Errol Spence Jr. vs. Carlos Ocampo International Media Conference Call Transcript & Audio Recording
Ray Flores
We are very excited. We want to thank the media for joining us. So this is going to be a very historic event in Dallas, Texas as we are very excited to be at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco for a big night of action, the return of Errol Spence Jr. making his homecoming as he defends his IBF welterweight crown against Carlos Ocampo.
We have a terrific undercard as well as we go ahead and have Daniel Roman defending his super bantamweight championship against Moises “Chucky” Flores. Also to open up SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING we have Javier Fortuna matching up with Adrian Granados.
We go live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, that’s local time there in Frisco. And on Saturday night the card is being brought to you by TGB Promotions and Man Down Promotions, and presented by Premier Boxing Champions and sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.
Right now I will turn it over to the Vice President of TGB Promotions, Brittany Goossen Brown. TGB Promotions has been promoting quality and world class matchups for years upon years and they’re excited to bring this world title matchup.
Brittany Goossen Brown
Thank you Ray and thank you all for joining us today as we kickoff the Spence vs. Ocampo Fight Week. We are thrilled to be promoting the homecoming of the IBF Welterweight World Champion, Errol Spence Jr. as he faces his mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo.
It has been a privilege for our family to promote countless home title defenses over the years but none of those compare to what we are about to witness this Saturday night in front a nearly sold-out crowd at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.
It has been a pleasure to work alongside Errol’s Man Down Promotions, the Dallas Cowboys organization and our friends at SHOWTIME to bring this fight to the fans in Dallas and all of those fans watching at home.
Errol’s a special fighter, he’s a good friend and Saturday will certainly be a special night of fights not to be missed. I’m going to send it back to Ray and I’ll see ya’ll in Texas.
R. Flores
Thank you very much Brittany. Well you know what, it’s no secret that the leader when it comes to televised boxing has been SHOWTIME. They have done an amazing job starting off with Errol’s title defense back in January over Lamont Peterson at Barclays Center. They followed it up, and it’s been a tremendous year where we’re coming off of a riveting night of action with Leo Santa Cruz-Abner Mares the rematch.
Now I will turn it over to the President of Sports & Events Programming, for Showtime Network Inc., who works extremely hard and does a fabulous job, here is Mr. Stephen Espinoza.
Stephen Espinoza
Thanks very much Ray. SHOWTIME has distinguished itself as the leader in boxing by televising the brightest stars in their most important fights on a regular basis, of course live on SHOWTIME.
This Saturday will be the 10th SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast just during the first half of this year. We are the home of the biggest stars in boxing and Errol Spence Jr. is certainly one of those.
So far this year in just the first half of ’18 we’ve seen four of the top ten welterweights fighting on SHOWTIME from Danny Garcia to Yordenis Ugas to Jessie Vargas and now of course Errol Spence. Spence is leading a dynamic crop of young stars who are regularly appearing on SHOWTIME. He is a top ten pound-for-pound ranked fighter.
He has not fought in Dallas since 2015 when he was 18-0 and not yet champion. He won the title last year in Sheffield, he defended it earlier this year in Brooklyn and now obviously he is bringing it back home to Dallas. Errol has knocked out ten straight opponents as his level of competition has steadily risen which is something you rarely see in the sport. To continue that kind of knockout streak at the highest caliber level is something to be recognized.
As for Carlos Ocampo I was asked if I could describe him in one word and the one word I would use is unimpressed. He gives the appearance of a veteran well beyond his 22 years of age. He’s certainly, in my conversations with him has said he respects Errol Spence but he is unimpressed with the champion, unimpressed with the Cowboys. He’s here to win a fight and he is going to do whatever it takes to do that.
With the Super Bantamweight World Championship and the Fortuna vs. Granados opening fight we are expecting an action-packed very entertaining card. It all starts 9:00 pm ET/6:00 pm PT on SHOWTIME. Thank you.
R. Flores
Thank you very much Stephen, greatly appreciate it. TGB Promotions has to thank the Dallas Cowboys. What a wonderful organization. They are America’s team here in the NFL. They have been tremendous to work with on this promotion. They’re a world class organization led by Jerry Jones and we’re so excited for Fight Week.
This is going to be an amazing atmosphere on Saturday night with the return of Errol Spence Jr., a fighter from Dallas, now defending his world title.
With that being said I want to introduce the IBF Welterweight Champion of the World as Saturday night’s card is brought to you by TGB Promotions in association with Man Down Promotions and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
This young man has really set the bar extremely high as Stephen has mentioned. When you talk about guys that are the future, they are the superstars in boxing, Errol Spence Jr. is one of those superstars; 23-0, 20 knockouts as he makes his second defense of his IBF welterweight crown, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a great honor and pleasure to introduce Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr.
Errol Spence Jr.
I’m happy to be working with TGB Promotions and to be back on SHOWTIME. It’s going to be a great event. I can’t wait to be fighting in front of my hometown crowd in front of 15,000 fans and you know it’s going to be great.
My hope is Carlos Ocampo comes to fight, and gives the crowd a fan-friendly fight. I’m in shape and I’m ready and training very hard for this fight and I can’t wait to put on a great performance.
Q
What are you expecting from the rest of division after Saturday night? And are you thinking about other fights yet or you’re very focused on this Saturday night?
E. Spence Jr.
I’m focused on my opponent right now, that’s Carlos Ocampo,. I might have to worry about other opponents later, but they’re going to play their self out and I’m going to fight. Shawn Porter’s supposed to be fighting Danny Garcia so hopefully I can get the winner out of that. We can unify.
We’re both with the same management, both fight on the same network. So I don’t see why that fight can’t happen but right now I have to get past Carlos Ocampo to even think about that unifying fight.
Q
When you were first presented with Ocampo what were your initial thoughts?
E. Spence Jr.
I didn’t know who he was to tell you the truth. I didn’t know who he was. And I don’t really look at the rankings. So I think, like, two days after my fight, the IBF had ordered me to fight my mandatory then they said it was Carlos Ocampo. My original thought was just, let’s do it. I’d rather get it out of the way now so it’s not a bump in the road later on when I’m trying to get bigger and better fights. So I’d rather get my mandatory out the way right now.
Q
Have you been able to find anything on him to be able to prepare for him or do you really just leave that up to the training camp or what are your thoughts on Carlos Ocampo as a fighter?
E. Spence Jr.
I found tapes on him. There’s nothing that you just see that’s special but I mean the guy comes to fight. He’s young, he’s undefeated and he’s fighting for a world title. Mexican fighters are known to be tough, they’re known to be durable and they’re known to come to fight.
So that’s what I’m expecting out of him to give it his all, come to fight and try to take my belt from me in my hometown. There’s not much that I’ve seen that just sticks out to me but he looks like a durable fighter who kind of thinks in the ring a little bit.
Q
How do you stay focused on the task at hand and not look forward to what everyone’s already predicting for you later on in 2018 and beyond?
E. Spence Jr.
Because I can’t give myself a false sense of security, because once you’re in the ring, there’s no turning back. So he’s been training hard and he’s going to show up on the night. And I just know he’s hungry. He’s 22 years old, he’s undefeated. He’s hungry and this is his dream to win a world title and make a lot of money so he can help his family.
I know what’s in the future for me. I know there’s big fights in the future so I can’t let someone like Carlos Ocampo detour my route of becoming a unified champion and soon, to become undisputed welterweight champion of world. So I have to get past him to reach those goals and those dreams.
Q
I just wanted to get your quick thoughts on what did you think of Terence Crawford’s performance and do you feel like that is the fight to be considering where your stature is at in the welterweight division?
E. Spence Jr.
I think he did what he was supposed to do. So even a week before their fight I said Terence Crawford stops him. I wasn’t surprised about what he did in there to Jeff Horn. I feel like Jeff Horn has limited ability and he basically tried to come there and just bully you. I think he lacks a lot of fundamentals but he did what he’s supposed to do.
I think there is definitely a future fight. He holds one of the belts and like I said I want to be undefeated welterweight champion of the world so I’m going to have to come over there and snatch the belt from him. It’s a fight that’s going to happen definitely in the future.
R. Flores
So right now I want to go ahead and bring on a man who is 22-0 with 13 knockouts. He is the number one contender for Errol Spence’s IBF welterweight championship of the world. From Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, I will turn it over to Carlos Ocampo.
Carlos Ocampo
Hi everyone, hope everything is going well. I’m ready for this fight. I’m looking forward to fighting in Dallas. Everything is going well with the weight, with my training and I just can’t wait to be there.
Q
Errol, do you kind of feel that you have any extra pressure for this particular fight because you’re fighting your hometown?
E. Spence Jr.
No I always have pressure to perform and look good. Since I turned pro I’ve been in the spotlight. All of my fights have been on TV. I’m always pressured to look good and perform all day. I’ve been dealing with pressure since I’ve been fighting and this is just another fight for me.
Q
How do you predict the atmosphere’s going to be this Saturday compared to the last two venues?
E. Spence Jr.
I think this is going to be electrifying. There’s going to be a great atmosphere. It’s going to be a very lively crowd and it’s going to be a great event. I’m a hometown guy and they get to see one of their hometown guys and not just somebody out of state. But I think it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be a great crowd and great atmosphere and great energy all around.
Q
Carlos, how do you prepare for someone with the power that Errol Spence has?
Carlos Ocampo
We did tons of training. We know about the power of Spence. We respect Spence but we prepared like never before and we are ready to go for that belt and bring it to Mexico.
Q
Do you kind of enjoy the fact that you’re going to be such a big underdog?
C. Ocampo
I think it’s good for me, I have nothing to lose. I have a lot of motivation and everything to prove and I’m going to come down and I’m going to go and enjoy it.
Q
Errol I just wanted to clarify something you said earlier, had you literally never heard of Carlos Ocampo before you were ordered to fight him?
E. Spence Jr.
No I never heard of him, which doesn’t mean anything. I mean there’s a lot of fighters that, you know, pop up out of the blue that could fight that you never heard of. They just don’t have the management or the promotion team for the spotlight to be seen. Those are the guys you have to watch out for.
Q
How gratifying has the excitement for your fight in Dallas been for you because I know you’ve wanted a hometown fight for a while now?
E. Spence Jr.
Very satisfied because, this is my my home, this is where I started. To see my core fans appreciate me enough to come out and spend their time and their money to come watch me fight, that’s great.
It shows that a lot of my hard work, blood, sweat and tears paid off and I feel like that’s the ultimate justification to be at home and to feel that at home and have people come out and support you. It’ll be a great event.
Q
Errol you mentioned earlier that you would like to fight the winner of the Danny Garcia/Shawn Porter fight. Who do you think will win that fight and why?
E. Spence Jr
I don’t know. I think Danny Garcia could pull it out. He doesn’t do anything spectacular but he has great timing, good fundamentals and mostly really good timing. He just pulls it out. Whenever we think he’s going to lose the fight, he ends up winning the fight so I’ll go with Danny Garcia on that one, by decision.
Q
Carlos a lot of people obviously think that Errol is a very special fighter for a variety of reasons. What do you think of him overall?
C. Ocampo
I consider him a great fighter. He has been destroying all his opponents. He’s a well-respected fighter and a fast fighter with power. As I said before, I’m ready for it. I’m mentally ready to overcome everything Spence brings and make my name.
Q
Carlos, which advantages do you feel you have over Errol Spence that will enable you to beat him?
C. Ocampo
My advantages are my height, distance and I’m going to take advantage of that on Saturday night.
Q
First of all, in order to prepare for Ocampo have you watched any of video on him in order to prepare?
E. Spence Jr.
I watched a couple videos of him when I first got the name. That’s about it. My coach has been watching. But I definitely watched them when we first got his name.
Q
When you watched his video what were some of the tendencies that he does that you think you can exploit in the ring?
E. Spence Jr.
Oh you’ll find out Saturday night.
Q
Some people are making a big deal about Terence Crawford’s performance against Jeff Horn, do you think that your performances against guys like Lamont Peterson and Kell Brook were just as noteworthy if not more impressive?
E. Spence Jr.
To tell you the truth I haven’t thought about it. It was a good performance. Jeff Horn was the champion and he did what he was supposed to do. I don’t know if he’s better or not.
Q
Do you think that you deserve more respect as a pound for pound fighter?
E. Spence Jr.
As soon as I get the top five welterweight in my weight class in the ring with me, I’m going to get what I deserve. I’m not worried it. A lot of timing is in it. Timing is everything and I will soon get there.
Q
Out of all the different names that have been thrown around, who do you think would give you the best fight out of that group of fighters?
E. Spence Jr.
It’s hard to say because Shawn Porter will give anybody a tough fight, just with his style and how he just comes forward and how he rolls in, so he’ll give anybody a tougher fight, doesn’t mean you’re going to lose but he just hits with his style, he’s tough. Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Terence Crawford too, so any one of those guys would give you a tough fight. It’s hard to say who would be my toughest fight.
Q
Wouldn’t it make more sense to fight and still pursue a fight with Keith Thurman? Are you more interested in that fight than you would be in fighting Terence Crawford right now?
E. Spence Jr.
Oh I definitely would be interested in that but I think that’s a fight, that it’ll be easier to make because we have the same management and we fight on the same network so we deal with the same people businesswise.
So I feel like that fight is easier to make. That’s a definite fight that I’ve been wanting to fight that I still want. I just have to see how he comes back and how long it takes him to feel the same.
Q
You usually prepare hard for fights but did you train just as hard for this fight and as focused for this fight as you would be any other?
E. Spence Jr.
Oh definitely, I’m already on weight. I trained like I am facing a top five welterweight. And I’m already on weight. We’ve been training for about ten weeks for this fight. Been in camp with Jermell Charlo. We had the same camp together so I’ve been getting grade A sparring and everything. So we’ve been training hard and taking notes.
Q
Carlos, this is your first appearance in the United States on a really, really big stage against one of the best welterweights in the world, how are you prepared for this fight and what makes you think that you can win this fight?
C. Ocampo
As I said before I think Spence is a great fighter but I stay always in my sight so I just focus on the guy in front of me. I don’t focus on what the press said or the people said. I’m just focused on doing my best and doing this one fight. I just don’t care about what’s happening outside. And I’m just doing my work as I always do. I’m ready for it.
Q
When you were hanging out with the Dallas Cowboys at their facility, who are they saying they would like to see you fight when you run into them or talk to them? Derrick James and Errol if you could answer that.
E. Spence Jr.
At first everybody saw us and talked about Keith Thurman, “when you going to fight Keith Thurman? Man, I want to see you fight Keith Thurman.” But as of recently everybody’s in the moment. Terence Crawford just had his win against Jeff Horn. So now everybody wants to see me fight Terence Crawford.
Derrick James
I think that everybody for the longest time was thinking about Keith Thurman. They want to see the fight. They think that’s a big fight, a mega fight.
But now since Terence Crawford moved up everybody started to talk about Terence Crawford. I think those are the people that they really think that, really will give us a challenge or be a more competitive fight than fighting Danny Garcia or Shawn Porter or any of the other guys. So that’s really what the guys have been talking about.
Q
What would be the most meaningful definitive fight to have in this position for you guys?
E. Spence Jr.
Right now when we are in the gym when we’re talking about fights, we’re talking about Carlos Ocampo.
We haven’t been talking about any other welterweights or anybody else or who we’re going to fight next. The way everything plays itself out after this fight, we’re not going to think about that yet.
This could be the toughest fight of my career. We’re going to give Carlos Ocampo his respect as a fighter and an undefeated fighter and just focus on him right now.
Q
What would be a fight that you would find most challenging to you as a trainer and you think would be a definitive victory among those guys for Errol?
D. James
I think that what’s funny about it is he’s in one the most challenging fights, that I would say is the fight we have right now and only because it’s right in front of us and there’s not a lot of footage and there’s not a lot you can watch video of him. But you can really tell how deep his desire is, how great his skills are, and his will.
This is the fight that’s right in front of me, this is the fight that causes a little bit more difficultly because he’s not one of the guys that you see, not one of the guys that you know, so he can come in and be whoever he wants to be.
Like Errol said regardless we don’t talk about who he’s going to fight other than this guy in particular because there’s no other conversation.
I’ve never asked him about fighting Terence Crawford. I’ve never, ever asked him about fighting Keith Thurman. We might be required to answer other people’s questions but we’re so content about what’s in front of us, this guy right here, that’s the key element to success. Keeping your eye on the prize.
R. Flores
I wanted to thank the media again for joining us. We’ll see you guys down in Dallas for Fight Week. I want to thank Errol, Carlos, Brittany, Stephen and everyone involved. Looking forward to SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING this Saturday. We’ll see you guys down in Dallas for Fight Week later on this week. Thank you.