PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON NBC MEDIA WORKOUT
QUOTES & PHOTOS
All photos by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
BROOKLYN (April 7, 2015) – Fighters competing on Saturday’s Premier Boxing Champions on NBC night of fights participated in a media workout today at Barclays Center in anticipation of their upcoming bouts.
PBC on NBC main event bouts at Barclays Center feature undefeated superstar Danny “Swift” Garcia (29-0, 17 KOs) facing Lamont Peterson (33-2-1, 17 KOs) and the middleweight championship bout between “Irish” Andy Lee (34-2, 24 KOs) and undefeated Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs). The second installment of PBC on NBC begins at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, are priced at $300, $200, $150, $100, $80 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now.Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.
Here are what the fighters had to say at Tuesday’s workout:
DANNY GARCIA
“I just want to give the fans a great fight. I want them to see the best Danny Garcia. At the end of the day, this is the fight the fans want to see. My main focus is putting on a great show for the fans.
“I’ve faced a lot of skillful boxers in my career and I’m still undefeated. That should tell the fans around the world who has more skill. Come April 11 when he’s feeling these two bombs on his face he’s going to forget about his skill.
“I just want to give fans a great fight. I’m not too worried about the ‘0’ on my record. I fight hard to protect it but my main focus is to go in there and get the job done one fight at a time.
“Everything I’ve done in my career is for a reason. Now I’m here on NBC fighting on this big playing field. This is great for boxing and a breath of fresh air for the sport.
“I just want to be confident and humble at the same time. I want the fans to love me because I’m being myself. It’s very important for a young champion.
“I’m going to try to dictate the pace, be smart, move my head, use my feet and land good punches. I can’t try to chase him down.
“I used to love other great Puerto Rican boxers like Felix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto and Hector Camacho. I feel like I’m definitely working my way up into the ranks with them and following their footsteps.
“I have to be smart in the ring. I have to go in there and be Danny Garcia. I’m here because I’m a smart fighter. Everyone knows that. I have power. I’m going to find my opening and capitalize on his mistakes.”
LAMONT PETERSON
“This is just another fight for me. I’m not worried about being the main event. I just love to fight. As long as I’m fighting I’m happy.
“A lot of people see us fight and see us take punches, but that’s just the easy part. The sacrifice in the gym and putting my body through punishment is the rough part.
“I’m not trying to prove anyone wrong, but this fight is important to me and I want to win it. I want to be the top guy and that means beating the top guy.
“People talk about him beating Matthysse and Matthysse beating me, but anyone who knows about boxing knows that doesn’t mean anything. Come Saturday night I will prove to everyone that I’m a better fighter than Danny Garcia.
“Angel Garcia has his opinion on this fight, and I respect it. He can go on record and say anything he wants, but if he says Danny Garcia is stronger than me, I’ll tell you that’s a lie.
“We’re not worried about Danny’s power. A lot of people have asked me about that but I’m not worried. Danny Garcia had a split decision with Kendall Holt, who I knocked out. No one seems to mention that.
“I’m comfortable with whatever way this fight goes. I’m almost guaranteeing the win.
“I don’t think they’re taking me lightly. At the end of the day, Garcia knows this is a fight and he knows he hasn’t fought anyone like me. I’m expecting a big victory Saturday night.
“You never know what you’re going to see with me. Whatever I feel like I need to do to win, that’s what I’ll do. I’m prepared 100 percent. I’m in shape for 30 rounds and I’ll be ready for anything. ”
ANDY LEE
“We’ve made unbelievable progress in the last year on my skills and everything has really just clicked for me and my team and now we’re seeing the results in the ring.
“I’m very proud to be an Irishman from Limerick defending his world championship in New York, it doesn’t get much better than that.
“There’s been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders since winning the world-title. It’s what I always wanted to do and I’ve been touted as a champion for years and if I never got it I would have been disappointed. Now the monkey is off my back and I can just box and show people who I am.
“We’ve made physical and tactical improvements in the gym since the last fight and hopefully they’ll show up in the ring on Saturday.
“I think this could be a technical fight or it could be a bit of a fire fight. It’s going to be a little of both at times. There will be moments where we’re looking at each other, figuring each other out, but once we exchange it could be explosive.
“Quillin is sure of himself, but he has to be, I have the same mentality. You have to be to compete in this sport.
“Fighting at home like Quillin is on Saturday, brings a different kind of pressure to the table, it’s the pressure of expectations and people you know coming to the fights. That’s also pressure and I know all about that.
“I haven’t needed to build up my confidence for this fight. It’s not time to think. It’s time to do what I’ve been doing every day in the gym.”
PETER QUILLIN
“I never trailed in a fight and came back and won like Lee. I’ve just won all the time right out of the gate. Those other guys aren’t ‘Kid Chocolate’ so I think that’s why this fight was made.
“It’s a big fight for him and a big fight for me. He’s a smart fighter when he’s in trouble so I have to watch out for that. Most importantly I just need to be true to myself.
“A lot of people had Lee as the underdog in his last fight but he came out and did great. That’s the thing about boxing; one punch can change the fight.
“I’m getting paid for 12 rounds so I’m preparing for 12 rounds but if I can get him out of there early I will.
“My whole life has been struggles and I’ve had to overcome every single one of those struggles. This is going to be no different from that.
“Being a father of course made me more inspired and watching my uncle pass has made me more motivated than ever to accomplish everything I want.
“When I gave up the belt I learned that I can be a bigger man and make tough decisions like that all of the time. People think losing is easy, but winning all the time is a different kind of pressure.”
ERROL SPENCE JR.
“I am the best young prospect in the game. I’m on the borderline of contender status and I believe I’m one fight away from being a contender.
“I’m a little bit of a mix style-wise. I’m a boxer, I can punch and I can fight if I have to.
“The fight I learned the most from was with Emanuel Lartey, he was undefeated along with me and it was my first real fight and first time going the distance.
“I see myself fighting all the top guys in the welterweight division. I see myself with Keith Thurman, Amir Khan and any top welterweight.
“I’m going to look good as always on Saturday night, It’s going to be fantastic and I’m going to come out with the victory.”
MARCUS BROWNE
“I’m just blessed to have this opportunity to fight at Barclays Center for the eighth time in front of my hometown fans.
“I love performing in in Brooklyn. The fans here are fantastic and they know when I get in the ring they’re going to see something special.
“I have a tough opponent in front of me. He’s experienced, very lanky fighter but we’ve trained very hard and I’m ready for anything he’s got.
“Saturday is going to be a great night for Team Browne, Staten Island and all of my fans. Don’t blink cause you might miss it!”
LUIS COLLAZO
“I’ve spent some time with the family, regrouping and making sure I still have the same passion for this sport. I’m excited to be back and I jumped at the opportunity to be on this card.
“This is what I live for. Boxing is my life.
“After the Khan fight I took about a month off and then I went straight to the gym. I couldn’t go out like I did against Khan. No excuses, but it was time to go back to the drawing board and stay motivated throughout the whole year.
“The fans can expect the same excitement I always bring. I’m more motivated now and hopefully after this fight I can get a big fight and give the fans what they want.”
HEATHER HARDY
“I have the same mindset going into every fight. I train to fight my fight and make adjustments when get in there.
“I feel strong and I feel capable of whatever needs to be done.
“I’ve only been boxing for four years so I’m still learning a lot of boxing technique in camp plus working three or four days a week with my strength and conditioning coach.
“Fans can expect a good show and a big win out me on Saturday.”
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