JOSEPH AGBEKO: “I am the man. I believed I could be a World Champion and no one was going to stop me from my dream. I think I can do more than what I did.
“You got to fight the best to be the best. I have a IBF title. I think we can unify this title.
“I’ve seen Luis Perez’ fights and I knew he was going to throw his big shots early. I gave it back to him tonight..
“I dominated him. If the referee didn’t stop it, I would have stopped him.”
KENDRICK GARCIA, Perez’ manager
“Perez was willing to continue. He is very upset with the doctor’s decision. Agbeko is a strong puncher, but Perez was doing a great job of absorbing the hits. He doesn’t agree with the doctor’s decision to stop the fight. Like I said, he is very upset because he felt he could continue.”
“We will ask for a rematch because Perez knows he could have finished the fight.”
DR. SMITH KETCHUM, Ringside physician
“I examined him the round before and his pupils responded slowly which caused me concern. After the 7th round, I rechecked his pupils in the corner and they reacted more slowly. That combined with the multiple head blows I saw him taking caused me to stop the fight.” (On the advice of ringside physican Ketchum, referee Dan Stell halted the bout after the seventh round. Perez was taken after the fight to UC Davis Medical Center for observation)
CHAD DAWSON
“I did what I was supposed to do. I did my job. I got him out of here. I executed. It would have been the same fight with Diaconu. He would have gotten the same thing.
“It is an honor. I work hard. I put in the work. The work shows. Eddie (Mustafa) said this fight shouldn’t go more than five rounds. I didn’t look for it.
“I was looking for the one big punch, but I knew the body shots would slow him down.
“I will do this to anyone, I am the best in the world. I have been fighting since I was eight years old. My success in the ring is for my entire family. I am not in the ring for myself. I have 5 brothers, two wonderful sisters. It affects them too. They call me before the fights. I am fighting for them as well as myself.
“A dream fight…I would want Tarver. If he takes the fight, he does, if he doesn’t he doesn’t. I’ve got nothing to prove.”
EDDIE MUSTAFA (Chad Dawson’s new trainer)
“Chad stepped up like I wanted him to. He double-jabbed and he triple-jabbed. He gave me perfect head movement, defense. This kid is really something and a force to be reckoned with.”
EPIFANIO MENDOZA
“Chad is a great fighter. He is tough to hit. It just wasn’t my day today.
“I feel fine right now. I am not hurt, just a little overwhelmed with how fast he was.
“I’ll have another fight. This fight was taken on short notice and I think with a little more preparation I would have been able to give a better performance.”
Sam Peter Quotes from SHOWTIME Telecast
Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter, who is preparing for his first WBC interim heavyweight world title defense on Saturday, Oct. 6 (SHOWTIME, 10 p.m. ET/PT) at the Mecca of boxing—New York’s Madison Square Garden, was interviewed via remote satellite from near his training camp in Northeast Pennsylvania on the Sept. 29 edition of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING that featured “Bad” Chad Dawson vs. Epifanio Mendoza.
Interviewing with color analyst Al Bernstein and announcer Steve Albert, Peter said:
On all the ups and downs of his pending fight on Oct. 6.
“I have to stay focused because I am coming into my time, the time that I have been waiting for in my career. Now, I am the Heavyweight Champion of the World. I will fight anyone who comes my way.”
On change of opponent from Maskaev to McCline
“It doesn’t matter who I fight. McCline is a good fighter, a good boxer and good champion, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll adjust to any style (McCline is considerably bigger in stature that Maskaev). I am the Heavyweight World Champion and I’ll do whatever it takes to defend my title.” On Maskaev’s promoter, Dennis Rappaport, being furious with WBC decision to award interim title and Peter’s decision to take the McCline fight rather than wait until Maskaev heals.
“I can’t wait no more. I have waited nine months for the chance and I can’t wait no more for anybody who doesn’t want to defend the heavyweight title. I am here. I have taken over and I am the heavyweight champion of the world.
“I am holding the WBC title. This title is not easy to get. So, I consider myself the best heavyweight in the world right now.”