LAS VEGAS (May 3, 2017) – Former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) today hosted the final press conference ahead of their superfight showdown on Saturday, May 6 presented live on HBO Pay-Per-View® at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. The live stream of the press conference can be viewed here.
Below is what the fighters and their teams had to sat at today’s final press conference:
CANELO ALVAREZ, Former Two-Division World Champion:
“On my behalf, I’m going to do everything on my side to make this one of the most historic fights in Mexico. We will be ready on Saturday.
“Every fight is very important to my career, and this fight is no exception. I’m very happy the fight is here on Saturday.”
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ, JR., Former WBC Middleweight World Champion:
“I feel ready and happy that the fight is only a few days away. I came here to win, not just to fight. Everything has already been said; we’ve all spoken; and I’m here to win this great fight on Saturday, May 6.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“People know this is an all-out action-packed war. We haven’t had a fight like this in years; it’s a true Mexican civil war.
“Given the obvious Cinco de Mayo date and the bad blood between the boxers, I think it is safe to say this is the biggest fight in Mexican history. To give you an idea of how big this event is, let me give you some numbers. This will be the most attended indoor fight in the storied Las Vegas fight history with more than 20,000 in attendance. The fight sold out in 10 days, and we opened up more circuit-viewing theaters for everyone to watch on fight night in Las Vegas at MGM properties. Fight fans in six continents will be able to watch the fight with the HBO platform and streamed live on goldenboyppv.com giving anyone with a phone or laptop the ability to watch.
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ, SR., Mexican Boxing Legend and Father to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.:
“I’m happy to be here, and I’m happy Saturday is close. I’ve lived many big moments in my life, and this is probably one of the biggest moments and fights in my life. It’s a big fight for Mexico, but I believe this a fight that can be won-anything can be done in the ring.”
BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Business Partner:
“This fight is a big one because I don’t believe we’ve seen a Mexican fighter face another Mexican fighter with pride, dignity and talent all on the line. I look at this as a very brutal fight because Chavez, Jr. is coming with legacy behind him and to prove what ever has happened in the past won’t happen on Saturday. Canelo is the face of one of the most important months in boxing, and I know he wants to continue that reputation. I look forward to what will happen on Saturday and I tell everyone to pay attention to what will happen.”
EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer to Canelo Alvarez:
“We’ve worked very hard for many years with sacrifices and lots of discipline to get to where we are today. We’ve had a fantastic camp and we’ve done all the hard work to be ready for Saturday night.
JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Manager and Trainer to Canelo Alvarez:
“There’s a saying in Mexico that there isn’t a date that wont arrive. The day is here and we are ready This has been brewing more many years, Team Canelo is very confident we will raise our hands in victory on fight night.”
GUADALUPE VALENCIA, Representative of Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.:
“We have all come together to make this historical event happen. This fight is a very important moment to the history of Mexico. I believe in our lifetime, this fight is the fight of the moment. Both camps have worked very hard and all we can do is watch on Saturday. I’m confident Julio has done everything he can to be victorious.”
MEMO HEREDIA, Trainer to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.:
“This has been one of the most important camps for me, we have done two months of training camp with many different conditioning and Junior has done very well. We are very confident Junior has trained as well as he can and we look forward to a tremendous fight on Saturday.”
NACHO BERISTAIN, Trainer to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.:
“I’ve been in boxing for 58 years, and I’ve had many big fights here in Vegas. I’m very proud to be with Junior for this fight. We’ve trained very hard for the past two months with Junior and we are ready for victory. I’m with a fighter who is very talented and I know we will do well on Saturday.”
RICHARD STURM, President of Entertainment and Sports for MGM Resorts International:
“We are very proud to be a part of making history when we host this fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend. As many of you have noticed, T-Mobile Arena has changed the sports and entertainment landscape in Las Vegas, as we all look forward to Canelo’s return to after his knockout victory over Amir Khan last year. We also look forward to Chavez, Jr.’s first return in five years as he takes on one of the sports biggest champs for this fight.”
TONY WALKER, Vice President of HBO Pay-Per-View:
“This show is special because it honors the rich tradition of Cinco de Mayo. We know Canelo and Chavez, Jr. will put on a show in the ring-both are very talented, skilled fighters with a lot at stake.
“These are two fighters that have consistently been able to sell out arenas and generate huge pay-per-view buys. In the age of fragmented television sales, something should be said for fighters who can sell these pay-per-views to so many homes. We will see something very considerable on Saturday.”
BOB BENNETT, Nevada State Athletic Commission:
“For these two Mexican warriors, there is no better time to have these fights. The Nevada State Athletic Commission is ready and padded to go to work. We are a team, and I do a great deal of research and statistical analysis into our officials and I know everyone who has worked under pressure in Las Vegas. We are regulators with no financial interest-it’s strictly business and our number one priority is the fighter. The three judges selected for this fight have over 380 fights with them, and have performed consistently well under pressure.”
Also, undercard fighters to Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. and Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN: Gamboa vs. Castellanos today hosted a media workout, alongside Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions’ business partner Bernard Hopkins and WBA, WBC Diamond and Ring magazine world lightweight champion Jorge “El Nino de Oro” Linares at MGM Resort Hotel and Casino before their upcoming fights on Friday, May 5 at MGM Grand Garden Arena and Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena.
(L-R, Former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux and former three-division world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa host a media workout on May 3 at MGM Resort Hotel and Casino ahead of their respective fights on May 6 and May 5 presented live on HBO Pay-Per-View and Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN)
Click HERE for photos of the fighters
Click HERE for video of the fighters
On the Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. undercard, former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) and Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) who will meet in a 10-round middleweight event; former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs) will take on Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs) and Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (23-0, 13 KOs) will be defending his NABF title against Manuel “Tino” Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Also part of the Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. HBO Free-View, lightweight prospect Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (8-0, 7 KOs) will face Tyrone “Hands of Stone” Luckey (8-6-3, 6 KOs) and former Mexican Olympian Raul “El Cugar” Curiel will make his pro-debut against Jesus Sanchez (1-1-2). Also on the card, super bantamweight contender Ronny Rios (27-1, 12 KOs) will fight Daniel “El Chato” Noriega (28-10-1, 15 KOs) and opening up the night, lightweight prospect Joseph “Diamante” Aguirre (16-0, 9 KOs) will be battling Angel Aispuro (8-4-2, 5 KOs).
The May 5 action-packed night of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN will be headlined by former three-division world champion Yuriorkis “El Ciclon de Guantanamo” Gamboa and Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos. Co-main event of the night, Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez (22-0-1, 15 KOs) will defend his NABA featherweight title against Jesus Rojas (24-1-2, 17 KOs).
Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with TGB and sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Interjet. Lemieux vs. Reyes is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management. Matthysse vs. Taylor is a 10-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and Star Boxing. Diaz, Jr. vs. Avila is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event will take place Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Tickets for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. are priced at
$75, not including applicable fees. All seats are general admission and tickets are available for purchase at any MGM Resorts International box office or concierge desk. Tickets also can be purchased by phone with a major credit card at 800-745-3000. Tickets for “Canelo Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.” in theaters nationwide are on sale now at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN).
Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and
pasting the link http://bit.ly/Canelo-ChavezJr into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.
Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN: Gamboa vs. Castellanos is a 10-round lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with ZR Entertainment and sponsored by Tecate BORN BOLD. ESPN Deportes will transmit the fights live on Friday, May 5 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 4:00 p.m. PST/7:00 p.m. EST, and ESPN2 transmission will begin at 5:00 p.m. PST/ 8:00 p.m. EST.
Tickets starting at $10 for Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN are on sale now and include complimentary VIP reserved seating at the Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. Weigh-in. Ringside seats for fights only are priced at $30. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call the AXS Contact Center at (888) 929-7849 or MGM Resorts Call Center at (877) 795-2564. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.axs.com or www.mgmgrand.com and in person any MGM Resorts International box office.
Videos and images are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/GamboaVsCastellanos. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for any photos/video.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and
www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing, @ESPNBoxing and @ESPNBoxeo; become a fan on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.com; an
d www.facebook.com/espn.fnf follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @ESPNBoxeo; follow the conversation using #CaneloChavezJr and #GBPonESPN.
