Saturday’s HBO Boxing After Dark doubleheader telecast begins at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. Opening up the telecast from the StubHub Center in Carson, CA., is a 10 round featherweight matchup between Julian Ramirez and Abraham Lopez. The main event of the evening, a 12-round super featherweight title bout, features Francisco Vargas defending his crown against Orlando Salido in what is expected to be all out slugfest.
Official Weights from Carson:
Francisco Vargas: 129.6 lbs.
Orlando Salido: 130 lbs.
Julian Ramirez: 125.4 lbs.
Abraham Lopez: 125.6 lbs.
WBC Super Featherweight World Champion Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas (23-0-1, 17 KOs) and former three-time world champion Orlando “Siri” Salido (43-13-3, 30 KOs, 1 NC) today hosted the final press conference ahead of their 12-round showdown Saturday, June 4 at the StubHub Center and televised live on HBO® Boxing AfterDark.
They were joined by undefeated Julian “El Camaron” Ramirez (16-0, 8 KOs) and Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez (20-0-1, 15 KOs), who will meet in the ring for the vacant NABA Featherweight Title in the co-main event on June 4. Undercard fighters were also on hand for today’s final press conference including “King”Gabriel Rosado (22-9, 13 KOs) of Philadelphia and Tijuana’s Antonio “Tony” Gutierrez (20-1-1, 9 KOs) who will face off for a 10-round middleweight bout; Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez (13-0, 12 KOs) of Buena Park, Calif. who will fight for his first title, the WBC Youth Super Featherweight Title in an eight-round bout; Nick Arce (7-0, 6 KOs) who will battle in a six-round super featherweight bout; Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro (5-0, 4 KOs) who is scheduled for a six-round super lightweight bout; Genaro Gamez (1-0, 1 KO) of San Diego who will fight in a four-round lightweight bout; Oscar Duarte (4-0, 2 KOs) of Parral, Mexico who will face off in a four-round lightweight bout; and Cesar Diaz of Palmdale, Calif. who will make his professional debut.
Below is what the fighters had to say at today’s final press conference
FRANCISCO “EL BANDIDO” VARGAS, WBC Super Featherweight World Champion:
“We know that June 4 is nearly here. I know Orlando has trained hard like I have to give the fans a great fight. You definitely do not want to miss this fight.
“If you can’t be there in person, tune in to HBO Boxing After Dark on Saturday night.”
GUILLERMO BECERRIL, Trainer to Francisco Vargas:
“The time is here. We are ready and prepared very well. We will see you on Saturday night.”
RALPH HEREDIA, Manager to Francisco Vargas:
“Thank you to Golden Boy, HBO and the WBC family. I want everyone to know that we respect Salido. He is a great warrior and has been in great fights. We know he will be ready.
“This also shows the commitment HBO has to make great fights with Golden Boy. The fans have responded because this is guaranteed to be an action-packed fight.
Not just as a manager but also as a fan of the sport, I am excited for this fight.”
ORLANDO “SIRI” SALIDO, Former Three-Time World Champion:
“Thank you to Golden Boy, HBO and everyone involved and to Team Vargas for giving me this opportunity. I’m sure I am going to take this title to Ciudad Obregon in Mexico.”
FERNANDO BELTRAN, President and CEO of Zanfer Promotions:
“It’s a real pleasure to be here. This is going to be a war. It’s a tremendous fight. We have a great fighter and a great champion with Orlando Salido. We believe he won the fight against Rocky Martinez.
“We want to bring the belt home. A lot of great Mexicans have had this belt, and Orlando wants to add his name to the list.”
JOSE SANTOS MORENO, Trainer to Orlando Salido:
“With a little luck and a hard training camp, Orlando should be the winner of the fight on Saturday night.”
SEAN GIBBONS, Manager to Orlando Salido:
“Thank you to the best comission in boxing, California State Athletic Commission and Andy Foster. Thank you to HBO and Peter Nelson. Saturday night, Orlando Salido will add his name to list of many great fighters in the sport.”
JULIAN “EL CAMARRON” RAMIREZ, Undefeated Featherweight Contender:
“I’m ready for this fight. I trained hard and I know Abraham did, too. I want to give credit to Abraham for stepping up to take this fight and put his undefeated record on the line.
“Fighting on HBO is a dream come true. It’s going to be a great night of boxing on Saturday. See you there.”
ABRAHAM “CHAMACO” LOPEZ, Undefeated Featherweight Contender:
“I’m here and I’m ready. I know Julian and I will give a great performance for the fans. It’s going to be a fantastic fight.”
“KING” GABRIEL ROSADO, Top Middleweight Contender:
“Thank you to my trainer Fernando Vargas. We had a good camp. I’m not taking my opponent lightly.”
ANTONIO “TONY” GUTIERREZ, Top Middleweight Contender:
“Fans – don’t miss this fight. It’s going to be great.”
CHRISTIAN “CHIMPA” GONZALEZ, Top Super Featherweight Prospect:
“Thank you to the media, Golden Boy Promotions, my manager and family. I’m excited and motivated for this fight. I’m ready. Get your tickets and I’ll wait for you guys on June 4.”
NICK ARCE, Top Super Featherweight Prospect:
“Thank you for making the time to be here today. I’d like to thank my team for always pushing me 100 percent and to Golden Boy for always putting me on great undercards. I feel strong and happy and ready to go for Saturday.”
JONATHAN “THUNDER” NAVARRO, Top Super Lightweight Prospect:
“Thank you for supporting this event and thanks to Golden Boy for the opportunity. I had a great training camp, and I’m ready to give the fans what they want and that is an action-packed fight.”
ROBERT GASPARRI, Chief Operating Officer at Golden Boy Promotions:
“Here we are at the StubHub Center, home of some of the most epic fights of this era, and on Saturday we will witness two Mexican warriors face-off in the ring as WBC Super Featherweight champion Francisco Vargas makes his first title defense against former three-time world champion Orlando Salido.
“We have also put together an action-packed undercard featuring many SoCal boxing fan favorites leading up to the main event. One thing is for certain, Saturday will be a real fiesta for all of our Mexican boxing fans.”
PETER NELSON, Executive Vice President of HBO Sports:
“We are privileged these fighters stepped up to face each other. StubHub is a great venue for us. It is our 14th time here for a fight. There is something about the energy in the arena here that makes the fighters step up. This fight is a tremendous event.
“Vargas is a former Olympian, world champion. He sowed us last November that he has great boxing skills and the ability to pull of a great upset. Salido – everyone knows he has been a warrior for a long time. When he was coming up as a young kid, by the time he was 17 he has a record of 18 pro fights. It’s never been a easy road for him but no one is counting him out.
“Lopez-Ramirez will also be a great fight along with other great fights on the undercard. If you can’t be there, watch it on HBO.”
ROBERT DIAZ, Head Matchmaker at Golden Boy Promotions:
“When you have two Mexican warriors in the right like we will on Saturday night, we are guaranteed fireworks. Saturday night will be special. When Vargas and Salido enter the ring, they will enter with pride for their country.”
ANDY FOSTER, Executive Officer of the California State Athletic Commission:
“I look forward to watching this event. California regulates more boxing than any other athletic commission in the country. When this came across my desk, I was excited to see that Golden Boy had made this fight.”
JOSE SULAIMAN, JR., Director of Operations for Los Angeles Office, World Boxing Council:
“Mexico is a producer of champions and this fight is an example of one where the fighters will give everything for the fans. Boxing needs these kinds of matches. This is the kind of fight the fans appreciate; two warriors in the ring.
“I wish the best to both fighters. May the best man win.”
BRENDAN HANNAN, Vice President, Marketing, Communications and Digital at LA Galaxy and StubHub Center:
“StubHub Center is the premier outdoor venue for boxing in the united states. We are excited to see these two fighters face off. We expect but the best.”
Tickets for Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges are available for purchase at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, call 877-234-8425.
Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido is a 12-round battle for the WBC Super Featherweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD, Casa Mexico Tequila and HANDS OF STONE: The True Story of Roberto Duran, in theaters this August. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins live at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.