Steve Lopez

THE ONE Post-Fight Press Conference: Aftermath, Quotes & Photos

canelo7657If this were baseball, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. just pitched a no-hitter.

Fight week in Las Vegas, NV for the biggest boxing event of the year ended on Saturday with another stellar performance by the Pound for Pound king. In front of a pro-Canelo crowd, “Money” Mayweather tamed the Mexican superstar en route to a 12 round decision. Skills certainly pay the bills for Mayweather. Speed, accuracy, precise counter punching, ring generalship…you name it. It was another showcase fight.

Earlier in April of this year, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez unified the WBA Light Middleweight title against Austin Trout and established himself as “the man to beat” at the division. Mayweather just beat the man of the division. At 36 years of age and four more fights left on his exclusive Showtime contract, Mayweather is running out of opponents as he continues to make things look easy. Regardless of who Mayweather chooses to fight next, you can bet the world will still be tuning in.

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Final Press Conference: Matthysse-Garcia, Smith-Molina, Theophane-Cano

IMG_6394Mayweather and Alvarez are the headliners for this weekend. Naturally, the majority of the attention has been directed towards them. The One is such a stellar event is not just because of the headliner between the highest paid athlete in the world and the young Mexican star Canelo Alvarez. It’s a stellar event because of the main even WITHIN the main event: Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse VS. Danny “Swift” Garcia.

The final press conference for the undercard fights took place on Thursday afternoon to pave way for the mouth-watering fight between Philadelphia’s Danny Garcia and Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse. The fight is a train wreck waiting to happen. The final words were said from both camps and the tone is set for Saturdays showdowns.

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Lucas Matthysse – Media Roundtable Exclusive Interview

IMG_6508After the colorful press conference concluded, I, along with other members of the media, had the opportunity to interview Argentina’s Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse in anticipation of the biggest fight of his career. We touched on topics such as motivation, training camp, Angel Garcia’s antics and his future as a fighter.

A man of a few words, Matthysse does his talking in the ring. Here’s an exclusive look at some of many questions that were answered.

Question: “Is Lucas Matthysse the best fighter you will have fought after Saturday?”

Lucas Matthysse: “Definitely. He’s undefeated. He has the two titles. He’s the guy to beat. Obviously the best fighter in the division.”

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Final Press Conference: THE ONE – Mayweather vs. Canelo

IMG_6361The final press conference for The One took place on Wednesday 09/11/2013 at the MGM Grand’s KA Theatre. Fighters, promoters, sponsors and trainers were present to provide last words leading up to the mega fight happening this weekend.

It was a special day today not just because of the final press conference, but because of the 12th anniversary of one of the most tragic days in U.S. history. Richard Schaefer took the time to recognize such a day in U.S. history before directing attention to the conference.

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Fighter Grand Arrivals: Garcia – Matthysse / Mayweather – Alvarez

DSC_4986THE ONE Fight Week: Fighter Grand Arrivals

Fight week for The One is finally here!

2013 has been a really good year for boxing. The boxing world has seen Fight of the Year candidates, upsets and stellar performances. Although the year has about only one quarter left, fight fans have much to look forward to. Typically the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, the best for last…whatever you’d like to call it…comes towards the end. As fight fans and enthusiasts, we don’t have to wait until the end of the year. The must-see show of the year is happening in less than a week: The One.

Earlier this Tuesday, the MGM Grand’s lobby was packed with fans and the media to commence the week’s festivities for the year’s biggest boxing event. All of the fighters from the televised Showtime PPV event made their grand welcoming in front of screaming and passionate fans.

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Post-Fight Press Conference: Berto vs. Soto Karass, Chaves vs. Thurman & Fight Summaries

IMG_6252The city of San Antonio was treated to another excellent night of boxing with Knockout Kings II. Thurman, Figueroa and Soto-Karass scored impressive wins in fights that tested the will, heart and determination for all six fighters. After a night like this, it would be no surprise if fans are already looking forward to Knockout Kings III!

As with most contests, there are winners and losers. Thurman’s performance earned him the Knockout Bonus Prize as he dispatched Chaves in 10 rounds. The bonus was no easy task to win for Thurman as the Argentina fighter tested him early in the fight causing Thurman to adjust in the second part of the bout en-route to a 10th round knockout.

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Exclusive Interview – Omar Figueroa, Jr. & Team Arakawa

DSC_4309The co-main event for Knockout Kings II will feature Texas’ own Omar “Panterita” Figueroa against Japan’s own Nihito Arakawa.

Figueroa is expected to be the fighter that Texas will be cheering on during Saturday night as he’s the one with the momentum between the two fighters. Arakawa is seemingly unknown to the mainstream fan. Could this fight be more competitive than we think? Team Arakawa certainly thinks so.

I had the opportunity ask both Figueroa and Team Arakawa some questions to shed some background and expectations to the viewers that don’t know much about them. Figueroa, though in his early twenties, showed maturity for his age as a fighter and person. Team Arakawa showed optimism for the upcoming bout as they recognized their opponent’s strengths and opportunities.

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Weigh-In: Berto – Soto Karass, Figueroa – Arakawa, Thurman – Chaves

DSC_4273(Photo credit: Steve Lopez) Trim, fit and ready to go. The Knockout Kings are ready to put on a show in Texas.

Deep in the south of San Antonio, TX was the setting for the weigh in for Knockout Kings II. Typically, weigh-ins are held in front of arenas, theatres, public monuments or even indoor malls. San Antonio decided to be a little different and rugged this time and opted to host the weight-in in a sort of old-fashioned way in front of an HEB grocery food store.

Regards less of where it was held, the fans came out to show plenty of support along with members of the media for coverage. It just goes to show you that the Texas fans are willing to support the sport, even in a parking lot of a grocery store. All they need is a stage, loud music and beer models. Fans are ready to fill up the AT&T Center this Saturday 07/27/13 night!

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Knockout Kings II Final Press Conference: Berto – Soto Karass, Figueroa-Arakawa and Thurman-Chaves

DSC_4121Knockout Kings are back in San Antonio, TX!

Showtime Championship Boxing returns to the culturally-rich city of San Antonio, TX to host a tripleheader that is sure to produce fireworks. “Knockout Kings II” will feature Keith Thurman VS. Diego Chaves, Omar Figueroa, Jr., VS Nihito Arakawa and Andre Berto VS. Soto Karass as the headliner.

The final press conference for the event was held on 07/27/13. The title for this card has the word “knockout” in it for a reason: all the fighters in the televised tripleheader have the ability and desire to end it via KO rather than going to the scorecards. One reason is perhaps the fact that Oscar De La Hoya will indeed grant a bonus to the fighter who will score the most spectacular knockout of the evening. This can only be a good thing for fight fans attending and watching the fight nationwide. With every fighter looking at scoring that extra bonus, it’s hard to pick which fight will steal the show.

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Mayweather and Canelo Invade Houston, TX!

IMG_5983The unprecedented Mayweather-Canelo Press Tour continued on 07/01/2013 with another pit stop in Texas’ largest city: Houston, TX. As early as 8:00 AM in the first July morning of the year, fans began to flock to Houston’s Minute Maid Park Union Station. Although not as big as Mexico City’s mind-boggling turnout of 30,000+ fans, fellow Houstonians were ready to give the two boxing superstars a big Texas-sized welcome!

They say everything is bigger in Texas. This event was no exception.

Minute Maid Park’s Union Station was filled to capacity that left plenty of fans out in the heat as the festivities commenced. That did not discourage hardcore fans from sticking around. Once inside, the roaring fans let their voices heard. The red carpet was rolled out and the fans were restless with excitement. Was this a Mayweather or Canelo crowd?

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