Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport Chairman:
“Boxing is buzzing right now, and there is nothing like a Belfast fight night, and on Saturday night we have one of the great, great fight nights and an incredible atmosphere. It’s a brilliant main event, a final eliminator for the IBF World Welterweight title, to put the winner in the position to fight Boots Ennis, to put them in the mix with the likes of Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, all the huge names in the sport. And it’s a brilliant undercard from top to bottom, all live and exclusive on DAZN all around the world.
“We started a conversation with the arena to have 4,000 people and those tickets when quickly sand they said we couldn’t do more. Thank you so much to the arena who have continuously pushed the boundaries so we’re now just under 8,000 full capacity, there’s less than 200 tickets left and I said to every fighter on this stage, you are going to absolutely love Saturday night, we’re going to give you a wild bight and thank you to everyone from Belfast for continuously turning up and supporting your fighters, let’s have a brilliant night on Saturday night.”Lewis Crocker:
“I’m so grateful for the support, headlining the Odyssey Arena and selling it out, that’s not possible without you guys and I’m so proud to represent the city of Belfast and in such a big fight. I said I was going to be a tough man to beat in the last press conference and that I will be.
“I’ve always said Paddy is good, he’s the next superstar and I’m only British level in his eyes, I feel that all the pressure is on him, he should be talking me out in one or two rounds if that’s the case, but I’m here to upset the party.
“We’ve prepared for everything, we’re as good as we’re ever going to be so I’m looking forward to a scrap on Saturday.
“I’m as confident as I’ve ever been, I’ll be a tough man to beat on Saturday especially with this crowd behind me, I’m super excited about Saturday, the IBF title is just around the corner and the world is at my feet when I get through this.”Billy Nelson:
“This is going to be a fantastic fight on Saturday night. Training has just been so good, the very, very best of sparring, and Lewis has been exceptional in the full camp. I don’t believe there are many Welterweights that punch harder than him in the world, and I fully expect a knockout win on Saturday.
“What people forget is that Lewis has immense boxing skill as well as power, he sometimes doesn’t show it because he’s so powerful and wants to take your head off. But we’ve changed in this camp and you will see vast improvements on Saturday night.”Paddy Donovan:
“I’m ready, I’m in the best shape of my life. I had an amazing camp and we’re here in Belfast and ready to put on a show.
“We never take any shortcuts no matter who we fight, and my camp has gone absolutely brilliantly, I’ve worked really really hard. The talking is done and I’m ready to fight.
“It’s boxing, it doesn’t matter about the crowd, when Lewis and I are in there it goes silent, I’ll be tuned in on Lewis and that’s my main goal.
“We will do what we always do, since I turned pro with Andy back in 2019, the goal was to become World champion and no matter the opponent put in front of me, Lewis or anybody else, I’ve got a job to do on Saturday and I’m very focused on getting it done, not a doubt in the world.”Andy Lee:
“This is two great fighters and you are in for a treat, their styles will match and they are going to go at it from the first bell. I’ve talked Paddy up since the day he turned pro in 2019, the first time I saw him in the national stadium, I was blown away. Everything I’ve seen since then has only confirmed that, and Saturday night will be the unveiling of the new superstar in the Welterweight division, Paddy Donovan.
“Paddy is the type of guy that thrives in the limelight, the more attention he gets, the happier he is. We’re really looking forward to this, I’ve been to these nights with Carl Frampton, Ryan Burnett, some great nights here, it’s a great boxing city, fighters are hometown heroes in this city, they get great support and that’s the way it should be. We’re in for a treat, it will be a great atmosphere and we’re ready for it, we’ve prepared mentally as well as physically, and he’s ready for that environment.
“I don’t think the fight ends by decision, whether it’s Lewis winning or Paddy winning, one of these guys is going down as they both punch very hard. I believe in my man and Billy believes in his, so we’ll see, but I think Paddy wins by knockout, I’ve envisioned, we’ve trained for it and that’s what we’re going for.”Craig Richards:
“I needed a big fight, coming off a disappointing performance from myself and not showing up, I felt like I let myself and everyone down performing the way I performed. Now I have the chance to make that right and rectify it. I’m back in the Matchroom gym now, I’ve found what I need to do to push on and compete at that world level, so I am just looking forward to Saturday night, I know it’s a passionate crowd here so I will embrace it and go and get the win.
“I’m not going to leave anything to chance on Saturday night, I’ve had a good camp, I’ve been diligent, worked really hard. I’ve been in the position before where I’ve been in someone else’s backyard or I’m not the favourite, so I know what I need to do to get the win.”Padraig McCrory:
“I fought in the same arena in November in a fight that I expected to win, and probably didn’t perform because I didn’t give my opponent enough respect. Now I am fighting Craig who has fought the best in the division and run them very close, he’s a very good fight and I was going through old tweets of mine and I had tweeted about how good he was. So full respect to him but this is the type of fight I need to get back to where I want to be.
“I haven’t seen a crowd like this for a press conference since the Carl Frampton days, I also bring a massive crowd and it’s going to be electric, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a must-win for both of us and I’m ready to put it all on the line.”Kurt Walker:
“This opportunity has come at a good time, I had a couple of fights fall through last year and I didn’t really know what was going to happen at the start of this year, but this came and it feels like the perfect fight and opponent, and I’m ready to put on a show.
“He feels like he has a new lease of life so he’s going to try and give it his all, people maybe don’t know me in the UK but they know me here and how good I am, so once I get the opportunity, which is Saturday night, I’ll show how good I am.”Lyon Woodstock:
“Big up the Irish fans. Since I fought Cacace and they found out I was fighting here, the love has been amazing, I didn’t expect it at all so I want to say big up to them. And big up yourself for making this fight, I’ve been waiting for this, I’ve been in the shadows for a couple of years, I’ve been on small hall shows and I’ve had to fund myself and get myself into this position here, and I’m more than ready and geared for this, I’ve been focusing on a lot of things and I’m ready to shock the people.
“I expect him to be a tough opponent. I know he’s got good feet, good boxing, but it’s nothing I’ve never seen before, it’s not my first rodeo, I’m a 12 round fighter so I am going to come and do the business.
“It’s all on the line so I am not going to let it slip through my fingers.”Tommy McCarthy:
“It’s definitely must-win, but I will win. I’ve trained well, I’m in brilliant shape. I fell out of love with boxing for a couple of years, I was just doing it for the dough because the money was there, but now I’ve got dreams and ambitions of how I want to leave the sport and on Saturday night I want to do a job and look good doing it.
“The win is the most important thing but winning in style and in good fashion is important so people want to watch you again. So now my objective on Saturday night is to look good.”Steven Ward:
“Thanks for having me on the show, I almost thought an opportunity like this had gone, I’ve been rapping on the door and waiting so when the call came I know it’s a must-win. It’s a good fight, Tommy and I have probably sparred close to 1,000 rounds together and this is an opportunity where one of us gets to kick on. I feel like I’ve got more to give in the sport and this is my opportunity.
“There’s plenty of fights out there that I would love, Tommy and I like each other and respect each other but i cannot stress how much I want to win this fight and I will win it, because it keeps the dream alive and keeps me going.”Ruadhan Farrell:
“I think everyone in here would agree with me in saying I won the first fight, so on Saturday night he’ll be going to the canvas again.
“Do you believe you won the fight? You didn’t win three rounds, you were lucky to get one. On Saturday night it’s over, you are going back to small hall shows. I think I’m improving, on Saturday night I think I win by stoppage.”Gerard Hughes:
“It’s a great card to be on, a massive card for Belfast and it’s all 50-50 fights that mean something. I’ve put in a great camp and I can’t wait to fight. The one thing I learned from the first fight is I need to keep my hands up! Fair play Ruadhan has had a good run since we fought, but I’ve not stopped training since that fight and I hope to go out and show my improvements.
“I walked to you with my hands down around my balls and you didn’t get rid of me. I’m bringing the same fight on Saturday night, I know nothing else, but this time I will have my hands up!”Aaron Bowen:
“This is a massive opportunity for me, I’ve done over 200 tickets with my Irish connections and you hear about Belfast being a great night for the fights and my lot are going to be loud and I expect a war and a lot of noise from my lot.
“It wasn’t the best performance last time but the one thing about me is, I can stand and fight. I’ve got all this pedigree, I’ve boxed all around the world and I know I can box and box well, but when I have to go there I can go there. The plan is to win and look good and hopefully not get dropped, but if we do, we can stand and go and get the job done.”Jack O’Neill:
“I’m absolutely ready to go, I’ve sold over 400 tickets for this one so there’s a massive crowd coming who will make a lot of noise, and it’s a great opportunity to impress.”
Shauna Browne:
“I’m 5-0 going into what looks like a WBC eliminator and it’s a massive opportunity, I’ve studied Elif like she would have studied me but I’ve lived in the gym since coming back to boxing and there’s only one thing that’s going to happen on Saturday night and that’s me winning in devastating fashion like I do in every fight. I turn up and there will be no off-button, I will go for every round for as long as it lasts, and that’s it.
“There’s no crowd like an Irish crowd, I’ve a lot coming up from Clonmel, I’ve got amazing support and we’re going to lift the roof the SSE Arena and I believe our fight can steal the show 100 per cent, she’s coming to fight and so am I, so be ready for a show guys.”Elif Nur Turhan:
“Thank you for having us here, Shauna is a great fighter and a warrior, but I am too. We want to give everyone a good show and good fight, we’re here to fight, we’re here to win and we hope for a good win.”
