PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON NBC APRIL 11 TELEVISED FIGHTERS CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
Kelly Swanson
Thanks, everybody, for joining us. We’re delighted to be on the phone with you today to talk about a wonderful show happening on Saturday, April 11th. We have on the call today Danny Garcia, the Unified Super Lightweight Champ; Lamont Peterson, the Super Lightweight Champion; Andy Lee, the Middleweight Champ; Peter Quillin, former middleweight champion; Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment; and Brett Yormark, the CEO of Barclay Center. So, before we get to the fighters, I’d like to introduce Brett Yormark and he’s going to say a few words.
Brett Yormark
Thank you, Kelly. I appreciate everyone joining us today. Obviously, we’re very excited to be hosting a great event on April 11th at Barclay Center. It’s our eleventh professional boxing card in Brooklyn, and our goal from day one was to bring prime time, best-in-class fights to the borough of Brooklyn. When I look back on all the events we’ve hosted to date, I truly believe this is the best that we’ve ever hosted.
I want to thank Lou DiBella and his entire team for bringing this strong card together and for giving us an opportunity to again put the Barclay Center on a global stage. I also want to thank Al Haymon and Premier Boxing Champions for giving us an opportunity to partner with them on what I think will be an incredible night here in Brooklyn, but also a night that people will be able to watch boxing primetime live on NBC.
Obviously we’re thrilled to have Danny Garcia back in our building. The Barclay Center has truly become his home away from home, and of course I’m a big fan of Peter Quillin. Peter is a Brooklynite. He has had some of his finest moments at the Barclay Center and obviously we’re looking forward to a great night from Peter on the eleventh as well.
But most importantly, I want to thank everyone for joining today. I want to thank all the fighters, and we’re really excited about April 11th. So thank you very much.
K. Swanson
Okay, great. Thanks, Brett. Now at this time I’d like to introduce Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment, to tell you a little bit more about the show and introduce the fighters. Lou.
Lou DiBella
Thank you, Kelly. I’m thrilled to be involved in this show and I want to thank PBC for the opportunity to be the promoter and thank Brett and his team, because the Barclay Center is really incredible to work with – a tremendous venue to watch boxing. And the fans are going to get an opportunity, if they come out to the Barclay Center, to see a great night of live boxing. Ringside seats were released to the public in the last twenty-four hours, so if you call Ticketmaster or go to the Barclay Center box office, there are tickets available: $300 ringside; $200, $150, $100, and down to a $50 extremely affordable seat. And this is a night where four champions will be fighting. You know, they’re champion against champion in both TV matchups, and network television and primetime is the way I grew up on boxing. You know, that’s how I got introduced to guys like Mohammed Ali as a young, young child, and Hagler, Kearns, Leonard, Duran, Tyson. These guys all had the benefit of exposures on network television. The PBC on NBC 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on April eleventh, the second NBC primetime boxing show, we’re looking to continue the momentum right now that boxing has going forward. You know with Mayweather-Pacquiao on the horizon and the introduction of boxing to so many new platforms and networks, getting involved once again, it’s exciting times for boxing and we’re very happy to be part of it.
The first fight that we’ll be televising on NBC, the opening co-feature, will feature a young man that I’ve worked with for a number of years, Andy Lee, the pride of Limerick, Ireland, and at this point the pride of all of Ireland. Andy scored some sensational knockouts in recent years including the traumatic knockout of Matt Korobov in which he won his world belt title belt. And his first defense is about as big as it can get against a young man who I promoted a number of times early in his career, out of Brooklyn, New York, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin. Peter was a champion himself. This is truly a match between two terrific fighters and figures to be explosive in the ring, and I’m very excited that this is the type of fight that is going to be showcased at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, but also for a national TV primetime audience on NBC at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time.
So, I’d like to start by introducing Andy Lee, one of the most respected and well-liked guys in the sport, a tremendous gentleman inside and outside of the ring, but all of a sudden has discovered this explosive punching power that he hopes to use on April 11th when he fights Peter Quillin. Andy, can you say a few words?
Andy Lee
Thank you all for joining me on the call today. I’m training extremely hard here in Beausoleil in Monaco, France and I’m looking forward to coming to New York again and defending my title and fighting Peter Quillin. So, I look forward to seeing you all on April 11th.
L.DiBella
Andy, could you say a few words about what’s going on with your trainer Adam Booth and how Adam has you working in the south of France right now, what you’re training camp’s been like?
A .Lee
Well really since my last, I was back in the gym, since January 12th I’ve been over here, haven’t really taken much time off over Christmas period and I continued working on the same things we were working on since before the Korobov fight. And I’m in good shape, I’m pushing very hard, pushing through the usual thing and we’re here in South France, a beautiful place and a great setting and a great fight club to train and I’m going to the gym every day and the sun is shining and you’re looking at the ocean and the sun rises every morning when you wake up, it’s beautiful. It’s a great motivator when you go to the gym.
L. DiBella
Kid Chocolate, I know you’re training in sunny Santa Monica. Would you like to say a few words, Pete?
Peter Quillin
Yes, I want to, first and foremost, I want to thank God and for the opportunity to be taking fresh breaths of air. I want to also thank Al Haymon who made this opportunity possible to be on nationwide network on NBC with PBC. I also want to thank Lou DiBella who’s the promoter, East Coast promoter on the East Coast card promoting such a great event. You know, me and Lou were number of years together and I’m very happy to start out my career with him and be back in the mix where he can promote another fight of mine and I’m just very thankful. I want to thank everybody, all the hard working people that’s involved with making this call possible.
I’m just very thankful. Training has been going very, very good. You know, I’m not the type of guy to take a lot of time off, period. I’m just in the gym all the time; focus and fit and ready to go. California is nothing different besides me being here all the time and training; being away from my family, my friend who is now almost seven months old. And you know it’s been motivating to see me being a father now and I also became a link of my family now that my uncle passed away of cancer, so I have a lot of motivation within this fight.
L. DiBella
Thank you, Peter. We’re going to open it up for questions. We have two highly-motivated fighters, two guys at the top of their game in what figures to be an incredibly competitive and explosive matchup and I think this is what boxing is all about. And the questions are open to you guys.
Q
First question is for Andy Lee. Andy, I’d like your scouting report on Peter Quillin. What do you think his strengths and weaknesses are and how do you think you’re going to beat him?
A. Lee
Peter’s a very good boxer, undefeated and so that brings its own confidence with it. And he’s a good athlete, a good puncher and a good boxer; he’s a good all-around fighter. And what I won’t say anything about his weaknesses, hopefully I will expose those on the fight but I have a lot of respect for him, he’s a good fighter, and we’ve always been respectful towards each other outside of the ring as well. So, I think it’s going to be, what you have is you have two big middleweights, big for their weight, and two genuine punches, and also two very good boxers. So we match up pretty well as far as our physique and everything. I think it will come down to whoever implements their plan better on the night. And yeah, we have a plan and we’re working on it and hopefully do it on the eleventh.
Q
Question: did you break training at all to have a little celebration for St. Patrick’s Day or did you stay at home and not miss curfew?
A. Lee
Unfortunately, no, there was no celebration this year, but I always seem to be fighting around the St. Patrick’s Day time so I never really get to celebrate it, but there’s plenty of time for that when I retire in the future. No, there was no, I didn’t even realize it was St. Patrick’s Day until twelve p.m. on the day, and I caught myself and I reminded myself it was St. Patrick’s Day.
Q
Peter, how you doing? I’m checking to see what you think Andy Lee’s strengths and weaknesses are as a boxer.
P. Quillin
I think very high of Andy and I think his only weakness is those two losses that he had, which could be a great thing for him because you know I had never lost and never taken defeat, but I feel like everybody has taken a defeat has to learn something positive about their self. And, you know, as you can see in his previous fights that Andy is reinventing himself and I think those losses helped him catapult to being the champion now. So, I think all around this is a great fight for people to see because you have a guy who is very determined to win as me as a challenger now and you have the champion that’s dedicated enough to say that he wants to secure his championship and give a good a victory with that [indiscernible].
Q
What’s your prediction for the fight, Peter?
P. Quillin
The winner, the best man will raise their hand, and that could be either me or Andy. I’m not going to boast and brag about how powerful – I am an animal, you already know that, and I don’t go in no fight thinking I’m a loser, but it’s just really about the fans with this fight and giving them what they need. A good fight is worth anybody losing.
Q
Andy, do you have any disappointment that you’re not fighting a world championship fight in Ireland?
A. Lee
Not really. Hopefully if this fight goes well, after this fight that could happen, but obviously this opportunity came up to fight Peter and it was for, obviously for financial reasons it was a very good decision to make, but also for a boxing standpoint, my career on the whole, to fight Peter Quillin, the undefeated former champion, beating him will catapult me you know, into this, make me one of the stars of boxing. Like I could have fought in Ireland and fought somebody comfortably, picked an opponent and it would have been a big deal in Ireland and that’s a great thing to be, but if I fight and beat, if I beat Peter on April 11th, I’ll be a global star in boxing and people will have to start to really acknowledge what I’ve been doing, especially for the last year or so. So that was one of the reasons why I took the fight. Of course it’s a great, great opportunity to fight an American fighter on national TV, but beating Peter Quillin takes me to the next level and puts me on the top level of boxing.
Q
So I’m trying to gauge here, was it a hard decision or was it a relatively easy decision to make, the fight here?
A. Lee
It was, it was a relatively easy decision. If I would have fought in Ireland, there would have been a lot of, you know, promote, and it would have been a good thing and it still will be, there will be time for that in the future, but this is a great opportunity and you don’t know how long your career is going to be and how long it’s going to last and while it was there, I took it. I don’t have any regrets.
Q
Andy, do you always have just the utmost confidence that no matter how things are going, you could be down, eleven rounds to zero, possibly, that that right hook could rescue you if you landed it the right way?
A. Lee
Not to say anything like to brag or anything but at no time did I ever think I was going to lose either fight and I knew that at some stage we’d have to trade. And with a power like Harry, I know that at some point anybody, with anybody, we’re going to have to trade a 12 round fight and you can’t you know, there’s going to be an exchange at some stage. And I just know if I land at the right time with my power, I can knock anybody out and that does give you great confidence.
But in saying that, I’ve always considered myself a technical boxer and that’s always what I’ve been proud of and proud of myself I’m being. So, people may have got the wrong impression of me, especially in the last two fights, as [indiscernible] fighter who comes from behind, but I’m very much a boxer and that’s what I pride myself on being.
Q
Peter I’m wondering are you at all disappointed it’s been such a long layoff since your last fight?
P. Quillin
No, I mean, that comes with the territory of being a boxer that you could have things mapped out and planned out in your head, but that don’t necessarily happen, you know. When I’ve seen my fight, my uncle on his deathbed with cancer, I’ve seen what a fight really looked like. That was a real fight. That was a fight that he had no control over, preparing for, nothing. He laid in the bed in his own head thinking about having cancer. And I’ve seen him fight through that until he had no more left in the tank to fight with.
So, what that taught me is no matter how long you’re taken out of the fight, the fight is all in your head, so you know it’s about you controlling the fight in your head. And I’m able to go out there and prepare for the best fight. There’s no cancer here, so I just have to just make sure that I do what’s worth while I’m here on Earth and just do my best and that’s all, that’s all I’m worth.
Q
Peter, what was your uncle’s name and when did he pass?
P. Quillin
His name is Eric Munson. He died almost five weeks ago. I don’t know the exact date, but I do know I couldn’t attend his funeral because I was here in camp. So, you know, it’s a really hard thing for me not to be part of, but everything comes with some type of sacrifice in life and I knew when I had met, when I’d seen him the week before I came to camp, I went to go see him with my son because I thought it was very important for my son to be able to see him and he’d seen my son, and the week after he died and passed away and I was already in camp. My family just, I told them how much I would just like come there and they were like, “Well, he would have wanted you to stay in camp and get ready for you fight.” And he told me he was proud of me and now I just when you endure all the things that I had to endure before the camp to just be motivated for this fight.
Q
Do you come into this feeling as though you are still the champion and you’re fighting a good challenger like Andy Lee or do you feel like you come into the fight and you’re there to basically take back what you believe is yours in the first place?
P. Quillin
No, I’m actually going to let Andy Lee have that pressure on him to be able to perform like the champion. I’ve done that three, four times with having the belt. Now that’s up to him to do the same thing and have that pressure. I had that pressure. Now I have pressure being the challenger and I’ve been here before, so I’m going to do nothing no different besides what I’ve learned as being a champion to go in here as a more polished challenger and going in there and try to be a two-time champion.
Q
Do you have any regrets about giving up the belt under the circumstances under which you gave it up?
P. Quillin
I never have regrets in life. If you have regrets in life, then you kind of punish yourself and I never have regrets in life. I think the decision I made was vacating my belt for my family; you know, my uncle passing away with cancer and being there with him and being the endless hours of talking and being there with him and being there with my family and my son, you can never get that time back, and I think in that moment I became bigger than the belt. And I think that right now, with me having the opportunity again to fight for the same belt and come back in there and make more money than what people can expect I can make, it let me know that my name is whole weight in this game and I am just going to continue to do what I usually do and that is be Kid Chocolate.
Q
Peter, you just talked about making the big money. How big a deal is it to be able to get your belt back and be able to go get the big names in the division?
P. Quillin
Well, let me just say, first and foremost, that’s why people thank Al Haymon so much because he’s able to know what we’re worth as fighters. Fighters are mistreated, misused, and abused all the time. And I think that I’m one of the few that really, really appreciate what Al Haymon has done for fighters, because I not only can live really good but I also can do the right things with my money to make sure that I can retire with money in the bank and do the things that athletes are supposed to do with their money when they’re making big money. So I want to say, first and foremost, I am very thankful for that.
And I’m also thankful for I then came to the full circle myself being a man and being a father and being inspired to know that, you what I’m saying, when you’re making this kind of big money that you got to just be thankful. So I’m thankful to fight for the belt for the second time. I’m thankful to make the money I’ve been making, but we work so hard for money but money burns so easy, so you got to really know what your value is. And sometime my value goes beyond what the money can give me.
Q
You had, a difficult year sitting out and everything, my condolences to you about your uncle, how much emotion will it be to have your hand raised?
P. Quillin
I think all together I let that emotion out already when I became the champion the first time when I beat Hassan, where it was like my faith paid off for me. I had so many people tell me I couldn’t do it or I’d seen so many people that was ahead of me looking like they was going to be champion before me, and I’d been putting all the hours and effort into boxing. And when my time paid off, it was for me to cry and understand it was worth all that time. So this time it just, it’s part of the story, I vacated the belt and now we got a guy which people thought Korobov, who was a helluva challenger but then now we got even a better challenger in Andy, a better fight now because he proved to everybody he beat Korobov and now it’s like me fighting, now it’s like I get the better half of the belt. And it’s like a fight worth for the fans to see.
So, altogether, man, the politics of boxing I don’t get too much in tune with that. I just worry about what’s in front of me and Andy Lee’s in front of me right now and he’s looking to come in there and try to beat me and catapult himself to superstardom and that thing can happen if I allow it to. And myself, I have to tell myself why these things cannot happen.
Q
How much are you trying to make it a boxing fight, you’re known for being the better technical fighter, and not getting into a slugfest?
P. Quillin
Well, altogether, I think of me and Andy Lee stepping in the ring and we have a chemistry together. That’s what makes a good fight is like the chemistry is what we have, like the game plans that we work in camp and whatever he’s working on, when we get in the ring we just now competing with that game plan and we’re trying to figure each other out, that’s going to make a good fight and that’s going to make the chemistry of the fight. So, I could say all the things, I could say I could knock Andy out and I could say all these things that I don’t even know. All I can know is Peter “Kid Chocolate” is willing to get in there with Andy and try my best, keep continue behind the game plan we working on in camp right now. And if that works then you all are going to see an explosive fight with two guys that definitely got powers. Andy Lee got twenty-four knockouts and I have twenty-two and this is I fight that, like I said, you really can say all the things you want to say about it, but you really won’t know until you see April 11.
Q
Peter, what does it say about Andy to you, though, that you’re fighting a guy who, in a sense you’re fighting a guy who that you’re fighting a guy who has shown that he really doesn’t know how to lose despite the fact that he has two losses on his record?
P. Quillin
Well I look at it like this. You know, when the guy has losses on the record, he has proven to himself not to lose again. That can either put a person back into that mind state where they lost and give up easy or you can fight through that and say, no, this is why I’ve been here before and I cannot do this again, and fight for himself and tell himself why he wants to be a winner, but like I don’t have the pressure of that. All I have the pressure is just saying, I just got to do what I’ve continually been doing for thirty-one fights and that’s finding a guy, figure a guy out right then in that ring and regardless what he’s coming in there to try to do, I try to make it look like nothing and continue to be the explosive, pure boxer that I can be. And like I said, man, you know, we working on these things endless and repetition is everything when we’re in camp. We’re working on these things over and over again just to make sure that I have the best chance to be a two-time champion of the world.
Q
What does it mean to you that, to have that opportunity to become a two-time champ, once again fighting for a title in Brooklyn where you won your first title?
P. Quillin
Well, I’m not too big on just like having my story and my legacy all made up in my head and what we want for ourselves. I just look at it as you know for me, like being a spiritual man, just looking at it as an opportunity from God to have a great story that I can inspire the kids, inspire elderly people, I can inspire other boxers, I can inspire in them that they can do great things within themselves if they truly believe. So, I think that is the majority of what I get out of it is that I am able to inspire so many people by what I do and you never, I would have never thought that it could ever be this great.
Q
Peter, I know three years ago you wanted this fight, I believe Lou actually was putting on the shows with Sergio Martinez in Madison Square Garden and they were looking for opponents, Andy Lee. You were campaigning for that fight. How grateful are you that the fight didn’t happen then and you’ve got an even bigger fight now?
P. Quillin
You know, HBO, the fight couldn’t be made at that time and for whatever reason, man, what I learned is about this sport, man, there’s so many people talking about you ducking and jabbing this person and all of that sometimes when we give up all our lives to do something and we can think so animalistic like I got to go in there and fight this guy to prove that these people is not really about that. It’s really a business where people actually feed their families and pay their bills. So, you got to have, make sure you working with the best people.
I think Lou is definitely a great person to be working with because he is a really business minded person. If you ever witness him, he’s always on the phone talking boxing, always talking business. You know, I can never say that the fight never happened then because it wasn’t meant to happen at that time, but it’s meant to happen now and that is why the fight is April 11th.
Q
Andy, if you want to answer the same question?
A. Lee
I remember when the fight was proposed at the time and Manuel turned the fight down because he felt and I felt that I should have been fighting Sergio Martinez,and he put me in a fight with Peter Quillin, which in our eyes was the harder fight than fighting Sergio. And at the time Quillin was an up-and-coming guy like me, so he wanted me to have the hard fight on the undercard and Matt and Sergio had the glamor fight. So, for those reasons we turned it down. And like I said, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to fight Peter. This fight being made here proves there’s no fear in that the fight and the fight was made pretty easy I guess between Lou and Al Haymon.
Q
Andy, when we spoke a few weeks ago you mentioned the names of your sparring partners you were working with that were coming from England. When I looked them up, at least two of them, one’s a cruiserweight and the other’s a lightweight. What does that tell us about your preparations or how you expect to fight? I mean, are you going for power again?
A. Lee
Well, the tall guys and right-handed guys, they’re somewhat similar in size to Peter, and that’s what you look to replicate in your sparring partners. You look for them to have a similar size. And they’re physically strong guys. Like I said, they’re similar to Peter, so that was why I got those right in.
Q
Peter, you’re fighting a big powerful southpaw with knuckle power and you mentioned the two fights that Andy has lost, but the two fights he lost, he was actually ahead on points. Is that going to be an influence on your preparations? How do you expect to fight him? Are you going to try to knock him out or are you going to try to out point him, because obviously he is a very technical fighter.
P. Quillin
I want to ask you, if you were a chemist and you was putting a formula together and the formula you say you were going to put together, if you miss a measurement by one bit and you don’t actually have the chemistry with that, is something going to bad happen. I can say what I’m going to do now but it’s actually when you get in the ring, you learn what you can actually do.
I’ve never been that type of fighter who I can say, I’m going to go in and I’m going to throw a million jabs at Andy and see what he does then. I’m not that kind of fighter. I say the chemistry of me and Andy Lee will make the great fight that we’re going to put on. It’s not about the losses he took. I’m totally different than every other fighter he’s ever faced, and I’m pretty sure the same for Andy. He’s not like no other guy like I ever faced.
If you start comparing guys to guys you done fought, then you already, to me, lost the fight. I look at Andy Lee, and I respect him enough to say he was able to do a lot of things a lot of guys couldn’t do even with two losses, and that’s become a champion of the world. So, I give him that much respect to say that he’s able to go out there and be a champion and put on a show, but Kid Chocolate has done that over and over again. I’ve been the champion already. I vacated the belt.
Anytime I do something like that, it becomes big news. So it’s like I’m going here and fight Andy Lee, and it is going to be another part of my story or it is going to be a part of his story, and we’re going to create this together with the chemistry. So for you to see how I’m going to fight, you’ve got to tune in April 11th. You know what I’m saying? I think that’s all I can really say about that.
Q
Peter. Are you still throwing those Hershey’s Kisses before a fight when you enter the ring?
P. Quillin
I’m actually going to be throwing a chocolate sponsored by a chocolate company right there in Barclays Center. If you all tune in and you all wait to see, then you all get to see what kind of chocolate that is. I’m very thankful to be able to have people who reach out and support me for all the great reasons why I fight. You all just need to stay tuned, and if you’re there in attendance, I hope you catch one of those chocolates because it’s coming straight from the heart.
K. Swanson
Pete, before we go, could you please announce and spell your uncle’s name one more time for the media?
P. Quillin
Yes. My uncle’s name is Eric Munson. That’s ERIC, last name Munson, MUNSON. My uncle was my father figure when my dad went to prison. He was the most important person to me in my whole life, and I’m inspired to be a great man like he was. I can never tell you all how I felt about that whole losing my uncle because this is the first time I ever lost somebody so close to me that I’m really compassionate to anybody who has a family member that’s struggling with cancer.
I want to tell those people is that no matter how much that person is fighting with cancer, you fight with those people until they don’t have no more to fight with and continue to do that because that’s the way, inspire each other to keep on living and do the right thing while we’re here on earth and we have a breath.
K. Swanson
Okay, great. I’m going to reintroduce Lou DiBella and to say good-bye to Andy and to Pete. Thank you so much. We appreciate your time and then, Lou, turn it over to the main please.
L. DiBella
Thank you, Andy. Thank you, Peter.
I think the key for this event on April 11th and for this fight, and frankly, for both fights is that the outcome of these fights are in doubt. I believe in my champion Andy Lee, but I also know that Peter Quillin is a great champion himself, an undefeated fighter. These are two of the best middleweights in the world and two of the best fighters in the world and they both have power, both explosive and the real winners are going to be the fans that come to Barclays Center or tune into PBC on NBC.
On that note, the same thing is true of the other main event, the fight that’s going to close out the NBC show between undisputed Danny Garcia, a champion, and Lamont Peterson a champion. These guys are two of the best fighters fighting between 140 and 147 pound weight classes. They’re going to be in there in a long-anticipated fight. Both of them are putting everything on the line, and it figures to be a tremendous fight in the ring. People are debating about who’s going to win this one, and that’s what you expect from a great fight, that people are going to debate about who’s going to win the fight. I think that’s why this April 11th show at Barclays Center on PBC is so exciting for fans.
So I’d like to start by introducing undefeated champion, Danny Garcia.
Danny Garcia
Alright, cool. I want to thank you guys for having me on. I’m very excited for April 11th. I’m training real hard and come April 11th; I’m going to give the fans another tremendous fight, and I can’t wait.
L. DiBella
Thank you, Danny, and it’s a pleasure for me to be able to be involved in this fight between two terrific fighters like you and Lamont. Mr. Peterson, you want to say a few words? I know you have your own thoughts about this fight.
Lamont Peterson
How everybody doing? I’m just excited, man. I’m just ready to go. I’m excited about the fight, and I’m hoping who comes out and they watch it on TV, enjoys the fight.
Q
Do both of you guys see this as a chance in your own way for redemption? You’ve both taken a bit of heat from the public, fairly or not, for various things in the past, but now you’re finally fighting each other and, honestly, it’s a terrific match up. Do you both see this as a shot for redemption, if not personally, then in the eyes of the public?
D. Garcia
I don’t see this as redemption. This is a great match up. I’ve faced a lot of great fighters in my career and every fight that I’ve fought in my career was for a reason. Like you said, the media has been tough, but, hey, this is boxing. It is what it is. And come April 11th, you’re going to see Danny Garcia at his best. He’s going to be prepared and the fight’s going to be what it is.
L. Peterson
For me there’s no redemption either. No redemption for me. What’s in the past is in the past. At the end of the day, as you all keep saying, it’s a great match up, it’s a great fight, that’s why I wanted to make the fight happen.
Q
Danny, when you try to envision how this fight goes, I’ve seen you in fights where you come out and you’re able to blast guys out of there and you’re a big puncher, other fights where you’ve boxed against your opponents. Lamont is known as a boxer. In your mind, are you going to be the guy that makes this fight in terms of going and being aggressive to him?
D. Garcia
Every fight is a different fight. Like you said, sometimes I go out there, chase them down and sometimes I have to make adjustments and box my opponent like I boxed Matthysse. Every fight is different, and I prepare myself in the gym for the worst. If we got to sit there and bang it out for twelve rounds, then you got to bang it out. But if I’ve got to chase him down, then I’ve got to chase him down. I just got to make adjustments like a true champion does, and April 11th, I can’t wait.
Q
Although it’s an excellent match-up, there’s nobody disputing that, it’s not for the World Championship in the weight class, 140 pounds. My understanding is that you and your team decided that it was best for you to fight a few pounds heavier than 140. Can you tell me your side of that and why this is at 143 as opposed to being for, whether for the 140 pound recognized championship of the world?
D. Garcia
In order for the fight to be done in the time we had for it to be done, that’s the weight we had to fight at. At the end of the day, I feel like this is still a fight that the fans want to see. This is still a big fight no matter with the belts or without the belts. So I think the fans are going to, I think if the media just lets it go already and just accept the fight that it’s going to be a big fight without the belts. Come April 11th, I guarantee the media and the fans won’t even be talking about that anymore because the fight will be so good.
Q
Are you having trouble though making 140? Was that basically the reason to do it three pounds heavier?
D. Garcia
I’ve been at 140 since I was an amateur, since 2006, and I’ve put a lot of strain on my body making the weight. So it was best for me to fight at this weight. I mean, on my last fight I fought at the 143 catch weight and I’m not saying that I can’t make 140 again, but with the time off since August, I just don’t want to cheat the fans, I want to give them my best. And like I said, in order for the fight to be made, this is the weight I had to be at.
Q
If that’s the case and you are going to be on your way to welterweight sooner than later, did you contemplate or think about doing something that lots of fighters have done, vacate the titles officially, let somebody else fight for them and then decide you’re going up in weight or was vacating part of your plan?
D. Garcia
No. You know, right now I have to just stay focused on April 11th. I’m not really worried about what’s going to happen next. Either I’m going to defend them in the summer time or like you said, vacate them. Right now, it’s Lamont Peterson at 143 pounds April 11th, and all I can say is it’s going to be a great fight, a tremendous fight.
Q
You guys are two of the best, if not the top two guys in your 140-pound weight class. He does have the win against Lucas Matthysse. You got knocked out by Lucas Matthysse. Do you think there’s any correlation of what might happen in the fight with you and Danny based on the way you’ve both competed against a common opponent not too long ago?
L. Peterson
At the end of the day, you should know, it makes no difference. You can match it up many different ways, different fighters, it never makes any sense. If that was the case then-There’s many situations and incidents throughout boxing history tell you that that makes no difference. A boxer, you get hit good, you could get hurt and you could get knocked out. That’s just part of the game and something that I have to accept and just move on. I have, and I’m just focused on Danny Garcia.
Q
My understanding is that, Lamont, you would have been perfectly fine fighting at 140, no problem, but this is not at that weight class. What’s your perspective on that? Are you cool with that, or would you rather have been just in a fight where the belts are at stake?
L. Peterson
I’m cool with it. At the end of the day, you really don’t, too many titles, too many this, that, too much, at the end of the day you have two young top fighters that’s willing to fight each other. A lot of times I know the fans want it their way, the way they want it to be, but sometimes you just have to just chalk it up and just look at it, it’s a good match-up. We know what this fight means and I just hope that they can push that aside and enjoy the fight and not worry about it. To me, they’re not overweight; could have been 147 pounds, 45, any, it could have been 38.
Q
Do you have aspirations in the future to fight at 147?
L. Peterson
Yes, I do. Making 140, I always make it and I’m comfortable with making it, but I always think about when I’m passing the 140 pound scale and I’m going down into the 45’s and 44’s and just thinking about how strong I feel at 147 pounds, not to think about, man if I move up I’ll be much stronger, I’ll be much faster. Things like that. I look forward to it in the future, but right now I’m still fighting at 140 pounds.
Q
Do you see yourself as being on a short list with opponents for Mayweather and Pacquiao in the future and does this affect you as far as the pressure is concerned in this fight?
L. Peterson
I’m not worried about fighting Floyd Mayweather at all. That’s a long shot from here. He maybe has one more fight after this, so I won’t hold my breath on that. Not worried about it. Never think about it. Just continue with my career and right now focus on April 11th.
D. Garcia
I’m not worried about the fight, either. I’m focused on the task ahead. Maybe in the future, but as of right now, at the end of the day it’s always a fighter’s dream to fight Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. Everybody wants to fight the best fight. So maybe in the future, of course, but right now, I’m focused on April 11th.
Q
Danny, what was your first thought when you were offered to fight Lamont, who also has a great track record as a professional?
D. Garcia
It’s a fight, the fans want it. When it was offered to me, I said, yeah, why not. Did you backtrack in my career? I never ever turned an opponent down. I never turn anybody down. The first person to always say, “Hey, Dan, you want to fight?” Danny fights them. Other than that the fans wanted it, the media wanted it, so it’s a great fight.
Q
Lamont, also to you, what was your first thought when you were offered to fight Danny?
L. Peterson
It was a good feeling to get the chance to fight Danny Garcia. He’s considered to be the best guy at the weight class. I just want my shot at that crown; belt or no belt. But, at the end of the day, fans wanted to see the fight. A lot of times, I never turn fights down. You never really see me call fighters out. I just leave it in the hands of the fans, the media. And normally when they say they want me to fight someone, my manager and my team ask me who I want to fight, I pretty much pick on who the fans and the media want.
Q
Also, Danny, what do you see in the positives of Lamont that you have to be really careful of in the ring?
D. Garcia
Yeah. I just have to go in there as a champion, as a fighter, and I just got to go in there and make adjustments. Be smart, and I know when Danny Garcia is 110% ready that nobody can beat him. I’m training hard. I’m doing what I’ve got to do. I’m not leaving anything in the gym. I’m ready. Come April 11th, I’ve got to go in there and make adjustments.
Q
Lamont, just one last question. What do you see in Danny that you have to be really cautious of come fight time?
L. Peterson
This is boxing. I’m really not worried about anything. That’s just my personality; that’s just me. At the end of the day, Danny’s a champion, he’s a top fighter. We’ll go in there and we’ll fight. No worries. No pressure. I’m just a person who loves to fight, and I’m happy to be fighting Danny Garcia. So, a lot of times, you won’t see no fear or anything, you’ll see me smiling and happy to even be in the ring fighting.
Q
Is there anything you didn’t know about each other that you might have learned when you both fought on the same card last August?
D. Garcia
I wasn’t paying attention because I was warming up, and I was getting my hands wrapped and things like that. But, it’s a fight and at the end of the day I’ve got to be prepared for whatever and I’ve got to go in there and make adjustments, be smart, name my big punches and get the win.
L. Peterson
After I fought, of course, you know, drug testing, so I was in the back in the dressing room taking care of that business and, of course, the fight didn’t last that long. So by the time I was done with that, the fight was over, so there wasn’t much to learn.
Q
What were your thoughts on the first PBC on NBC show on March 7th and how surreal was it for you to watch that knowing that you guys were up next?
D. Garcia
Oh man, it was amazing. Just the whole set up, the whole production. Everything was amazing. The way the fighters walked out. The backdrop. It was just great, it was great for boxing. I’m just happy to be a part of it. I’m happy that I get to showcase my skills on NBC to the new fans out there who are going to be watching for the first time. The many of the fans are going to be watching for the first time. I just have to go in there and look good and win over these millions of fans.
L. Peterson
For me, I’m happy for every fighter that’s going to participate in the event, because so many times people are saying boxing is dead, and I truly do not believe boxing is dead. I believe that boxing was put on the back burner. Seems like right now, boxing is going to get much-needed attention, and I’m just happy for everyone that gets a chance to participate in this movement.
Q
Danny, this question is for you. With you already beating people like Matthysse and Amir Kahn, how much would adding Lamont add to your legacy? We know you’re very particular with who you fight and the way you fight them, so is that part of the Danny Garcia plan?
D. Garcia
No. I think this is, out of the list of champions that I faced before, I think this is even bigger for my legacy because here’s the champion. He’s faced great opponents, he’s faced great fighters too. I think stylistically this is going to be a great fight, and it’s big for my legacy, so I’ve got to go in there and make sure I go in there and hand him my business.
Q
Danny, do you think that big experience will help you for this, you know it’s not pay-per-view, with it being on actual TV?
D. Garcia
Yeah, of course. I’ve been on some cards and I headlined some cards that the intensity, the atmosphere was so, it could break your will if you’re not built for it. Like you said, the Mayweather card, that was huge. I think everything that I’ve been through in my career, every fight that I faced, it’s just leading me up to this. Gave me the experience and built me up for this moment and all the moments that come in my career.
Q
What does Lamont possess that’s got you in the gym working on because we haven’t seen you in a while, add to your game?
D. Garcia
He’s a champion. He’s a champion, and I’ve got to go in there and prepare. Can’t take anyone light. I never take anyone light. I’m running every day. I’m training hard. I’m disciplined. I’m sacrificing. I’m doing everything I always do. I’m just more experienced, I’m stronger, I’m smarter. I’m just training hard, and I’m worrying about the things Danny Garcia has to do to get better in the gym every day. And sharpening up my skills and my tools to make sure that on April 11th, I go in there and handle business.
Q
My last question is for Lamont. Lamont, would you consider this the biggest fight of your career and what did you learn from the Matthysse loss that you can apply in this big level high-profile fight?
L. Peterson
I’m going to answer you back, but there’s nothing I could take from the Matthysse fight for this fight; two different styles; two different people. To me, it’s different.
To answer your first question, it’s all about how you prepare for a fight. I just know that right now, I just feel like it’s my time and right now I just feel like all the setbacks from the Matthysse, the losses and things like that, you learn from them. I feel like right now everything is put together at the perfect time, and I’m confident everything is right on line and in position. Everything is real great and can’t wait until April 11th.
K. Swanson
Okay. I think that was our last question. Lou, do you want to wrap it up for us, please?
L. DiBella
Thank you, Danny, and thank you, Lamont. We’re looking forward to a great fight on April 11th, and we’re looking forward to a great card of PBC on NBC on April 11th. Once again, tickets are available at Barclays Center Box Office and Ticketmaster outlets. Ringside seats, great seats got released today to the public. People should call and get your ringside seats if you’d like them. They’re $300 for ringside, $200, $150, $100, and there are $50 seats.
We hope to see everybody in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. We’re looking forward to a great audience and to introducing new fans to the great sport of boxing, the sport of kings, on April 11th when NBC showcases its second PBC card on NBC.
Thanks, you guys, for joining us and see you on April 11th.
* * *
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, are priced at $300, $200, $100, 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.
For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com www.nbcsports.com/boxing,www.BarclaysCenter.com and www.dbe1.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @LouDiBella, @DannySwift, @KingPete26, @KidChocolate, @AndyLeeBoxing, @RealLuisCollazo, @NBCSports and @BarclaysCenter and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions,www.facebook.com/NBCSports and www.facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. Follow the conversation using #PremierBoxingChampions and #BKBoxing.
