Latino rivals Danny Garcia and Robert Guerrero are all set to go to war tomorrow night in their Vacant WBC World Welterweight title showdown, televised exclusively live in the UK on BoxNation from 1am.
Garcia and Guerrero collide at the famous Staples Centre in Los Angeles with Floyd Mayweather’s former title up for grabs and British hero Amir Khan looking to face the winner next.
It pits the fiercely proud fighting nations of Puerto Rico and Mexico head-to-head once again with Garcia of American-Puerto Rican decent and Guerrero of Mexican-American heritage in the potential thriller.
The fight exploded into life this week when Garcia and Guerrero nearly came to blows at the press conference, but it wasn’t the two silent but battled hardened warriors, it was their fathers, who are also their trainers.
“He (Angel) wants to act like he is, but he’s not. They ought to let us go for a round, but then they’ll have to stop it because I’ll hurt him. I will hurt him.” stormed Ruben Guerrero, a former professional fighter in the 1980s.
“(Ruben) is going to remember Jan. 23 for the rest of his life. It’s going to be his new new year.” Retaliated Angel Garcia.
Former four-time world champion Garcia says he’s fired up for his shoot-out against Guerrero and feels fantastic at 147 pounds after moving up from 140 pounds where he struggled to make the weight and risked his unbeaten record against Mauricio Herrera last March.
“I feel a lot better. I’m happier now. When I fought at 140, I was always mean while trying to cut weight. I was never in a good mood,”
“I feel blessed. It’s an opportunity for me to kick off the year in nice fashion, and to be in the first big fight of the year in the headliner. I can’t wait to get in there and showcase my skills.”
“This is another fight that is going to make me a bigger star.” Said Philadelphian Garcia.
Guerrero, out of Gilroy, California, will put everything on the line in a final shot at glory against Garcia. He’s lost two of his last four fight, but that was against superstars Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Keith Thurman and he ended both fights on his feet.
“Having the world title on the line just adds fuel to the fire,” he said. “We’ll find out Saturday night how it all plays out.” Said Guerrero.
(Quotes from boxingjunkie.usatoday.com)
The action packed card will also include unbeaten welterweight prospect Sammy Vasquez Jr. facing hard veteran Aron Martinez, plus heavyweight hope Dominic Breazeale takes on Amir Mansour.
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“Fight Week on FOX in L.A.” continued on Wednesday as fighters competing on Saturday’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on FOX and FOX Deportes card held a media workout before they enter the ring at STAPLES Center.
Wednesday’s workout featured undefeated star Danny “Swift” Garcia and former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero as they prepare for their welterweight world championship showdown. Also in attendance and competing on Saturday are welterweights Sammy “The Sergeant” Vasquez and Aron Martinez plus heavyweights Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale and Amir “Hardcore” Mansour. Televised fights begin at 4 p.m. PT inside of the arena with the FOX and FOX Deportes broadcast beginning at 5 p.m. PT.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced
at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable fees and service charges, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com or by phone at 888-929-7849 or at STAPLES Center.
The fighters worked out with their trainers at City of Angels Boxing gym in Los Angeles. Here is what the participants had to say Wednesday:
DANNY GARCIA
“This is another fight that is going to make me a bigger star. Come Saturday night, I will be at my best.
“I’ve had 31 professional fights. A lot of them have been big fights. This is another fight to me. There’s nothing you can say that gets to me.
“I feel like I represent all the Latino people. Not just Puerto Rican-Americans or Mexican-Americans. I’m excited to go out there and show everybody a great fight.
“I’m not the kind of person that talks a lot. I like to speak with my left hand and my right hand.
“At the end of the day, all the fans want to see is good fights and they’ll appreciate that.
“I always go for the knockout, but we’re ready for a war.
“I don’t put any pressure on myself. I just go in there and take it one fight at a time. I’m not thinking about my record when I step in the ring, I just want to get the job done round-by-round.”
ANGEL GARCIA, Danny’s Father & Trainer
“We left 140-pound as the champ and now we’re looking to do the same at 147. When you come to fight Danny Garcia for a title, you better come 100 percent ready.
“We know Guerrero is going to be ready and we know what he brings to the table. We have an answer for everything he’s got.
“January 23, it’s going to be for all Latinos in L.A. and all of America. Danny is going to be the welterweight world champion.”
ROBERT GUERRERO
“Having the world title on the line just adds fuel to the fire. We’ll find out Saturday night how it all plays out.
“We’ve been training hard. We derailed off the tracks a bit, but we went back to square one in camp, back to what got me here in the first place. We put it back together.
“Going up against an undefeated fighter adds motivation to my drive. I want to defeat the undefeated guy, especially with this opportunity. I want to raise everybody’s eyebrows.
“We’re not going to let the fans down. If the opponent doesn’t come to fight, I will. That’s just the way I am. Whenever somebody watches me it’s always exciting.”
RUBEN GUERRERO, Robert’s Father & Trainer
“We’re going to show the world. We’re warriors. We come to fight. The fans are going to love this fight.
“It all depends on if Danny comes to fight. I’ll give him credit if he does. They’re going to find out where Robert is at after this fight.
“Robert is a full-fledged welterweight. We’re coming in light and ready to go.
“I don’t get heated. I’ve been there before. I just say it as it is. Whatever comes out of my mouth comes out. They better be ready, because we’re ready. Angel Garcia better be ready to throw in that towel, because Danny is going to take a beating.”
SAMMY VASQUEZ
“My time in the military helped turn me into a man. I joined at a young age and it’s made me the person I am today. Boxing in front of thousands of people is an honor and I’m going to enjoy it.
“We’re here to take care of business come Saturday night. Hopefully I can keep fighting people above me in the rankings. This is a great stepping-stone for me. Eventually we want one of these guys in the main event.
“Boxing died out in Pittsburgh a little bit until Paul Spadafora brought it back a little bit. I’m trying to be the next one. I’m a fun guy to follow for a lot of reasons and I just want to make myself known.
“I made it through two tours all in one piece and there are a lot of people who weren’t as lucky. To be able to give anything back is truly special.
“We have to shine on Saturday night. This is our chance to show that we belong. Being able to stop Aron Martinez would put me on a bigger stage.
“I don’t know where I’ll be at on the welterweight scale if I get this win. But I’d love to fight either Danny Garcia or Robert Guerrero. Time will tell. I intend to fight for a world title by the end of the year.”
ARON MARTINEZ
“Every fight gets harder and harder. We’ve had a great training camp and we’re ready to brawl. Expect a good fight on Saturday night and expect some fireworks.
“I thought I won the fight with, Robert Guerrero but it’s boxing. You have to move on and use it as motivation the next time you’re out there.
“This is my backyard. I started my career here and it’s a great opportunity for people to get to see me. I want to put on a great show.
“Vasquez is like any other fighter. Only thing special is that he’s undefeated. He doesn’t want to lose that but nothing worries me about him. This will be tougher than my last two fights, but we’re ready.
“I think we’re going to steal the show. He’s undefeated, a southpaw and he definitely doesn’t want to lose. It’s my hometown though, so I’m going to put up a good fight and make it a war.”
DOMINIC BREAZEALE
“It’s been a great training camp. My trainer, Manny Robles, has done a great job. He’s worked on helping me establish my jab and got me ready for a very tough fight.
“I talked to Gerald Washington myself and he said he let it slip away in his fight against Mansour. The first four rounds he was really controlling the range. It’s definitely something that I’ve been studying.
“In the heavyweight division, everyone can throw punches. Anyone who believes I’m not tough enough will be proven wrong Saturday. Mansour is a really experienced guy and I’d like to knock him out and put on an exhibition.
“I’ve got the age on him and I’ve got some height and weight. I have a great pedigree and he has the pro experience. He’s been in a lot more rounds than I have but I’ve been in a lot of tough fights.
“My heart is definitely set on Charles Martin after this fight. After pulling out of the fight and everything that happened there, that’s on my mind after this fight.
“Mansour is a big, aggressive guy so we’re ready for anything he can bring. My athletic background will help me as will my mind because it’s all about making adjustment in the ring.
“You’re not going to see me hanging out on the ropes because I’m going to move around the ring. My skills will be the difference.
“It’s a dream come true to be fighting at STAPLES Center. I’m so close to family and friends. It’s going to be a livelier fight week than I’ve been in before.
“I always try to turn it up around the third round. I never look for the knockout, but I’ll turn it up and try to hurt him.”
AMIR MANSOUR
“I let my trainers watch the opponent, they give me the game plan and I take it from there.
“There’s no pressure. I know how to transform everything that we do in the gym into the ring and block out all the pressure.
“My team knows a lot about Dominic. My team has helped me get prepared for what I need to do to get this victory.
“I can’t sit here and say I’m not nervous, everyone is nervous before fight day. You have to embrace that and overcome that. This is my dream, this is where I want to be and this is my moment.”