q
How do you prepare for that physicality that’s going to come with that fight?

E. Spence
Mostly by preparing mentally for it and having sparring partners that bring the heat and bring the pressure. I feel like I’m ready. And I know that Shawn is going to bring it but that’s why we work so hard to be ready for anything he brings at any time.

Q
Are you trying to probably make more of a statement in this fight, ?

E. Spence
Making that statement is something that I really want to do. It’s one of my goals in this fight is to knock him out. I’d be the first person and that would make it a real statement. I’m ready to go in there and deliver. I want it to be a great knockout.

Q
Do you feel beating Porter will give you that respect that you deserve or seek?

E. Spence
About the way I beat Mikey Garcia, because I just didn’t go in there. People thought I was just going to go in there and just bulldoze him. I just boxed and used my mind and made it a boxing match. So I think the people respect me from that standpoint. Where I just didn’t try to use my size to beat him up. But I definitely see how I want to win against Shawn Porter. I think people give me more respect and value my skills and my abilities.

Q
How you want to beat up Shawn Porter.

E. Spence
I just want it to be a calculated knock out. I don’t want to be going in just over anxious throwing a lot of punches and missing a lot of shots. I want to go for the knock out, be poised and pick my shots. I want to break him down and get a calculated knock out.

Q
What is it about Porter that has you working a little bit harder for this fight?

E. Spence
Porter’s a guy trains hard and of course he has dad in his ear pushing him. So he’s pushed to the limit every chance, every training. So that keeps me focused. Keeps me humbled. Because I know he’s going to come in shape. I know going to throw punches. And I know he’ll do whatever it takes to win. So, that keeps me basically on my toes. Keeping me training a little bit harder.

Q
How might Porter approach you as opposed to how he approached Ugás?

E. Spence
Shawn is the guy who just goes by the game plan. So I think the game plan is the try to beat me from the beginning and try to throw a lot of punches and bring me down. Try to stop me. So, I think that he’s going to be more aggressive than he was against Ugas.

Q
Did you think he won that fight?

E. Spence
I think either guy could of won. I think it was super close where either guy could have won.

Q
Did it surprise you that Shawn approached that fight the way that he did?

E. Spence
Yes, a little bit. I would have thought he would be more aggressive like he did in the later rounds, in the early rounds. But they tried that strategy. He still won at the end of the day. So, that gives him the motivation heading into this fight.

Q
Errol, do you think you have gotten under his skin by calling him a dirty fighter?

E. Spence
No. Because I’m not the first person to call him dirty. I don’t know if he’s a dirty fighter but he has a dirty style. A lot of elbows and things like that. But he’s good for a reason. Whatever works, he’s doing it.

Q
How important is it for you in your fight, Errol, in the beginning of the fight if things get rough and he does some of the things that you’ve mentioned to do that right back to him to let him know that you’re not going to tolerate that type of thing?

E. Spence
It could happen that way. But I’m not really worried about it. I think a lot of times, when he fights stronger, he isn’t dirty like that. Danny Garcia, he wasn’t dirty like that. I think he does that to fighters he can just push around. I’m not really concerned with his dirty tactics.

Q
How do you feel about getting this second pay per view?

E. Spence
Yes, of course. I started at SHOWTIME and I have a lot of love for SHOWTIME. Had my first fight on there. First title fight on there. So it’s a lot of first moments on SHOWTIME. So now FOX has had amazing promotion for all their PBC fights. Really getting bigger than getting slots in between timeouts for the NFL. So it doesn’t get bigger than that.

The promotion’s been great and getting all the commercial slots. We’re all very happy to have a promotion like this. It’s been a great ride.

Q
Can you talk a little bit about what role you play in having your hand on Man Down promotions? You have a couple fighters fighting on this card, if you want to speak on that a little bit.

E. Spence
Yes, I have Man Down Promotions co-promoting. We have a couple fighters fighting on the card. We’ve got Burley Brooks, Amon Rashidi and Fernando Garcia all getting in the ring.

I’m a guy that I don’t want to have a big stable of fighters. I want to have a few. So I can put my attention on just them and get them fights and make sure they’re busy and things like that. So I’m not looking to really find any more fighters than what I have now. So, I can be focused on them.

Q
How will you balance whether it a dog fight or a chess match against Shawn?

E. Spence
It’s just instinct. I feel like I know when to box and when to bang and how to pick and choose my spot and things like that. So it just happens naturally in a fight. I feel like at the first round, I’ll know definitely where it’s going. I’ll figure him out, break him down and tear him apart or I’ll beat him backing up.

E. Spence:
Everybody make sure you’re there. Make sure you order the Fox Sports PBC Pay-Per-View September 28. It’ll be an amazing event. I can’t wait. I’m in great shape. Shawn Porter, he comes to fight. And like I said, I’m looking for the knock out. So it might be Fight of the Year if he can withstand my punches for all 12 rounds.

ABOUT SPENCE VS. PORTER
Spence vs. Porter pits unbeaten IBF Welterweight Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. against WBC Welterweight Champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter in a 147-pound title unification that headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View event on Saturday, September 28 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

The pay-per-view event begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell facing unbeaten former champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez in the co-main event, unbeaten contenders Mario “El Azteca” Barrios and Batyr Akhmedov battling for the WBA Super Lightweight title, and rugged veteran Josesito “The Riverside Rocky” Lopez and brawler John Molina Jr. competing in a 10-round welterweight fight.

Tickets for the September 28th event, which is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions and Shawn Porter Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com.

ANTHONY DIRRELL VS. DAVID BENAVIDEZ, PLUS MARIO BARRIOS CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT & AUDIO RECORDING

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ANTHONY DIRRELL VS. DAVID BENAVIDEZ, PLUS MARIO BARRIOS CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT & AUDIO RECORDING

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Ray Flores
Thank you very much operator and to the media joining us around the world as we are very excited because we are just under two weeks away until we have our mega event with Errol Spence Jr going head to head against Shawn Porter. Welterweight unification is on the line. That all comes your way on Saturday September 28. It is a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. What a main event but we have a sensational co-main event and a loaded undercard beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Today we’re going to be joined by fighters that are going to be involved in the co-main event which will see the WBC Super Middleweight Champion of the world, Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell taking on the former unbeaten World Champion David” El Bandera Roja” Benavidez. Also, in action and will be participating in today’s call, unbeaten rising sensation Mario “El Azteca” Barrios will collide against fellow unbeaten Batyr Akhmedov for the WBA Super Lightweight Championship. Tickets are going quickly. They are still available and it’s being promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions, Shawn Porter Promotions. They’re available at AXS.com.

Before we get an opportunity to hear from the fighters, let’s talk to one of the hardest working men in entertainment. He’s the President of TGB Promotions. TGB has had another tremendous year promoting events all over the world. Please welcome my dear friend, a man who knows boxing probably more than anybody, Mr. Tom Brown.

Tom Brown
That’s why I love Ray. Thanks everyone for joining us for this conference call today for what I believe will be an extremely exciting night of boxing all presented by Premier Boxing Champions on pay-per-view. it’s a big fight when you have it at the STAPLES Center, the home of big-time boxing. We have a spectacular undercard and it’s going to be non-stop action and a lot of excitement leading up to the highly anticipated Welterweight Unification plus the undercard with veterans like Josesito Lopez and John Molina.

Also on the pay-per-view portion of the show is unbeaten Mario Barrios taking on the unbeaten Batyr Akhmedov for the WBA Super Lightweight Title. And WBC Champion Anthony Dirrell against the unbeaten former champion, David Benavidez. Any one of these fights could easily steal the show so it’s going to be a great night. I’ll throw it back to Ray and thank you again.

R. Flores
Thank you very much to Mr. Tom Brown. Always working hard but we greatly appreciate his time. He’s very excited as is the rest of the world. Now with today being Mexican Independence Day I think it’s only fitting enough that we have one of the biggest Mexican stars in the sport here to kick off today’s call. David Benavidez has been quite active. He was on hand at yesterday’s huge festival here in Los Angeles celebrating the holiday and was a tremendous hit with the crowd — greeting fans, signing autographs, taking photos. He is just 22 years of age. Former Super Middleweight World Champion trained by his father, Jose Benavidez. They have tremendous chemistry with one another. Certainly a winning formula.

Talking about that winning formula, he was the youngest Super Middleweight World Champion in history when he won the championship in 2017 by defeating Ronald Gavril, most recently having coming off of a very impressive second round stoppage over J’Leon Love. That was a fight that co-main event of a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View back in March. He’s undefeated 21 and 0, 18 wins coming by way of knockout. Originally from Phoenix Arizona, now training in Southern California. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome one of the fastest rising stars in boxing today. Here is David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez. David?

David Benavidez
What’s up guys? How are you doing? First of all, I want to say a Happy Mexican Independence Day. I was happy to see a lot of people celebrating Mexican Independence Day. The fight is less than two weeks away. Probably the biggest fight of my life and I’m just very excited to be here in this position.

Q
What about you has changed between now and a year ago?

D. Benavidez
What’s changed is that I’m getting older, I’m more mature. I feel like the situation did more good to me than bad. It’s made me realize that everything can be lost. It definitely took that to mature me and see that I had my whole life’s work taken away over one error. I’m more dedicated now, but I’m going to value things way more too. This is just a fight I want to look spectacular in.

Dirrell, he’s a great fighter, I take nothing away from him but I need these kind of opponents to reach my goals. I’m faster than last year, I’m smarter and my boxing IQ is higher. When I’m put in these types of situations, I never fold. The best comes out of me. This is my second pay-per-view fight that I’m going to be co-headlining and this is where I wanted to be my whole life so I’m going to take full advantage of this situation.

Q
My question to you is what should Los Angeles fans would look forward to come to see you on Saturday?

D. Benavidez
The fans can expect to see me in an exciting fight. I’m going to make it a war. I’m going in there and I’m looking for the knockout. I want to make my people proud this fight and it’s going to be a hell of a fight.

Q
Anything you would like to say to the fans that are going to come to see you from Los Angeles?

D. Benavidez
I’m fighting in my own backyard. I’ve got a lot of friends here, a lot of family here. A lot of people that support me. There’s a lot of Mexican people here so I’m definitely going to be putting on for them and it’s going to be an amazing fight. I’m going to try my best to knock Dirrell out.

Q
When you saw Anthony Dirrell win the title that you used to own, what did it make you feel? Do you feel like maybe he was not truly the champion and it made you all the more hungrier to show Dirrell that you are the rightful WBC Champion?

D. Benavidez
Definitely. I felt it as soon as he fought for the belt in February because when I fought was it two or three weeks after that. It was very hard just to go through seeing him win the title that was mine. But he’s the real champion and he fought for the Vacant Title so I’m not going to take that away from him. But knowing that that was my belt that I have, I’m just coming in this fight very hungry, very motivated. I have about three and a half months training. So I was very focused for this training camp. So this is the best thing that you guys are ever going to see. That you guys have seen actually, so I’m very excited to go in there and give a great fight and get my title back.

Q
Do you feel like when you made your return about against J’Leon Love that any ring rust was there that you knocked off? Was it enough time to really knock it off or do you feel like you really had to get that experience through your sparring sessions?

D. Benavidez
With the last fight when I fought J’Leon Love I wanted to get at least five rounds in. But I’m not going to complain for knocking this guy out early. But I’ve had so much sparring in this training camp and in the last training camp. For this training camp I’ve had at least over 200 rounds sparring. I feel like everything came into place. Everything is going really good and I’m just going to be extremely ready.

I’m not going to kill myself over the rounds because I didn’t get enough rounds for the last fight. I know exactly what I’m stepping into. We have an amazing game plan and like I said, I’m just ready to go.

Q
Was that sparring with Shawn Porter more to help out Shawn or did you feel like he was offering you something in the sparring that you were getting something that was useful to you as well?

D. Benavidez
Definitely if you’re a great fighter you can find things to try to help yourself. Obviously I’m bigger than Shawn Porter and heavier than him. So I wasn’t trying to kill him but the thing about Shawn Porter that makes him so good is that he’s a very good pressure fighter. So me, for what I was trying to do, I was trying to use a little bit more of my boxing skills, just to work on that in case I have to use that in the fight for Anthony Dirrell. So you kind of have to see in what areas you have to work on yourself.

I was boxing around a little bit. Trying to stop him with my jab, throwing a lot of jabs. So we both definitely walked away with something good from that sparring session.

Q
Final question, obviously there’s been a lot of chatter between Caleb Plant and you back and forth. Is it hard to block out the surrounding noise from a guy like Caleb Plant to focus on Anthony Dirrell or is that something that you’re use to and you just deal with it when time comes?

D. Benavidez
I don’t hear any chatter at all. I just hear some people saying that that would be a good fight. , to me personally he doesn’t tell me anything or I don’t hear anything from here. So it’s not hard to block something out when I don’t hear anything to start off with. But it’s the same thing as everybody else in the business. Caleb Plant, Anthony Dirrell, Callum Smith — there’s all these fights are great fights to be made. I just train and prepare for each fight that I have. So, yes it’s not hard at all. When it’s time for those fights to be made it’s going to be made.

Q
How important is it for you to make this effort to interact with the fans? Here you are training, the fight is coming up. You probably could have used a day off but you’re out with them. What’s that about to you?

D. Benavidez
It’s not only just for me, at the end of the day when I fight it’s for the fans, it’s for the coaches. There was a big celebration yesterday with Mexican Independence Day. They were celebrating that yesterday and they asked me if I wanted to be there. If I wanted to go sign some pictures for some fans and we ended up giving away some free tickets and shirts.

I’m in a position right now where I’m just blessed that people like to see me. When I was younger I didn’t really think I was going to get to this point but I’ve gotten so much love, not only from the father’s but from the kids, the mothers. Everybody likes to see me and they support me so definitely as much as they support me, I’m going to go and support them.

I have no problems signing and we signed a lot of pictures yesterday. We took a lot of pictures, gave a lot of shirts out, so it’s very important to me, just so I can be out there and they can see. They know that I’m out there and they know I’m not going to be that type of boxer that’s hard and never going to attend these events. I’m always going to attend these events. Because I feel like it’s very important to show the fans and the community that I’m out there for them just like how they’re there for me. So it’s very something – it was a very special day for me yesterday.

Q
How important also has it been this last year when you’ve been out of the ring to have your family around you, being a boxing family that understands what it’s all about?

D. Benavidez
It was very important. When we got suspended for a year we didn’t know what to do with our time. Obviously we trained but it’s like when you’re training and you don’t have anything coming up, you just train, you go home and talk about the mistakes that lead you to that point. And I felt like I matured a lot from that point, just talking to my father and my father being around me, supporting me and my family supporting me through this whole situation.

I feel like I’m very grateful just to have my family there with me always supporting me. At the end of the day, this is what I do it for. I don’t just do it for me. I do it for my family. Obviously I do it for my legacy when I get older too but I put my family before myself every time. So everything that’s good for me is good for them. I’m just very appreciative that they’re there supporting me no matter what.

Q
So you’ve been pretty vocal that you’re gunning for the knockout in this fight. I’m just wondering if you could talk about what gives you that confidence?

D. Benavidez
I’m 22 years old but everybody sees my strengths. They know I have a good speed. I’m very strong. I feel like with the confidence I have right now in my power, I feel like anybody who I hit, it doesn’t matter who it is, I’ll hurt them. I trained very hard for this fight. I had three and a half months I haven’t slacked on anything, my diet has been very good, my recovery has been very good, my strength and conditioning has been excellent. So all of these factors have given me so much confidence in my abilities.

Also what gives me a lot of confidence is knowing that Anthony Dirrell hasn’t been stopped. Knowing that nobody has knocked him out. So I want to push myself to the absolute limit and do something that not everyone has done. Anthony Dirrell has never been hurt, he’s never been knocked out. So imagine what that’s going to do for my confidence if I’m the only one who knocks Anthony Dirrell out, if I knocked him out in this fight, that’s what just keeps me going because I know I can. I know whoever I put my hands on I can hurt. It doesn’t matter who it is and I can do it a variety of ways. I can do it from body shots, I can do it from head shots, I can do it from liver shots, I can do everything.

So coming into this fight I know what I can do and I know who I’ve been there with. He has a lot of experience but I also have a lot of experience too. I’m 22 years old and I’ve been a professional for almost seven years now. I’ve been in big fights, I’ve been in 12 round Championship fights. I fought some great contenders. So as much experience as he has, I have as well. And I know I can hurt him, I just know I can hurt him. So it’s not of a matter of if I can hurt him but it’s a matter of when I’m going to hurt him.

I’m extremely ready, camp couldn’t have gone any better. A card like this in Los Angeles at the STAPLES Center, the stakes can’t be any higher man. I’m just ready to do this.

Q
Are you still developing in the gym? What do you have to say about that?

D. Benavidez
That’s why I’m so confident for this fight because this is a sparring session. This camp alone I’ve felt the strongest I’ve ever felt in my whole camp, in my whole life. That’s why I know when I’m going to catch Anthony Dirrell, I’m going to put him away because I just feel extremely strong. Last week I did 15 rounds in sparring. I think it was last Friday, no it was 16 rounds of sparring with four different guys. So I know I’m ready for this. This is the strongest I’ve ever been in my life and I just can’t wait.

D. Benavidez
I just want to thank everybody for the opportunities I’ve been put in, especially PBC, Sampson Lewkowicz, and my father Jose Benavidez. Everybody has been there with me even after those mistakes, they just still treated me really good. Nothing has changed. Like I’ve said, this is the biggest fight of my life fighting at the STAPLES Center and I can’t wait. I guarantee you there will be a new WBC World Champion come September 28. Thank you so much for everything.

R.Flores
This next young man you’ll be hearing from has an impressive record. He’s undefeated 24 and 0, 16 wins coming by of way of knockout. He’s continuing the great tradition of Mexican American fighters from the state of Texas. Another rising star looking to break into the title ranks. He’s a top 140-pound contender. He has gone ahead and rattled off eight straight knockout victories since moving up here to 140-pounds. Most recently having knocked out Juan Jose Velasco in two rounds in May back on FOX, he’s going to fight his toughest challenge to date in the fellow unbeaten Batyr Akhmedov.

He’s undefeated 24 and 0, 16 wins coming by way of knockout. Training in the Bay Area under the guidance of esteemed trainer, Virgil Hunter. Please welcome from San Antonio, Texas the undefeated Mario “El Azteca” Barrios.

Mario Barrios
Of course as a fighter, every training camp feels like the best one, but this one really has been a great camp. We left no stone unturned during this preparation for this fight. I’m aware this is my biggest opposition to date and I’m going to be exciting and go for that Vacant WBA World Title.

Q
I just was wondering from the moment that this fight has been made to now, what’s been going through your head? Has it been like a dream? Has it sunk in that you’re actually fighting for a Title?

M. Barrios
Yes, it’s definitely sunk in, which is why we really made sure we’ve done everything in this training camp in preparation for this fight. I’m well aware of the opportunity and what I’m facing. I’m well aware of the guy I’m going to be facing come fight night. If anything though, it’s been a lot of motivation. There hasn’t been any pressure whatsoever. I promised San Antonio a World Title a long time ago. The opportunity is now in front of me and nothing is going to get in the way of that.

Q
Do you expect nerves to be a problem? You’ve been on some big cards and some big venues. Are you doing anything special to battle the nerves? Do you expect that to be a problem come Saturday night?

M. Barrios
No, I don’t feel any nerves going into this fight. I’ve competed on some of the biggest fight cards in all PBC. This is my third time returning to the STAPLES Center. It’s always a great turn out there, especially, with the Mexican American fans and just boxing fans in general. I’m looking forward to it being a very packed night there but again, no nerves going into this fight. Nothing is going to stop me from going into the fight and dominating the way that we’ve been preparing.

Q
What would winning this title mean to you and to join that select group of San Antonio World Champions?

M. Barrios
Man, it’s one of the biggest I think accomplishments and biggest honors for me. Like I’ve said, taking the World Title back to San Antonio, to me I think only the fifth person in San Antonio history that’s been able to do that. Yeah so it’s going to be an indescribable feeling but first thing is first and that’s to go out there and take care of business next Saturday.

Q
What do you think you bring to the table that’s going to catch people’s eye?

M. Barrios
Not being full of myself but I think I could call myself an all-around fighter and then given my size in this division, I’m one of the biggest probably currently at 140-pounds. I use my size to my advantage and I can box very well on the outside. I work well off my jab but growing up in Texas I have a good amateur background as well.

I really learned how to fight in the inside, I guess you would say Mexican style and that I would brawl. So I’m able to box and brawl. People ask me about my style, I tell them I’m a boxer puncher. Because I’m not just a power punch. My last eight fights have been stoppages but it’s not like I’m just going out there and just winging shots and just catching lucky shots. Every fighter that I’ve stopped, they’ve been stopped in different ways, with different punches.

So I think this fight is going to continue to show the boxing fans about my presence and my place in the division and in the sport.

Q
Do you feel an advantage when you have a height advantage or a length advantage? I know some people say that they don’t feel one. Do you feel more empowered having a size advantage?

M. Barrios
Actually I would always prefer fighting someone that was closer to my height. A lot of times when I was early in my pro career I would fight some guys that were real short, almost too short and that actually presents a lot of trouble a lot of times but Akhmedov, he’s a good height, he’s not too short, not too tall. So whether he knows I’m fighting on the outside or whether it becomes a very busy inside fight, I’m ready for either one of those.

Q
I’m just wondering if you can talk about what the last few years of your career have been like?

M. Barrios
When I first started I was 18 years old when I turned pro and I turned pro at 122. So I was very new.

Most of my fights I was just going out there just and depending on my length and power to stop fighters as opposed to now I really, especially under the guidance of Virgil Hunter, I really gained an insight into all the little things that matter in this sport. When I started working with Virgil about three or four years ago, it really showed me a lot, because he was able to take me to that next level, that world championship stage, which is where we’re at. I think this time, being with Virgil and just maturing overall has been the biggest factors for me.

Q
Just wondering if you could give your assessment of Akhmedov in general and being an Eastern European fighter with relatively so few fights?

M. Barrios

Yes, Akhmedov he has an impressive amateur resume. He has the experience coming in with him but for one of the first times going into a fight, I’m actually the veteran. Of course the pros and amateurs they’re two different ballgames and come fight night I’m going to use everything that I’ve learned in past 24 fights and I’m going to put everything to use.

Again, I’m not saying I’m overlooking Akhmedov. I’m expecting the best version of him that has possibly ever showed up but, like I said, I’ve had a great camp. I know I’m ready to give him any kind of fight that he wants.

Q
Have you by any chance I know you said had kind of relationship with John Michael Johnson. Has he talked to you about fighting for a world title? Have you talked to him lately at all?

M. Barrios
No. I haven’t spoke to him in a while just aside from little comments that he will post on anything I post. But he gives his support which means a lot, especially coming from just my hometown.

All my family, my sisters, my parents, they’re all going to be there and then even just a lot of friends and family that are flying in for the fight. There’s quite a bit. it’s hard to even say.

I know my placement in my division and I know this fight it is a world title and it’s just going to propel me even closer to fighting the current champions.

I started boxing when I was six years old. As soon as I turned eight I started competing. So it’s always been a dream, but now that I’m here it feels surreal. I’m going to take this opportunity. , like I said, there’s nothing that’s going to get in the way of me and this world title.

Q
Is this fight being for the WBA title, was that sort of incentive for you to try and stay at 140 pounds a little longer or was that always plan to stay at 140 pounds through the rest of the year?

M. Barrios
That was my plan originally with the move up to try to dominate and to try to fight for as many of the world titles as I possibly could. Right now I’m still making the weight comfortably, so that goal is going to remain the same. There’s no doubt I’m going to move up to welterweight eventually but that time isn’t now.

Q
Is this fight a statement fight to those aforementioned champions saying that you’ve arrived and you have your case being made for being one of the best junior welterweights in the world?

M. Barrios
That’s exactly how I look at it. I wanted this fight. I felt I’d really proven myself in my past few fights but this one for sure, it’s going to put all the the world champions on notice that I’m right there knocking on the door to be fighting them next.

Q
I want you explain to the rest of the writers here what does Mexican-style boxing mean to you and how does it influence your style, your boxing style in the job you’ve put on for the fans?

M. Barrios
Yes I figure everyone’s general description of Mexican style is sitting there and pretty much just brawling. The body punches as well and just being able to mix it up and to keep that pressure. There’s no doubt that I possess those abilities as well as being a boxer.

But given the fight day close to Mexican Independence Day, which is actually today, I’m excited to go out there and put on for my people, for my city and just the boxing fans in general.

Q
What are you looking for to capitalize against this guy come fight night?

M. Barrios
Like I mentioned he has a great amateur pedigree so he has that experience but he doesn’t really have that experience in the pros. No matter which Akhmedov shows up and how he chooses to fight, I know that I’ll be able to adjust and use all of the tools that I’ve learned in my past 24 fights against him.

M. Barrios
I appreciate you all having me. I appreciate the media all coming in asking their questions and thank you to all the fans and supporters.

R. Flores
Next we will move on to Anthony Dirrell. He won his title by winning a technical decision over Avni Yildirim in February on FS1. His record is 33 wins, one loss, one draw, with 24 wins coming by way of knockout, he’s always in exciting matchups. He literally brings his best and brings everything that he has every single time he steps inside the ring. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the reigning and defending WBC Super Middleweight Champion of the World here is Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell. Anthony, opening comments.

A. Dirrell
How you all doing, how you all doing? You all can start with the questions. I’m just ready to fight. It’s been a long camp and a great camp and I’m just ready to get this job done.

Q
David says he wants to knock you out. Do you think he actually believes? What’s your take on that?

A. Dirrell
I think everybody is going in there looking for the knockout. Does that happen every time? No, but you’re going to go in there and look for the knockout. Boxers don’t get paid for overtime so of course you’re going to go in there and say we’re looking for the knockout. It makes sense everybody wants you to knock opponents out. That’s what I’m going in there for. I’m looking for the knockout. I think I do it every time and I’m ready for the 28th. I’m ready to defend my title and be successful at it.

Q
How do you rank the challenge of facing him compared to the rest of the fighters you fought in your career?

A. Dirrell
I think he’s a good fighter, but the toughest I don’t know. I haven’t been in there with him. Styles make fights. You can only can say how the guy is if you’ve been in there. But he’s a tough guy. He’s a tough kid. He’s 22 years old. He’s going in there to take what’s mine and I got to defend my title of course, and I’ll be successful doing that.

Q
Do you think that you have an advantage in that you can try to exploit maybe that inexperience against guys at the world level?

A. Dirrell
I think everybody has power, especially with 10 ounce gloves on. I don’t know what kind of power he’s got. Every fighter he knocks out, he was supposed to knock out, just like every fighter I knocked out, I was supposed to knock out. But, like I said, I think styles make fights at the end of the day. I’m going in there, looking for the knockout. I’m going in there doing what I need to do to win this fight. If I don’t get the knockout, I definitely can go 12, and I’m just prepared. I’m mentally amd physically ready for this fight.

Q
Is retirement or talk about retirement still somewhat in the back of your mind after you approach your fights or is that something that you’ve kind of put on hold for now?

A. Dirrell
You don’t think of retirement in a fight this big. You think of the fight. You think of the task at hand. Was I thinking about retiring after the last fight? Of course. I’m getting older and I want to spend time with my family, but I’m not getting old enough where somebody’s going to come in there and just whip me or beat me. I’m going in there prepared, fully ready for this fight and I can’t wait for it to happen on the 28th.

Q
How are you going to use your experience to outthink David Benavidez?

A. Dirrell
You’ll have to see on the 28th. I’m not going to sit here and talk about my game plan. You’ll just have to see on the 28th. I know it’s going to be a hell of a fight, especially with a guy like David Benavidez. He’s coming to fight. And everybody knows from my previous fights, even my last fight, I’m coming to fight also and that’s not going to stop me.

Age is nothing but a number. George Foreman did it at, what, 50? Bernard Hopkins did it at 50. You do it because you want to do it and your body is allowing you to do it. So me being this age is not an excuse. I’m going to go in there and do what I need to do to win this fight.

Q
Where do you think David Benavidez stacks in there with your opponents based on what he’s accomplished so far?

A. Dirrell
I don’t know. I have to get in there and fight him. I can tell you better after the fight but right now he’s a champion. He knocked people out he wasn’t supposed to knock out. He did what he was supposed to do. And I just feel I’m so much better, so. Like I say, on the 28th and all the talk is over with. It’s just the fight.

Q
It looks like that you fought at the STAPLES Center 13 years ago, it’s hard to believe it was that long ago, but you’re certainly going to be in an arena where most of the fans are going to be there for your opponent. Does that fire you up? How do you use that?

A. Dirrell
I don’t use it. It’s just me and him in the right. You can’t use that. You use that, you’re messing up your game plan. It’s me and him in the ring and that’s all the matters.

Q
How important is the family support to you and what does it mean to you to have them there?

A. Dirrell
It’s very important. My family’s been there through my whole career. I’ve been boxing almost 26 years and they’ve been there for our ups and downs, blood, sweat and tears so I’m really thankful for them, thankful for my wife. My kids even watch my fights. So I’m really thankful that they’re by my side and I’ve got a family that I can depend on.

Q
How much do you believe your experience will play a factor in this fight?

A. Dirrell
I think it’ll be a big factor. I think I’m a little more polished in that area and just going there and stick to my game plan and do what I need to do to win this fight, no matter how the win comes, as long as it comes.

Q
When you’re fighting do you develop a dislike for your opponent at all or is it strictly business?

A. Dirrell
No, it’s business. It’s strictly business. There’s no personal issues. It’s business. They’re trying to knock you out and you’re trying to knock them out. That’s all it is. I have no animosity or anything towards David at all. I think him and his family are good people. They’re respectful people and that’s good but on the 28th all that respect goes out the window.

Q
It’s been well documented that David Benavidez sparred Shawn Porter. Do you feel that that’s kind of a waste of time for him or what are your thoughts on that as far as in relation to your fight with him?

A. Dirrell
I think he’s sparred with Shawn one time. That has nothing to do with me. Shawn isn’t very tallwe don’t even have the same fighting style, nothing. Shawn can get something out of it but not David, I don’t think. But his sparring at the end of the day you spar who you can spar and just get the experience. Like I said, I don’t know.

Q
What’s the key to your longevity in the game?

A. Dirrell:
Just fight smarter, not harder. I think my last fight was a little hard. I made it hard. But you’ve just got to fight smarter and hit and not be hit, that’s the game. That’s boxing. On the 24th, will there be war? It might be. Will it be a boxing match? It might be. I don’t know. I’ll have to determine that when I get into the ring.

Q
Can you describe what “Flint Strong” means and what kind of energy does that bring into the fight with you being from Flint and being from a long line of great Michigan fighters?

A. Dirrell
“Flint Strong” is we’re all the city. We’re all one. We all support each other from Myles Bridges to Kyle Kuzma, Javale McGee and Monte Morris and many more. You’ve got a lot of people that are from Flint. You’ve got a lot of these athletes that rep Flint. If you look at any one of their tattoos, I bet they have Flint on them or A1O. it’s just us sticking together as a city as a whole and trying to make us better.

A. Dirrell
Just tune in. If you can’t get there, definitely tune in. It’s going to be an amazing show at the end of the day. The fans will win. The fans are who we’re coming out there to do this performance for and at the end of the day, they will win. And, like I said, if you can’t be there, order it. It’ll be a heck of a card.

ABOUT SPENCE VS. PORTER
Spence vs. Porter pits unbeaten IBF Welterweight Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. against WBC Welterweight Champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter in a 147-pound title unification that headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View event on Saturday, September 28 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

The pay-per-view event begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell facing unbeaten former champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez in the co-main event, unbeaten contenders Mario “El Azteca” Barrios and Batyr Akhmedov battling for the WBA Super Lightweight title, and rugged veteran Josesito “The Riverside Rocky” Lopez and brawler John Molina Jr. competing in a 10-round welterweight fight.

Tickets for the September 28th event, which is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions and Shawn Porter Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com.

NON-TELEVISED UNDERCARD ANNOUNCED FOR CLARESSA SHIELDS vs. IVANA HABAZIN

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NON-TELEVISED UNDERCARD ANNOUNCED FOR CLARESSA SHIELDS vs. IVANA HABAZIN ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 AT DORT FEDERAL EVENT CENTER IN FLINT, MICH.

FLINT, MI. (September 17, 2019) – An all-Detroit shootout and an appearance by an exciting and popular international female fighter will highlight the non-televised undercard of the Saturday, October 5 event at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Mich that is headlined by the Claressa Shields vs. Ivana Habazin 154-pound title fight live on SHOWTIME.

“Homecoming for Herstory,” features undisputed middleweight world champion Claressa Shields taking on former world champion Ivana Habazin in a battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World and WBC Diamond Super Welterweight Championships. The SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT telecast will also see undefeated Saginaw, Mich., heavyweight prospect Jermaine Franklin (19-0, 13 KOs) facing Czech Republic’s once-beaten Pavel Sour (11-1, 6 KOs).

In support will be an exciting five-fight mix of local and international talent, topped by a classic “All Detroit” 10-round showdown between West Detroit’s WBO No. 13-rated super flyweight Jarico “Great Lakes King” O’Quinn (12-0-1, 8 KOs) and East Detroit’s James “O.G.” Smith (13-2, 7 KOs).

Stepping in for her third pro fight in the U.S., IBO Super Welterweight Champion Hannah Rankin (7-3, 1 KO) from Glasgow Scotland takes California-based veteran Erin Toughill (7-5-1) in a six-round showcase.

“Homecoming for Herstory” is promoted by Salita Promotions. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and at the Dort Center box office.

Also scheduled for action will be Saginaw, Mich., cruiserweight Robert Simms (9-3, 3 KOs) going into a six-round battle against Columbus, Ohio’s Michael Glasscox (6-3-2, 5 KOs); undefeated Kazakhstani heavyweight Izim Izbaki (2-0, 1 KO) facing Mount Morris, Michigan’s Troy Albring over four rounds; and undefeated welterweight Jacob Bonas (3-0-1, 2 KOs), one of the last of the young fighters trained by the late, great Emanuel Steward, taking on Indiana’s Norfleet Stitts in a four-rounder to open the card.

Action Packed Lineup of Undercard Attractions Round Out Blockbuster Night Headlined by Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter Welterweight Title Unification

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Action Packed Lineup of Undercard Attractions Round Out Blockbuster Night Headlined by Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter Welterweight Title Unification Saturday, September 28 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. 

Featuring 2016 Mexican Olympians Misael Rodriguez & Lindolfo Delgado, Hard-Hitting Super Lightweight Fabian Maidana, Plus Unbeaten Prospects Including Light Heavyweight Burley Brooks & More!

LOS ANGELES (September 17, 2019) – A loaded night of exciting undercard fights will feature top contenders and rising prospects stepping into the ring as part of a blockbuster event headlined by the welterweight title unification between Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and “Showtime” Shawn Porter Saturday, September 28 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

The FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View event begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell facing unbeaten former champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez in the co-main event, unbeaten contenders Mario “El Azteca” Barrios and Batyr Akhmedov battling for the WBA Super Lightweight title, and rugged veteran Josesito “The Riverside Rocky” Lopez and brawler John Molina Jr. competing in a 10-round welterweight fight.

Undercard action will see a pair of rising prospects and 2016 Mexican Olympians in action as 2016 bronze medalist Misael Rodriguez (9-0, 4 KOs) battles Detroit’s Brandon Maddox (7-2-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight bout while Lindolfo Delgado (10-0, 10 KOs) takes on Mexico’s Jesus Zazueta Anaya (6-4-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight duel.

The lineup continues with hard-hitting super lightweight Fabian Maidana (16-1, 12 KOs) in an eight-round fight against Mexico’s Ramses Agaton (21-10-3, 11 KOs), plus a trio of Dallas-natives compete as prospect Burley Brooks (3-0, 3 KOs)enters for a six-round light heavyweight fight against Mexico’s Fabian Valdez (3-5), welterweight Amon Rashidi (7-0, 5 KOs)takes on Mexico’s Alfonso Olvera (11-6-3, 4 KOs) in an eight-round fight and featherweight Fernando Garcia (12-1, 7 KOs) duels another Dallas-native in Juan Antonio Lopez (14-7, 6 KOs) for an eight-round bout.

Rounding out the card is unbeaten rising prospect Leon Lawson III fighting out of Flint, Michigan in an eight-round super welterweight contest versus Mexico’s Alan Zavala, super lightweight prospect Justin Cardona in a four-round bout against Norcross, Georgia’s Archie Weah and undefeated Mexican super featherweight prospect Jose Valenzuela taking on Dallas-native Charles Clark in a six-round attraction.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions and Shawn Porter Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com.

David Benavidez & Mario Barrios, Plus Josesito Lopez, John Molina Jr. & Robert Guerrero Share Mexican Independence Day Memories Ahead of Holiday & Their Showdowns On September 28

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David Benavidez & Mario Barrios, Plus Josesito Lopez, John Molina Jr. & Robert Guerrero Share Mexican Independence Day Memories Ahead of Holiday & Their Showdowns On September 28 as Part of FOX Sports PBC Event From STAPLES Center In Los Angeles

Benavidez draped in the Mexican Flag Credit Esther Lin SHOWTIME                 (Benavidez draped in the Mexican Flag: Credit – Esther Lin/SHOWTIME)

LOS ANGELES (September 12, 2019) – Mexican Independence Day and boxing have gone hand in hand for generations, with Mexican and Mexican-American champions routinely competing in the biggest fights around this time of year. In anticipation of their own fight night on Saturday, September 28 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, closely following this weekend’s celebrations, David Benavidez, Mario Barrios, Josesito Lopez, John Molina, Jr. and Robert Guerrero shared their memories of the holiday and country’s proud fighting tradition.

Benavidez and Lopez, who train in Southern California, will take part in a Mexican Independence Day event this Sunday, making appearances at the Que Buena (KBUE) Fiestas Patrias Celebration taking place at the Los Angeles State Historic Park at 2:30 p.m. PT.

Photo Credit Chris Farina Mayweather Promotions                              Photo Credit: Chris Farina/Mayweather Promotions

The co-main event of the FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View will feature 22-year-old former world champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez looking to regain his title when he takes on WBC Super Middleweight world champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell.

For Benavidez, along with trainer and father Jose Sr., and his brother and welterweight contender Jose Jr., boxing and the holiday have always gone hand in hand with memories of watching the legends of the sport in the ring.

“Around every Mexican holiday in our house, whether it was Cinco de Mayo or Mexican Independence Day weekend, I just remember there was always a big fight to watch,” said Benavidez. “My father is from Mexico and he came here when he was only 10-years-old. He’s the one who brought me up around the sport of boxing from a very young age, and now everything in our lives is about boxing.

“We definitely treated those big fights like holidays. Nothing in our household really mattered except boxing, so big fights around the holiday weekends were always huge for us. I know Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. fought around Mexican Independence Day a lot. Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez also stand out in my memory of those big fights around the holidays. Watching all of them influenced me to be the fighter that I am today.
“Watching those big fights with the great Mexican and Mexican American champions gave me so much motivation because I saw how all the Mexican people supported them. Mexican Independence Day is about warriors defending their own, so it was great to see those fighters competing for their honor. I haven’t had the chance to fight on that weekend yet but I feel that I am going to show the boxing and sports world why I deserve to be there one day.”

Photo Credit Leo Wilson Premier Boxing Champions                                Photo Credit: Leo Wilson/Premier Boxing Champions

The pay-per-view will also feature unbeaten rising contender Mario “El Azteca” Barrios as he takes on fellow unbeaten Batyr Akhmedov for the WBA Super Lightweight title. Barrios has taken on his ring name to honor the fighting spirit of his heritage. He reflected on the pride of Mexican Independence Day and what that nickname means to him.

“So many big fights go down on Mexican Independence Day weekend,” said Barrios. “Growing up, my sister and I made it a tradition to always get together with our family and friends to watch those fights.

“Boxing is one of the main things that brings our family together. I remember watching guys like Erik Morales and Marco Barrera on Mexican Independence Day. Those classic fights always bring back some good memories of being together.

“‘El Azteca’ is what I go by these days and it’s because of that Mexican warrior in me. The Aztec civilization originated in Mexico and I’m proud of my ancestry. Fights this time of year mean a lot to all Mexican fans and that makes it even more important that I have my best performance on September 28. This is just that season when you know a big fight is happening and I’m ready to be a part of it.”

Opening the pay-per-view is a showdown between all-action veterans Josesito “The Riverside Rocky” Lopez and John Molina Jr. The 10-round super lightweight attraction features two Mexican-American fighters who have shown trademark heart and passion in numerous memorable fights throughout their careers, including fights on Mexican Independence Day Weekend.

“In my family, boxing has always been a big part of our heritage and we use it to celebrate Mexican Independence together,” said Lopez. “Growing up, I first started competing as an amateur because it brought my family together. I created unity through the excitement of my fights. I definitely remember us all getting together to watch the legends like Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. In fact, the first time Morales and Barrera fought, they made me realize that boxing was what I wanted to do for a living. I was only about 16 years old at that time, but watching those two gladiators put the exclamation point on me wanting to become a professional fighter. Seeing how great they were, gave me the motivation to work hard in this sport.

“Mexican Independence Day weekend always seems to be a weekend full of boxing. Now, to fight around this weekend as a professional, it’s a great feeling and a celebration with all our family getting together, whether it’s to support me or whoever else is fighting, and just for all of us to celebrate boxing together. Even to this day, I love how all my family and friends gather to watch and support my fights. It means a lot to me.”

Molina’s holiday memories are also tied to family, boxing and the Mexican fighting tradition.

“Spending time with my family and friends is the best part of any holiday,” said Molina Jr. “I love celebrating the holidays and just being with the people I care about. Mexican Independence Day weekend is always a huge fight weekend. I definitely remember Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and his fan-friendly style. Oscar De La Hoya was also a treat to watch and he was really ‘the man’ in my era when I was coming up.

“The Mexican style is something to be proud of. You come forward and take one to give one in order to inflict your damage. Other people even try to emulate our style and everyone knows the fans appreciate our style instead of all of the dancing around each other.”

Lopez and Molina previously fought on Mexican Independence Day weekend, with Lopez competing four times on the weekend, most notably against Canelo Alvarez in 2012, while Molina lost a close decision to Humberto Soto in an exciting 2014 battle on the Mayweather vs. Maidana 2 undercard.

“I’ve fought on Mexican Independence Day weekend a handful of times and it’s always a good weekend to fight,” said Lopez. “I haven’t felt any added pressure in the past, though. At the end of the day, it’s me inside the ring fighting another man.”

“The fight between myself and Josesito Lopez will put the Mexican style on full display,” said Molina Jr. “We’re very similar guys. We’ve both earned everything that we’ve ever received in this sport. We’re going to set the bar really high on September 28.”

In FS1 PBC Prelims preceding the pay-per-view, former three-time world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero will take on Jerry Thomas in action that begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. Guerrero has had an accomplished career and will look to write another chapter in a storied career that’s seen him become one of the most accomplished Mexican-American fighters of his era.

“I just remember always watching all the big fights on that Saturday of Mexican Independence Day weekend,” said Guerrero. “My whole family would get together at my house and enjoy the fights. It was definitely a fun time with family and to this day we will still get together to watch those fights whenever we can. The fight that stands out the most to me was the classic war when Julio Cesar Chavez beat Meldrick Taylor. What an incredible fight.

“Everyone knows I have that warrior Mexican blood flowing through my veins and that’s why you see me go to war in the ring. Mexican Independence Day will always be a time for boxing’s great warriors and spending time with family.”

Tickets for the September 28th event, which is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions and Shawn Porter Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com.

DALLAS HOMETOWN HERO ERROL SPENCE JR. WELCOMED AS SPECIAL GUEST AT COWBOYS & SMU MUSTANGS HOME OPENERS

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DALLAS HOMETOWN HERO ERROL SPENCE JR. WELCOMED AS SPECIAL GUEST AT COWBOYS & SMU MUSTANGS HOME OPENERS

Unbeaten IBF Welterweight World Champion Spence Nears Welterweight Title Unification Against WBC Champion Shawn Porter Saturday, September 28 in FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View Main Event from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles

 SMU Photos Credit- Ari Talton

 

 Cowboys Photo Credit- Jeremiah Jhass 

 

HERE for Video from FOX Sports

DALLAS (September 9, 2019) – Unbeaten IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. was honored as a special guest at the home openers of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs on Saturday as he nears his title unification against WBC Champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter Saturday, September 28 in the main event of a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

“It was really exciting to feel the love from my city at the Cowboys and SMU games,” said Spence Jr. “This is a city of champions and I’m looking to stand out amongst all the stars here. I definitely know that Dallas is going to be in my corner September 28 and its’ got me even more motivated to bring another title back home.”

Spence’s big weekend first saw him take part in the pre-game coin toss as an honorary captain for SMU at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. Spence met with the University’s leadership including President Gerald Turner and watched the hometown team defeat the University of North Texas.

On Sunday, Spence returned to the site of his March triumph over four-division champion Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium to watch his Dallas Cowboys in their season opener live on FOX against the New York Giants. After visiting the field pregame, Spence was show on the FOX telecast with a promo for the event on September 28 and featured on the main video screen in the stadium.

Tickets for the September 28th event, which is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions and Shawn Porter Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com.

Former World Champion Peter Quillin Takes on Hard-Hitting Alfredo Angulo in FS1 PBC Fight Night Main Event

Former World Champion Peter Quillin Takes on Hard-Hitting Alfredo Angulo in FS1 PBC Fight Night Main Event & on FOX Deportes Saturday, September 21 from Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California

Plus! Unbeaten Rising Prospect Chris Colbert Battles Former Title Challenger Miguel Beltran Jr.; Undefeated Welterweight Terrel Williams Collides with Thomas Dulorme & Unbeaten Prospect Jesus Ramos Faces Rickey Edwards to Kick Off Telecast at
10:30 p.m. ET p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT

FS2 PBC Fight Night Prelims Feature 154-Pound Title Eliminator Showdown Between Jeison Rosario & Bakhram Murtazaliev in Action Beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT

Tickets on Sale This Saturday, August 24 at 12 p.m. PT

BAKERSFIELD, CA. (August 22, 2019) – Former world champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin will duel hard-hitting Alfredo Angulo in a 12-round super middleweight showdown that headlines FS1 PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes on Saturday, September 21 from Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California.

Coverage on FS1 begins at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT and features fast-rising prospect Chris “Prime Time” Colbert entering the ring for a 10-round lightweight matchup against former title challenger Miguel Beltran Jr., plus unbeaten welterweight Terrel Williams goes up against Thomas Dulorme in a 10-round attraction, while unbeaten prospect Jesus Ramos takes on Rickey Edwards in a 10-round super lightweight match to open FS1 PBC Fight Night.

FS2 PBC Fight Night Prelims will precede the main card and begin at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, highlighted by hard-hitting Jeison Rosario against unbeaten Bakhram Murtazaliev in a 12-round IBF 154-pound title eliminator.

“This is a great fight card with anything a boxing fan could want, featuring former champions, top contenders and future stars, all in evenly-match bouts that promise drama,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Peter Quillin vs. Alfredo Angulo promises to be a good, old fashion slugfest with two fighters looking to prove they’re ready for a world title fight next. With exciting prospects like Chris Colbert and Jesus Ramos, plus evenly matched fights between contenders in Williams vs. Dulorme and Rosario vs. Murtazaliev, this will be an action-packed night from top to bottom.”

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale Saturday, August 24 at 12 p.m. PT and can be purchased at http://www.rabobankarena.com and AXS.com.

Quillin (34-1-1, 23 KOs) is seeking to climb back into the championship ranks and must go through Angulo before reaching them. The 36-year-old, who was born in Chicago and now lives in Brooklyn, won the middleweight world title against Hassan N’Dam in 2012. He successfully defended it three times. He is coming off a no-decision against former super middleweight champion Caleb Truax on April 13 in an FS1 PBC Fight Night main event. He had taken the first two rounds on all three judges’ scorecards before the action was halted when a deep cut over Truax’s right eye, caused by an accidental head butt, brought an end to the fight and resulted in a no-decision.

“It looks like the Caleb Truax fight wasn’t meant to be, but this fight against Angulo is an important fight for me to establish myself in this division,” said Quillin, who was originally scheduled to rematch Truax on August 31, before Truax withdrew due to an Achilles injury. “I’m ready to go 12 rounds right now. I just have to stay ready and stay in shape because we’ve had a great camp where we were able to build on certain things. This is what was meant to be and I’m going to make the most of it with a great performance on September 21.”

Angulo (25-7, 21 KOs) enters the match against Quillin after a knockout victory over Evert Bravo on April 20. The 37-year-old veteran, who was born in Mexicali, Mexico and now lives in Coachella, California, has been in with some of the top boxers and sluggers during a career that has seen him in numerous exciting bouts against the likes of Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara amongst others.

“I am looking forward to showing my fans the best Alfredo Angulo on September 21,” said Angulo. “I have been working hard towards this opportunity. This is a chance to move closer to a world title and with hard work and the support of my team, I’m going to win that title.”

Representing his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y., Colbert (12-0, 4 KOs) has begun to make a name for himself showing off tremendous skills across his first 12 pro victories. The 22-year-old turned pro in 2019 after an impressive amateur career and most recently dominated Alberto Mercado on his way to a unanimous decision on FOX in June.

“I’m dedicating this bout to the fight against childhood cancer,” said Colbert, who was inspired after recently being introduced to a young fan who has cancer. “I plan on going in to Rabobank Arena and doing what I do best on September 21. I never make predictions for my fights, but I’m always looking to dominate and if the knockout comes then it comes. I have a job to do and I just have to stay focused on the man in front of me. It’s going to be ‘Prime Time’ on September 21 so that fans will want to make sure to tune-in for this one.”

Fighting out of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, Beltran (33-7, 22 KOs) will return to action after dropping a decision to former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa last November. The 30-year-old challenged Roman Martinez for a super featherweight title and lost by split decision in September 2012.

“I’m very excited for this opportunity to fight Chris Colbert on FS1 and FOX Deportes,” said Beltran. “I have fought the best 130 pounders in the world – Rocky Martinez, Gamboa, Mickey Roman and I have challenged for the world title twice. This is the type of fight I need on national TV to get myself back in contention. I’m very serious about winning and happy to have my training camp in Los Angeles with my cousin, former world champion Ray Beltran, who is helping me prepare for victory.”

Williams (18-0, 13 KOs) extended his unbeaten record in April with a split decision victory over Justin DeLoach in Las Vegas. The 35-year-old from Los Angeles previously won a decision over David Grayton in September 2018.

A longtime contender, Dulorme (24-3-1, 16 KOs) earned a majority draw in his last fight against former world champion Jessie Vargas last October. The 29-year-old had previously dropped a narrow decision to top contender Yordenis Ugas in August 2017. That defeat came after a streak where the Puerto Rican fighter won eight of nine fights, with his only loss during that stretch coming in a title fight against Terrence Crawford.

At just 18-years-old, Ramos (10-0, 9 KOs) scored knockouts in his first nine fights since turning pro last May. The Casa Grande, Arizona-native most recently went the distance for the first time in his pro career, winning a shutout unanimous decision over Kevin Shacks in June on FOX.

Fighting out of Paterson, New Jersey, Edwards (12-3, 3 KOs) won his first 11 pro fights including victories over then unbeaten fighters Azriel Paez and John Delperdang. The 29-year-old most recently lost a decision to undefeated Mykquan Williams in May.

The 24-year-old Rosario (19-1-1, 13 KOs) has won his last five fights and is unbeaten in eight bouts since his only pro loss to Nathaniel Gallimore in 2017. The Dominican-born fighter residing in Florida has taken down a slew of contenders and top prospects including Jamontay Clark, Justin DeLoach, Marcos Hernandez and most recently, Jorge Cota on FS1 in April.

Russia’s Murtazaliev(16-0, 13 KOs), who now resides in Oxnard, California and is unbeaten since turning pro in 2014. The 26-year-old has delivered knockout victories over Elvin Ayala and Bruno Leonardo Romay in 2019.

FIGHTNIGHT LIVE WRAPS SEASON II WITH FRIDAY FIREWORKS LIVE FROM ENCORE BOSTON HARBOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fight Night Live logo

FIGHTNIGHT LIVE WRAPS SEASON II WITH FRIDAY FIREWORKS LIVE FROM ENCORE BOSTON HARBOR

Interactive, FREE Facebook series looks to reach 8,000,000 views with 25th show of second season.
Online: https://www.facebook.com/FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE/

NEW YORK (Aug. 22, 2019) – The 24-show second season of FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Powered by Everlast comes to a close on Friday with one more major milestone to reach. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, live from the beautiful new Encore Boston Harbor, the interactive, FREE Facebook series looks to summit the eight-million views mountaintop as the platform once again partners with the red-hot New England boxing promotion born out of the Dropkick Murphys popular Celtic punk band.

“People are still buzzing about our last event at Encore Boston Harbor,” said Ken Casey, Dropkick Murphys Frontman and President and Founder, Murphys Boxing. “We are excited to be partnering with FIGHTNIGHT LIVE once again to showcase some of our big guns and local prospects, free of charge to fans on the FNL, Dropkick Murphys and Murphys Boxing Facebook pages.”

“As we reach the end of FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Season II, we are so grateful to all of the fighters, promoters and especially the fans for taking this wild ride with us,” said Mark Fratto, Principal and Director of Business Development, Linacre Media. “We can’t think of a better place to celebrate what will be eight-million views than the incredible new Encore Boston Harbor with Murphys Boxing – where we’re once again privileged to showcase an accomplished warrior a few wins away from a world title shot like Carlos Gongora, and a rising star in Brooklyn’s own Brian Ceballo from Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions.”

Gongora, a 2008 and 2012 Ecuadorian Olympian, brings his gleaming 16-0 record and 12 KOs into the ring. Now residing in Brooklyn, N.Y., the lefty meets fellow middleweight Alan Zavala (15-4, 13 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico. Bona fide prospect Ceballo (9-0, 3 KOs) of New York City fights vet Luis Eduardo Florez (24-13, 20 KOs) of Colombia in a welterweight clash. Lightweight Jonathan Depina of Boston, Mass. will make his professional debut against Robbie Thomas (0-1), from Bay City, Michigan, while rookie James Perkins of nearby Stoneham, Mass., gloves up against debuting Aaron Trecell Smith from Boston in a cruiserweight clash – all free on Facebook.

Now in its second season, FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Powered by Everlast is the fan-friendly Facebook platform that – among other aspects – prides itself on the real-time conversations held between fight commentators and the viewing audience. FIGHTNIGHT LIVE has showcased more than 660 fighters and 19 promotions during 41 live event broadcasts from 21 different cities since May 2017, and in doing so, the interactive platform has generated the loyal interest of fight fans from across the United States and around the globe, including significant audiences in Mexico, the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, and even fans in South America, Asia and Australia.

• Since May 2017, the numbers on the 41-show FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series have shown promise and potential for the platform with an average of 189,069 views per event and more than 7.7 million total views for the franchise. Since Sept. 2018, 24 FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Season II shows have reached more than 6.3 million fans and have averaged more than 263,000 views.
• The Sept. 2018 “Kings Boxing Tuesday Night Fights” (594,447) from the Sands in Bethlehem, the June 2019 “CES Comeback at Foxwoods” (428,887), the Dec. 2018 “Queens and Kings of Queens Card” (379,758) in New York, the Nov. 2018 “Hard Hitting Showtime Collaboration” (372,662), the Dec. 2018 “Roy Jones Jr. Texas Throwdown” (318,886), the Oct. 2018 “Hard Hitting Philly Special” (297,545), the May 2019 “Murphys Open MGM Springfield” (296,078), the Oct. 2018 hour-long Bareknuckle “Freeview” (292,253), the Nov. 2018 “Titans In The Capital” (256,871) and the March 2019 Murphys Boxing “St. Patrick’s Day Clash” (252,065) all logged 250,000 or more views, and collectively the 41-show series has seen a total of more than 7,751,830 views across all devices.
• In addition to the raw viewership numbers, the fully-interactive, fan-friendly productions have seen more than 480,000 collective live post engagements (more than 11,000 per show), including more than 370,000 “likes” or “loves,” more than 66,000 comments and more than 22,000 shares.
• The Sept. 2018 “Kings Boxing Tuesday Night Fights” from the Sands in Bethlehem set a new bar with 594,447 views. The Sept. 2017 DiBella card saw more than 40,000 viewer interactions including almost 39,000 “likes” or “loves” and the March 17, 2018, Murphy’s “St. Patrick’s Day Clash” set a new high-water mark for shares with 2,182.
• The FIGHTNIGHT LIVE page on Facebook has almost 90,000 fans and more than 100,000 followers.

Created and produced by Linacre Media out of New York City, the FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series features professional announcers, multiple camera angles, television graphics, replays and behind-the-scenes access and interviews. The streamed shows are available globally wherever Facebook is available. The initiative not only enables fans from around the world to tune in, but also gives up-and-coming fighters a global platform to showcase their abilities, gives promoters an accessible “broadcast” solution and gives sponsors the ability to reach a mass audience via branded content.

FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Fall 2019 dates will be officially announced in the coming weeks.

FIGHTNIGHT LIVE is available online at: https://www.facebook.com/FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE/

Follow all the action via social media at FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Facebook, @FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Instagram and @FIGHTNIGHTLIVE_ on Twitter, or by using the hashtag #FIGHTNIGHTLIVE. For the latest Linacre Media events and broadcast schedule, follow @LinacreMedia across all social platforms or use the tags #LinacreMediaEvents or #LinacreMediaOnTV.

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Unbeaten Super Lightweight Prospect Omar Juarez & Hard-Hitting Super Featherweight Contender Jaime Arboleda Compete in Separate Bouts on FS1

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Unbeaten Super Lightweight Prospect Omar Juarez & Hard-Hitting Super Featherweight Contender Jaime Arboleda Compete in Separate Bouts on FS1 PBC Fight Night & on FOX Deportes Saturday, August 24 from Bert Ogden Arena at Edinburg, Texas

Brandon Figueroa Defends Interim WBA Super Bantamweight Title Against Javier Nicolas Chacon in Homecoming Fight in the Main Event & Rising Star Stephen Fulton Jr. Battles Isaac Avelar in the Co-Feature

Undefeated Super Lightweight Darwin Price, Top Super Welterweight Prospect Raymond Guajardo & Unbeaten Featherweight Prospect Sean Garcia Appear on FS2 PBC Fight Night Prelims Beginning at
8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

EDINBURG, TEXAS (Aug. 21, 2019) – Unbeaten super lightweight prospect Omar “El Relámpago” Juarez will take on Gino de la Paz in a four or six round bout and hard-hitting Jaime “Jaimito” Arboleda will clash with Víctor Betancourt in a 10-round super featherweight match on FS1 PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes Saturday, August 24 from Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas.

The two matches have been added to an already jam-packed card that is headlined by unbeaten Brandon Figueroa defending his interim WBA Super Bantamweight title against Javier Nicolas Chacon in a 12-round bout and rising star Stephen Fulton Jr. taking on Isaac Avelar in a 10-round super bantamweight match in the co-feature. FS1 PBC Fight Night begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Unbeaten super lightweight contender Darwin “Pay the Price” Price meets Aaron Herrera in a 10-round bout in the main event of FS2 PBC Fight Night Prelims, which serves as the lead in to the FS1 show. Super welterweight Raymond Guajardo of San Antonio, Texas takes on McArio del Castillo of Santa Monica, California in a four round bout and Victorville, California’s Sean “Sugar Rush” García will appear in a four-round featherweight attraction to open the broadcast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with Panterita Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased through bertogdenarena.com and/or AXS.com.

The 19-year-old Juarez (4-0, 2 KO) will be returning to fight near his hometown for the first time as a pro when he takes on De La Paz (2-2-1, 1 KO) in a four or six round super lightweight bout. Fighting out of Brownsville, Texas, Juarez is a highly decorated amateur who turned pro last September and has been on an active pace thus far. De La Paz of McAllen, Texas is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Luis Araujo Ramirez in his last fight on May 31.

Arboleda (14-1, 12 KOs) is a hard-hitting super featherweight with a good amateur background and rich boxing heritage. His father, uncle and two older brothers boxed. The 24-year-old Arboleda of Curundu, Panama is coming off a TKO victory over Jose Saant in his last fight on May 10, heading into the match against Mexicali, Mexico’s Betancourt (26-2, 13 KOs). Betancourt most recently scored knockout victory over Saul Banos on December. 22.

Born in St. Louis and fighting out of Houston, Price (14-0, 7 KOs) made his 2019 debut with a stoppage victory over Luis Eduardo Florez in April. The 29-year-old is unbeaten since turning pro in 2013 and will face off against Yucatan, Mexico’s Herrera (35-10-1, 24 KOs), who is coming off a TKO victory over Hector Barraza in his last fight on February 16.

The 19-year-old Guajardo (2-0, 1 KO) is building moment since making his pro debut on March 28 with an explosive knockout of Leonardo Mendez. He followed up with unanimous decision over Jaime Mendoza in his last fight on June 29 and will be taking on Del Castillo, who is making his pro debut.

Garcia (4-0, 2 KOs) is the younger brother of super featherweight contender Ryan Garcia. The 18-year-old Garcia is coming off a stoppage victory over Isaias Martin Cardona Gonzales on May 16.