ERROL SPENCE JR. VS. MIKEY GARCIA FIGHTER GRAND ARRIVALS & MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES & PHOTOS

Spence Garcia

ERROL SPENCE JR. VS. MIKEY GARCIA FIGHTER GRAND ARRIVALS & MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES & PHOTOS

Welterweight Champion Spence Jr. & Four-Division World Champion Garcia Headline PBC on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View Event This Saturday from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

Click HERE for Photos from Stacey Verbeek

DALLAS, TX (March 12, 2019) – Unbeaten IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol Spence Jr. and undefeated four-division world champion Mikey Garcia made their grand arrivals for fight week Tuesday and participated in an open to the public media workout as they near their blockbuster showdown that headlines a Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event this Saturday from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Tuesday’s event at Renaissance Dallas Hotel also featured fighters who compete on the pay-per-view undercard Saturday night making their grand arrivals and showing off their skills for the fans and media in attendance.

PBC on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View action begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features unbeaten former 168-pound champion David Benavidez taking on veteran contender J’Leon Love, former bantamweight champion Luis Nery facing former champion McJoe Arroyo and heavyweight fan-favorite Chris Arreola battling unbeaten Jean Pierre Augustin.

Photo Credits-  Stacey Verbeek

Tickets for this showdown, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Ringstar Sports, are on sale now, and can be purchased at SeatGeek.com, the Official Ticketing Provider of AT&T Stadium.

Here is what the fighters had to say Tuesday from a packed ballroom at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel:

ERROL SPENCE JR.

“It means a lot to have all these fans out here today supporting me. This is where I started. This is where my heart is. I’m going to give everyone a great show on Saturday.

“I’m making sure that I don’t get caught up in the moment. I’ll do think about the moment after the fight and celebrate with my people. I’m tunnel vision on Saturday night and I can’t wait. My motto is ‘Man Down’ and I’m here to again show everyone why I’m the best.”

MIKEY GARCIA

“It’s amazing to have this great support from the local fans and media here. I’ve fought in Texas many times and won two world titles here. I’m looking for a third on Saturday.

“I have the timing, the speed, the footwork and defense. I have all the skills needed to win this fight. I could have taken easier fights than this, but they didn’t spark the fire in me. This fight does exactly that.”

DAVID BENAVIDEZ

“J’Leon Love is always going to be a tough fighter and make the fight hard. He can punch and he can move. I’m expecting a hard fight and I have a game plan for anything he brings on Saturday.

“It’s amazing to be on this stage. It’s really a dream come true. This is as big as my title fight. This is going to be a massive event so I have to get a knockout for my fans.”

J’LEON LOVE

“I’m hungry just like every other fighter. I’m hungry like a boxer who is having their first moment in the sport. That’s how I feel right now.

“I’m not going to be an easy fight for Benavidez. The Peter Quillin fight is behind us. There were some things happening that didn’t allow me to be great, but I’m over them now and I’m ready for a spectacular performance Saturday night.”

LUIS NERY

“It’s going to be a real war on Saturday night. I’m prepared for a very tough fight. My opponent leaves his guard open a lot and I think I can knock him down with my hooks. I’m ready to get a great victory.

“I’m very proud and happy to be competing on this great pay-per-view card. I think I’m going to score the knockout in round five or six and show everyone why I’m the best bantamweight in the world.”

MCJOE ARROYO

“I’m the type of fighter that lets the fight unfold and develop. I have to see how my opponent is going to react and be intelligent.

“My speed is going to be a big key. Both with my hands and my legs. I have to avoid getting hit by the big shots. I’m going to take it round-by-round.”

CHRIS ARREOLA

“I know that he’s a fighter who is going to be crafty and try to move around. He’s going to try to keep me off balance and that’s why I made sure I came in great shape for this fight so I can chase this kid around.

“I have to be smart and work behind my jab, while also being aware of what he can do with his left hand. This is a fight to show that I’m back and ready to challenge the best heavyweights.”

JEAN PIERRE AUGUSTIN

“We’ve been training to steal the show on Saturday night. Chris is going to keep coming forward. I’m going to have to rely on my youth, my foot work, my speed and my brain so I don’t take unnecessary shots.

“It’s definitely an honor to be on this platform. For me to find myself in this position, it’s hard to put into words. I’m going to get a definitive win on Saturday night.”

MIKEY GARCIA & CHRIS ARREOLA INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL & AUDIO RECORDING

Spence Garcia

MIKEY GARCIA & CHRIS ARREOLA INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL & AUDIO RECORDING

Click HERE for Audio

Richard Schaefer
Thank you and welcome to all the media members. It’s Fight Week, I can’t wait. I have been waiting for this for so long and I know many fighters have as well.

I want to first off thank FOX and FOX Sports. They are really rolling from one big weekend this past Saturday where we saw a tremendous card in Los Angeles to now a history making weekend in Dallas.

This is without doubt the biggest pay-per-view of the year. I mentioned it last week, top to bottom an unreal card of a combined 207 wins against 9 losses when you add up the entire card — 155 of those wins by the way of knockout.

So I don’t remember if we ever did a card top to bottom which packed that much of a punch. It really is one of the best pay-per-view cards top to bottom I can remember and we certainly have done some big ones.

Today we have Mikey Garcia and Chris Arreola on the call to talk about camp and the excitement of fight week and they will be available for your comments.

But first up I would like to introduce to you Tom Brown President of TGB and co-promoter of this event who really is largely responsible for almost week after week putting together these stacked cards on FOX and SHOWTIME and all the other platforms.

So Tom please if you would like to make some comments and then introduce Chris as well.

Tom Brown
Thank you Richard. Everybody at TGB is honored to work once again with Richard and Ringstar Sports. Not only is Chris Arreola a fan favorite, he was one of my brother-in-law, Dan Goossen’s, favorite all time fighters.

He will be taking on an undefeated opponent Saturday night in Jean Pierre Augustin who is 17-0-1. Arreola’s last fight as we know was back in December on the Wilder Fury cards so it’s great to have him back so quickly as he makes another run at the heavyweight title.

It will be opening fight on PBC on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View so it gives me great pleasure to introduce the former heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola. Chris?

Chris Arreola
Hey, how are you guys doing? It’s a pleasure to be here. I’m more than ready for Jean Pierre. I’m excited. It’s a big fight and it’s time for me to jump in and make a noise in the heavyweight division again.

Q
Chris, it’s been almost two and half years since you fought Deontay Wilder and then you returned last December, how did it feel being back in the right after such a long layoff?

C. Arreola
I was actually the main event that night. I was literally the last fight while the people were putting their chairs up and stuff like that so it was a very, very humbling experience. It was nice being backstage and watching everybody fight.

The atmosphere, I missed the whole atmosphere, the whole comradery that people had in the backstage. It felt great being back in the ring, man.

I didn’t feel any ring rust. I felt the one thing that I did feel the most is the excitement, all the commotion, all the people and so I was more than ready and happy to fight that day.

Q
Do you look at this as maybe perhaps your last chance at getting another shot at the world heavyweight title?

C. Arreola
Yes. Absolutely. So I am approaching 40 years old. But I had two years off and in between I took some time off, so I don’t feel like I’m so much of a beam or a worn fighter.

This is my last title run. This is my absolutely last title run and I have to make it count. I’m in boxing again to leave a legacy and to leave something behind. I don’t want to go out the way I did in my last fight against Wilder.

So yes. I’m chasing the title. This is my last title run and I’m going to give you hell. I’m working my butt off because hey, it’s better late than never.

R. Schaefer
By the way I think you are only 38, right? So at that point we don’t just round up because I think by the time you are going to be 40 or well before you are going to be heavyweight champion again. Let’s round down.

C. Arreola
Exactly. I strongly agree with you Mr. Schaefer. I have the experience, I have the ring knowledge and like Schaefer says, you know, let’s round down. The reason being because I have the ring knowledge, I have the ring smarts.

Q
If you get a victory on Saturday who are you looking to face next?

C. Arreola
First and foremost, I will fight anybody. I’m not looking for one name in particular. The one thing that I am looking for is to stay busy this year because I want my name to resonate through the heavyweight division. When they talk about names like Breazeale and a name like Kownacki and stuff like that I want my name to be mentioned also.

And it’s a great time. It’s a perfect time to come into the heavyweight division again because, yes, all these fighters are making names for themselves and the reason being because Wladimir Klitschko is out of the picture.

Ever since Klitschko was out of picture these titles just opened up and a lot of fighters were hungrier to get one of those titles. So it’s a beautiful landscape right now in the heavyweight division. Even though the fight we want to happen is not happening God willing it’s going to happen soon.

Q
We should expect you to keep bringing the fight going forward not only with this fight but with everything else, correct?

C. Arreola
Yes. Absolutely. Absolutely. But the main thing now like I said earlier I have a little more knowledge than most of these fighters. First off I’m a little bit smarter and not taking unnecessary punishment. So it’s time for me to incorporate a lot of more of the boxing skills that I do have that I have never really used.

And so it’s time for me to fight a little smarter and when the going goes to get tough and it’s time for me to get the nightmare going that will come out with no problem.

Q
Your time away from the ring how much did that help you prepare for this fight and going forward with your career?

C. Arreola
The main thing is my time away from the ring gave me time to see everything in perspective as far as my boxing career and as far as my family, as far as life, you know.

The way I see it now, we have one last chance and we have got to do it right. We have got to leave a legacy. We have got to leave something behind. I can’t waste my life.

So I’m a big Mexican and I’m lucky and I’m blessed we have had a father that stayed with me and made me box when I was a kid. So it’s time for me to do something with it. So that’s why I I’m fighting and this is my last roll like I said before and I have got to make it happen.

Q
How much more important is it to you to kind of send a message that this isn’t just like a last comeback but that you are really here to be a contender?

C. Arreola
This is very important. Like I said, I have to make noise in the heavyweight division. I’m not here to just make money. I’m in here for a reason. I’m in here for legacy. I’m in this for a title.

And the one time if I look bad and I look stupid in the ring man, I will retire. I don’t need to be in this sport to make it look bad. To make myself look bad and to make the sport look bad. So yes, this run is very important for me. Very important.

Q
Do you see a way to kind of use it to your advantage that actually the top heavyweights aren’t fighting each other because it seems like everyone is getting a shot these days?

C. Arreola
You know what? Absolutely man, because there are more than enough heavyweights out there to make noise with. Why can’t I fight every two or three months and fight a heavyweight? There is plenty of heavyweights out there to make noise with.

There is plenty of good heavyweights, not just heavyweights but good heavyweights, built for heavyweight, heavyweights with names, heavyweights that know how to move, heavyweights that once played basketball and now they are boxing because, they had no other choice.

The heavyweight landscape it’s in its best as it’s been in years. I believe that has a lot to do with PBC, the way PBC presents fights, the way PBC makes fights happen. If you know in the beginning of PBC there were a lot of young fighters up and comers. And now those up and comers, now they are champion.

Spence was one of the first ones that was up and coming on PBC and now he’s on the brink of being a star. So boxing is in the best part right now that it has been thanks to PBC.

Q
Could you tell us specifically what changes you have made this time in preparation for this fight?

C. Arreola
Yes. The main thing is that I know that Jean Pierre is a very crafty and a young fighter that’s very hungry. And for that reason alone man, I had to get my cardio up, I had to make sure that I started boxing again. And what I mean by boxing is not being a brawler. Being able to move. Being able to chase a man down and being able to be light in my feet because this man he is a good mover.

He’s a good fighter. He’s one of those crafty fighters they are going to cut a stick and move on top of things and I’m going to have to be chasing him down. So I have got to make sure that my cardio is up. I had to make sure that I’m able to go the 10 rounds at the pace that I want to go.

So the main thing is my cardio is up. The sparring is the most important thing because shoot, you could run a marathon but that ain’t never going to get you ready for a fight. So sparring, a lot of good lefty sparring. That’s one of the main things that I had to work on.

R. Schaefer
Excellent. Okay. Thank you very much Lisa. And I just want to add that I saw Chris last week at the Garcia Gym. My reaction was the same reaction as everyone else who was at that gym, it was wow. I have never seen Chris in such an incredible shape physically and mentally I think you heard that today

His comments as well on this call show that this is the best Chris Arreola I have seen and that is exactly what he needs to beat the undefeated Augustin with 17 wins and 12 knockouts. And I can’t wait for this fight and I know so can’t Chris.

Thank you very much Chris for being on the phone and I will see you in Dallas tomorrow.

When we first announced this fighter Spence versus Garcia virtually everyone picked Spence to win. In fact, Spence was in the Vegas sports book an eight to one favorite. Now that we have fight week the odds have clearly changed.

In Vegas we are slowly but surely getting close to a 50-50 fight. This morning while I was taking coffee I heard some news flash over my screen. It was from ES News who asked three iconic boxers Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather about their picks.

Here is what they had to say. Mike Tyson, “Oh, man. Forget it. Mikey Garcia is the man. He’s just great. I was telling my wife, watch this. He’s one of those special fighters who comes along once in a long, long time.”

Sugar Ray Leonard, “Mikey will beat Spence this weekend. You know why? Because he’s Mikey.”

Floy Mayweather, “I want to see Mikey Garcia and I don’t care what I have to do or what it takes. He will be undisputed world champion.”

So I saw Mikey this weekend at the fight in Carson and what jumped out at me was his calm confidence. Something which you cannot learn. Something which was instilled in him through his family legacy. For his early days on when we could barely walk he was already throwing punches in his parent’s living rooms. We all have seen these pictures.

Since then he has become a four division world champion. But since then he has as well captured the hearts and the minds of fight fans and sport fans. And with this crossover fight this coming Saturday he wants to capture the heart of the general public and show everyone that with hard work and determination anything is possible. Or as we say in Spanish ‘si se puede’. Yes, we can.

It’s a pleasure for me now to introduce to you the legendary four division world champion, the undefeated Mikey Garcia. Mikey?

Mikey Garcia
Thank you Richard. Good morning everyone. We are in fight week now and the fight is just a few days away so I’m just very happy, very excited and can’t wait to get in the ring, you know.

Q
Has there been a bigger emphasis on building up your body to handle the sense of power at welterweight for this weekend?

M. Garcia
Yes. There was a bid more of a physical change and we needed to make sure that moving up to welterweight would be a good decision by adding weight in the right areas, the right amount of muscle mass.

So that’s why we did go those five weeks up north at SNAC to work and I wanted to make sure that I gain the weight – the right weight. But we also didn’t want to lose the speed, we did not want to lose the reaction time, the explosiveness.

And that’s what we worked with with Victor Conte. We made a program that could help me to gain a little bit of mass but at the same time, improve my speed, my reaction, my reflexes and all the things that I will use on fight night.

Q
Do you feel that the winner of this fight should call themselves the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today?

M. Garcia
Well, look, when I took on this fight and I wanted to get this fight, I was not doing it for any reason other than to prove to everybody that I’m the best and that I can fight anybody and I’m not scared to fight anybody even in the welter division.

I’m going to move into welterweight and just be considered one of the best. And if that puts me number one fighter in town then that’s extra another accolade. But there is no other fighter doing what I’m doing.

There is no other fighter moving up in weight and back down and back up and keeping weight classes, fighting champions, undefeated champion. No other fighter is doing that.

So I mean, when you talk about pound-for-pound well I’m actually proving it. I’m doing it in different divisions. So I mean that’s kind of why people will remember me for, that I was willing to fight anybody in any division.

Whether you put me number 1 pound-for-pound or not everybody has an opinion but there is no one else doing what I’m doing.

R. Schaefer
I just want to add on this quickly. I think it’s important when you look at the fact that Spence and Garcia are both right now top five pound-for-pound fighters, they are both undefeated, they are both champions. And there is no other pound-for-pound fighter who really has a signature win like Garcia would have if he beats or Spence would have if he beats Garcia.

These are two prime fighters in their absolute prime and I think that is what will elevate them – the winner of this fight to pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world and that’s why I do call it the coronation in Dallas.

Q
What about this fight do you feel conditioning wise you have been able to attune moving up three weight classes?

M. Garcia
Well, look, we did all the work like I mentioned for those five weeks with the SNAC team. And then we finished my training camp here and stayed with my brother. We got all the sparring in, we got the best sparring with big guys that can really push me and get the best out of me to be in the best shape possible.

We also worked with natural welterweights that are fast and quick and sleek just so I can be sharp and explosive. So I have all the confidence in all my abilities and I have all the confidence in my boxing and my abilities because I know I did all the work, I know I’m in great shape and I don’t worry about the size.

That’s something that I was willing to challenge myself and prove to everybody that you don’t win fights just with mere size and weight. There is a lot more that goes into it. And so that’s why I chose this fight to overcome that challenge and prove to everybody I’m the best.

Q
Do you feel the scrutiny pushes you forward and allows you to fight in an elite level?

M. Garcia
I think I need a fight like this to get the best out of me. I meet an opponent that will challenge me, that will push me and is matched almost identically to me. I keep telling people I love his fight.

He’s almost like similar to me, like, he reminds me of myself. He does everything well, he’s very effective, he’s strong, he has very good footwork, good combination, very similar to the way I fight. Nothing crazy, flashy out there like the flashy speed or hand speed or footwork. Nothing like that. But everything is done very well, very effective and I need someone like that to allow me to perform to the best of my ability.

And that’s why this fight is so important and that’s why it’s such a big fight. It deserves to be in the stadium, it deserves to be getting all this coverage and all this attention because you hardly ever see two of the best pound-for-pound fighters, in their prime, undefeated champions fighting each other.

It’s rare that you get that and I totally knew that this is the fight that I wanted and I’m just very happy that I was able to secure it and we are only a few days away from me making history.

Q
When you look at the welterweight division do you see yourself sticking around after this fight?

M. Garcia
I will definitely have options. The great thing in my position is that I can move up in weight, come back down, I will have options and different names in different divisions.

And I will look to see who the best name, who the best fight, for me, if it’s a lighter weight class I will move down, it’s a welterweight I will switch back. I know the welter division has many names, many great fighters so I could possibly stay here.

I don’t know what I’m going to do yet but I’m very happy to be in the position that I am.

Q
When was it exactly that you decided you wanted to challenge yourself against Errol Spence?

M. Garcia
Look, I was watching him fight Kell Brook and I saw him really turn the fight around and showed to everybody why he’s the world champion and why he deserves all the credit.

And then I saw him fight Peterson. And we were watching with my dad and my brother and I told Robert my brother and my dad that after a fight or two I want to fight Spence. And they all thought I was crazy and just joking but I was serious. I told them, “I’m going to move into welterweight because I’m coming I’m moving to welterweight. I will fight and challenge Spence.”

I saw his fight with Peterson and even though he did great I just feel like there is a lot more that I can do. People keep asking me what did I see in him. Was there a particular fight? Something that I saw in his game? Some holes in his game? No. It’s not even about that.

It was just what you guys haven’t still seen in me and I know what I can do and what I’m capable of and that’s what I’m betting on. That’s exactly why I took this fight because I know there is a lot more to my game that you guys still haven’t seen.

Q
How convinced are they now that you can go out there and get this job done?

M. Garcia
Spence and his camp and his trainer obviously have the confidence and that’s the mindset that they have to be in. You know they are champions and they believe in themselves, they believe in the fighter — much like my dad and my brother have always been in my team, my corner and they always believed in me and that’s why we agreed to this fight.

My dad and my brother wouldn’t allow me to take a fight if they didn’t believe I could pull it off, if I didn’t have enough to do this. So they analyzed the fight – they analyzed and studied Spence more in depth and they both agreed that I definitely have everything that it takes to beat Spence. And that’s why we are confident in our boxing and my training and that’s why we are here.

Q
So how now that you are going to try and settle into the welterweight division does that play into the fact that naturally your weight when you would hydrate from the lower weight classes was kind of around that welterweight limits. Did that play into how you went about building mass for this fight?

M. Garcia
I’m naturally a smaller guy so yes, we had to build a little more mass, a little more muscle leading up to this fight. But we did not want to compete against Errol with size and muscle. I want to use my other talents. I want to use my other attributes like my speed, my reaction time, my explosiveness.

Like I keep saying, there is a lot more that goes into winning fights. And I did need to gain a little bit of weight for that reason to move to welterweight but I do not want to be slow and sluggish.

We want to make sure that we kept all of my feet and muscle work and everything. And I feel very good with the results. We had a great training camp and I don’t think the size is what I’m going to be using. So that’s what we have focused on and making sure that everything else was done in the right way and I’m just very happy with all the results.

Q
Is that playing in with the use of your jab as far, like, your timing and all that and being able to use your jab as a range finder?

M. Garcia
Look, we made sure that we work on the things that we will need on fight night. And we had to figure out how to use my range and my timing against a bigger guy, against a left handed fighter, so we had to pick some different things like finding the range and the speed, the timing.

We had to make adjustments but I’m just very happy with everything. We had great range finders. I have speed and skills and we have some guys that are bigger and stronger, way bigger than me just so I could be prepared for whatever Errol Spence bring on fight night.

I needed to make sure that I was in the best shape and I had the best training camp and I’m just very happy with everything.

Q
How does it feel being in this big fight for you and your career and you my family and what kind of transition would that be for you?

M. Garcia
This is the biggest fight of my career and I’m very happy and very excited to be able to do this. We’re a few days away from making history where I will definitely leave my legacy and my name in the history books.

We are about to make history being a four division champion is no easy task and I’m a kind of fighter that gets motivated by challenges. Challenging myself to move up to welterweight is huge and I’m going against everyone’s opinion and it’s going to be great to prove to anybody that I’m much more than they have ever expected or ever seen in me. So I’m just very happy and excited to be here. I’m excited to be able to accomplish this with my family together which is just unbelievable.

Q
What your daily routine is in the lead up to the fight?

M. Garcia
Oh man, just a lot of rest. Look, we did all the hard work, for example already all the hard rounds of sparring, all the tough parts are done with. This week we would like to rest as much as we can, and just kind of wait patiently but we will still do a little bit of workout just to stay loose.

Maybe do like a stretch, some nice good stretching and just to keep our body flexible. We don’t want to injure our self by punching anything hard or doing strenuous activities that could hurt me for fight night. So maybe like light stretching and light shadow boxing is all we need.

Q
Are you expecting to come significantly under the welterweight limit? Do you have to cut weight? What are your expectations in terms of that?

M. Garcia
No. You know what? We did the work and I did gain weight. I was up at 160 actually at one time. But then as we started training and sparring we noticed that – I was just getting too big or at least I didn’t feel as comfortable as I could.

So we started to get more spurring, more training and the weight came off just because that’s the way we started working harder. And I’m very comfortable right now.

I’m very good. We are just big enough to be a welterweight but not big enough where I will be slow and sluggish.

R. Schaefer
All right. Before turn it over to Mikey to make a few closing comments I want to thank you all from the media. Its fight week, I can’t wait to see you all there starting tomorrow Tuesday March 12 at 5:00 pm Dallas time Central Time at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel, the fight hotel.

We will have the fighter arrivals and the media workout. So I will see you all there. Mikey, closing comments?

M. Garcia
Well, like I said, we are about to make history so make sure everybody comes in and watches the fight. If you can make it live it’s going to be amazing. The energy is going to be amazing and just the whole experience to be able to be fighting at AT&T Stadium in the home of the Dallas Cowboys in front of all my fans like that.

When when people talk about some of the greatest, you talk about the Ali, Frazieer, you talk about, Leonard and Hagler and some of these fights like that. Well, this is going to be one like those. It’s going to be one of those fights.

So we obviously invite everybody to come out and watch this live. And if they can’t watch it live then make sure they tune in pay-per-view because this is one fight you don’t want to miss. It’s going to be history on Saturday night. We’re making history.

Super Welterweight Contender Jamontay Clark Battles Unbeaten Vernon Brown on Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 & FOX Deportes Sunday, March 24 from MGM National Harbor In Maryland

Peterson Lipinets Header

Super Welterweight Contender Jamontay Clark Battles Unbeaten Vernon Brown on Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 & FOX Deportes Sunday, March 24 from MGM National Harbor In Maryland

Super Lightweight Jose Miguel Borrego, Middleweight Prospect Lorenzo Simpson & Super Welterweight Brandon Quarles Step In for Separate Bouts in PBC Prelims on FS1 Beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

Tickets on Sale Now!

NATIONAL HARBOR (March 11, 2019) – Exciting super welterweight contender Jamontay Clark joins the Peterson brothers on a Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes show on Sunday, March 24 from MGM National Harbor in Maryland.

Clarkwill take on Vernon Brown of Chicago in a 10-round super welterweight match that will open the broadcast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. ET. Two-division world champion Lamont Peterson takes on former junior welterweight world champion Sergey Lipinets in a 12-round welterweight match that will headline the show. Anthony Peterson, Lamont’s brother, battles former junior lightweight world champion Argenis Mendez in a 10-round junior welterweight bout that serves as the co-main event.

The Peterson brothers are an inspirational duo that rose from poverty and homelessness in Washington D.C. as children to become professional boxers and reach an elite level in the sport. They will be fighting as the main and co-main event in these nationally televised bouts for the first time since 2006 and will look to put on a show for fans just outside of their hometown.

The 24-year-old Clark (13-1, 7 KOs) was on an impressive roll, having defeated Domonique Dolton and previously unbeaten Ivan Golub, before his match against Jeison Rosario last August. Fighting out of Cincinnati, he dropped a tough unanimous decision to Rosario in the first loss of his career. He will be looking to bounce back against the 29-year-old Brown (10-0-1, 7 KOs), who had a busy 2018 with three victories – two by way of knockout.

The FS1 prelims broadcast will begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and feature Mexican slugger Jose Miguel Borrego (14-2, 13 KOs) clashing with California’s Jerry Thomas (14-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight match. It will also see Brandon Quarles (21-4-1, 10 KOs) battling Kansas-native Aaron Coley (15-2-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight bout, plus Baltimore’s Lorenzo Simpson (2-0, 2 KOs) taking on Earl Henry (0-1-1) in a four-round super welterweight attraction.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and HeadBangers Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting http://www.mgmnationalharbor.com/.

WBC Welterweight Champion Shawn Porter Retains Title with Split Decision Over Yordenis Ugas

Porter Ugas Header

WBC Welterweight Champion Shawn Porter Retains Title with Split Decision Over Yordenis Ugas in Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes Main Event Saturday Night from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California

Abel Ramos Tops Francisco Santana By Unanimous Decision In Action-Packed Welterweight Fight
&
Rising Heavyweight Efe Ajagba Scores Career-Best Victory Stopping Amir Mansour After

 
Photo Credits- Frank Micelotta/ FOX Sports

CARSON, CALIF. (March 9, 2019) – WBC Welterweight World Champion Shawn Porter retained his title with a close split-decision victory over Yordenis Ugas Saturday night in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

“The crowd was expecting a big brawl, but that’s not the way this fight needed to go tonight,” said Porter. “The style that we used left the fight close. As the clock ticks, you have to do what’s working. Tonight the foot movement was working and it made Ugas have to reset.”

“I showed tonight that I belong with the elite fighters at welterweight,” said Ugas. “All I can say is that I’m ready to fight any of the top names in the division. I’ll be back.”

The early rounds were defined by Porter using his jab to try to cut down the distance, while Ugas worked power shots and jabs to the body. Porter had some success on the inside landing on Ugas’ chin during flurries, but was unable to hurt the Cuban.

In round five, both men stood in the center of the ring for an extended period of time throwing power punches that had the crowd on their feet. Ugas began to work cleaner on his counterpunching as the fight went on, and Porter focused on movement while trying to snap his jab.

 

“I was on my toes all night,” said Porter. “I was very focused the entire fight and just listening to my corner. We wanted to out box him and eventually turn it on and press him. But my dad did not think that was the smartest way to win the fight. We fought this way for 12 rounds and no one has ever seen that from me before.”

Porter’s activity clashed with the sharp countering and body punching from Ugas. According to CompuBox, Porter was more active on a per round basis, throwing 42.9 punches per round to 37.4 from Ugas. Ugas held the advantage in body punches landed at 57 to 34, while the two fighters each landed 79 power punches.

In round 10 Porter began to bleed from his right eye due to an accidental head butt, but late in round 11 he landed one of his most significant punches of the fight when he backed Ugas up with a left hook to the head. After 12 rounds, the judges’ scorecards reflected that there were numerous close and hard to score rounds as all three judges agreed on only the fourth and ninth rounds, which went to Ugas and Porter respectively.

One judge saw the fight 117-111 for Ugas, which was overruled by scores of 116-112 and 115-113 for Porter. Both fighters believed after the fight that they had done enough to win.

“There’s no doubt about it, I was robbed tonight,” said Ugas. “After the first round I figured him out and dominated the fight. He had no answer when I was pushing him back. I dominated the fight in my opinion.”

“We fought a good smart fight tonight,” said Porter. “I was consistent and I thought we won a majority of the rounds. We got the win, we’re still champion and we’re looking forward to what is next.”

Additional action, saw a back-and-forth welterweight contest in which Abel Ramos (24-3-2, 18 KOs) got a unanimous decision over Francisco Santana (25-7-1, 12 KOs) after 10 rounds.

Santana struck first, landing a clean left hook that put Ramos on the canvas late in the second round. Santana had been stalking Ramos around the ring for much of the early action, before catching him in a neutral corner for the knockdown.

“He caught me on a flash knockdown in the second round,” said Ramos. “I didn’t see the punch coming and he caught me a little bit off balance. As soon as I got up, I was good.”

Both fighters were effective in mixing up their attacks, although it was Ramos that held a 138 to 46 advantage in jabs landed, per CompuBox. Santana’s power punching caused Ramos to begin bleeding from his nose in round six, but in round seven Ramos connected with a flurry of shots that appeared to have Santana temporarily out on his feet.

Santana was able to survive the round, but was then out landed 56 to 26 over rounds eight and nine. Both fighters pushed forward in a 10th and final round that saw them land a combined 68 punches out of 224 thrown. Despite the early knockdown, Ramos was awarded the decision on all three scorecards by tallies of 98-92, 97-92 and 95-94.

“I was very surprised by the scorecards,” said Santana. “I thought I did enough to win. It was very competitive but I was landing more significant punches. I knew he was a warrior who would come back to fight after the knockdown. I don’t know what else to do at this point, but I’ll always keep my head held high.”

“I thought I won the fight,” said Ramos. “I landed more punches. I felt like I was landing all night and I was doing good clean work throughout the fight.”

In the opening bout on FOX and FOX Deportes, rising heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba (9-0, 8 KOs) remained unbeaten and earned the best win of his young pro career by stopping veteran Amir Mansour (23-4-1, 16 KOs) after two rounds.

Ajagba was dominant from the outset, knocking Mansour down twice in the first round. He first landed a clean straight right to Mansour that caused him to tumble to the ground. He got to his feet but was then put onto the ground by a straight left from Ajagba.

Porter Ugas Frank Micelotta FOX Sports 6“I’ve never fought a southpaw in the pros before,” said Ajagba. “Ronnie Shields has taught me a lot and given me the plan on how to fight a southpaw and how to use my right hand against them.”

Mansour made it to the second round but continued to take a beating as Ajagba landed flush to the head consistently. After the round, referee Thomas Taylor took a long look at Mansour in his corner decided to call the fight after two rounds.

“I want to be the best heavyweight in the world,” said Ajagba. “That’s my dream. I’m going to go home and work hard and prepare for the next fight.”

PBC Prelims on FS1 preceded the main card and featured former world champion Juan Carlos Payano (21-2, 9 KOs) defeating previously unbeaten Damien Vazquez (14-1, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision after eight-rounds of bantamweight action with scores of 80-71 twice and 79-73. Additional action on FS1 saw rising welterweight prospect and 2016 Lithuanian Olympian Eimantas Stanionis (8-0, 5 KOs) score a unanimous decision victory over a game Samuel Figueroa (11-2, 4 KOs) by scores of 80-72 three times across eight rounds of action.

 

SHAWN PORTER VS. YORDENIS UGAS OFFICIAL WEIGHTS & WEIGH-IN PHOTOS

 

Port Ugas Bout Sheet

*After initially weighing-in over the 147-pound limit, Shawn Porter made the weight under the two-hour time limit after having his hair cut on-stage.

 

ERROL SPENCE JR. & DAVID BENAVIDEZ INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT & AUDIO RECORDING

Spence Garcia

ERROL SPENCE JR. & DAVID BENAVIDEZ INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT & AUDIO RECORDING

Click HERE for Audio Recording

Richard Schaefer
Thank you, and welcome to all the media members for being on today’s call. They say everything is bigger in Texas and well, we had to bring a very big card to Dallas, and that’s exactly what we did. One week to go for the best card, top to bottom of the year taking place March 16 from the legendary AT&T Stadium, in the first PBC on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View.

The card, when I say top to bottom, the best I can remember, combined records of the four televised fighters, 207 wins, 155 by knockout, I’ve never seen that, and only nine losses. I’ve never seen anything like that.

I want to thank as well FOX for an unreal promotion by FOX. You watch FOX. You see commercial after commercial. It’s really refreshing to see how excited they are about the sport and how they put all their resources behind it.

The different shoulder programs on FOX such as PBC Fight Camp and Inside PBC Boxing, are generating huge ratings. In fact, the ratings are so big that they exceed in fact most boxing telecast on other networks and platforms by far, and you’re just talking about background shoulder programming providing better ratings than actual fights on other networks.

We anticipate therefore a huge pay-per-view audience and a huge live audience in Dallas, and I can’t wait. We have one week to go. But today we have David Benavidez and Errol Spence on the call. But before we’re going to turn over to them, I just want to spend a couple of minutes on the other two televised bouts.

Chris Arreola versus the undefeated Jean Pierre Augustin is an amazing fight, amazing showdown as well. I saw Arreola this week at the media workout with Mikey Garcia. He’s in unbelievable shape. I’ve never seen Chris like that. He’s mentally, physically ready to go and he knows that he’s going to have a tough task ahead of him with Jean Pierre Augustin.

Then Luis Nery versus McJoe Arroyo, believe me when I say that Luis Nery is the best bantamweight in the world and absolutely must see TV. He’s so exciting. I think there are tremendous fights for him, and this one here with McJoe Arroyo is his first one under the PBC banner.

With Arreola, Nery, Benavidez and Mikey Garcia, we have four of the top five Hispanic fighters on this card, and all of them are in dangerous and meaningful fights. The man who is largely responsible to bring us these mouthwatering matchups week after week, is our co-promoter Tom Brown of TGB. And I want to thank Tom Brown for the excellent job he is doing.

Now, let’s move on to David Benavidez versus J’Leon Love, clearly one of the best matchups and most exciting matchups that can be made in the Super Middleweight Division. It’s a pleasure for me now to introduce to you the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe, to say a few words about J’Leon Love.

Leonard Ellerbe
Thank you, Richard. J’Leon Love vs. David Benavidez is going to be a very, very exciting fight. In my eyes, it’s a terrific match up. It’s a match up that J’Leon has wanted. He’s had an eye on Benavidez for quite some time. I think that with J’Leon coming in as being the underdog, he’s going to lay it all on the line.

He’s highly motivated and I think it’s a terrific opportunity for him to make a great statement fighting the very brave, talented David Benavidez. Everyone knows what Benavidez brings to the table. He’s a very, very exciting young fighter who had a tremendous amount of success at a young age, and he’ll be looking to establish himself by showcasing his skills out there to the world as he’s the best super middleweight out there. And again, this J’Leon vs. Benavidez fight is going to be a very, very exciting fight and I think the fans will love this fight.

R. Schaefer
Excellent. Thank you very much, Leonard. I want to now introduce to you David Benavidez and I want to acknowledge as well his promoter, my good friend Sampson Lewkowicz. He has a tremendous eye for talent. We all know that.

With David Benavidez, we have clearly pound-for-pound, one of the most exciting fighters in the world, and he’s here to reclaim the throne as the best super middleweight in the world. He’s determined to steal the night on March 16 in Dallas.

And it’s a pleasure now for me to introduce to you the former WBC Super Middleweight World Champion, El Bandera Roja, David Benavidez. David?

David Benavidez
Hello Richard. Thank you for introducing me and I just want to thank you guys for this opportunity. I’ve been in training camp three months in preparation for this fight. This is also a fight I wanted for some time now. And it couldn’t be in a better venue than in AT&T Stadium.

I’m just very blessed to have this opportunity, and I’m not going to let it go to waste. And I’m going to get a spectacular knockout come March 16. It’s really going to be amazing.

Q
David, do you still see yourself as the definitive WBC Super Middleweight Champion?

D. Benavidez
I definitely see myself as the WBC champion. Nobody beat me. They’ve got to come get me, and they’ve got to come beat me to crown themselves champion. I definitely still see myself as WBC champion.

Q
If you win this fight against J’Leon Love, after this fight, is that the plan to go after Anthony Dirrell to win back the title that you’ve never technically lost?

D. Benavidez
Yes, that’s definitely the plan, but for right now, my mind is 100% on J’Leon Love. He’s still a veteran. He’s still a dangerous fighter. So I can’t overlook him at all. First things first, I’ve got to take care of business next week on March 16, and then we’ll think about what’s going to happen after.

Q
Leonard, J’Leon Love’s last fight against Peter Quillin was judged by unanimous decision. And from what has J’Leon Love taken from that loss that he feels could help him in this fight against David Benavidez?

L. Ellerbe
Yes. Not to make any excuses, he had a lot going on in his life, a lot on his mind. And a lot of times what happens is, when a fighter is not focused, they come into a fight and they’re not fully prepared. But again not taking anything from Peter Quillin, outstanding fighter, but that was then.

Thankfully he got this opportunity to fight a great young fighter, David Benavidez. And J’Leon is focused. He’s an expecting father. He’s highly motivated. He’s laying it on the line. He had a terrific camp and I’m just very excited to see him get this opportunity to go on there, and we know it’s going to be a tough fight because we know what Benavidez brings to the table. But I’m very confident that J’Leon will win this fight.

Q
David is this a fight about regaining confidence as a fighter after such a long layoff? Or is this a fight to make a big statement on a big platform on this pay-per-view?

D. Benavidez
Obviously the confidence never went away on my part. I feel like this is a big stage and a big venue, so it’s making a statement. I feel like if I get a spectacular knockout on pay-per-view, my stock is going to go all the way up. Obviously I haven’t been in the ring for a while. It’s just going in there, seeing where I’m at the first few rounds. Then going back right where I left off as being comfortable in the ring, getting a few rounds in, and then obviously going to the knockout.

Q
How would you rank yourself at 168?

D. Benavidez
Obviously I see myself as the best super middleweight in the division, but I have to prove myself. I do see myself at least in the top five. And I think when I get the opportunity to prove myself, I’ll show only to myself and to the world that I am the best, once the opportunities come up.

Q
If given the opportunity, how many times would you like to fight this year?

D. Benavidez
If I had the opportunity to fight three times this year, that would be perfect for me. I feel like that’s the route I want to take. If I get two or three fights, that would be perfect.

Q
How do you prepare to fight in a venue like AT&T stadium? Are there any difficulties that come with being in that kind of environment?

D. Benavidez
There’s no real way to prepare yourself to fight in a venue that big. You just kind of have to go by how it feels. The last time I fought at the Mandalay Bay, there was a lot of people there, but once the fighting gets to going, you really don’t really feel the crowd or see the people. You kind of just focus on what’s in front of you.

Q
Being around Errol, in the buildup to this fight, what’s your impression of him been throughout the whole process?

D. Benavidez
He’s a very nice guy. He handles himself in a really professional way and every time I see him, I shake his hand. He’s a really nice guy. I really look up to him in that sense. He’s a great champion and I want the best for him.

Q
How excited are you about this opportunity to fight in Dallas in front of the fans and just the magnitude of this event and where you think this will catapult you in terms of getting into the bigger fights?

D. Benavidez
I feel very confident I’m going to put on a great performance. I just want to thank everybody for keeping me in mind and putting me on this card on pay-per-view. It’s basically like a dream come true. So I’m confident that I’m going to get a spectacular victory. If I do that, there’s going to be so many people watching that.

Once I get a spectacular victory, I’m in line for something big. If things go the way I think they’re going to go, people are going to want to see me, no matter what. And I think that’s going to set me in line for the big fights coming up.

I just want to go back to where I was, having my belt back, fighting the best of the best. And I feel like PBC and my promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, they’ll take care of all that. I’ve just got to do my job and look spectacular and everything will take care of itself.

Q
Any thoughts on maybe going up to 175 soon? How are you feeling about getting yourself at 168?

D. Benavidez
I’m very comfortable at 168 right now, but 175 is definitely an option. If there’s an opportunity to fight for a title or an opportunity for a big fight, we’re definitely going to go up. But as of right now, my thought is to stay at 168 and capture all the titles.

Q
I want to go back again to when you got stripped of the title and what was that moment like? What was that experience like of having getting something you worked so hard for, get taken away from you?

D. Benavidez
It wasn’t a good feeling to have everything you worked for taken away from you in an instant. But it happened and it just made me hungrier and more motivated to keep working harder and to get back what’s rightfully mine.

Being on the sidelines, seeing my belt won by another person I know I could destroy, kind of did it for me. We’re not going to take any more steps back. We’re working hard and we’re going to reclaim what’s ours and we’re going to put on spectacular performances and that’s how it’s going to be.

Q
What is the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself in these last 13 months?

D. Benavidez
Just the hunger. Just being hungrier, being more dedicated now, being closer to my family. And I just owe it to the people who’ve been supporting me since the beginning. I just want to be a better person and a better fighter for them, so they could have that fighter that they could be proud of.

Q
Do you feel this fight coming up is a redemption fight?

D. Benavidez
Yes, definitely. This is a fight for the fans, just so they could see that, I don’t want nobody to lose faith in me because I know I’m the best I’ve ever been right now. I just turned 22 years old. I feel stronger than ever and I feel this training camp has been amazing. So this fight is definitely going to be for them, so they don’t lose faith in me.

Q
Who do you think wins that main event and why?

D. Benavidez
It’s going to be a great fight. Both fighters are world class fighters. Errol Spence is a monster. He has a lot of power. Mikey Garcia is more of a technician. He has a lot of tricks underneath his sleeves. And I think this is going to be the fight that defines them.

So we really don’t know what Mikey Garcia is going to bring to the table. I’m pretty sure he’s working on so much stuff. Errol Spence is too. I just expect it to be a great fight. I know both guys. They’re really cool guys, but I just feel like the people are really going to be the ones that are really going to win with a great fight. It’s going to be a great venue, the crowd is going to be electric and I just can’t wait for the fight.

Q
Were you surprised that the reaction to you owning up to the drug test and that it was met with such a favorable reaction?

D. Benavidez
I definitely owned up to it because it’s something that a world champion shouldn’t be doing. It was just something I shouldn’t have been doing. Now I’m smarter. My father, me and my team, we’re just not going to be around stuff like that. We’re just going to stay dedicated to our sport.

Q
I know you’re looking at J’Leon Love, but with a win next Saturday, it’s like any fight that you want is right within your reach without having to worry about boxing politics. Does that kind of put your mind at ease going into each fight?

D. Benavidez
Yes. It actually makes you more motivated too because this fight’s going to be made in an instant after my fight. So I’m very excited and very motivated for the fights and opportunities that are sitting on the table for me. Both Caleb Plant and Anthony Dirrell are great fighters. They’re world title holders. So it’s going to be amazing just seeing what’s next for the future for me.

Q
From Mayweather Promotions standpoint, what do you think of David as a fighter, and what it is about him that you see something beatable that you keep sending new guys after him?

L. Ellerbe
I’m not sending guys after him. David Benavidez is one of the most exciting dynamic fighters in the entire sport, not just in the super middleweight division. He’s a guy that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. I’ve had a very upfront and close look at him for a couple of fights.

I’ve actually followed his career up until and before he fought Ronald Gavril. He’s a terrific fighter, but just like any fighter, fighters make mistakes and they have flaws. And J’Leon saw some things in the fight that he’ll be able to take advantage of. He’s a young veteran and he’s excited and motivated for this fight and it’s going to be a terrific fight.

And I’ve got respect for Benavidez, but J’Leon is coming to win the fight and he’s confident that he’s going to get it done.

Q
Davis, with the stuff that has happened, is it almost as if you look at that and really wish it hadn’t happened and you could just go back in time and do it all over again? Or actually no, do you feel like you learned from it and it’s kind of a situation where you have that which does not kill us makes us stronger?

D. Benavidez
It’s a little bit of both. Obviously those things that happened to me, I wish they wouldn’t happen, but in reality, it did happen. So I learned a lot about myself, me and my team. It just made us stronger.

I’m not happy, but the way things played out, it just made us stronger. We’ve got good opportunities on the table and we’re just willing to take advantage of what we have in front of us. March 16 is going to be one of the biggest fights I’ve ever been in, probably that I’ll ever be in.

I’m just truly blessed to be here. We’re taking the negatives and turning them into a positive. I’m just extremely ready for my fight next week.

Q
Who are some of the guys that you’re looking at and kind of licking your chops and saying, I definitely want that fight?

D. Benavidez
Right now we’re going to take care of J’Leon Love, but obviously I do have some fights in mind. First I want to get Anthony Dirrell. And then if everything looks good, maybe I can unify with Caleb Plant in the near future. Each one of those guys has the belt. So that’s what I’m going to be interested in right now.

Q
Did you pay close attention to social media and what fans and other fighters had to say about your situation? And if so, what were your thoughts as far as what you read?

D. Benavidez
I really don’t pay attention to social media too much because at the end of the day, I feel like that’s not real life. When I wake up, I train, I get my running in. That’s what really matters in the day. I’m not going to sit here and kill myself about what people say on the internet. Because in reality, that really doesn’t matter.

Of course a lot of people have a lot of things to say and they’re entitled to their own opinion. I can’t control what somebody says. I’m not going to get angry about it either.

Q
Could you tell us a little bit more about what your training has been like and perhaps who you’ve been sparring with over the past few months?

D. Benavidez
Yes. My training has been really good. I’ve been getting a lot of good strength and conditioning training. I’ve been getting a lot of running. When I was in California, I was sparring Dmitry Bivol. I sparred him for about a month, and I sparred a lot of other good fighters in California. And then I’ve been in Texas right now for about three weeks and getting some good work with some guys out here.

So I could say, this training camp has really been one of the best training camps I’ve been a part of. I’ve been eager to get back in the gym and I’ve just been eager to show the people what I have, what I’ve been working on. I’m looking to get a spectacular victory on March 16.

R. Schaefer
Thank you very much, David. Thank you very much, Leonard. I’d like to ask Leonard and David maybe to make a few closing statements, and then we are going to move on to Errol Spence and Mikey Garcia.

L. Ellerbe
Thank you, Richard. I want to thank everyone for joining the call today. There’s going to be fireworks come next week and I’m very excited. It’s going to be a great fight.

D. Benavidez
I also want to thank everybody for giving me the opportunity, just to have me on this conference call as well. I want to also thank the guys the main event. It’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a great night of boxing. There’s definitely going to be fireworks come March 16. Thank you so much.

R. Schaefer
Thank you guys. Now we are ready to move on to Errol Spence Jr. Saturday March 16. I call it the coronation in Dallas. Boxing fans, sports fans, and thanks to FOX, the general public will witness who will be crowned as boxing’s new pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.

As we all know, there are two sayings in boxing. The first one is, a great big man always beats a great smaller man. If that holds true, Errol Spence Jr. will be crowned in Dallas. But there is another saying, made famous by none other than Floyd Mayweather, that skills pay the bills. And if that holds true, Mikey Garcia will be crowned.

When the fight was announced, I would say that 98% of the boxing media, boxing experts and fight fans, picked Errol Spence to win the fight. Last week I made some calls and was checking around a bit, and it seems now we are getting close to a 50-50 fight. This is evident as well in how the odds have changed and dropped in Las Vegas.

It’s pretty simple. This is the fight to see. How often do we see two undefeated world champions, two world champions in their prime, two world champions universally recognized among the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world?

In almost 20 years promoting the biggest events, I do not remember a single one event which delivered an undefeated in their prime and top five pound-for-pound fighter. It’s a fascinating match up. And that’s why I think, as I mentioned before, with all the support from FOX and the excitement building, we will have an unbelievable pay-per-view come March 16.

Both of these young men are an asset to our sport. They are great ambassadors for boxing, and all of us involved in the sport of boxing, can be proud that we as an extension of it, are involved in a sport which has two such amazing young men.

Errol Spence is clearly the man at 147 pounds. He’s undefeated. He’s the king of his division, and he is today without any question, pound for pound, one of the best fighters in the world. It’s an honor to introduce now the undefeated IBF world champion, Errol Spence Jr. Errol?

Errol Spence Jr.
Hi. How is it going? Happy to be on this conference call. It’s been a great training camp and I’ve been 100% focused and hungry and can’t wait to put on a great show March 16.

Q
Errol, I am curious if you have noted, like Richard Schaefer said, that more and more pundits are seeing that it’s possible that Garcia beats you. Have you noted that? Have you heard people, more people saying, no, I give Mikey a good chance to beat Errol? And if yes, why do you suppose that is?

E. Spence
That’s not something I pay attention to, it’s tight enough from what I’ve seen. I can’t worry about that. I’ll just worry about what my camp thinks and how our preparation is going and my focus is 100%. I’m just ready to put on a great show. So I don’t care if that changed in his favor for all I care. It just means he’s going to get in the ring and fight.

Q
You’re up in DeSoto, right, not actually Dallas?

E. Spence
Yes, but I grew up in Cedar Hill, DeSoto, and I grew up in Dallas. So I went first kindergarten all the way to fourth grade in Dallas, and then I went to Cedar Hill and then I went to DeSoto for ninth grade all the way to 12th.

Q
You said you went to two high schools. Could you list those two high schools for me?

E. Spence
Cedar Hill High School and DeSoto High School.

Q
I know when you and Derrick first met, I know you guys talked about how you kind of were in the ring against each other. Do you remember the name of that gym and the city where located?

E. Spence
Vivero Boxing Gym. It’s the same gym that Vergil Ortiz started at too.

You and Derrick often talk about your big sparring partners, sparring middleweight, sparring heavyweight, things like that, just wondering if you guys took a different approach to this fight, if you aimed for smaller, faster sparring partners, and if there are any you can name specifically?

E. Spence
We have added some lighter spars, 140 pounders and guys that fight at my weight. One of them is Amon Rashidi, and he’s fighting out on the undercard and he’s 5-0. He’s pretty much the same height as Mikey Garcia. But we’ve been still adding in bigger guys, just for the physical approach and just getting good work out of those guys.

Q
When Mikey first started talking about fighting you, what was your inclination about wanting to fight him?

E. Spence
At first I didn’t really care too much for fighting him, it got to a point where he started talking a lot more and a lot of other welterweights. I was pretty much busy, like Shawn Porter, like Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, they all had their dates. Manny Pacquiao too. They were the obvious options for me. Then when I found that I could be fighting at AT&T Stadium, then it just made sense.

Q
If this fight wasn’t proposed to be at AT&T Stadium, would you have taken the fight still or would you have wanted to go in a different direction?

E. Spence
I don’t know. Everything happen for a reason. So it’s at AT&T Stadium. I don’t know what I would have decided if it wouldn’t have been at AT&T Stadium.

Q
If you do win, if you get by Mikey, that you are the best fighter in the world?

E. Spence
Like I always say, it’s not just about winning. It’s about your performance and it’s how you win. So if I have a spectacular performance, then I do rate myself as pound-for-pound just the best fighter in the world too.

Q
Do you subscribe to the theory that has been running out there since this fight that Mikey doesn’t have a chance? He’s the little guy. You’re the bigger guy. Do you subscribe to that David and Goliath theory? Or do you feel Mikey is a great fighter, he brings more to the table than people really think?

E. Spence
I think he definitely brings a lot to the table and I don’t – I mean people who say that he doesn’t stand a chance I feel like don’t really know anything about boxing or don’t know the history of boxing, just to say he doesn’t have a chance. He does have a title at 140.

That’s just one weight up from 147. So he does have experience fighting at 140. So I mean everybody has a chance. He does have a chance. He does have a lot of skills and he is fundamentally sound. He comes from that boxing pedigree. So he definitely has a chance.

Q
Is this the biggest fight of your life? Bigger than the Kell Brook fight?

E. Spence
It’s kind of hard to say because without that win and especially going overseas and fighting someone considered one of the best welterweight in the world and beating the man in his hometown, that added to a lot of experience in different things that have led me to this point and led me to the victory I’m going to get next Saturday.

I think this is the biggest one, just where it’s at and it’s on pay-per-view and it’s been hyped up to be really big. I think this might be the biggest win of my career right now.

Q
What are some of the flaws you’ve seen in Mikey’s game between now and start of training camp?

E. Spence
Mikey is tough and I like that. It shows that he’s really coming to fight and it’s going to be a great fight. They can feel however they feel. So I definitely have a game plan to exploit my strengths. And me and my camp, we’re working hard.

My coach has been watching him and we have a game plan ourselves. In the ring we’ll find out if my reach and my size is going to be an advantage or not, or maybe I just have really good ability. So we’ll see.

Q
Fighting at AT&T Stadium, does that put any added pressure on it, or is it another day at the office for you?

E. Spence
Well, me personally, it’s another day at the office, but it’s definitely a huge fight just exposure wise and becoming the superstar that I want to be. So I mean this is a huge fight. But for me, that’s another day in the office. I don’t really think about that till after the fight and the magnitude of it till after the fight. So I don’t get caught up in the moment but it is a huge fight, especially for my career.

Q
Do you really expect Mikey Garcia to be able to go 12 rounds with you?

E. Spence
If he goes 12 he goes 12, but with me, my mentality is, I train hard for a hard 12 round fight, because I don’t want to not expect something and then something else happens. I always tell myself that to make sure that I’m fully prepared, not just physically but mentally for a grueling 12 round fight.

So even if I do get the knockout, all through camp we’re focused on training hard for a 12 round fight. If I get the knockout, then good, but it’s something in my mind that, I want to be prepared if I have to go 12 rounds.

Q
Do you admire Mikey Garcia for wanting to step up and fight you, taking on this challenge?

E. Spence
I respect him. I really respect Mikey Garcia and his skills and his talent. It’s apparent. But other than that, I’ll respect him after the fight depending on this whole game plan and things like that. I definitely respect him for taking the fight and now that he’s rising to the challenge, he challenged me.

I don’t know who I would be fighting or where I would be fighting at if he didn’t call me out. So this is a great fight and the magnitude of the fight is great too.

So I’m just grateful to have this big fight of this type of magnitude on FOX pay-per-view. So I’m happy to be at the here right now.

Q
Are you just as excited to be in this fight as we are to see this fight?

E. Spence
I’m definitely excited. I was excited as soon as I found out where it was going to be at and basically it was just an easy fight to make. I wanted to fight, and it made sense for it to happen here. I’m excited to be fighting at home again and especially because we’re fighting at AT&T Stadium.

Q
What concerns you in your game plan about Mikey Garcia the most?

E. Spence
Nothing really. I feel like I’ve seen every style there is to see. Especially a guy like Mikey Garcia who’s very traditional and has a good full body of work. But at the end of the day, he’s very traditional. I’m very familiar with his style and what he does, things like that. I’ll be prepared for anything that he brings to the table.

Cameron Buford: Thank for answering the questions. And man, you mentioned those names before. Are those some of the names or some of the guys you would be looking at fighting after you fight Garcia next weekend?

R. Schaefer
Okay. I’m just going to have Errol make some closing comments. But I just want to add something. Errol Spence is one of those throwback fighters, a fighter who we all know is going to fight anybody and everyone.

Being as good as he is, being pound-for-pound one of the best, being undefeated, there are not too many other guys calling him out. So for Errol Spence Jr. to be headlining, to have his opportunity to headline his first pay-per-view event, to headline a pay-per-view event from the AT&T Stadium.

He’s also headlining the first PBC on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View, the first time that a free over the air network, television network is entering the pay-per-view space, and Errol Spence is there and they’re doing it with him. And then to have the opportunity to fight an undefeated fighter, one of the best fighters in the world as well, a fellow top five pound-for-pound fighter with Mikey Garcia.

You look at all of these opportunities, Errol Spence Jr. is perfectly situated to really become the face of the sport and be the face of the sport. He has the skills, he has the talent and he has an opportunity, and he knows all of that. So I can’t wait to see you next week, Errol, it’s going to be a big week, and it’s going to be an exciting week. Let’s start the journey to make history here. I’d like to turn it over to you again, Errol, to make some closing comments.

E. Spence
I thank everybody for coming on the conference call. This is a real boxing event, a real boxing match between two great fighters, two top 10 pound-for-pound fighters who are undefeated. So that’s rare to have in today’s time, especially in boxing. So I hope everybody tunes in. You can get your tickets on SeatGeek.com.

It’s going to be an amazing event. And I can’t wait to put on another amazing performance. I’m 100% ready. I’m in tip-top shape. I’ve been training hard. I’m on crazy focus and I’ve basically got tunnel vision, straight to Mikey Garcia March 16. So make sure you are tuned in. It’s going to be an amazing event. Thank you.

 

SHAWN PORTER VS. YORDENIS UGAS FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS

Porter Ugas HeaderSHAWN PORTER VS. YORDENIS UGAS FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS

WBC Welterweight World Champion Porter Makes First Title Defense Against Mandatory Challenger Ugas in Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes Main Event
Saturday Night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California
(8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)

 Photo Credits-Sean Michael Ham/TGB Promotions

CARSON, CALIF. (March 7, 2019) – WBC Welterweight World Champion Shawn Porter and top welterweight contender Yordenis Ugas went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference before they battle in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes this Saturday night from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Also squaring-off at Thursday’s press conference and competing in PBC on FOX and FOX Deportes action Saturday were hard-hitting welterweights Abel Ramos and Francisco “Chia” Santana, who meet in a 10-round attraction, and unbeaten heavyweight Efe Ajagba and veteran Amir Mansour, who battle in an eight-round attraction to kick off the broadcast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com.

 

                               Photo Credits-Sean Michael Ham/TGB Promotions

 

Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from the Marriott Los Angeles Airport:

SHAWN PORTER

“This is special. I feel great and I’m ready to go. I’ve done everything that I need to do so that I’m ready for this point right now.

“I’m sure Ugas has looked at what I do in the ring and sees how tough and rough it is to fight me. He thinks he’s the better boxer and has more technical skills, which is fine with me. He can say what he wants, but the talking is done after today.

“We wanted something different for this fight and we had worked with Barry Hunter from a distance for a while. I think my dad (Kenny Porter) would agree that going out to their gym in Washington, D.C. was one of the best moves we’ve made in boxing.

“Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao. Those are all big fights that people want to see. If this fight goes the way we want it to go, those guys are the goal for the next fight.

“I think he’s going to try to clinch with me and also try to catch me coming in. But I’ve been down that road before and I’m going to show you something different on Saturday. I’m more than comfortable that we’ll be ready to make all the necessary adjustments.

“People want to see knockouts. That’s the best way to solidify a win. We’ve seen things not go my way before on close scorecards. We’ve worked on adding some more power and we’ll see on Saturday if it all comes to fruition.

“I’m looking forward to this fight going differently than last time I fought at this venue, against Kell Brook. I’m going to make sure it goes my way this time, but there’s no added pressure because of it. It’s total focus on getting this job done the best way that I can.”

YORDENIS UGAS

“I’m full of pride to be here today in this great fight. This is the opportunity I’ve wanted and I’m going to take full advantage.

“I am 100 percent better technically than Shawn Porter. It’s going to make this a great fight on Saturday and we’re going to give the fans an incredible night.

“Shawn and I sparred a couple years ago but I’m a way different fighter than I was then. You’re going to see an elite fighter on Saturday.

“I am taller than Shawn, but in the ring, there isn’t a big difference. If he prefers to fight taller fighters, I actually think that will be to my advantage. I’ll show you why on Saturday.

“This is a very evenly-matched fight. I’ve come a long way and now people are giving me the credit that I deserve and that I worked so hard for.

“Being in this position is very motivating for me. Especially because of this big platform in the main event on FOX. I’m going to do what I do best and what I love to do the most.”

ABEL RAMOS

“I’m feeling really good. Training camp has gone well. I’m excited to be on this big event and I’m ready to put on a show for all of the fans.

“It’s going to be hard to avoid staying in the pocket and brawling. Whatever comes up in the fight, we’re going to be ready to execute. I believe I have the better boxing skills. My advantages come on the outside. That’s what we’ve seen from the videos.

“We both have fought a lot of tough guys, early in our careers as well. We’ve been in against top guys again and again. We’re pretty even from that standpoint.

“Whenever they offer me a name, we always say yes. I look at some tape first, but I’m always going to accept any challenge in front of me.”

FRANCISCO SANTANA

“At the end of the day, it’s a fight. We all know how this sport is. It’s a sport of surprised and it can end in the blink of an eye. I have to be prepared physically and mentally. Expect fireworks

“This is going to be an action packed fight. We have similar styles and similar records. Abel and I are both considered fighters who just need one more extra push to get the recognition that we deserve. We both get a great chance to display ourselves on Saturday. This is our chance to be seen.

“You have to adjust during a fight. That’s what makes a fighter special. On Saturday night I’m going to have to make the proper adjustments to make this my own fight and come out with a victory.

“I was a self-made fighter until I started working with my trainer Joseph Janik. We’ve been working together for 10 years now. When he first met me, people said I couldn’t crack a bag of peanuts. All it took were some minor adjustments to get going on this career I’ve had. I’m still learning and I can’t wait until Saturday.

EFE AJAGBA

“People keep telling me this will be my first step up, but I consider every fight a step up. I’m looking forward to giving people a great show. I’m ready to knock him out in any round.

“This opportunity to fight on this card against Amir Mansour is a big one for me. I’ve got work to do on Saturday and I’m prepared to get the win.

“I used to play a lot of soccer when I grew up in Nigeria, but anyone can play football, not everyone can box.

“Every time I step into the ring I know it’s going to be my biggest challenge so far. Ronnie Shields and our team have gotten me into great shape to be at my best Saturday night.”

AMIR MANSOUR

“I’ve had an opportunity to train and prepare for this fight and I feel great right now. I’m not a fighter to make excuses but I wasn’t as prepared as I needed to be for my last fight.

“I’ve never fought the tomato cans. Ajagba is going to have a tough night. He’s going to have to perform at his highest level and I’m just going to do what I normally do.

“I’ve always fought the best and taken on any challenge. Ajagba better be taking me seriously because I’m going to bring something he’s never seen in the pros. I’m here to win, not lay down.”

UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHT PROSPECTS JERMAINE FRANKLIN AND OTTO WALLIN COMPETE IN SEPARATE CO-FEATURED ATTRACTIONS SATURDAY, APRIL 13

Shields Hammer Header

 

UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHT PROSPECTS JERMAINE FRANKLIN AND OTTO WALLIN COMPETE IN SEPARATE CO-FEATURED ATTRACTIONS SATURDAY, APRIL 13 LIVE ON SHOWTIME® FROM BOARDWALK HALL IN ATLANTIC CITY

Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer Meet in SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION® Main Event To Crown Undisputed Women’s Middleweight Champion

NEW YORK – March 7, 2019 – Two undefeated heavyweight prospects will put their unblemished records on the line when they fight in separate bouts on Saturday, April 13 live on SHOWTIME from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J on the undercard of the Claressa Shields-Christina Hammer groundbreaking event. Top American heavyweight prospect Jermaine Franklin will take on former No. 1-ranked U.S. amateur Rydell Booker in the 10-round co-featured bout while undefeated Swedish heavyweight Otto Wallin will battle highly decorated amateur Nick Kisner in a 10-round clash that will open the SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION tripleheader at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

In the main event, undefeated middleweight world champions Shields and Hammer will meet to crown the women’s undisputed 160-pound world champion in what is arguably the most significant women’s boxing event in history.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions, are priced at $150, $100, $55 and $35 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and at boardwalkhall.com.

“The heavyweight division is as talented and exciting as ever,and we are thrilled to add two undefeated warriorsto the April 13 telecast,” said promoter Dmitriy Salita. “We have the best American heavyweight prospect in Jermaine Franklin and one of the best European heavyweight contenders in Otto Wallin. These fights will be tremendous lead-ins to the historic Shields vs. Hammer main event and will create a night to remember for boxing fans worldwide.”

The 25-year-old Franklin (17-0, 13 KOs), from Saginaw, Mich., is a former amateur standout and a 2014 National Golden Gloves Champion. A likely candidate to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympic Games, Franklin turned down the opportunity to compete for a spot on the team and instead chose to begin his professional career in 2015. Widely regarded as the top American heavyweight prospect, Franklin has built his undefeated record with relative ease since turning pro, knocking out nine of his first 10 professional opponents. Coming off a lopsided 10-round decision over Craig Lewis in July, Franklin aims to continue moving up the ranks of the resurgent heavyweight division in 2019 and position himself for a title shot.

“I can’t wait – I am ready to show that I am the new man in the heavyweight division,” said Franklin. “Rydell is a good fighter but he is in the way of my goal of winning the heavyweight world title. April 13 will be my coming out party and I am very honored to have this opportunity on SHOWTIME.”

Booker (25-1, 12 KOs), from Detroit, Mich., is a former No.1-ranked U.S. amateur who was once a rising heavyweight prospect with a 22-0 record. He suffered his lone defeat to former three-division world champion James Toney, who was coming off wins over Vassiliy Jirov and Evander Holyfield, in 2004. After serving a 12-year prison sentence, Booker has returned to the ring looking to get his life back on track and live up to his once promising expectations, registering three unanimous decision victories in 2018 under the tutelage of former world champion Jimmy Paul.

“It means a lot to have this opportunity to fight on SHOWTIME,” said the 38-year-old Booker, who sparred with heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in preparation for his September 2018 bout with Alexander Povetkin. “I’m ready to show my talents on a national stage so everyone will know who Rydell Booker is once again. I think Jermaine Franklin is a pretty good fighter but he has never fought anybody with my experience, knowledge in the ring or my ring savvy. I am going to teach him some new lessons on April 13. I have a bag full of goodies and tricks at my disposal that I will teach this young whipper snapper.”

Wallin (20-0, 13 KOs), who will be making his U.S. debut, turned pro in 2013 and has gradually risen in the rankings by recording 20 consecutive wins. The 28-year-old southpaw, who originally played ice hockey and soccer in his native Sweden before finding the sweet science, won the Swedish Boxing Championship at 16-years-old, fought against Joshua twice as an amateur and was a member of the Swedish National Boxing Team. Currently ranked No. 5 by both the WBA and IBF, Wallin most recently won a 12-round unanimous decision over Adrian Granat in April 2018 and now has his sights set on becoming his country’s first Heavyweight Champion since Ingemar Johansson in 1960.

“I’m very excited about making my U.S. debut on SHOWTIME,” said Wallin, who has spent the last two years conducting training camp in New York with his trainer and former two-division champion Joey Gamache. “To be fighting on such a big card is very inspiring. I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I first started boxing at the age of 15. I will put on a good performance on April 13 and introduce myself to the American fans. I will be one step closer towards my goal of winning the heavyweight world title. Like I’ve said before, I’m a kid from a small town in Sweden and I’m proud of where I’m from and what I’ve achieved so far, but I feel like this is when all the fun starts.”

The 28-year-old Kisner (21-4-1, 6 KOs) has competed at both cruiserweight and heavyweight since turning professional in 2010 after a successful amateur career. Among Kisner’s numerous amateur recognitions, the Baltimore, Md. native was a three-time National Silver Gloves Champion, two-time Junior National Golden Gloves Champion and Ringside World Champion. He holds the distinction of being the youngest boxer in American history ever to win a Men’s National Title in the heavyweight division at 17 years old. As a pro, three of Kisner’s four losses have come against opponents who boasted an undefeated record on fight night. In his last bout, Kisner defended his WBA U.S. cruiserweight title with a majority decision win over Scott Sigmon.

“I’ve dreamt my whole life of one day fighting on national television and now that the time is here, I’m going to make the most of it,” said Kisner. “Wallin is very good but I’m going to prove I’m one of the best heavyweights on the planet. I have proven my ability to beat the best in the world at both the amateur and professional level and I will do it again on April 13.”

Barry Tompkins will call the SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION action from ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

Former Two-Division Champion Danny Garcia Battles All-Action Adrian Granados on Premier Boxing Champions on FOX

Former Two-Division Champion Danny Garcia Battles All-Action Adrian Granados on Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes on Saturday, April 20 from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California

Plus! Heavyweight Contender Andy Ruiz Jr. Faces Alexander Dimitrenko & Unbeaten Super Bantamweight Brandon Figueroa Takes on Yonfrez Parejo in Interim WBA 122-Pound Title Fight To Kick Off Action Beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Tickets on Sale Now!

CARSON, CALIF. (March 7, 2019) – Former two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia will battle hard-hitting veteran Adrian Granados in a 12-round welterweight bout that will headline the live prime time event presented by Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes on Saturday, April 20 from Dignity Health Sports Park (formerly StubHub Center) in Carson, California.

Heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz Jr. takes on Alexander Dimitrenko in a 10-round bout in the co-feature and unbeaten contender Brandon Figueroa battles Venezuela’s Yonfrez Parejo in a 12-round match for the WBA Interim Super Bantamweight title that opens the primetime FOX broadcast that begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, in association with DSG Promotions, are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com or at the Dignity Health Sports Park box office from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

“Danny Garcia is one of the preeminent boxers of this generation,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “He’s a champion through and through. His resume is a veritable ‘Who’s Who?’ of the best at 140 and 147 pounds over the last 10 years. He’s hungry to get his title back and he’s willing to go through anyone to do that. Adrian Granados is a tough competitor looking to join the championship ranks and Danny represents the most direct route. It’s the kind of clash that makes for entertaining matches. The fans at Dignity Health Sports Park and watching on FOX and FOX Deportes on April 20 are in for a treat.”

“Danny Garcia knows that he¹s going to have to be on his A-game, as a victory over Adrian Granados puts him back in position to regain his welterweight championship,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “Adrian Granados is a fighter thatalways comes to put on exciting fights and holds nothing back against his opponents. The action leading up to the main event is sure to be crowd pleasers. I expect the fans in attendance to bring the energy to Dignity Health Sports Park and those tuning in on FOX and FOX Deportes will be fully entertained as well.”

Garcia (34-2, 20 KOs) has fought and defeated many of the most formidable opponents at 140 and 147-pounds spanning two generations-Erik Morales, Zab Judah, Kendall Holt, Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse, Paulie Malignaggi and Lamont Peterson among them. Six of his seven opponents in the welterweight division were former or current world champions and 12 of his last 16 opponents overall carried the same distinction. Included in that run was a headlining performance live on FOX in January 2016, when he defeated Robert Guerrero to capture his welterweight title in Los Angeles. Representing the fighting city of Philadelphia, the 30-year-old most recently lost an exciting and narrow decision to Shawn Porter in their September title fight.

“I cannot wait to get back in the ring and put on the Danny Garcia show once again,” said Garcia. “Granados was talking a big game when we first announced the fight and I plan on proving him wrong on April 20. The Southern California fans have always treated me right and I’m excited to give them a great fight.”

Fighting out of Cicero, Ilinois, Granados (20-6-2, 14 KOs) has made a name for himself by delivering tough, action-packed fights against top fighters in the sport, including Shawn Porter and Adrien Broner. The 29-year-old burst onto the scene by shocking then unbeaten Amir Imam via a stoppage victory in their 2015 clash. After a fight last June against Javier Fortuna that ended in a no contest, Granados picked up two-straight knockout wins heading into this matchup.

“This is a huge fight for me and definitely one of the most important in my career,” said Granados. “I’m looking to dominate, look impressive and control the fight. I’ve fought in Southern California before and I’m looking to take advantage of the great Mexican crowd. This is Mexico versus Puerto Rico and Chicago vs. Philadelphia. It’s territorial on a lot of levels and you can expect us to leave it all in the ring.”

Fighting out of Imperial, California, Ruiz (31-1, 20 KOs) was a two-time Mexican national champion at super heavyweight as an amateur, before embarking on a pro career that saw him win his first 29 fights. The 29-year-old lost a close majority decision against Joseph Parker in their 2016 world title fight and rebounded with victories over Kevin Johnson and Devin Vargas last year.

The 36-year-old Dimitrenko (41-4, 26 KOs) is a longtime heavyweight contender who has challenged top fighters throughout his career. Born in Russia but fighting out of Hamburg, Germany, he most recently lost to Bryant Jennings in a back and forth fight in August and owns wins over Derric Rossy, Adrian Granat and Miljan Rovcanin.

The 22-year-old Figueroa (18-0, 13 KOs) most recently delivered a dominant performance in knocking out Moises Flores in the third-round of their January fight on FS1. Representing Weslaco, Texas, the younger brother of former world champion Omar has a five-fight knockout streak that he brings into the ring on April 20.

A former interim champion and title challenger at bantamweight, Parejo (22-3-1, 11 KOs) will look to make his mark at 122-pounds when he battles Figueroa on April 20. The 32-year-old from Venezuela lost a bantamweight world title fight to Ryan Burnett last March, but rebounded to most recently defeat Benjamin Mendoza in February. He won an interim title by stopping Luis Hinojosa in 2014 before losing a split-decision the following year to former champion Zhanat Zhakiyanov.

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION BOXER PAULIE MALIGNAGGI SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DEAL WITH BARE KNUCKLE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP

Bare Knuckle Logo
TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION BOXER PAULIE MALIGNAGGI SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DEAL WITH BARE KNUCKLE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP

PHILADELPHIA (March 7, 2019) – Former two-division world champion boxer and boxing commentator Paulie Malignaggi has signed an exclusive deal to compete for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Malignaggi is expected to make his BKFC debut in June 2019 at a location yet to be determined.

“This is great signing for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship,” said BKFC Founder and President David Feldman. “At this time in our company’s growth, we needed to add a legitimate and well-established world champion boxer to our roster, and I believe with Paulie’s ability and personality we’ve done just that. Paulie is the perfect fit for us.”

“BKFC is the new wave in combat sports. They’re doing great things and I’m very excited to be a part of this organization,” said Malignaggi. “I’ve accomplished some big things in boxing career, and I look forward to what this next phase brings. After a long boxing career, it’s easy to miss the limelight and the rush that combat brings. I look forward to getting back in action and the new challenge of fighting for BKFC.”

Malignaggi, a 38-year-old native of Brooklyn, NY, battled some of the top names in the super lightweight and welterweight divisions as a professional boxer. In June 2007, Malignaggi defeated Lovemore N’dou by unanimous decision to capture the IBF Super Lightweight Title. Malignaggi defended that title twice before losing the belt to Ricky Hatton in November 2008. In April 2012, Malignaggi won his second world title, defeating Vyacheslav Senchenko by technical knockout to secure the WBA Welterweight Title. He successfully defended the WBA title once before suffering a split decision loss to Adrien Broner in June 2013.

During his professional boxing career, Malignaggi amassed an impressive record of 36 – 8, with seven of his victories coming by way of knockout. A winner of three out of his last four boxing contests, Malignaggi last fought professionally in March 2017 in a loss to Sam Eggington. In mid-2017, Malignaggi worked briefly as a sparring partner for Conor McGregor as McGregor prepared to face undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather later that year.