AMIR KHAN, World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Lightweight World Champion
“I don’t talk much. I let my fists do the talking in the ring and come Saturday I’ll be the new unified champion.”
“Were both powerful, both quick and exciting to watch. It’s going to be a great show.”
“It’s going to be an exciting fight, if you hit me once, I’ll hit you twice back because I’m a warrior.”
ZAB JUDAH, International Boxing Federation (IBF) Junior Welterweight World Champion & Former Five Time World Champion
“I’m ready and I’m excited. I’m very blessed to be back in this position. I know Amir Khan and Team Khan have prepared themselves for a war. I just think that over the years of me being in this position, I’m prepared for Saturday night. I’m prepared for what’s gonna happen. Amir Khan is new to this situation. He’s a young guy.”
“People have been getting this stuff about Zab Judah, 33 years old, is an old fighter, mixed up. What you gotta understand is that I turned professional at 18 years old. I was champion by 20 years old and I reigned ever since.”
“I’ve got my second wind. I’ve lived my years as Zab Judah just being Zab Judah, tough guy, Brooklyn, whatever. I’m here to say today, that don’t pay man, just live your life and be happy. Saturday night I’m gonna give you guys the best Zab Judah that you guys are looking for. He’s here!”
FREDDIE ROACH, Khans Trainer
“We have a tough fight ahead of us. Zab is a great fighter and we watched a lot of tapes of the ‘new’ Zab and we’re ready.”
“We had a great camp, 10 weeks with no traveling, no jet lag.”
PERNELL WHITAKER, Judah’s Trainer
“As you can see over to my left [in front of Judah] there are five world titles, I myself have won six world titles in my career, then I turn over to my right (in front of Khan) and I see one.”
“Zab’s done everything I’ve asked him to do. It’s been a wonderful training camp. He’s in good hands with me. We’re gonna make sure the young fellow [Khan] makes it back to England. Safe. Healthy? I don’t know.”
“Put your seat belt on, get your popcorn and get ready. It’s going to be a show.”
ALEX ARIZA, Khan’s Strength & Conditioning Trainer
“Zab is very skilled we don’t take him lightly at all. There’s going to be fireworks on Saturday night.”
“Its fights like these that bring boxing back.”
RICHARD SCHAEFER, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions
“The left side of the table [Judah’s side] is living in the past. Golden Boy is living in the future and that is on this side of the dais [Khan’s side]. On the undercard we have Jamie Kavanagh, Ronny Rios, James Kirkland, Peter Quillin and Gary Russell Jr., who have a combined record of 89-1…We have the young stars behind us sitting here with Amir Khan. Amir and these young fighters are the future of boxing.”
“Amir Khan has a tremendous following after his win over Paul Malignaggi and his ‘Fight of the Year’ with Maidana. For Amir to come back to the U.S. for this fight against Zab Judah shows he’s a true champ.”
“This is truly a battle between two of the most exciting fighters in the sport and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
KATHY DUVA, CEO of Main Events
“This is the fight that Zab Judah wanted. We are so happy to be here and delighted that this fight was made. Everyone on Team Judah agreed that this was the right fight.”
“I get to do something very special here today. Zab Judah won his first world title with Main Events and he won his most recent title with Main Events. We have always acknowledged our world champions with rings. We had a ring made specifically for him. It is my pleasure to bestow on you, Zab Judah, the five time champion of the world, the current junior welterweight champion of the world and the future unified junior welterweight champion of the world on Saturday, this beautiful token of your accomplishments.”
KERY DAVIS, Senior Vice President of Programming, HBO Sports
“People say this is a classic case of youth vs. experience, but there are many interesting story lines in this fight.”
“They’re both tremendous fighters at 140 lbs. Amir Khan has speed and youth while Zab Judah has only lost 1 fight at 140.”
BOB HALLORAN, Director of Sports, MGM Resorts International
“You know when Golden Boy comes, it’s not just a good main event but a great undercard too.”
# # #
Khan vs. Judah, a 12-round WBA and IBF Super Lightweight World Championship Unification fight, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Khan Promotions and Super Judah Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T. Doors open at 2:30pm and the first fight begins at 2:30pm. The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. In the United Kingdom, the event will be broadcast live on Primetime Pay-Per-View, channel 480 on Sky for £14.95 at 1:00 a.m. BT.
Tickets priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50 are on sale now and available for purchase at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Cuban Sensation Rances Barthelemy Gets UBO Title Shot
Undefeated Cuban sensation, and one of the most exciting prospects in the boxing game, Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (12-0, 10 KOs) will fight Gerardo Robles (14-9, 6 KOs) for the vacant Universal Boxing Organization™ (UBO) International Super Featherweight title on July 29 at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
“Fight Nights at The Cosmopolitan” is presented by Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing & Blue Wave Group, and will also feature a world title eliminator between Lamont Peterson and Victor Cayo, and an explosive Light Heavyweight showdown between Edison Miranda and Yordanis Despaigne. ESPN 2 will televise.
Unlike his brother Yan, a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, Rances Barthelemy (25) didn’t get to compete in the Olympics as he defected to the United States prior to the 2008 games in Beijing. He turned professional in 2009 with a spectacular 13 second knockout of Jamal Clay, which lead to him being signed up by Leon Margules and Warriors Boxing.
Credit for Barthelemy’s progress as a pro boxer must be given to his team including trainer Orlando Cuellar (trainer of former world champion Glen Johnson), respected boxing industry manager Henry Foster and co-promoters Leon Margules of Warrior’s Boxing and Richard Dobal of Bad Dog Productions.
Less than two years into his pro career, and after only twelve paid fights, Leon Margules has decided to give his rising star a shot at the UBO International title. At the same time, Gerardo Robles (29) will surely be Barthelemy’s stiffest test, having won his last five bouts and eleven of his last thirteen.
In conjunction with Warriors Boxing Promotions and Blue Wave Group, “Fight Nights at The Cosmopolitan” combines the mystique and excitement of legendary Las Vegas boxing matches with a new and socially dynamic experience.
Tickets are on sale now and priced at $250 for VIP tables, $150 for ringside seats, $100 for floor seats, $50 for grandstand seating and $20 for general admission tickets and are available for purchase by calling 877-551-7778 or at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com.
Heavyweight Giants Mariusz Wach and Kevin McBride Meet Face to Face At Final Press Conference
NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (July 21, 2011) – The man who ended Mike Tyson’s reign atop the heavyweight division six years ago is threatening to put an end to another promising career before it has a chance to blossom.
Clones, Ireland veteran Kevin McBride (35-9-1, 29 KOs) might be considered the heavy underdog on Friday, July 29th, 2011 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., but he’s predicting another major upset against undefeated Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach (24-0, 12 KOs) of North Bergen, NJ, in the main event of “Heat Wave,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports in association with Global Boxing Promotions.
The two are fighting in the 12-round main event for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) International heavyweight title, a belt once held by former world champions John Ruiz, David Tua, Oleg Maskaev and Oliver McCall, along with current heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
“I’m here to win,” McBride said Thursday at the Global Boxing Gym during the third leg of CES’ east-coast publicity tour. “God bless him – he’s undefeated and he has 24 wins, but I’m the champ. I’ve got more knockouts than he has wins.
“He better watch out. I know I’m still the underdog like I was against Tyson, but I feel I have the punch that can be the equalizer against anyone in the world.”
McBride is so confident he’ll win the title, he’s even gone as far as to plan his next move.
“I’m saving the fireworks for the 29th,” he said. “After I beat him, I’d like to fight [undefeated prospect] Tyson Fury and then take my shot at a world title.”
Even after beating Tyson in 2005, McBride never got a shot at world title before retiring two years later. Six months after his comeback fight in October of 2010, McBride fought former cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek for the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) International heavyweight titles, but lost a unanimous 12-round decision.
“He got tired of running around the ring because Adamek wouldn’t fight him!” Burchfield said.
A win over Wach on the 29th would bring McBride one step closer to a shot at that elusive world title.
“He’s worked real hard,” said McBride’s manager, Jerry Quinn. “He’s putting his heart and soul into this fight.”
For Wach, the stakes are equally high; with a perfect 24-0 record, he’s now ranked 13th in the World Boxing Council (WBC) and is on the cusp of a major title fight if he can get past McBride next Friday.
“This fight means a lot to me. It can open a lot of doors, or those doors could be closed,” Wach said. “I’ve spent the past three months putting in endless hours training. The plan is in place; I just hope he doesn’t break my plans for the future.”
“This is what boxing needs,” Burchfield added. “Someone is going to get knocked out. There is no doubt about that.”
Wach, who last fought on Feb. 19 in a knockout win over Jonathan Haggler, has benefitted from the tutelage of trainers Juan and Carlos De Leon, who are known throughout boxing for their work with undefeated heavyweight “Baby” Joe Mesi.
“He’s a lot like Mesi,” Juan De Leon said. “I feel as though I have a future heavyweight champion on my hands.”
Next week’s WBC International heavyweight title bout between Wach and McBride is one of two title fights at Mohegan Sun; Former world-title challenger Elvin Ayala (23-5-1, 11 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., will face Israel “Pito” Cardona (36-10, 28 KOs) of Hartford for the vacant WBC United States National Boxing Council (USNBC) middleweight title, a title once held by former world champions Paul “The Punisher” Williams and Lamont Peterson.
The undercard includes New Haven welterweight Edwin Soto (6-0-1, 2 KOs) battling Michael Denby (3-11-4, 2 KOs) of Felton, Del.; and undefeated heavyweight Artur Spzilka of Poland (5-0, 3 KOs) facing Philadelphia’s David Williams (6-4-1, 2 KOs). Cruiserweight Jose Torres of Springfield, Mass., will make his debut against fellow newcomer Pedro Rivera of Southbridge, Mass.; super middleweightGreg McCoy (2-3-1, 1 KO) of New Haven will fight in a separate four-round bout against Worcester’s Ralph Johnson (0-1); and super middleweight Keith Kozlin (6-2, 4 KOs) of Warwick, R.I., will face Woonsocket’s Reynaldo Rodriguez (5-2, 2 KOs) in a six-round intrastate showdown. The special attraction on July 29th will be an eight-round light middleweight bout featuring Worcester, Mass., veteran and former three-time world champion Jose Antonio Rivera (40-6-1, 24 KOs) against Paul Mpendo (7-7-4, 3 KOs) of Oregon. Junior welterweight Agustine Mauras (1-0, 1 KO) of Lawrence, Mass., will face rival Johnathan Vazquez (4-0, 3 KOs) of New Bedford, Mass., in a rematch of their amateur bout three years ago. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets for “Heat Wave,” which are priced at $40, $65 and $105, can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254 or Ticketmaster at1.800.745.3000. Fans can also purchase tickets online atwww.cesboxing.com, www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Mohegan Sun Box Office. For more information on “Heat Wave,” visit www.cesboxing.comor www.mohegansun.com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the first bout scheduled for 7:30 p.m.