Mayorga to Mosley: “I’m glad you’re throwing out the first pitch at the Dodgers game tonight. You should be a catcher for the way you take take right hands.”
Mayorga to talkative Mosley cutman “Captain” Cassius Green, who always wears his trademark captain’s hat, after Green heckled Mayorga from the audience: “I’m glad this guy has his captain’s hat on because he and his man are going down like the Titanic on Saturday..”
Mayorga after shaking Mosley’s hand: “It’s cold and sweaty. I know Shane’s afraid of me. All I ask of you [Mosley] is that you come and fight like a man. Don’t run or else I’m going to buy you roller blades and a pink outfit to go with the pink gloves I gave to you at the last press conference.
“I already retired Fernando Vargas, an L.A. boxing icon, and I plan to retire another on Saturday night. Mosley needs to be at home doing the dishes for his wife.”
Shane said, “Mayorga tells a lot of jokes and stories, but he always comes up short. Yes, he won against Fernando Vargas in November, but he didn’t knock him out. Remember that when you stand toe to toe with me [Mayorga]. I want you to take it like a man.
“Everyone wants to retire me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to knock guys out.”
Quotes from Mosley and Mayorga from final press conference at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday (Sept. 24) before Saturday’s showdown at the Home Deport Center in Carson, Calif. (HBO World Championship Boxing at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET. Tickets for the event priced at $350, $150, $75 and $50 are on sale and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, on the Web at www.Ticketmaster.com or charge-by-phone at (213) 480-3232. Tickets are also available for sale at The Home Depot Center Box Office, open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT, and on event days. Event suites, group packages and VIP packages are available by calling 1-877-AEG-TICKETS (1-877-234-8425) or by visiting www.aegtickets.com.)
Mosley vs Mayorga, Berto vs Forbes on HBO This Saturday
Sparks will fly when HBO Sports spotlights world-class performers on WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: SHANE MOSLEY VS. RICARDO MAYORGA AND ANDRE BERTO VS. STEVE FORBES, presented live SATURDAY, SEPT. 27 (10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT) from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING team will be ringside for the event, which will be presented in HDTV and in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Expect a September heat wave when former lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley (44-5, 37 KOs) stands toe-to-toe with Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga (28-6-1, 22 KOs), one of boxing’s most animated fighters, in a 12-round junior middleweight bout. In his first fight in Southern California since 2000, Pomona, Cal., native Mosley returns to the ring in search of another title shot. A native of Managua, Nicaragua, Mayorga hasn’t fought since handling Fernando Vargas last November. He’s never ducked a challenge, having tangled with Vernon Forrest, Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya.
In the opening bout, newly crowned welterweight titleholder Andre Berto (22-0, 19 KOs) defends his belt against crafty veteran Steve Forbes (33-6, 9 KOs) in a 12-round, 147-pound tilt. Florida native Berto captured his first title by defeating never-before KO’d Miki Rodriguez in June, scoring his 19th knockout in just 22 fights. Las Vegas resident Forbes is a formidable contender who elevated his status significantly last May when he went the distance against Oscar De La Hoya.
All WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING events are broadcast in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Dave Harmon; director, Marc Payton.