ANTONIO
TARVER VS. LATEEF KAYODE,
“WINKY”
WRIGHT VS. PETER QUILLIN,
AUSTIN TROUT AND LEO
SANTA CRUZ
KICKOFF
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Monday, April 23, from JW Marriott L.A. LIVE in
Los Angeles , Calif.
“It’s
a whole new ballgame – welcome to the big time, brother” –
Antonio Tarver
“He has the name, but he doesn’t have any
heart.” – Lateef Kayode
LOS ANGELES – A mix of boxing legends, undefeated contenders and a current world
champion converged in Los Angeles for a wild, emotional and often heated press
conference on Monday to formally announce the upcoming Saturday, June 2 Quadrupleheader live on SHOWTIME® from The Home
Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Former light heavyweight kingpin and current SHOWTIME
ringside boxing analyst Antonio “Magic
Man” Tarver (29-6, 20 KO’s), of Tampa, Fla., will
headline as he continues his campaign in the cruiserweight division by taking on
unbeaten power puncher Lateef
“Power” Kayode (18-0, 14 KO’s), of Hollywood,
Calif., by way of Lagos, Nigeria.
In the co-main event, Ronald
“Winky” Wright (51-5-1, 25 KO’s), of
St. Petersburg , Fla. ,
makes his return to the ring against undefeated rising star, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (26-0, 20 KO’s), of Brooklyn ,
N.Y.
The telecast, which features four
undefeated fighters, over 200 combined victories and 102 knockouts, will open
with two world title bouts including WBA Super Welterweight
World Champion Austin “No Doubt”
Trout (24-0,14 KO’s), of Las Cruces, N.M., defending against
crowd-pleasing Delvin Rodriguez (26-5-3, 14 KO’s), of Danbury, Conn., by way of Santiago, D.R. In
the opening world title match, Vusi
“Marvelous” Malinga (20-3, 12 KO’s), of
Johannesburg , South Africa ,
will face undefeated Leo
“Terremoto” Santa Cruz (19-0-1, 11 KO’s), of Lincoln
Heights , Calif. , for
the vacant IBF bantamweight world championship.
The event is presented by A.T.
Entertainment, Golden Boy
Promotions and Gary Shaw
Productions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T with Trout vs. Rodriguez being
presented in association with Greg Cohen
Promotions and Joe
DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Malinga vs.
Santa Cruz being presented in association
with Branco Sports Productions.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP
BOXING telecast will air live at 9
p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) on SHOWTIME ® with preliminary bouts airing live
on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets for the June 2 event are on sale now for as low as
$25, with VIP floor seats priced at $200. Other tickets in the 8,000-seat
outdoor stadium at The Home Depot Center are available at $50 and $100.
Fans can purchase tickets at AXS.com or by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX
(888-929-7849), as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday
through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available for
purchase by calling 1-877-604-8777. For more information on group
discounts or VIP packages, please call 1-877-234-8425.
Here’s what the participants had to say on Monday:
Antonio Tarver:
“You have to admire these young guys for their
enthusiasm and their will. Eight or nine years ago that was me, trying to
fight a legend.
“I feel I still have so much to give to the game of
boxing. I have to take this fight seriously and you better believe
I’ll be ready for June 2.
“These young guys are trying to take our spots and
this is what makes boxing special.
“When you try to constructively critique someone
(Tarver has served as color commentator for Kayode fights), you hope they go
back to the gym and get better. I wasn’t on his bandwagon. I
saw loopholes in his game and it was my job to tell him that. He
didn’t want to take heed to that and now I need to show him.
“I’m telling Lateef that his dream is going to
come crumbling down.
“I’m standing here today to tell Lateef Kayode
and everybody he’s got coming to support him on June 2 that his dreams
are going to come tumbling down. It’s a big difference when you are
in that ring by yourself and facing the heat and fire I’m going to bring,
and all (Kayode trainer) Freddie Roach can do is give you water. It’s a whole new ballgame – welcome
to the big time, brother.”
“I’ve never been worried about power because
power is nothing if you can’t land that punch.
“There
are two types of fighters, some you can make quit and some you have to knock
out and I don’t think there is any quit in Lateef Kayode, which means
I’m going to have to knock him out to come away with the victory.”
“Lateef
Kayode is in a good position for a young fighter who has nothing to lose and
everything to gain. They think that’s a dangerous fighter, but I
see it different. A fighter who has everything to lose is more dangerous
than a fighter who has everything to gain, because I know what will happen to
me if I lose. Lateef Kayode will be facing a very, very dangerous
fighter. I’m bringing a lot heat with me in the ring on June
2.”
Lateef Kayode
“I will knock you out. I will beat the crap out
of you.
“I want to be a world champion and I want to fight
world champions. I want to prove to all of you that I am better than him,
that I am stronger than him.
“When Tarver commented on me on SHOWTIME, he never
said anything good. I never disrespected him and I said, “Champ,
what have I done to you?’
“I’m going to prove myself and prove that I am
ready for this man, that I am ready for the best.
“He has the name, but he doesn’t have the
heart. He doesn’t have the power. The way he fights, I can
get this guy.
“He doesn’t have crap. Tarver is
done. I never disrespected anyone in my life, but on June 2, this guy is
done.”
Winky Wright
“I’m not coming back for the money.
I’ve got money, and I’ve got friends who have money, so
it’s good there. The reason I’m coming back is to make a
statement.
“I could have fought a tune-up, but boxing is about
accomplishments and to me that means winning another world championship.
“My last fight was a bad one for me. I probably
should have taken a fight before it, but I was never retired. I could
have come back a year-and-a-half ago, but the kind of deal and opportunity we
were looking for just wasn’t there. It is now.
“This guy (Quillin) is hungry and he wants to win a
championship. I love his enthusiasm, so I’m looking forward to
fighting him. If he thinks I’m making a mistake fighting him after
being off, if he thinks I’m not what I used to be, now’s his chance
to show it.
“Let’s do it. I’m ready for a
fight.’’
Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin
“I want to thank Golden Boy, SHOWTIME, Tarver, the
powerful team I have behind me and everyone involved in making this event
happen for giving me the platform to show what I have.
“I’m just getting started. I’m still
climbing the ladder, so there’s no way I overlook any opponent,
especially a fighter that is going to wind up in the Hall of Fame.
“I’m going to win this fight. I’m in
fighting shape. I’m fired up. I’m ready right now to
take advantage of this great opportunity.
“I don’t fight for my family. I
don’t fight for my friends. Kid Chocolate fights for himself.
“If you’ve never been to the planet, Pluto,
I’m going to take you there. Pluto is where all the stars are, so
if you want to go to Pluto, come out and support me.’’
Austin Trout
“It’s an honor for me to be part of an event
like this with so many great fighters, and I thank everybody for making me a
part of it and for SHOWTIME for accepting me.
“I’m super excited and I know my fight with Delvin (Rodriguez)
will be great. Trust me, Delvin comes to fight, so this is going to be a
good, hard fight for a while, but I’m working in the gym on making it
easier.
“I know I’m not a household name in boxing.
That’s why I’m so appreciative of this opportunity and looking
forward to taking full advantage of it.
“I’m looking to fight any of the other
titleholders or the biggest names out there.’’
Leo Santa
Cruz
“I’m from Lincoln
Heights (
Calif. ), so for me to be fighting in my own
backyard in my very first world title fight is beyond my wildest dreams.
I’ve been waiting for something like this, and now my opportunity
of a lifetime is here.
“There are so many great, great fighters on this card.
I’m excited and very happy to be on it. This is going to be a
great show.
“I know (Vusi) Malinga is an aggressive fighter
who’s waited a long time to fight for the IBF title, but I’ve
waited my whole life. I can’t wait for June 2 to show what I can do
on the biggest stage at The Home Depot on SHOWTIME.’’
Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy Promotions
CEO
“It’s a privilege to bring a great event like
this to Los Angeles .
We have four undefeated fighters on the card and they’re not just
fighting anybody, they’re fighting legends, guys who know how to win.
“This is an amazing card. Those legends are
telling these guys to be forewarned because your “0s” are going to
go. We have eight fighters with a combined record of 213 wins and 19
losses and each one wants to win on June 2.
“This is big-time boxing back in
Los Angeles .
“Winky is one of the most decorated fighters of our
generation. He could have come back with a soft touch, but that’s
not what Winky does. He comes in against one of the most feared fighters
in the division.
“Kid Chocolate didn’t hesitate a second to take the
fight. He wants to face the best, but Winky is here to turn back the
clock. He’s coming back to show you what he’s all about.
“Kayode is a young, undefeated guy with tremendous
knockout power. Tarver could have gone with an easier fight, but he wanted
to fight the best.”
Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President
and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports ®
“We are very proud to bring this unique night of
boxing to SHOWTIME – eight world-class fighters, four fights, two world
title fights. We’ve only had one quadrupleheader that wasn’t
a pay per view in SHOWTIME history.
“We have legends, rising stars, youth vs. experience
and world title fights. There are no easy fights on this card.
“We’re going to have at least one fight on
SHOWTIME EXTREME so we’re going to have at least a quintupleheader.
“It’s really a tribute to the six promoters on this card to put together what will be an
amazing night of boxing.”
For
information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and
photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, visit the website at http://sports.SHO.com.
For more updates on
Antonio Tarver vs. Lateef Kayode, visit the homepage here at Doghouse Boxing daily.
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