LUCAS MATTHYSSE, WBC Interim Super Lightweight World Champion
“[On arriving to the United States later than planned] I don’t think it’s going to have any affect on the fight because I’ve been training so hard. I’m done training, but I’m still going to move a little bit to keep the weight off. Basically everything is the same other than not coming to the United States on Monday.
“Peterson is a good fighter and a good boxer. He knows how to deal with things when he’s in danger.
“I think I can beat Peterson with my power. I know how to get in the best punches.
“[On why he thinks he’ll win Saturday night] It’s a combination of my will to win and my experience. I’ve fought some guys with pretty good names.
“When they told me that I was coming here to fight, I came here with a mentality to win. I didn’t come here thinking that it’s going to be a robbery. Yes, I’ve had those experiences, but I’m not going to get robbed this time.
“I learned early in my career that I have a good punch and have worked very hard to maintain that.
“Winning this fight will open a lot of doors for me and my career. This might be the most important fight of my career. I want big matchups and this is definitely one of them.”
LEE PURDY, Number Four Rated IBF Welterweight Contender
“I was surprised to get this shot in the first place. My manager told me that I was ranked number four so we realized it was coming soon, but we didn’t know it was going to be this soon.
“I trained as hard as I could when I found out [that I got the fight].
“[On taking this fight] It wasn’t about money or anything. I love to fight and that’s why I’m here.
“I watched quite a few of Alexander’s fights. He didn’t really impress me.
“I broke my arm when I started my amateur career [at age 11 or 12]. I started training again when I was 17 and then I turned pro when I was 18.
“I’ve got a style that people like to watch. I have power and that’s entertaining for people.
“I think I’ll have 20 or 30 people [family and friends] coming out to support me. I think I’ll have a few fans coming out to support me too. I don’t know how many exactly, but they’ll be here.
“I can’t see myself doing anything else but fighting. It’s what I love to do.”
ANTHONY OGOGO, 2012 British Olympic Bronze Medalist
“I’ve always loved sports. I came across boxing when I was 12-years-old and I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the intensity and passion of it. I knew that whether I was going to be any good or not that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and it turned out pretty well.
“I walked into the boxing gym when I was 12. I sparred that very first day and I’ve never turned back.
“I had about 150-160 amateur fights and it culminated with me winning a Bronze Medal in the 2012 Olympic Games. My mom was very ill at the time; six weeks before the Olympics she suffered a really serious injury. She’s doing great now, but I initially pulled out of the Games. Then three weeks before, my mom and sisters pulled me aside and kind of guilt-tripped me into going, and I did. Somehow I managed to juggle it all.
“I thought I deserved to win the gold medal and I was good enough to win the gold, but with everything else going on, I’m quite proud of my achievements to go in there and still come out successful.
“[On the crowds at the Olympic Games in London] That was phenomenal. That was one of the reasons I wanted to turn professional because I’ve never had that. Ten thousand people [cheering] at the Excel Arena; it made hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and it still does. I didn’t want to go back and be an amateur and box in front of 100 people. I wanted to experience those big exciting nights all of the time.”
# # #
Peterson vs. Matthysse, a 12-round 141 pound catch-weight fight, will take place Saturday, May 18 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) immediately following ALL ACCESS: MAYWEATHER vs. GUERRERO Epilogue. In the co-main event, IBF Welterweight World Champion Devon Alexander defends his title against IBF number four rated welterweight contender Lee Purdy. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
