Press Quotes: Tim Austin, Rafael Marquez
08.02 - IBF Bantamweight Champion Tim Austin will make his 10th defense when he faces mandatory IBF challenger Rafael Marquez on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Caesars Palace Pavilion in Las Vegas. Tickets, priced at $200, $150, $100, $70 and $40, tickets can be purchased at TicketMaster locations in North America, Canada and Mexico as well as the Caesars Palace Box Office. Tickets also can be acquired by calling 1-800-834-6698, or by accessing the TicketMaster website at www.ticketmaster.com. The 10-bout fight card will be promoted by Don King Productions, in association with Caesars Palace, and will be televised by HBO and internationally by KingVision.
TIM AUSTIN (25-0-1, 22 KOs)
"I feel really good mentally and physically and am in great shape. I feel sharp. I am here to fight a very tough competitor. I sparred over 200 rounds. My mechanics are untouchable. I have good knowledge of the ring and my boxing skills just get better with each fight. We are both good fighters and we are both going to be hungry for a victory next Saturday, but I am ready to fight and retain my title.
"In this fight against Marquez, I am going to have to keep moving forward and put him under pressure. I want to fight more often. I may have to move up in weight to the next level so I can fight the big guys."
RAFAEL MARQUEZ (28-3, 26 KOs)
"I have a ton of respect for Austin and his boxing ability. He has been champion for a long time for a reason. I am planning on cutting off the ring on him and pick my spots to attack. I consider myself a boxer-puncher. With my abilities, I will be able to make this a very exciting fight to watch. If Austin wants to make this fight a brawl, I am prepared for that as well.
"It is my responsibility to fight well. I have trained twice as hard for this fight, so I have the ability to become the next world champion. I have been in camp preparing for this fight for over two months. I have sparred over 150 rounds and I am confident. I have that killer instinct that will take me to the next level."
