WBO Middleweight World Champion Billy Joe Saunders has vowed to put David Lemieux ‘out like a candle’ when the bitter rivals square off at the Place Bell in Laval, Quebec this weekend, live on BT Sport HD2 and BoxNation.

Hatfield star Saunders will be fighting overseas for the first time in his professional career when he makes the third defence of his crown against the hard-hitting Lemieux in his own backyard, and is unfazed by fighting in hostile territory.

“I’m a fighting man, a gypsy warrior, and I’ll travel anywhere on the planet to defend my World Title,” said Saunders. “I’m heading into the lions den this weekend, Lemieux will have the whole arena behind him but that won’t make one ounce of a difference, I’ll thrive off their hate for me. Once that bell goes it’s just me and him stood in that ring, he’s is for one hell of a tough night.

“I know I will have 13,000 or 14,000 people against me on Saturday night but I can perform under that kind of pressure. I’ve boxed since I was 16 all over the World, that was as an amateur but you still get that same fear factor, winning or losing, and travelling away to fights.”

Former Middleweight title holder Lemieux has promised to ‘do everyone a favour’ by ‘getting rid’ of Saunders. The Montreal native boasts 33 big knockouts from 38 career wins and is eager to ‘do damage’ to Saunders, telling journalists at Tuesday’s media workout that the Champion will ‘hit the floor’.

Hertfordshire hitter Saunders is in a typically confident mood heading into Saturday’s showdown, even promising Lemieux his entire fight purse if the Canadian manages to knock him out.

“Lemieux shows a lot of heart when he comes to fight but the real truth is, I’m too slick and too good for him. People bang on about him being this monster puncher but you can’t hit what you can’t see – we’re going to play a game of eat the jab and then I’m going to put him out like a candle! I’m in this game to take on the best and once I’ve wiped out ‘little legs’ I’m coming for Canelo and Golovkin.”

Watch Saunders vs. Lemieux live on BT Sport 2HD and BoxNation from 2.00am this Sunday.

MONTREAL (Dec. 12, 2017) Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management, in association with Frank Warren and Vidéotron, today hosted a media workout for the upcoming WBO Middleweight World Championship fight between Billy Joe Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs) and David Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs), set to take place this Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The evening’s co-main event will feature Antoine “Action” Douglas (22-1-1, 16 KOs) against Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (26-2, 18 KOs) for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight title while Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (21-0, 17 KOs) will face off against Yves Ulysse, Jr. (14-1, 9 KOs) in the opener of the HBO World Championship Boxing event that will kick off live at 9:40 pm ET/PT.
Here is what the participants had to say at today’s media workout:
BILLY JOE SAUNDERS, WBO Middleweight World Champion:
“I’m used to fight outside the UK, I’m a traveler of the world. I don’t care if there’s a million people. It’s just me and him in that ring, end of the story. As for the rest, I don’t care.
“David has no chance of winning, and I’m convinced that he will not make the distance against me. I’m willing to bet part of my purse to charity if I lose and the winner will choose which charity to give it to. I’m not here for the money or anything like that, I’m here to make a statement. There’s no point in talking anymore, all that matters now is what happens on Saturday.”

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight World Champion:
“I’ve never said that I doubted his chin. Regardless he will hit the floor. And whether I win by knock out or go 12 rounds, it’s no matter. But I will drop him and I will hurt him.
“There are a lot of fans in England who’ve written to me because they don’t like Saunders, and they want me to get rid of him. I’ll do everyone a favor, I’ll take care of him.”
ANTOINE DOUGLAS, Middleweight Contender:
“I’m very exited to have the opportunity to fight on HBO. I had a very strong camp, moved up to Jersey with my team. I’m prepared to fight 10 explosive rounds and give fans in Canada a show to remember.”
GARY O’SULLIVAN, Former WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Champion and Middleweight Contender:
“It’s absolutely fantastic to fight here on HBO! It’s a very big opportunity, and it’s nice to be here. To me, fighting out of town makes no difference because I fought most of my career out of town – the US, the UK, and I come from Ireland.”
CLETUS SELDIN, Super Lightweight Contender:
“I’m nice outside the ring but once I’m inside the ring, I become an animal that I can’t even contain. I don’t come to score points but to do damage and hurt, and that’s the difference between me and Ulysse, Jr. My trainer and I have studied Yves Ulysse, Jr. and we know he is a solid boxer-puncher who fights with intensity and angles. He can try to dance like Sugar Ray Leonard but he is not Leonard. His strategy will not work against me, I’m very excited about being able to get back on the ring quickly and it’s an honor to be part of such a big event.”
YVES ULYSSE, JR., Super Lightweight Contender:
“He’s a high-calibre fighter, it’s gonna make a great show! I know that this fight will bring out my character, what kind of person I am. Every time I’ve faced obstacles, I’ve always responded with strength. I will do it again.”

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. Seldin vs. Ulysse, Jr. is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of The Tiger Management and Star Boxing. The event will take place Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

Visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.StarBoxing.com and www.hbo.com/boxing for more information. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @StarBoxing, @LifeOfCletus, @frankwarren_tv; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan, @StarBoxing, @BearJewUSA; and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

Photos and videos are available for download via the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used. Download the French language version of the Saunders vs. Lemieux press kit here: bit.ly/SaundersLemieuxFR. Photo credit: Vincent Ethier / Eye of the Tiger Management.

https://www.facebook.com/160095520746436/videos/1618545354901438/
https://www.facebook.com/160095520746436/videos/1618524834903490/
https://www.facebook.com/160095520746436/videos/1618524834903490/

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you to the media for joining us today in this International Media Conference Call for Saunders versus Lemieux. We are kicking off fight week with this call and have a week of events leading up to Saturday’s events, which will surely be a showdown between two heavy hitters this Saturday, December 16th, at the brand new Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada. WBO Middleweight World Champion Billy Joe Saunders will battle the heavy-handed David Lemieux for Saunders title, which is a WBO title. This event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with my partner Frank Warren.

Additionally, we have a spectacular co-event as part of the HBO telecast. Antoine “Action” Douglas versus Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan will be a ten-round fight for the WBO International Middleweight title presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of the Tiger Management, and in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing.

And opening up the HBO telecast, we will have Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin returning to the ring just more than a month after his dominating knockout victory. He’s taking on a highly regarded Yves Ulysse Jr., and that’s a ten-round super lightweight, and that will be opening up the telecast on HBO, which begins at 9:40 Eastern/Pacific time.

Tickets for the Saunders-Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 all the way up to $500. They’re still for sale. Tickets are going fast. We’re going to have a full house at the brand new arena.

So at this time, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the president of Eye of the Tiger Management, my good friend and partner at Golden Boy Promotions, Camille Estephan.

Camille Estephan: Hello, everyone. It’s fight week. We’re here. We’re ready. This fight is going to be a war. We expect a show that we’ll talk about for the next decade. HBO undercard as well, two styles that, I think, will marry very well. Great fight, Action Douglas against O’Sullivan. I can’t wait to watch the fight myself as a fan. We thank you for supporting HBO, Golden Boy, Frank Warren. Everybody’s involved. So many promoters, so many people got together to put this great, great event together.

Oscar, Eric, and the team, wonderful job. Thank you very much. We’re ready here.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you very much, Camille.

Let me introduce now the trainer for David Lemieux. Obviously, he’s been doing an amazing, amazing job. They’ve been training for months now getting ready for this incredible showdown on December 16th. Here is Marc Ramsey to say a few words. Marc?

MARC RAMSEY: First of all, I would like to thank everybody who made this happen, HBO, Golden Boy, Camille Estephan, and Eye of the Tiger Management, Frank Warren.

I proposed to David Lemieux a couple of tough, tough training camps, but a very successful training camp where we reached every single goal in camp. I’m very enthusiastic about the performance of David Saturday night and a very nice victory just before Christmas for our fans here in Montreal.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you. Thank you very much. So now it’s my pleasure to introduce to you Canada’s biggest star. He’s a former IBF Middleweight World Champion. He has a stellar record of 38 wins, 3 losses, and 33 knockouts. David is a thunderous puncher with tremendous, tremendous power in both hands. He captured the IBF World Middleweight Title against Hassan N’Dam in 2015, knocking the then world title holder out four times en route to a decision victory.

This year, Lemieux blasted out title contender Curtis Stevens in a third-round impressive knockout, which is a contender for the Fight of the Year. And then also he went on to beat Marcos “Dorado” Reyes. Now he’s up for another big challenge in Billy Joe Saunders, and that will be for the WBO Middleweight title. It is my pleasure to introduce to you from Canada, David Lemieux.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Thanks, Oscar. Hi, everybody. I’m so excited for this week. Very, very grateful for another great opportunity to become world champion again. I’m thankful for everybody to be part of this. Thanks to Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of the Tiger Management, HBO, and everybody around. Thank you, guys.

It’s been a great camp. I’m really excited for this fight. I’m more excited, actually, just to lay my hands on Billy Joe Saunders more than anything else. He’s got a big mouth. It’s rare I see fighters with such a big mouth. I just hope his fighting is going to come as close as his mouth on Saturday night. He has a very, very aggressive Lemieux on his back, and I’m going to be ready. I’m extremely prepared for this fight. So, it’s not going to be easy for him. It’s actually going to be hell for him.

I’m here to knock him out. I’m here to destroy him every round. It’s 12 rounds. It’s unfortunate for him, but I’m ready for 12 big rounds. I’m excited for this fight to give the fans their money’s worth and finish the year with a new WBO title.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: All right. Thank you, David. Do we have Team Saunders on?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Here ready to rock and roll.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: All right. It is my pleasure to introduce to you the man behind the WBO World Champion. Obviously, when you have a world champion like Saunders, you need a great trainer, and so it’s my pleasure to introduce to you Dominic Ingle. Dominic?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: No, this is Billy Joe. Dominic is not here. It’s the champ here, just the champ alone.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: All right. So, let me — it is my pleasure to introduce to you, hailing out of Hatfield, United Kingdom, Saunders is undefeated coming off back-to-back defenses. He is the WBO World Champion. He demolished Irish Andy Lee in 2015. He is the WBO Middleweight Champion, fighting the likes of Willie “The Mongoose” Monroe.

And on Saturday night he’s looking to stay undefeated, and he’s ready. He trained hard for this fight. So, it is my pleasure to introduce the WBO Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Good afternoon, everybody. Training camp is very, very good. It’s come to an end now. Lovely, beautiful, it’s done. Fitness is done. Feeling in the best shape ever. No excuses. No excuses. Don’t need no excuses about injuries or anything else. It’s going to be a very good fight. I think David is a good fighter, but at the minute, he’s just the last bit of dog meat for me because (indiscernible) Golovkin told me I am the dog himself. And I know he’s given David a bit of a beating and also set that big fire out for me.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: We will now open it up for questions from the media.

Q. My first question for David is I guess this is going to be the first time there’s going to be a boxing event in this particular arena they opened this year in Laval. I wonder, just from your perspective, I know you’ve had a lot of fights in Quebec and in Montreal in particular, but what would it mean for you to win a world title in front of your hometown, the way you did the first time you won a world title belt, especially in a new building, and excited about the fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Well, it’s been done once. It’s going to be done twice. I think it’s going to be a great night for the fans, what I’m going to bring to the ring and how I’m going to fight. People are just talking about my punching power and this and that, but they’re going to be surprised once I start mixing it up with Saunders, and not just the punching behind here, there’s a boxer too. So, we’ll see how he holds up.

Q. When you fought in your last fight that was — in a world title fight and you lost that fight. What makes you believe that your performance against Saunders is going to be a whole lot different than the way it went down against Golovkin? I know that wasn’t your best performance.

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m a whole different guy than I am facing Golovkin. I’m a whole different guy. You put Golovkin back in front of me, and it’s going to be a whole different scenario. Now I’ve got Saunders to take care of. We’ve done everything we need to do in camp. I don’t think it’s going to be very difficult in the ring against him.

I’m going to be nice manners because it’s going to be hell for him. But I’m ready. I’m ready to take the title now.

Q. You made it clear, David, in your opening remarks that you don’t really seem to have much like for Billy. I wonder where does that come from? What’s the reason? I’ve heard you talk in other fights, and you didn’t have that kind of animosity between Gennady Golovkin or even Curtis Stevens, necessarily. What is it about Saunders that has you going in the wrong way?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m going to make him pay in the ring. All this animosity is going to come out in the ring. If he thinks he can run away for 12 rounds, he’s in a lot of trouble.

Q. Is there something he said that got you upset or something he did?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Well, he said a whole bunch of things. Just his character, he is who he is, and I don’t like him.

Q. Billy, can you give me your perspective about traveling to your opponent’s hometown to defend your title. Your previous world title fights have taken place in front of the more friendly crowds over in the UK. Give me your mindset about coming to enemy territory.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I go to enemy territory all the time. Where I’m from, when I boxed Andy Lee, it was the biggest feud amongst possible gypsy culture, English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh all there in one mixture. Most of them there for Andy Lee.

I perform under pressure. I’ve seen David’s absolute best performance against Gennady Golovkin. I think David is very weak in the mind. And at the end, I don’t care if it’s in his backyard, put the ring there. As long as there’s a ring we can get in, that’s all that matters.

I’m quite happy to know I’m under his skin because, if he wants to play a boxing match, then bring a blindfold, and I’ll put it on, and I’ll beat him. That’s how confident I am.

Q. Do you have any regard for his punching power? Most people watch David fight, they think — and have seen knockouts he had against Curtis Stevens, and think of David honestly as one of the top punchers in the sport regardless of weight class. Do you have any thoughts about the kind of punching power he possesses?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Against bums, yeah, knocking out old men, but he got stuck against Rubio. He’s a tough man with power. He lost his next and then fought bums all the way up until Golovkin. Curtis Stevens, he’s not an A-level fighter. He’s just a step up, a bit of a seasonal fighter. He’s really nothing special. He dealt with him, fair play. But he got spanked by Golovkin previous to that.

When you mix him up against the very, very best of the league, he’s not quite comfortable. He didn’t win a round against Golovkin.

Q. One more question for you, Billy. Since you’re so confident you’re going to win this fight, what kind of big fight in the middleweight division or maybe a different division do you want after this fight? There’s obviously a possibility of a Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin rematch. What do you want to do after you beat him?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I want whoever’s next. I would love to fight Canelo Alvarez. I would love to fight him. As long as it’s all a fair playing field here in Canada, which I’m sure it will. I don’t want no Canelo-Golovkin results. I want a fair result. If David Lemieux beats me fair and square, I will shake his hand. But when I beat him fair and square, he won’t even shake my hand, and rightly so.

Q. Billy, just what you just mentioned about going to basically his hometown and you want fair play, how concerned are you about the judging if the fight goes the distance?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Listen, I’m not concerned at all. We’ve got one Canadian, one English, and one other nationality. So it’s going to be a fair playing field. Listen, David’s already said that he’s going to knock me out. So we don’t need judges, do we? He’s already put that pressure on himself. He has to come and knock me out, and if he doesn’t knock me out, there’s no way in God’s name that he’s going to win this fight because, to me, he will be a walking punch bag.

Q. Obviously, if you win this fight, you’re in a great position because they haven’t made the Canelo-Golovkin rematch. How do you feel about possibly getting Canelo, as you just mentioned, if you win this fight?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: When I win this fight, that’s the one I want is Canelo. He’s a global superstar. He’s the one you have to beat to get recognized at the high potential of this game. I would love to work with Oscar De La Hoya and Frank Warren Promotions to make that fight after, but I’ll be up for that fight with Canelo.

Q. And you obviously have no trouble coming to Las Vegas or something like that based on what you said, right?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Listen, if I will come to Canada to spank David, I will go to Las Vegas, Mexico, wherever they want, to be in the fight. I’m not in it for money. I’m not in it for anything else. I’m in it because I want to be involved in big fights. Now I’ve got my hand in the big pot, I don’t want to make any slip-ups. So I’ve got to make sure I’m 100 million percent on Saturday night, which I will be.

Q. David, what is your perspective on possibly getting another — if you win this fight, possibly getting another shot at Golovkin or possibly facing Canelo?

DAVID LEMIEUX: These are all names that will come up sooner or later, so I will be prepared when their time comes.

Q. Hi, David. I just wonder, you’re up against a left-hander, unbeaten guy who doesn’t have a lot of knockouts on his record. So the obvious thing would be power against — puncher against boxer. Is that the way you see the fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: You know, we’ve prepared for many scenarios. I’ve had multiple sparring partners. We’ve been training to brawl. We’ve been training for everything. Come fight night, there will be no surprises. But I have an idea about how he’s going to fight against me, and we’ve prepared very well for it. So there’s going to be no surprises for me.

In regard of fighting a left-handed guy, I’ve always done good against left-handed guys. It’s not a problem.

Q. Were you inspired at all by Jean Pascal winning his farewell fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Inspired? No, but I guess he did do good. I didn’t really see the fight, but congratulations to him. He had quite a comeback.

Q. David, I’m sure that Saunders points to your record and says, well, he has losses, and I don’t. However, do you think that those losses give you a level of improvement and learning that somebody with an O on their record doesn’t have? In other words, is that an advantage to you?

DAVID LEMIEUX: If you look at those losses, there’s really only one loss that I can credit. The two losses were early in my career, the first one against Rubio, and the one against Alcine is very debatable, in my eyes. I still don’t believe I lost that fight.

The one against Golovkin, I had my issues. Right away the fight was done. No excuses. I worked my way back up, and I’m very confident in getting those defeats back to a win on Saturday. The first thing to do is to get this deal settled, and we’ll talk about Golovkin or Canelo or whoever it is.

Q. And earlier you were asked about fighting in this new arena in front of the Canadian fans. I think many people are surprised how avid the Canadian fans are, that there are so many very strong Canadian boxing fans. Why do you think that that is? That doesn’t strike people immediately as a country that is very strong with boxing.

DAVID LEMIEUX: We love boxing. We have a lot of good fighters. There’s been a lot of good fighters out here, and boxing has been very active.

Q. Well, they love it, and they show it. The question for you, Billy Joe, you have fought all of your previous professional fights in Great Britain. For your first fight, you choose to come to Canada. Why was that the choice for your first overseas fight?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Because David’s team wouldn’t come to England. I wasn’t going to come to Canada at first, but then if this fight was going to get made, it was going to be after Christmas. I said, listen, I want to beat out twice before the new year, and twice I will be. So traveling is nothing to me. I’m a born traveler. Traveling is nothing to me. I’ve been boxing all over the world since I was 10 years of age, from Russia, from Australia, from Beijing — you name the countries, I’ve been there. I know it’s only amateur boxing, but I’m so used to traveling and preparing to fight the same nervous system, the same energy you need to play.

I’ve seen David. I’ve seen David at his very best, his extreme best. That don’t worry me. He has to bring more than that.

Like I say, boxing is a dangerous sport. One punch can change everything. As David says, he’s a very, very big puncher. So I have to be on my game.

Q. And a final question to the both of you. Are you motivated by the animosity between you? I mean, there’s no love lost at all. Your comments today have been mild compared to Twitter.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I don’t know David. All I know is he’s got short legs. That’s all I said is he’s got short legs. I think with such a nervous — the nerve button a bit. Listen, I don’t not like David. As a matter of fact, after I beat him, I’ll give him a kiss on the cheek, no problem.

Q. Any response, David? And I’ll end my remarks there.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You kiss me on the cheek, you’d better watch out for my hook.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: For the hook? I’ll watch out for that one, yeah. I’ll watch out for the hook, David. Careful you don’t pull that shoulder out as well.

DAVID LEMIEUX: What was that?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I said be careful you don’t strain too hard on your shoulder when you try that hook, okay?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m ready. Both shoulders are good. Let’s see if your chin holds up.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Good, good, good. My chin will hold up. I’ll promise you that. That’s one thing I’ll promise you, my chin will definitely hold up. If it don’t, you can have my purse. How about that? No problem.

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’ll keep that in mind after the fight.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Keep that in mind because you need it. You’re only getting a small one this time, aren’t you?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I got you in Canada at least.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Yeah, you got me in Canada, no problem. At least it’s a ring, isn’t it? You’ve got me in Canada. I’ll just look at it a little bit and smack you up and go do what I need to do after. That’s what we’ll do.

DAVID LEMIEUX: We’ll see on Saturday.

Q. Billy, you just mentioned something about David’s shoulder. Do you suspect that he has a shoulder injury? Is that what you mean?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I don’t expect nothing. Every fight has had injuries, but some are worse than others. We seen James DeGale last week. He had a shoulder injury, and he rushed back too soon, and he should have waited a bit longer. Look, the way I look at it, I’m sure David is healthy and ready to go because he wouldn’t be in the ring if not. His management team wouldn’t be advising him to get in that ring, I’d like to hope so. If I had an injury, then I wouldn’t be here. So we’ve both got to be 100 percent. Thank God we’re both 100 percent, and we can both go to work on Saturday night.

Listen, I’m not hoping for no advantage or disadvantage for injuries. I’m hoping to get in there against the best guy myself and get the win fairly.

Q. This is a question for Billy Joe Saunders. Hello, champ. It’s great to speak with you, sir. No matter what both of you and David say, the bad blood element of this fight is a big, big talking point. You had a bad blood fight with Eubank, Jr., of course, which you won and still talk about a rematch and various things. Is this more bad blood in this fight, do you think? Do you see this as more of a fight where you dislike your opponent?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Like I said earlier on, I don’t dislike David. I don’t know him to dislike him. I don’t really keep track of him, how he goes on and how he don’t. All I know is that he said some — he mentioned about putting people in a coffin dead on Twitter. Now, I’ve only got respect for the boxing world, and we recently lost someone who passed away in the ring and also somebody again the other day. So I just don’t like that talk because it’s stupid talk because to those people’s family, it is very upsetting and very discrediting to boxing.

So if he knocks me out, he knocks me out. If I knock him out, I knock him out. But a death situation, that’s the only thing I didn’t like, which personally, myself, it don’t hurt me, but I love boxing, and it discredits boxing. So that’s the only reason why I got a little bit of a — why I said he had short legs and something else, why I said that.

I’m only saying the truth. He’s got short legs. David, my son’s got some size 22 jeans I brought over for you for after the fight. I’ve got them as a present for you, 22-inch legs.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You talk in English. I don’t understand what you’re saying.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I’ve got very nice jeans for you, good gesture. They’re very short in leg for you.

Q. Also, Billy, you look to be in absolutely fantastic shape. Is it fair to say you’re in the best physical condition you’ve ever been in before? Because people have remarked on the way you look so ripped. Have you trained harder than ever before?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Listen, when I come into somebody’s backyard in Canada — I flew over here — I’m never going to leave a stone unturned. I am at my physical, best shape I possibly can be in. There is no better Billy Joe Saunders turning up here on Saturday night, and I can guarantee that. So I hope David can be the same.

Q. This question is for Billy. You’ve taken a lot of criticism from a lot of people who say you’re ducking Gennady Golovkin. I wasn’t interested in the question myself, but I see on my Twitter feed that you mentioned Canelo over Gennady. Would you like to comment on that?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I know that Golovkin and Canelo, they hold the ace card. I offered to fight Golovkin in June, but he passed up on the opportunity. Not that he was scared or frightened, but he had big business to do with Canelo. So if them two aren’t fighting, it makes more sense now that, me beating one of Oscar De La Hoya’s boxers in Canada, also gives me more of a chance to fight Canelo. Either one of them come along, I would love to fight Canelo.

Q. David, have you altered your training at all to face Saunders or no? In other words, you’re fighting a slickster this time. You’re not fighting a Stevens or a Canelo or even a Triple G. You’re facing someone who’s a little more slippery. Have you altered your training at all?

DAVID LEMIEUX: For every fighter there’s a new planning. I’m in the best shape of my career. Come Saturday night, you guys watch what I’ll do. You can judge for yourself.

Q. (In French).

DAVID LEMIEUX: (In French).

THE MODERATOR: Camille, can you translate the question and the answer for others on the call. Camille or David, are you able to translate the question and response that was just given in French?

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN: Basically, how David feels about fighting, and David is very excited to be able to fight for a second time for a world title in front of his fans, this time in his own backyard. He’s very proud of being able to do an event of this magnitude for the city of Laval.

With regards to the second question was about how he’s going to fight Canelo and Golovkin after his fight. And he says, looking back, David is making a big mistake to talk about what he’s going to do after Saturday, and David would prefer to not talk and just do. Show him on Saturday rather than just talk about it.

THE MODERATOR: We’re going to transition to final comments. David, do you have any final comments you want to share with the media on the call today?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Saturday night I’m going to be the new world champion.

THE MODERATOR: Billy Joe, do you have any final comments you’d like to give?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: LOL. See you Saturday. God bless you all.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us on today’s call. We will see you Saturday at Place Bell for Saunders vs. Lemieux. Have a great day.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. Seldin vs. Ulysse, Jr. is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of The Tiger Management and Star Boxing. The event will take place Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

Visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.StarBoxing.com and www.hbo.com/boxing for more information. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @StarBoxing, @LifeOfCletus, @frankwarren_tv; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan, @StarBoxing, @BearJewUSA; and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

Photos and videos are available for download via the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used. Download the French language version of the Saunders vs. Lemieux press kit here: bit.ly/SaundersLemieuxFR. Photo credit: Vincent Ethier / Eye of the Tiger Management.

New York (Nov. 28, 2017): A big jump in the super lightweight rankings will be on the line Saturday Dec. 16 when Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (21-0, 17 KOs) returns just more than a month after a dominating KO to take on highly regarded
Yves Ulysses, Jr. (14-1, 9 KOs). The 10-round opening event of HBO World Championship Boxing begins live at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

The fight will serve as the TV opener for the main event featuring WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders putting his belt on the line against former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux and the co-main event between Antoine “Action” Douglas and Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight title.

Fighting out of Long Island, NY, Seldin is a former WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Champion whose power has been on display throughout his career, culminating with a three-round knockout of previously once-defeated Roberto “Massa” Ortiz on November 11.

“My trainer and I have studied Yves Ulysse and know he is a solid boxer-puncher who fights with intensity and angles,” said Seldin. “He is as good as anyone in the 140lb class so it will be a hard fought exciting fight. I want to thank my promoter, Joe DeGuardia and HBO for getting me right back in the ring and back on HBO again so quickly. I want to fight every month like this.”

Across the ring will be local Montreal product Ulysses, Jr., who at 29 has never fought an opponent with a losing record and has just one defeat by close split decision.

“It has always been my dream since I started boxing to perform on HBO, the world’s most prestigious television network,” Ulysses said. “I’m so happy to get the opportunity to do this at home, Dec. 16, and show the whole world what I’m capable of.”

Star Boxing CEO Joe DeGuardia had this to say on the Hebrew Hammer’s return to HBO, “I’m thrilled to have Cletus Seldin back on HBO just one month since his exciting destruction of Roberto Ortiz. ‘The Hebrew Hammer’ has a style that thrills fans like the old days of Rocky Marciano and Jake LaMotta with sensational knockout power and relentless aggression. I’m grateful to Peter Nelson and HBO for giving the fans another opportunity to see this crowd pleasing fighter on HBO. We look forward to another exhilarating performance from Cletus Seldin, even though we recognize he will be fighting a skilled and talented opponent in Yves Ulysses Jr.”

“I’m really looking forward to this great fight on this night of fireworks on December 16, said Eye of the Tiger Management President
Camille Estephan. “Ulysse will put on the performance of his career and another star will be born.”

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.StarBoxing.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @StarBoxing, @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @frankwarren_tv and become a fan on Facebook at, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/StarBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @StarBoxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.
FACTS:
Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. Seldin Vs. Ulysse Jr. is a 10-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of The Tiger Management and Star Boxing. The event is sponsored by Coors Light. The event will take place Saturday, December 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.
MEDIA:
Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.
TICKETS:
Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 21, 2017): A pair of middleweights looking to fight their way into title contention will face off on Saturday, Dec. 16 in Montreal as once-defeated Virginian Antoine “Action” Douglas (22-1-1, 16 KOs) and Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (26-2, 18 KOs) of Cork, Ireland go toe-to-toe for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title in the 10-round co-main event of HBO World Championship Boxing beginning live at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

The fight will be the chief support of the WBO World Middleweight Championship showdown between Champion Billy Joe Saunders and challenger and former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux.

At the young age of 25, Douglas has already held numerous regional title belts and has taken the undefeated records of fighters including Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna and Istvan “The Prince” Szili. Douglas is riding a three-fight knockout streak since suffering the only defeat of his career.

“Fighting on such a great middleweight card on HBO will be a great opportunity,” said Douglas. “I’ve seen some fights of Gary’s, and I never underestimate my opponent. I know he’s got a good record and that he always comes to fight. I’ve never been to Canada, so I look forward to expanding my fan base there.”

Known as a true showman with booming knockout power, O’Sullivan is riding a four-fight winning streak culminating with a brutal beating and TKO over Nick Quigley in the main event on Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN in September. At 33 years old, O’Sullivan has faced some of the top middleweights in the division throughout his career including Saunders and Chris Eubank, Jr.

“I’m coming off a tremendous knockout win, and that high has carried into my training for this huge co-main event opportunity,” said Gary O’Sullivan. “I’m excited to be making my HBO debut on such a tremendous card, and will not disappoint in giving everyone a show. Antoine Douglas should be prepared to face the very best version of myself in the ring.”

“The Middleweight division is absolutely stacked, and fans will get to see four of the top-tier fighters on one night in Quebec, Canada,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “While Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin sit atop the division, these two fights will likely determine their challengers in the near future. Everything is on the line for all these guys.”

On the non-televised undercard, rising 130-pound star Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (12-0, 11 KOs) will look to defend his Junior NABF Super Featherweight Title in an eight-round fight against Noe Martinez (10-9-2, 6 KOs) of Michoacan, Mexico. The 19-year-old native of Victorville, Calif. is coming off eight knockout victories and will look to defend his title for the second time after earning the title with a spectacular first-round knockout win against Miguel Carrizoza in September and defending it impressively via third-round technical knockout against Cesar Valenzuela in November.

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. The event is sponsored by Coors Light. The event will take place Saturday, December 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @frankwarren_tv and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

MONTREAL – Oct. 23, 2017 – There was a lot of hostility in the air today, while the WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs) and former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs) were hosting a press conference to discuss their upcoming showdown to be held on Dec. 16 at the Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. Saunders vs. Lemieux is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management, in association with Frank Warren, and will be televised live on HBO World Championship beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Here is what the participants had to say at today’s press conference:

Billy Joe Saunders, current WBO World Middleweight Champion:
“This fight has good fight written all over it. There is a lot at stake. I’m going to be very aware because as you all know, boxing is a funny game, it can end very quickly with one punch. And it goes both ways. David is going to eat some, and he’s going to beg me to finish him off.

“Styles make fight. It’s the classic match-up between the boxer and the puncher and I’m looking forward to it. I was born to fight, and I’m going to prove it by unifying the belts as soon as I’m done with David.

“Lemieux shows a lot of heart when he comes to fight but the real truth is, I’m to slick and too good for him. I’m in boxing to win and defend my belt all over the world, Lemieux is my tester for the winner of Canelo and Golovkin. ”

David Lemieux, former IBF World Middleweight Champion:
“I think that you are in for a surprise. I will be at my best and take the title from you.

“If the fight demands me chasing you, I will chase you. If the fight demands me to go toe-to-toe, I will. On December 16, I promise that I won’t leave the Place Bell without the belt. I’m extremely excited. Let’s get it on!”

Dominic Ingle, trainer to Billy Joe Saunders:
“Billy wants to fight Golovkin and wants to measure himself against Lemieux. It’s a great test for him.

“David is a great fighter, big puncher and a clever boxer. Billy is in a very good place and he’s had some brilliant training and a great camp so far. He is super confident to put on a great show. Hopefully, Dec. 16 is going to be a great night of boxing!”

Marc Ramsay, trainer to David Lemieux:
“I’m proud to train a boxer such as David Lemieux, who is a true warrior, a real champion, always up for real challenges. As soon as we found out that facing Canelo wasn’t an option, we started looking at other options. David’s request was clear: ‘I want to face the best fighter available.’ And, we found it in Saunders, and it’s going to be a good challenge for David. Once again, he will give the fans a show to remember and a beautiful Christmas gift.

“This fight is a great opportunity for David to write history and follow the steps of great Arturo Gatti, by becoming two time World Champion.”

Camille Estephan, president of Eye of the Tiger Management:
“We promised our fans to host a championship fight and we delivered. We would like to thank our great partners, HBO, Golden Boy Promotions, Videotron and evenko who made it possible.

“We also promised that David would become World Champion again, and I guarantee that we will keep our promise. We are glad to inaugurate the Place Bell with this terrific boxing event. We will write history together on Dec. 16.”

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for Saunder’s WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren Promotions. The event will take place Dec. 16, at the Place Bell in Laval, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday, October 28 at 12p.m. at www.evenko.ca.

For further information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @frankwarren_tv and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 18, 2017): Christmas will come early for boxing fans this year as WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs) will put his belt on the line on Saturday, December 16 against former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs) at a soon-to-be announced venue in Montreal, Canada. The fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Saunders, 28, from the United Kingdom, is undefeated and coming off back-to-back defenses of the WBO belt he won against “Irish” Andy Lee in late 2015. Over a standout career, Saunders has defeated the likes of former WBA Interim World Middleweight Champion Chris Eubank, Jr., then-undefeated Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan and longtime contender Willie “The Mongoose” Monroe Jr.

“Firstly, I’d like to thank Golden Boy Promotions for putting the show on,” said Saunders. “Lemieux looks good against ‘B level’ fighters, but he is now getting in the ring with someone who is far more superior and slick than anyone he has ever been in with. I don’t just want the dog meat that Golovkin has left behind. I want the dog himself, and when I come through this fight I will have him. He is a mandatory and we’ve agreed to a deal to go over to foreign soil and get it on. I have a lot of friends in Canada, and I’ll be bringing a lot of supporters over to Canada from the UK. It has all the makings of a good fight. I’m expecting a good, clean, fair decision. Once I beat Lemieux, I’ll be moving onto bigger fish: the winner of the rematch between Canelo and Golovkin. I’m looking forward to a great fight.”

Lemieux, 28, and from Montreal, is a thunderous puncher with tremendous power in both hands who captured the IBF World Middleweight championship against Hassan N’Dam in 2015, knocking the then-world titleholder down four times en route to a unanimous decision victory. This year alone, Lemieux blasted out title contender Curtis “Cerebral Assassin” Stevens in a third-round knockout-of-the-year contender before earning a unanimous decision win against Marcos “Dorado” Reyes.

“It’s time to be world champion again,” Lemieux said. “Saunders is about to get destroyed. I’m going to be extremely ready for this fight and I’m going to inflict a lot of pain on Saunders. His 0 must go.'”

“Saunders vs. Lemieux is exactly the right way to end a year that has been tremendous for boxing,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO and Chairman Oscar De La Hoya. “Will Saunders be able to use his speed and craftiness to outbox Lemieux, or will David land a massive shot to end it in short order? We’ll find out December 16.”

“This has ‘great fight’ written all over it,” said Camille Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Management. “I know David is extremely motivated and viscerally dislikes Saunders. When he’s in that state, watch out. This promises to be a war. We are thrilled to have the opportunity for David to fight for the WBO title at home and keep it here. ”

“We’re delighted to be working again with Golden Boy Promotions, who we continue to enjoy a fantastic relationship with,” said Frank Warren. “Billy Joe Saunders is going into the lions’ den as he believes he has the beating of David Lemieux. It’s a great opportunity for Billy Joe to defend his WBO World Title against a big-name opponent and headline his first bill on HBO at American prime time. He is looking forward to making a statement to the American audience to ensure he secures a fight with the winner of the Canelo vs. Golovkin rematch, for the Undisputed Middleweight World Championship. Billy Joe is out to prove he is the best Middleweight in the world. He has been continually avoided and if it means he has to go to Canada to ensure he can no longer be overlooked, then that is what he is prepared to do!’

“The middleweight division is stacked with the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, and Daniel Jacobs, and on December 16, fans will see champion BJ Saunders travel across the Atlantic to fight one of the divisions biggest punchers in David Lemieux on his home turf in Montreal,” said Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports.

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. The event is sponsored by Tecate,”THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING.” The event will take place December 16, in Montreal, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @frankwarren_tv and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

WBO Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders will defend his title against David Lemieux on December in Quebec, Canada in a bout that will be televised by HBO, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It’s a done deal, live from Montreal on HBO,” Lemieux promoter Oscar De La Hoya said, adding that he is speaking with two venues about hosting the fight — the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal or the new Place Bell, a 10,000-seat arena that opened earlier this year in Laval, which is just outside Montreal.

“Like gentlemen, we worked out the agreement and we’re on the same page with Warren,” De La Hoya said. “We want to see this year finish strong for boxing. It’s been a great year for the sport and for Golden Boy. We’re extremely proud we can deliver not only Miguel Cotto’s final fight but also Saunders-Lemieux, both live on HBO.

“We’re willing to work with everybody. We believe that David Lemieux has a great shot to win this fight. Frank Warren believes that his guy, Saunders, has a great shot as well. It was a matter of a little give and take and we made the deal. But all business aside, it’s great for both parties what we negotiated. Both sides are happy. We wanted to make sure we delivered an exciting fight to end the year.”

“I strongly believe David Lemieux is the missing piece of the puzzle in the middleweight division,” De La Hoya said. “David Lemieux looking great against Billy Joe Saunders will create excitement in the division.”

“David Lemieux against a fighter who is tough, who is durable and who is a trash-talker will make the fight week quite interesting. We’re looking forward to it,” De La Hoya said. “When David heard we had a deal for him to fight Saunders, he was ecstatic. He cannot wait to bring the title back to Canada.”

“Saunders is a middleweight who is dangerous, who can box, who can move, who can make things difficult for you,” De La Hoya said. “Obviously, David Lemieux cannot take this guy lightly whatsoever. David Lemieux has to make a statement on Dec 16 by knocking out Saunders.”

WBO Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders has been ordered to defend his title against Billy Joe Saunders, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“We got the letter from the WBO and Frank Warren reached out to me in an email and I responded back to him, so we’ve started dialogue and it will continue. We’re going to start negotiating,” Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez told ESPN.

“You can’t do it on that undercard. It’s a little too expensive,” Gomez said. “Frank’s got the champion, so he’ll make us an offer. Most likely he’ll want to do the fight in the U.K. Depending on the offer, we’ll react. We’ll discuss it with David, but it’s a good fight for HBO. I notified [HBO Sports executive vice president] Peter Nelson and he has interest in it.”

“We have 30 days to negotiate a deal, and then if they call for a purse bid it would be within two weeks after the 30 days,” Gomez said. “Then from the date of the purse bid it’s 90 days to put on the fight, so you’re looking at maybe February or March. But David is ready to fight in December, so that will be part of our conversation with Frank. It’s all open to discussion and negotiation.”

Follow all the action as Mexican Warriors, Canelo Alvarez takes on Julio Cesar Chavez in super middleweight catchweight bout.  The action begins at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT with 3 fight undercard.  Former middleweight champion Dabid Lemieux battles Marco Reyes.  Former junior welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse takes on Emanuel Taylor.  Joseph Diaz, Jr. fights Manuel Avila in a battle of undefeated featherweights.

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1: Canelo lands a right to the body..Left lands..Jab..Chavez lands an uppercut..hook to body..Right from Alvarez..Jab..Right over top..

Round 2 Combination from Alvarez..Left hook from Chavez..straight right..3 punch combo and uppercut from Alvarez..Right uppercut..2 more uppercuts and a jab..

Round 3 Right from Alvarez..Welt over the right eye of Chavez..2 hard shots from Chavez..3 good shots from Alvarez..Chavez bleeding from the nose..ALVAREZ OUTLANDING CHAVEZ 57-18

Round 4 Left hook from Alvarez..3 punch combination..Hard uppercut..Good body shot

Round 5 Hard counter right from Chavez..ripping body shot..big right,,very one sided fight..Canelo dominating

Round 6 Chavez lands a combo on the ropes..Combination from Alvarez…

Round 7 Chavez lands on the ropes..Alvarez fights off by 2 landing about 8 punches..Good combination from Chavez..

Round 8 Chavez landing on the ropes..Jab from Canelo..

Round 9 Uppercut from Alvarez..Jab,..

Round 10 Uppercut from Alvarez..Combination..Counter right…

Round 11 Right from Alvarez..Right..Right..Left..

Round 12 Alvarez lands a right and a uppercut..

120-108 on all cards for CANELO ALVAREZ

PUNNCHES –ALAVREZ 228-696     CHAVEZ 71 -302

Round 1 Staright raightfrom Lemeiux …Left hook

Round 2 Right from reyes….Reyes cut over right eye from a left hook..

Round 3 Left and hard right from Lemieux..Big uppercut and Reyes s hurt..Huge left hook staggers Reyes..Reyes lands a body shot..Straightt right…2 body shots..Huge right and a body shot,,

Round 4 2 hard left hooks from Lemieux..Body shot from Reyes..Huge right knockouts out mouthpiece,,2 good rights and a body shot from Reyes.

Round 5 Right and left from Reyes..Left from Lemieux

Round 6 Good counter from Lemieux

Round 7 Jab from Lemeiux..Good right..Left and an uppercut..Big left hook..Reyes bleeding and taking a lot of hard shots..Left hook

Round 8 Reyes trying to flurry..Left hook..

Round 9 Right from Reyes..Hard right from Lemieux,,Body shot

Round 10 Vicious 3 punch combination from Lemieux..Reyes trying to land on the ropes..

99-90 TWICE AND 98-91 DAVID LEMIEUX

Round 1 Hard right from Matthysse

Round 2 Right from Matthysse…2 rights over the top..Right..Hard combination on ropes..body shot

Round 3 Matthysee cut over right eye…BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES TAYLOR

Round 4 Left from Taylor..Right and left from Taylor..Jab from Matthysse..Hard left drives Taylor back

Round 5 Good right from Taylor..Good left uppercut and left hook...BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES TAYLOR AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 Diaz lands a left to the body

Round 2 Avila lands a right…Left from Diaz…Jab from Avila..Left from Diaz..

Round 3 Good Jab from Diaz..Straight left..Right from Avila..

Round 4 Right from Avila..Left from Diaz..Good left hook from Avila..Straight right..Left to body from Diaz..

Round 5 Body shot from Diaz..Straight left..Avila cut over his right eye

Round 6 Counter right from Avila..Uppercut on inside…

Round 7 Left from Diaz…Left to body..Combination..Good right hook..another hook..

Round 8 Body shot from Diaz..combination..Counter right hook..Left to body..Hard right from Avila…Right uppercut fromDiaz..Straight left

Round 9 Uppercut Diaz…Left Staggers Avila..Good straight left…4 punch combination

Round 10 Good right hook from Diaz..

WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION —JOSEPH DIAZ JR.

LAS VEGAS (May 4, 2017) – Fighters on the undercard of Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. hosted a press conference today at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino ahead of their bouts on Saturday, May 6. Co-main event fighters former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) and Middleweight contender Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) were joined by former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs), Welterweight contender Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs), NABF Featherweight Champion Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. and IBA Featherweight Champion Manuel “Tino” Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) on the HBO Pay-Per-View portion beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Fighting on the preliminary undercard “free view” stream beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT, lightweight prospect Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (8-0, 7 KOs) will face Tyrone Luckey (8-6-3, 6 KOs) and flyweight prospect Marlen Esparza (1-0) will take on Samantha Salazar (2-3-1). Former Mexican Olympian Raul “El Cugar” Curiel will make his pro debut against Jesus Sanchez (1-1-2).

Super bantamweight contender Ronny Rios (27-1, 12 KOs) will fight Daniel Noriega (28-10-1, 15 KOs) and lightweight prospect Joseph “Diamante” Aguirre (16-0, 9 KOs) will take on Angel Aispuro (8-4-2) beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

Below is what the fighters and their teams had to say at today’s final press conference:

ERIC GOMEZ, President of Golden Boy Promotions:

“We at Golden Boy Promotions have stacked this card from top to bottom, and I believe it is our best undercard yet with fighters from three continents here making this a global event on Cinco de Mayo. Throughout the night of May 6, fans will see a range of great action fights from some of our top prospects; to battles of undefeated contenders; to the return of former world champions.

“I also just received confirmation that our May 5th show tomorrow is completely sold out, thank you to all of our fight fans who have sold out this show and our May 6th show.

BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Business Partner:

“I want the young fighters to know this a great opportunity to be on this Cinco de Mayo undercard with Canelo and Chavez, Jr. This is a great moment to become a champion and be a part of this historical event. Take care of business, and be sure to put on a great show.”

TONY WALKER, Vice President of HBO Pay-Per-View:

“Our distributors have always told us undercards matter, when you think about it-there is four hours of time to fill. People want to be entertained during that time, so it really helps when you have an exciting undercard to the main event.”

“We feel David Lemieux, Lucas Matthysse, Joseph Diaz Jr., all enhance this card and from their strong fan bases in Canada, Argentina and Los Angeles, we expect the fans to be very happy with these great fights.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management:

“This is very exciting, as a fan of boxing, this is an amazing card. Every fight is a must-see. I want to mention the industry of boxing-with the right fights, people come out. We are here to contribute to this great show. David is read, and you can expect fireworks from this co-main event.”

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight World Champion:

“I’m back, I’m expecting this to be a great night of boxing and to put on a show. I started training immediately after my last fight in March and look forward to Saturday night.”

MARCO “DORADO” REYES, Middleweight Contender:

“Without my team, I wouldn’t be here. This is going to be an explosive fight between two big puncher fighters in the ring.”

MARIO ARANO, President of Arano Boxing:

“We’re very excited and very happy for this fight-moving up to weight to welterweight has been a blessing for us. We have a team that has worked with Lucas for 14 years, and it has been a blessing to move up in weight divisions. There is no possibility for Lucas to return to 140. I want to remind you all, Lucas never retired, he is back and ready to give more wars.”

LUCAS “LA MAQUINA” MATTHYSSE, Former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion:

“Training camp has been great with Joel Diaz, it has worked so well with him. I’m going to put on a great fight-see everyone on Saturday.”

JOE DEGUARDIA, President of Star Boxing:

“There are many special things about the Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. fight. I’m extremely impressed with the undercard, and it is amazing we can put together a quality card like this for the fight. It’s a true testimony to the sport.”

EMANUEL “TRANZFORMER” TAYLOR, Welterweight Contender:

“May 6-what can I say? Lucas Matthysse is strong and powerful but it’s my time now. I’m here and I’m hungry, I’ve been working my whole life for this. I’m excited to fight in front of all the Mexican fans on Cinco de Mayo-expect fireworks on May 6.”

JOSEPH “JOJO” DIAZ, JR., NABF Featherweight Champion:

“We had a ten week training camp, and trained very hard for this fight. We’re both young, undefeated fighters and there is a lot at stake here for of us because we could both potentially be mandatory challengers. We’re going to put on a great show for the millions watching and the thousands in attendance.”

MANUEL “TINO” AVILA, IBA Featherweight Champion:

“I’ve been with Golden Boy my whole career, and without them-I wouldn’t be at this stage right now. This is going to be an action-packed fight and someone’s ‘0’ has to go.”

MARLEN ESPARZA, Super Flyweight Prospect:

“I’m really excited about this opportunity and experience, and I want to thank everyone for backing me and seeing the vision I see. I’m very proud to be on this card with so many other amazing fighters. On fight night, it’s not about win or lose, its about how I win.”

RYAN “KINGRY” GARCIA, Lightweight Prospect:

“I put a lot of dedication to this fight, I’m treating this like a world championship fight. I’m coming in explosive with my speed and power-and everyone will see me put on a tremendous show on Saturday night.”

TYRONE LUCKEY, Lightweight Prospect:

“Come May 6th, I’m going to give Ryan Garcia the best fight of this life. A little physical education is always good and everyone will see us put on a great fight.”

RAUL “EL CUGAR” CURIEL, Former Mexican Olympian:

“You will see me put on the best show in the ring, and I want to thank everybody involved who helped us put on a great night of boxing.”

RONNY RIOS, Super Bantamweight Contender:

“This is my first fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend, so I want to thank my family, Golden Boy Promotions and my team-I wouldn’t be here without them.”

JOSEPH “DIAMANTE” AGUIRRE, Lightweight Prospect:

“I’m really excited, I come from Cancun, Mexico and I’m looking forward to this opportunity. This is my first time fighting in Vegas-I’ve always fought in Mexico, so this is a dream come true for me.”

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. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. and the first fight begins at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 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).

For more information, visit wwww.goldenboypromotions.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing; become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; follow the conversation using #CaneloChavezJr.

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.

LOS ANGELES (April 27, 2017) – Fighting as the co-main event to Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr., Former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) makes quick return to the ring after spectacular knockout over Curtis Stevens in March to face tough Middleweight Contender Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) on May 6 at T-Mobile Arena, live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Below is what David Lemieux and his trainer had to say yesterday at their April 26 media day:

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight Champion:

“I’m in better shape than I was against Stevens. I only took a week off before heading back to the gym. I could not pass up the opportunity to fight on the May 6th card as the co-main event for Canelo vs. Chavez Jr., while all eyes will be on us. I love the Mexican fans who always put on a great atmosphere during the fights.

“Reyes is a solid opponent, but I am very confident in my abilities. I don’t think he will last long in the ring against me. I intend to make another statement on May 6.”

MARC RAMSAY, Trainer to David Lemieux:
“It’s going to be a good fight, especially in the early rounds. We are facing a bit of a kamikaze boxer, which we must take very seriously. You have to have a good defense and a good approach.

“When it comes to technique, David really is superior, so it’s going to have to show. He is very conscious of the extent of the importance of this fight.”

Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden BoyPromotions 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 on 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).
The premiere of the HBO Sports presentation Face Off with Max Kellerman: Canelo/Chavez Jr. airs Saturday, April 29 at 12:15 a.m. on HBO.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and
www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing, become a fan on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing andwww.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.com; and www.facebook.com/espn.fnf, follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, follow the conversation using #CaneloChavezJr

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.

LOS ANGELES (April 19, 2017) As the clock begins to tick towards the highly anticipated Cinco de Mayo Weekend Canelo-Chavez, Jr. event on May 6, HBO Pay-Per-View, fighters including Former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs), Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs), Former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs), Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs), NABF Featherweight Champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (23-0, 13 KOs), and IBA Featherweight Champion Manuel “Tino” Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) hosted an international media conference call ahead of their fights presented live on HBO Pay-Per-View® and straight from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Co-main event fighters David Lemieux and Marco “Dorado” Reyes discussed their upcoming 10-round middleweight bout. Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor discussed their scheduled 10-round welterweight battle for the WBA Intercontinental title. Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. discussed his 10-round bout to defend his NABF title against Manuel “Tino” Avila.

Here is what president of Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez, Lemieux, Reyes, Matthysse, Taylor, Diaz, Jr., and Avila said during the international media conference call:

ERIC GOMEZ, President of Golden Boy Promotions: I want to thank a few people that are involved in the undercard and are instrumental in making this happen. Camille Estephan from Eye of the Tiger, our partner with Lemieux; Paco Damian with Paco Presents; Mario Arano from Arano Box; Joe DeGuardia, Star Boxing; and Ralph Heredia, which is the manager for Joseph Diaz.

Also, I can’t continue out mentioning our sponsors, our incredible sponsors, that have helped us out for this event and they have been great the last few years: Tecate, BORN BOLD, Hennessy, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Interjet.

And lastly, I want to thank HBO, the best television network for boxing which will broadcast the television live on Pay Per View. Thank you for everything you do, HBO.
And now, I want to introduce to you the first fighter on this call and that is Manuel “Tino” Avila. Manuel is undefeated, 22 0. He will be opening the HBO Pay-Per-View in a great match against Joseph Diaz. And he’s coming out straight out of northern California.

Now obviously you as you guys know, he’s going to be facing Joseph Diaz, another undefeated fighter, Olympian, 23-0, this is going to be a great match up. Joseph has been on HBO numerous times and you know, he’s looking to make a statement on Pay- Per -View.

Q: Tino, obviously this is a tough fight, fighting Joseph Diaz. It’s a tall task. But obviously, I mean, the rewards of big. If you can beat someone like a Joseph Diaz, you’ll be right in line for a world title. How do you feel about this fight?

MANUEL “TINO” AVILA, IBA Featherweight Champion: You know, I feel good about this fight. I’m taking it one fight at a time. Focusing on this fight. And you know, after ten rounds that are done, you know, whatever outcome is great.

JOSEPH “JOJO” DIAZ, JR., NABF Featherweight Champion: Yeah, I just want to thank Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions, Eric, Robert and everybody for giving me this opportunity on fight night to have such a great card. I want to thank HBO, as well, for giving me an opportunity to start on the best network.

May 6 is going to be a great night of boxing. Manuel, if he has his A Game, he’s going to put on a great fight. And I’m going to be 110 percent, as well.

So it’s going to be a fight nobody is going to want to miss, and it’s going to be a very action packed fight. So I’ll see you all on May 6.

ERIC GOMEZ: Train hard and we’ll see you guys in Vegas. I wanted to invite Lucas to say a few words, Lucas, “The Machine” Matthysse, with a record of 37- 4, and making his comeback fight. He’s been out for a while and we’re very excited for this fight. He’s going to be fighting Emmanuel Taylor, so I’ll introduce Lucas to say a few words.

LUCAS “LA MAQUINA” MATTHYSSE, Former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion: I want to say hi to everyone, good morning. I started my training camp in Indio and I’m training with Joel Diaz, my new trainer for this fight, and some of my old team including my father who is with me, Mario who is part of my corner, just getting ready for the fight. I’m excited for the fight.

Q. Lucas, good morning. Did you ever think at any point of retirement, because you had such a long layoff?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: No, not at all. I never thought about retirement. I just wanted to rest. I had a string of really tough fights, and I just needed some time to rest and that’s exactly what I did. I rested.

Q. For this come back, obviously it’s a comeback fight, but what’s next? Do you want to go fast and go after some big names, or do you want to go fight by fight? What’s your game plan for this part of your career, second part of your career?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: Look, it’s a comeback fight, but Emmanuel Taylor is a tough fight. It’s not an easy fight. He’s a fighter with a lot of experience. He’s a tough fighter. After this fight, I’ll sit down with my team, my promoter and see what’s next.
Right now I’m fully concentrating on Emmanuel Taylor.

ERIC GOMEZ: Emmanuel Taylor, this is obviously a fight that’s in association with Star Boxing, Joe DeGuardia, thanks for helping us get this fight done. Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor has a great record, 20-4. This is a great opportunity for him.

EMMANUEL “TRANZFORMER” TAYLOR, Welterweight Contender: My name is Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor. I’m coming out of Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. I’m in Boston for about 20 years now and just looking forward to May 6.

Q. Lucas, you’re coming back after your layoff to fight as a welterweight. If you can talk about the particular reason why you elected to do that, was it a matter of struggling to make 140? Did you just see there being possibly better opportunities or bigger money or better opponents at 147 pounds? What was your main reason for the change in weight class?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: I felt that I had to make the change. I’ve been at the weight for a long time. I’m 34 years old now, and the truth is, the last two fights, they were a struggle. I struggled a little bit the last two fights in making weight. My body just felt that it was time to move up, and I’m feeling good right now.

Q. You took the long layoff but part of the reason was the bone injury you suffered in the last fight. Is that 100 percent healthy and are you confident that even if Emmanuel hits you right on that spot, that you’ll be okay?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: I feel confident there’s not going to be any problems with the eye. I had a training camp in Argentina and I was training out there and I had nothing wrong with it. I got hit plenty of times there. And now, you know, I changed my training camp while I’m out here in Indio and I’ve been sparring and I feel confident that there’s not going to be any problems with the eye.

Q. The guys you lost to are Garcia and Postol. I know Emmanuel is in solid fight form, but do you have any desire in the future to have rematches with either of those guys? The Garcia fight was a pretty close one and the Postol fight, we know what happened there, but do you have any desire to ever see these guys again in the ring?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: Yes, of course. Look, I’m willing to fight anybody. I always want to fight the best. Of course I would. But you know, it’s up to my team. Whoever they tell me to fight, I’ll fight.

Q. Lucas, do you view this fight as kind of like just a test at 147, and if you don’t feel comfortable, would you consider dropping back down to 140, or are you definitely at 147 at this point in your career?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: No, I’ve decided to stay at this weight. I feel very good at this weight. I’ve been working really hard, and I feel comfortable. To battle to get back down to 140, I don’t think I have it anymore.

Q. Just to follow up on that, welterweight is a very deep division, Pacquiao, Thurman, Garcia. How do you think you fit into the welterweight division as you climb back in? How do you think you fit alongside those other top fighters in welterweight?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: Of course I feel very capable at this weight class. I feel that I have a lot of confidence in myself. I’m feeling really good at this weight class, so I can challenge anybody. I would love to fight Danny Garcia again, or I’ll fight against Thurman, whoever it is. I feel very capable at this weight class.

Q. Listen, obviously the bigger name in this fight is Lucas Matthysse, being the kind of bigger fight that he’s had compared to you. You’ve got a lot of experience, though. I’ve seen you fight many times. How big of a deal would it be for you to get this fight where you’re going to be the underdog but pull off this upset?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: It’s a real big deal. You know, I always wanted to get back in there and do my thing, do what I do best. You know, Lucas is a great fighter, real strong, real durable.

I’m looking forward to this fight. I’ve been training hard, working hard, and this means everything in the world to me. I’m just really excited for this opportunity.

Q. Do you think that maybe you get him at the right time, as we’ve discussed, he’s coming off a lengthy layoff and coming off a pretty tough injury in a KO loss, and maybe he’s not as fresh as he once was. Maybe he’ll be a little bit rusty from the layoff, where you maybe haven’t had been as active as he has, even though it’s been a little while since your last fight. Do you feel like you might get him at the right time and you might be able to get the win here?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: I think I got him at the perfect time. You know, he’s coming off of a KO loss, eye injury. His last fight before that, he weighed in, I think I caught him at the right time right now, because a long layoff, like you said. It’s perfect timing for me; perfect.

Q. Anybody that watches his fights knows Lucas is a big puncher. Have you thought about or discussed with your team about how to deal with the probability that you’re going to get hit with a good, clean shot?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: Of course. In camp, my coach, we watch a lot of tape on him and have different tactics we’re going to use in this fight. We’ve got a great plan for this fight, so if we get hit with a big shot, we know how to recover. It will show in the fight. It will show in the fight how we’ve been working on things and how everything’s going to play out in our favor.

Q. He’s going up to welterweight and made this announcement where he’s going to campaign at this point forward. You’ve been a guy that’s fought maybe a little bit close to welterweight, maybe at welterweight once or twice, mainly like 40, 42. What’s your weight class? I know you took this at welterweight. Where do you want to fight regularly? Is it at welter late from now forward? Is it going back to 140 depending what happens? Is it somewhere in the middle? Where are you as far as your weight division?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: I fought welterweight three times, and I’m a durable guy at welterweight. It don’t matter, or light welterweight. If the opportunity presents itself at welterweight, I’m going to take the opportunity again. It don’t matter, welterweight or light welterweight, I can make both.

Q. Just wonder if you can tell us who the biggest puncher you fought is so far?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: I wouldn’t say the biggest puncher, but he had a little snap was Adrien Broner. He wasn’t the biggest puncher but he had a little snap to his punches. I never really fought somebody with a big punch that really stung me. But I would say Adrien Broner was a little snappy, not the biggest puncher, but he got some pop, a little pop to him.

Q. In your fights, was there a point where you felt you were hurt by anybody or not really?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: Absolutely not. I always recover very quickly. If I got dropped, I would get right back up and shake it off and that’s about it. But never really hurt in a fight.

Q. You were down in the fight against Victor Cayo and you were down against Mayfield. Any other times?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: Yeah, Mayfield, the flat knock down, hit me in the back of the head and I fell down. They call that a knock down. I got right back up and won the last two rounds after that.

Q. Eric, I know obviously this is not an easy fight for Matthysse, especially coming off a long layoff but what are your hopes for him in this comeback?

ERIC GOMEZ: Look, obviously we’re not looking past Emmanuel Taylor. Emmanuel is a very tough guy. I was involved in the Adrien Broner fight and also in the Postol and he put a great fight with both fighters. Depends how he looks. If he struggles, then, you know, he might need, you know, a tune up after this fight. He might need a tune up, and he looks sensational and great, then we’re going to sit down and go after any of the champions. Lucas Matthysse has a great name, he’s a fan friendly fighter.

The TV networks love him. He’s been on HBO, Showtime, a number of times. Any of the champions would love to fight him and it would be a great fight because of his style. So it really depends on this fight. We’ll see how he does.

Look, there’s a chance he could lose this fight and he might want to retire after, if he loses this fight. So this fight is very, very important to all of us.

Q. What made you want to change trainers, and how is it going with Joel Diaz so far and what’s he helped you with?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: Basically I decided to go back to my roots and I went back home to southern Argentina in Trelew, where I’m from, and I started working with my dad a little bit who, is the first person who started me in boxing. Then I made the decision to just change. I wanted something different, and I came out here to work with Joel Diaz. He was recommended, and so far, it’s been great. We’ve been working really great and I’ve been learning a lot.

Q. Who recommended Joel Diaz to you?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: It was my decision to work with Joel Diaz. He did a training camp for the Garcia fight, for Danny Garcia in Indio, and I trained out of the same gym where Joel Diaz is. And through that training camp, I saw some of the things he was working on and I kind of liked the way he was working with other fighters. So that’s the reason why I decided to go with him.

I’m training really hard for the fight. See everyone in Vegas, and thank you for the support.

ERIC GOMEZ: I’m really proud to introduce really hard hitting David Lemieux. He’s coming off probably thus far, knockout of the year, and fighting just two months later on this great Pay Per View. He’s got an incredible record, 37-3 with a bunch of knock outs, almost all wins by knock outs.

David, if you can say a few words to the press, please.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Hi, guys. Hi, everybody. Extremely excited to be on. Of course, I didn’t take much break since the last fight when I did the fight against Stevens. It was a great knockout I had against him. I took one week off and then headed back to the gym. When they announced me that I was starting under this show, I couldn’t say no. It’s a great opportunity and all the greatest fighters in the world are going to be there.

Q. Marco Reyes fought Chávez, Jr. at 168 pounds test weight was 170. What weight is this fight going to be at, and in the future, will you be going to or staying at 158? If so, how soon?

DAVID LEMIEUX: This fight is going to be actually at 153. The weight is not going to be an issue. We just had a fight, 150, which I made 159. So it’s going to be a the weight of 153 and that’s the weight for this fight. But I’m middleweight and I’m going to stay at middleweight.

Q. This is going to be your second fight this year. Is the goal for, if you win, to return in the fall or possibly early winter? And if so, possibly against who?

DAVID LEMIEUX: You know what, we want to stay accurate, that’s what we’re doing. Of course the ultimate goal is as Oscar announced, it’s the winner of the Canelo Chávez, which Canelo is on the radar, of course. But first we have Marco Reyes to take care of, which I have no doubt that we’re going to do a good job.

Q. You were talking about your knockout against Curtis Stevens, obviously was spectacular. Marco Reyes has been known as a very tough fighter, but he did get stopped in the seventh round by Elvin Ayala two fights ago. Elvin Ayala has been a pretty good boxer for many years, but kind of a journeyman guy and not a big puncher, at all. So I wonder, when you look at that on his record, and you know that he got stopped by a guy like Ayala, who is not a puncher, and you’re one of the best punchers in boxing, coming off that absolutely sensational knockout against Curtis Stevens, are just licking your chops to touch this guy and think you can get rid of him?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I think he’s in big trouble. But of course, in boxing, you don’t head to a fight thinking that you’re going to knock somebody out. He’s a very tough opponent. We’re not underestimating him. We’re going to be ready for ten rounds if it’s necessary, and ten hard rounds.

I’m going to be ready for anything, and I’m going to in there strong. I’m going to make another statement, and of course, I want to be the best. I’ve got to fight like the best. Come May 6, I’m going to give the best of Lemieux.

Q. When you have 33 knockouts and 37 wins and most of them are pretty impressive, pretty crowd pleasing, exciting knockouts. You’re not stopping guys on cuts. You’re not stopping guys with a three or four punch combination and the referee comes in. Many, many of your knockouts are one punch ready, putting guys out for a ten count or a 20 count maybe. How is it, when you’ve done that so many times, that you don’t go into a fight thinking you’re just going to do it again; that you have to sort of get the mentality that, you know, you might have to go ten rounds on a given night?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Yeah, it’s a very good question. I learned my lesson in the Golovkin fight, the power is not a game plan. It’s a tool. The game plan is to be ready for anything. When I go against any opponent, always expect to fight the best of that opponent and to fight them at their best and make sure I’m ready to fight them for one round or for 12 rounds if necessary and to fight them strong.

So when I train, I have that mentality now. I don’t just go in for a knockout and think that they are going to go out in the first three rounds. I’m ready to knock them out for 12 rounds if necessary, and I’ll be strong for the duration of the fight.

Q. You fought on the Undercard of Canelo’s fight when he fought Amir Khan, and you knocked out Glen Tapia; that was last May, and now a year later on another Canelo Alvarez Undercard against Chavez, you’re fighting again. Obviously you’re both with the same promotion company. I think most people would look at a matchup between you and Canelo, and think that would be a pretty exciting fight. What do you think you have to do to get that fight? Because obviously a lot of people want to see Canelo; the Chavez fight is happening; a lot of people want to see him fight GGG down the road after that. But you’re sitting there as a big possibility to get a chance to fight him. Have you been given any assurances or promises by your manager or promotor that you are up in the bullpen, so to speak, to take on Canelo at some point? How do you continue to go through these Undercard fights knowing you’re going to be an option but not having gotten the fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Well, after what I do May 6, I’m going to put myself in a position where everybody is going to want to see Canelo-Lemieux. I’m not asking for a position; I’m going to put myself in a position.

So what I do with Marco Reyes will put me in where I want to be, fighting Canelo. But first, I will take care of Reyes, who is a good fighter.

Q. Could you address that? You guys promote Lemieux. You scored some good knockouts. He’s been on a lot of your television cards can you just speak to the possibilities to the long term future of the possibility of Golden Boy making that match between Canelo Alvarez and David, assuming these guys keep winning their fights?

ERIC GOMEZ: Well, obviously whenever you have an exciting fighter like David, he’s good for any fight. You said it yourself, his knockouts are incredible. So you know, it’s something that we’ve talked about. It’s something that I know David wants and it’s something that Canelo is interested in, as well. But it depends. Look, they have very tough fights. Chavez, Jr.’s fight with Canelo is not going to be a walkover. He’s moving up in weight and he’s fighting a big guy, possibly a light heavyweight. And then David, David has a tough fight, too. So there’s possibilities.

I think immediately next, Canelo wants to fight Golovkin. We make that very clear to everybody. Canelo said it; we’ve said it; Golovkin said he wants that fight. We think we can negotiate for that fight. But if for whatever reason that fight doesn’t happen, yes, David would be in line. He would be in line, and it’s very exciting. We’ve got so many calls after his knockout, we got calls, we got e mails, social media, everybody wanting to see David fight Canelo. It was incredible.

But that’s what David is all about. You know, when he has those highlight knockouts, he gets so many people excited.

Q. There were strong words on David after the defeat. What changed your perception since your victories against Curtis Stevens or Rios in Montreal?

ERIC GOMEZ: David learned from those fights. You know, look, obviously with Golovkin, you know, it was a tough fight for David. I think he was excited in the fight. He was doing well. But he learned a lot, and obviously he’s a better fighter now. He’s a different fighter now than he was when he first fought Golovkin. I know, in my opinion if he fights Golovkin again. Many of the losses, they learn and they become better from their losses, more so than when they have a good win.

So I think that David has grown, he’s matured, and he’s a fighter that takes his craft and his business more serious now, and this is a prime example. You know, he just fought in March, and he didn’t take any time off hardly. He got back home, rested a couple days, and was right back in the gym. So it helped him mature and become a better fighter, and that’s the David we have now.

Q. What danger did you face against Reyes?

DAVID LEMIEUX: There danger in every boxer, and I didn’t stop since my last fight against Stevens, and I will continue training and prepare for, I hope, a fight against Canelo.

Q. Your last knock out was very impressive. When you knocked out Curtis like that, was that scary to you, seeing an opponent just rendered unconscious, and do you think, heading into this fight, will there be any reluctance on your part to do something similar to your opponent? Were you scared for Curtis, and do you think that might carry over into this fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: You know, when I fight, I always want to show the best of me. I want to go in there vicious and do what I do best, and I’m a knockout artist, I’m a power fighter from the first round.
So when I knock out a fighter, I always still want them to wake up after ten seconds, not kill them. But Curtis Stevens was a different story. He talks too much; he got what he got. But it’s a sport at the end of the day, he got up and he was okay after that. So I was pleased, but I don’t want to hurt nobody. I’m just there to do my job. We did a great show, and after that, shake hands, say good night to his family and to my family.

Q. Nobody seemed to get your prediction on Canelo versus Chavez. Could you break that down for us?

DAVID LEMIEUX: My prediction for Canelo-Chavez, you know, being the way that Chavez is changing, the way he is fit and everything, I think you cannot underestimate Chavez, but I know Canelo is a better fighter, and we are all expecting Canelo to go out and beat Chavez.

But I don’t think it’s going to be a knockout. I think it’s going to be a difficult fight for Canelo. Chavez is definitely a big boy. But if I had money to bet, my money would be on Canelo. But they are both very good fighters. I think the edge is on Canelo.

ERIC GOMEZ: We found out that that echo was Marco Reyes. He is in the mountains training. So if any of you have any questions for Marco Reyes, you can e mail us at press@GoldenBoyPromotions.com, and he will answer your questions. It was hard to get him connected.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for participating in our media call. David, if you can say some closing statements before we finish.

ERIC GOMEZ: If you can just say some closing statements, David, right before we’re done. Just a couple of closing statements and then we’ll finish with everything.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Absolutely. I’m very excited to be on. To the fans that will be watching, I promise a great show and I promise a great fight. I’m going to be in tremendous shape. I promise excitement. It’s going to be an exciting fight, I’m exciting to be on, and give the fans a great night of boxing with the Canelo-Chavez fight at the end.

ERIC GOMEZ: That’s great. Thank you. Thank you very much, David. We can’t wait to see you in this action. So thank you for being on the call, and I want to thank all the media participated today and for all the questions.

Again, we’re sold out but we do have closed-circuit tickets still available. They are 75 dollars. You can get them at the MGM Resort’s international box office or at the concierge desk, or you can call 1 800 745 3000. Thank you very much and we’ll see you shortly at the fights in Vegas.

Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions 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 and Diaz, Jr. vs. Avila is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event will take place on 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 a closed circuit viewing of the fights at the Grand Ballroom at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino are on sale for $75, not including applicable fees. All seats are general admission and can be purchased at the MGM Grand box office or by phone with a major credit card at 800-745-3000.

For more information, visitwww.goldenboypromotions.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing; become a fan on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; follow the conversation using #CaneloChavezJr.

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.

LOS ANGELES (March 27, 2017) – Less than two months after delivering the top knockout of 2017, Canadian knockout artist David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) will return in a 10-round fight against Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) as the chief support to the highly anticipated battle between Canelo Álvarez and Julio Cesar Chávez, Jr. on Saturday, May 6. The mega-event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Opening up the stacked Cinco de Mayo weekend card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former U.S. Olympian and current undefeated NABF Featherweight champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (23-0, 13 KOs) will face perhaps his toughest challenge to date when he defends his title against the undefeated Manuel “Tino” Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) in a 10-round battle.

These two fights along with the main event and the previously announced brawl between Argentinian slugger Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs) and Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs) will round out the pay-per-view telecast on Saturday May 6.

“With three of Golden Boy Promotions’ most exciting contenders appearing on the pay-per-view, as well as the biggest star in the sport, Canelo Álvarez, the Cinco de Mayo card can be described in one word, ‘stacked’,” said Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “I fully expect four action-packed fights that will have fans out of their seats for the entire evening.”

The hard-hitting Lemieux is riding a three-fight winning streak and was last seen delivering a thunderous third-round knockout of the highly touted Curtis “Cerebral Assassin” Stevens that has put the Canadian directly back into the title picture.

“I’m thankful to have the opportunity of being part of this event during the Cinco de Mayo celebrations,” Lemieux said. “I think I was able to send a clear message on March 11 with my performance against Stevens and I intend to do the same on May 6. I want to make sure that everyone understands that David Lemieux is making his way towards the top and that he intends to stay there.”

Reyes, a 29-year-old former WBC FECOMBOX middleweight champion, has knocked out 25 opponents and went toe-to-toe with Chavez, Jr., in a unanimous decision defeat that many spectators had closer than what came up on the scorecards.

“I know everyone is talking about the Lemieux knockout, but I’m ready to take him out,” Reyes said. “With my Mexican fans supporting me on Cinco de Mayo weekend, I’m ready to turn Lemieux’s lights out.”

“Following his performance against Curtis ‘The Cerebral Assassin’ Stevens at Turning Stone Resort Casino, fight fans wanted to see David in the ring again as soon as possible,” said Eye of the Tiger Management President Camille Estephan. “Being part of such a tremendous card that will be featured on May 6 with eyes on us from all around the world represents an incredible showcase opportunity. We are convinced that David will shine. He is in great shape and is more motivated than ever to conquer the top of the middleweight division.”

In the opening battle of the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast, two undefeated fighters will go toe-to-toe with both Joseph Diaz, Jr. and Manuel Avila risking their undefeated records for a chance at greater glory.

“I’m excited to return for the first time in 2017 and put my title on the line against such a tough competitor,” Diaz, Jr. said. “This fight will put me one step closer to a world title shot.”

“This is a golden opportunity to move myself into world title contention, and I’m not planning to let that chance slip away,” Avila said. “I know all about JoJo’s undefeated record, but he’s never faced anyone like me, and at the end of the night, my hand will be raised in victory.”

Preliminary bouts for the May 6 show will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for a closed circuit viewing of the fights at the Grand Ballroom at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino are on sale for $75, not including applicable fees. All seats are general admission and can be purchased at the MGM Grand box office or by phone with a major credit card at 800-745-3000.

Canelo vs. Chávez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Interjet. Lemieux vs. Reyes is a 10-round bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management. Matthysse vs. Taylor is a 10-round fight present by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and Star Boxing. The event will take place on 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.

David Lemieux scored a devastating 3rd round stoppage over Curtis Stevens in the 3rd round of their scheduled 12-round middleweight bout at The Turning Stones Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

It was a fast paced fight with both guys coming out firing. Lemieux was landing the harder shots early, with Stevens lading some good shots in round two. In round three, Lemieux landed a perfect 12 inch left hook on the jaw of Stevens that put the lights out of Stevens almost immediately as he fell motionless on the canvas, and the fight was waved off instantly by referee Charlie Fitch. Stevens would lay unconscious for several minutes, but finally came to, and was carried out of the ring on a stretcher.

The time of the stoppage was 1:59 of round three, for Lemieux, 159 lbs of Montreal and is now 37-3 with 33 knockouts. Stevens, 158.25 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 29-6.

“I told you what I was going to do tonight,” said David Lemieux. “What I saw was a ‘check mate’,” said Lemieux. “The punch was made with perfect landing. I am in great shape, and I prepared myself for him. He is physically strong but nothing special. Stevens is a solid fighter, and we were successful. I wish him the best, and I hope he is OK.”

Former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa won a 10-round unanimous decision over Rene Alvarado in a lightweight bout.

In round ten, Alvarado landed a glancing left hand that put Gamboa on the canvas in what was ruled a knockdown.

Gamboa, 131 lbs of Guantanamo, CUB won by scores of 97-92 twice and 97-93 and is now 26-1. Alvarado, 130.25 lbs of Managua, NIC is 24-8.

HBO BOXING AFTER DARK presents a nonstop doubleheader of hot ring action when DAVID LEMIEUX VS. CURTIS STEVENS AND YURIORKIS GAMBOA VS. RENE ALVARADO is seen SATURDAY, MARCH 11 at 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT) from the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: March 12 (9:00 a.m.) and 14 (11:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: March 12 (3:30 p.m.) and 13 (12:25 a.m.)

The fights will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

In an intriguing middleweight showdown that could help sort out the talent-rich 160-pound division, Montreal’s David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) takes on Brooklynite Curtis Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round contest. Both are known for power and aggression and are highly motivated to reestablish their presence in this highly competitive division. The fight marks the third HBO appearance for both men.

In the opening bout, Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa (25-1, 17 KOs), now fighting out of Miami, returns to the ring following a year layoff, taking on Nicaragua’s Rene Alvarado (24-7, 16 KOs) in scheduled ten-round junior lightweight contest. A highly skilled former world champion, Gamboa needs a strong showing to prove he is still a force at 130 pounds. His only pro loss came at the hands of rising superstar Terence Crawford in a 2014 slugfest.

Immediately following the doubleheader of live action is the premiere of the HBO Sports presentation: 2 Days: “Chocolatito” Gonzalez as the sport’s consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound prizefighter prepares for his March 18 bout in New York City.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Johnathan Evans.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Patrick Byrne
Director, HBO Media Relations
(212) 512-1361
patrick.byrne@hbo.com
Twitter: @PatrickSportsTV

This e-mail is intended only for the use of the addressees. Any copying, forwarding, printing or other use of this e-mail by persons other than the addressees is not authorized. This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately by return e-mail (including the original message in your reply) and then delete and discard all copies of the e-mail. Thank you.

LOS ANGELES (March 8, 2017)-Before David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) and Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) meet for their main event slugfest, Golden Boy Promotions has lined up a full slate of top-talent fan favorites to round out a stacked undercard featuring newly signed Yuriorkis “El Ciclon de Guantánamo” Gamboa (25-1, 17 KOs) against Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (24-7, 16 KOs) as the televised co-main event.

“Not only did we want to bring the fans an action-packed main event likely to be a Fight of the Year candidate, we also want to give an entertaining undercard to match,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “We are certain every fighter on this card will be put to the test come fight night, and the victors will be propelled to a greater shot at a world title prize.”

Another previously announced bout includes undefeated lightweight contenders Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa (16-0, 7 KOs) and Yves Ulysse (12-0, 8 KOs) to fight for the vacant Junior NABF Super Lightweight title scheduled to go 8/10 rounds.

Making his highly anticipated return to the ring, Mexicali’s hometown hero Diego De La Hoya (16-0, 9 KOs) will look continue his undefeated status as he takes on Mexico City’s Roberto “Escorpión” Pucheta (10-9-1, 6 KOs) for an eight round Mexico vs. Mexico super bantamweight rivalry battle. De La Hoya was last seen defeating Luis Orlando Del Valle via unanimous decision on the undercard of Canelo vs. Smith at AT&T Stadium last September.

Riding on a quadruple knockout streak, Temple Hills, MD’s D’Mitrius Ballard (15-0, 11 KOs) will risk his undefeated status as he faces Zoltan Sera (26-11, 17 KOs) from Budapest, Hungary for an eight round light heavyweight bout.

Participating in the swing bout of the night, Alex Rincon of Carrollton, TX will be making his professional debut as he takes on Ardmore, Okla.’s Shaun “Buddy Hollie” Lee Henson (2-3, 2 KOs) for a four round super welterweight war.

Highly touted Philly prospect Damon “No Smilin'” Allen, Jr. (10-0-1, 4 KOs) is eager to make a name for himself in the lightweight division as he puts back on the gloves to square off against Budapest, Hungary’s Adam “Bad Boy” Mate (24-10, 17 KOs) in a scheduled eight round bout.

Fighting in the first fight of the night and also representing Philadelphia, Todd “2Gunz” Unthank-May (10-0, 4 KOs) will take on southpaw fighter Quinton Rankin (12-3-1, 9 KOs) of Charlotte, NC for an eight round light heavyweight fight sure to excite fans.

Tickets for this highly anticipated matchup are still available and priced at $30, $45, $55 and $75 for ringside seats plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster(www.ticketmaster.com).

Lemieux vs. Stevens is a 12-round middleweight bout for the WBO Intercontinental, WBC Continental Americas and IBF North American Middleweight titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and Main Events, and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD.” The HBO Boxing After Dark® telecast begins at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Videos and images are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/LemieuxVsStevens. Credit must be given to Eye of the Tiger Management for any video/image use of David Lemieux. Credit must be given to Main Events for any video/image use of Curtis Stevens.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events, @HBOboxing; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/hboboxing; and visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing and @main_events. Follow the conversation using #LemieuxStevens.

MONTREAL (March 7, 2017) – Former IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) hosted a media workout at Sherbatov MMA in Laval, Quebec, the same week he departs for Verona, NY for his upcoming showdown with Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs). The middleweight bout takes place Saturday, March 11 at Turning Stone Resort Casino televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Lemieux was joined his trainer Marc Ramsay at today’s media workout and spoke onsite about his matchup with Stevens and his training leading up to the mega event for the middleweight titles. Below is what Lemieux and his team had to say at today’s workout:

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight World Champion:

”The last time that my opponent spoke so much and I so disliked him, I believe it was Delray Raines. I broke three of his ribs and his nose. It didn’t end up very well for him.

”I couldn’t be more prepared for a fight. I have one objective in mind: I want to take his head off. I am so motivated to put on a great performance on Saturday night. Stevens put a lot of oil in the fire with his disrespectful comments and he will pay for it.

”I had an exceptional camp and we have prepared for this fight very seriously. We are ready for the best Stevens there is, going 12 rounds if needed. I guarantee you that it will be a rough night for him. ”

MARC RAMSAY, Trainer to David Lemieux:

”It is important to go there and deliver a spectacular performance. This is a good challenge. In this fight, we have to execute well what we have prepared to do for the last eight weeks. ”

Tickets for this highly anticipated matchup are still available and priced at $30, $45, $55 and $75 for ringside seats plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster(www.ticketmaster.com).

Lemieux vs. Stevens is a 12-round middleweight bout for the WBO Intercontinental, WBC Continental Americas and IBF North American Middleweight titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and Main Events, and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD.” The HBO Boxing After Dark® telecast begins at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Videos and images are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/LemieuxVsStevens. Credit must be given to Eye of the Tiger Management for any video/image use of David Lemieux. Credit must be given to Main Events for any video/image use of Curtis Stevens.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events, @HBOboxing; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/hboboxing; and visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing and @main_events. Follow the conversation using #LemieuxStevens.

LOS ANGELES (March 2, 2017) – Former IBF Middleweight World champion David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) and WBC Continental Americas Middleweight champion Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) are making final preparations in training camp ahead of their slugfest for the WBO Intercontinental, WBC Continental Americas and IBF North American Middleweight titles. The event takes place Saturday, March 11 at Turning Stone Resort Casino and will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark® beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

“After watching these fighters in their respective training camps-I can tell it is personal for both to go in for the kill on fight night,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Lemieux is looking bigger than ever, and Stevens has been working day in and day out with John David Jackson. Get ready, fans- this is looking to be a surefire Fight of the Year candidate.”

”I’m going to destroy Curtis,” said Lemieux. “Training camp is going great, and I’m ready for war. Let’s go bum-let’s see how tough you are in the ring.”

” David Lemieux just finished an excessive and demanding training camp that was very productive and where every single objective was met,” said Marc Ramsay, trainer to David Lemieux. “Everything is in place not only for a great performance from David but also to make a statement. ”

“This should be a good fight. Me and Lemieux have the same kind of come and get it style,” said Stevens. “Some people think of me as just a hard puncher but I’m an all-around fighter. I can slug, I can box. My first reaction is to just take you out-but I can box you too.”

“For this fight, I could try to box the first couple rounds and then bring it to him for the rest of the rounds,” continued Stevens. “Lemieux is used to coming forward, so in order for me to not allow that, I have to stay right there in the clutch and make sure he backs up. We’ll see. No matter what he brings-it doesn’t matter, I’m ready to adjust. I see myself winning this fight. Whether it be by knockout or by decision, it doesn’t matter. I am really well prepared this time.”

“Lemieux is a dangerous opponent, and he is definitely coming to put a hurt on his opponent, said John David Jackson, trainer to Curtis Stevens. “There are small things that Curtis needs to do in this fight, to win the fight decisively and pretty much easily. He has to be smart in his approach, so we are working on things that will allow him to win this fight convincingly.”

“Curtis is a better boxer than he gives himself credit for being,” continued Jackson. “He just needs to be smart because Lemieux is a very risky opponent. Every fight is different for Curtis, and this fight is definitely different. For this fight, I think he is going to be a better boxer than the fans have ever seen.”

Tickets for this highly anticipated matchup are still available and priced at $30, $45, $55 and $75 for ringside seats plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster(www.ticketmaster.com).

Lemieux vs. Stevens is a 12-round middleweight bout for the WBO Intercontinental, WBC Continental Americas and IBF North American Middleweight titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and Main Events, and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD.” The HBO Boxing After Dark® telecast begins at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Videos and images are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/LemieuxVsStevens. Credit must be given to Eye of the Tiger Management for any video/image use of David Lemieux. Credit must be given to Main Events for any video/image use of Curtis Stevens.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events, @HBOboxing @TurningStone; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/hboboxing, and www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events and @TurningStone. Follow the conversation using #LemieuxStevens.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions: Thank you for joining us on the media call with former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux and WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Champion Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens.

First off, I would like to introduce Team Curtis Stevens. He is the trainer of Curtis Stevens, and he was a great fighter. He’s a good friend. He’s a great trainer today. It is my pleasure to introduce to you John David Jackson. So a few words, if you can, how camp is going.

JOHN DAVID JACKSON, Trainer to Curtis Stevens: Camp is going real well. Curtis is a true professional. He’s dedicated to his craft. This is a fight that he wanted for some time. Like you alluded to, it’s a fight that the fans definitely don’t want to miss.

It’s a bigger fight. Camp is going the way it’s supposed to go. And we’re right on time. And come March 11th you should see an exciting fight from both fighters.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: It’s my pleasure now to introduce to you the WBC Continental Americas Champion Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens, with 29 wins and five losses and 21 KOs.

He hails from Brownsville, Brooklyn to become former NABF and now Continental Americas middleweight champion, and has won two straight fights with a thunderous knockout over then undefeated Patrick Teixeira in May of 2016. And he followed that by a unanimous decision victory over James De La Rosa later in the year. So now he’s ready to end the war of words with Lemieux once and for all. It’s my pleasure to introduce to you Curtis Stevens.

CURTIS STEVENS, WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Champion: Good afternoon, everyone. Training camp, like John said, is going good. Right on time. A lot of work has been done. Last time going in just putting the work in with the hands.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Now I’m going to introduce to you Team Lemieux. We have on the line Marc Ramsay, who is the trainer, who has been doing an amazing job. He’s getting better, more experience, and thanks to his team and leading the charge is Marc Ramsay.

MARC RAMSAY, Trainer to David Lemieux: Hi, everybody. Stevens came back to the gym the beginning of December. Right now, the last week, it was very predictive. And we know that we have a good challenge in front of us, but at the same time everything is in place for a great performance, I believe, next week.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I want to introduce my partner, Eye of the Tiger Management, and that’s Camille.

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN: Hey, Oscar. Hey, everybody. Thank you very much for being here. We’re extremely excited for this fight. We are going to definitely see the knockout-of-the-year or fight-of-the-year, or both. So keep your seats buckled as you’re watching this fight.

We can’t wait for March 11th around the corner. Thank you for the opportunity. Our partner is Golden Boy, HBO and Tecate, and thank you to both teams for making this happen.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: It’s my pleasure now to introduce to you Canada’s former IBF middleweight world champion, posting a stellar record of 36 wins with three losses and 31 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Lemieux’s coming off of back-to-back impressive victories over perennial contender and fighter Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia. He had a hard-fought unanimous decision against Argentine fighter Cristian Fabian Rios. And now obviously he’s ready to kick off 2017 with a great fight once again to prove himself that he is someone to reckon with in the middleweight division. My pleasure to introduce to you David Lemieux.

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight Champion: Hi, guys. Great to be back. Great to be on. It’s an exciting fight. It’s been a while. I want to shut Stevens down, and here it’s finally set and I’m very excited for this fight.

Obviously he’s a guy that’s come to fight. He’s going to give a good show. So the moment it lasts. I promise one thing if I promise anything, but one thing is for sure: My fans will not be disappointed. And the fans of the boxing world. It’s going to be a great fight.

It’s going to be a great night. Great night for me. I’m extremely excited to get back on top. Curtis Stevens is a step to where I want to go. And I’m very excited and extremely ready. I’ve had a great camp. And there’s nothing that — I’m extremely excited to show the world what I can do. And it’s going to be exciting, and I can’t wait for the fans to watch this fight.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you very much to David. And also fight fans, like I said, you can catch this fight on HBO Boxing After Dark. And now I would like to open it up for questions.

Q. This is for both Curtis and David. Obviously there’s a lot of talk about two other fighters in your division who people would like to see get together. Does this take away, do you think, from attention towards you two, who feel in any other era would be being talked about perhaps a lot more? Your division has a lot of attention because of two names that people are interested in, and that would be of course Canelo Álvarez and Gennady Golovkin. And you both faced Golovkin. Do you think in some ways that it’s diverting attention away from the two of you who, in another era, might be getting a lot more attention?

CURTIS STEVENS: To me, not necessarily, because Gennady and Canelo isn’t happening just yet. Stevens/Lemieux is happening March 11th. So I believe everyone is just waiting until March 11th until the fight day come, see what happens.

DAVID LEMIEUX: I believe after March 11th, a lot of people are going to be talking about Lemieux. They’ll be saying that Lemieux/Canelo which would be, those will be the names.

Q. I saw both of you on the Canelo/Khan undercard. And it seemed that the post fight news conference, you know, you two were pretty friendly with each other; you seem to get along pretty well. Would that be true? And are you having to kind of put a serious face on now that you’re going to face each other?

CURTIS STEVENS: No, I don’t necessarily think we was kind of cool at the start of it. Or at the end of the event, in general.

Like, you know, I am who I am, 24/7, seven days a week. If I’ve got something to say about you I say it to you.

I believe the difference between me and David is David says it to the camera and I say it to directly to his face, instead of when he’s seeing me he has something to say.

So David’s seeing me, David doesn’t say anything. David usually focus shit to the press than —

DAVID LEMIEUX: I don’t think that’s the case.

CURTIS STEVENS: I see it — I see it later on. David, I saw you the week, we came back from the gym. I said what’s up, David? You looked at me, put your head down and kept walking. You was walking inside MGM.

DAVID LEMIEUX: That’s in the movies. March 11th you’re going to put your head down.

CURTIS STEVENS: No —

DAVID LEMIEUX: Put your body down.

CURTIS STEVENS: Hey, champ, I’ve been working right —

(Multiple speakers)

CURTIS STEVENS: I can’t wait, champ. I can’t wait.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You’re going to get knocked out. Don’t believe it.

CURTIS STEVENS: Tell the doctor to bring smelly salts. They’re going to need to wake your ass up.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Yeah, yeah, okay. You’re going to get knocked out.

CURTIS STEVENS: No problem. No problem.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You ain’t never fought a guy like me.

CURTIS STEVENS: And you ain’t never fight nobody like me. The difference is I fought a million yous. You never fought someone like me. I don’t see — ain’t no problem. But, listen, no problem. No problem. That could be (indiscernible) guys that beat me. But one thing for sure, you are not —

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m going to destroy you. March 11th.

CURTIS STEVENS: No problem. March 11, meet me in the middle of the ring, and that’s it, okay. Just meet me in the middle of the ring.

DAVID LEMIEUX: That’s what I’m going to do.

CURTIS STEVENS: That’s all you’ve gotta do. Meet me in the middle of the ring. That’s all you’ve got to do.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You don’t have to talk so much.

CURTIS STEVENS: I plan on —

(Multiple speakers)

CURTIS STEVENS: The fight is made. I don’t got nothing to say.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Don’t talk so much.

Q. My first question is for —

CURTIS STEVENS: I got what I want.

You’re going to get right what you want. Your whole front furniture will be missing out of your mouth.

Q. Do you feel like maybe, kind of alluded to what the first question was of attention being taken away from this fight, but maybe the fact that this fight is in between two big fights, March 4th, Danny Garcia Sherman and “Triple G” and Jacobs, maybe the fact that there’s a lot of awareness in the sport of boxing because of those fights, maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. So this whole month is going to bring more viewers to the fact that there’s a lot of great boxing going on. So maybe that helps instead of hurt it. What do you think, Oscar?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, yes, you’re absolutely right. Look, the bottom line is that this fight is on HBO. And millions of fans will be watching it. That’s the bottom line. Not only because it’s the best network in boxing, but because this is a great fight. And this is a real fight.

As you can hear, these guys, they just want to fight. And so the fact that it’s on HBO, the fact that it’s in between two great events, you know, it’s going to create a lot of buzz and attention and the fact that it’s going to be a great fight.

So the fight fans know what exactly is going to happen on March 11th. So everyone’s excited.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You’re going to get knocked out, that’s what’s going to happen.

CURTIS STEVENS: Listen, David, you never talked so much in your life. You must have got to bullshit something; you never talked so much in your life. You gotta bullshit — you never talked so much in your life. You need an energy — energy battery, I see.

Q. David Lemieux’s trainer, what concerns you the most about Curtis going into this fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Nothing.

MARC RAMSAY: To be honest, it’s more about what David Lemieux can bring to that ring, not Curtis Stevens. Curtis is a good boxer. Curtis is a powerful boxer like everybody know. But at the end of the day, I don’t focus that much about Curtis Stevens because I know the result of that fights are on the hands — not in the hand of Curtis. And I think David is a more complete fighter and we’re going to show it next week.

Q. Curt, phenomenal win on your last fight. I know you had some issues with that hand over there and wanted to know like obviously if that hand is obviously feeling 100 percent to go for that fight; and really for David, do you feel that that hand is 100 percent, and if you don’t think it’s 100 percent, do you feel that you could exploit that?

CURTIS STEVENS: My hand is — I hurt it in the De La Rosa fight. It wasn’t broken or anything, just had a little hand contusion. It’s good. Doctors told me to take a month and a half off, don’t use it. I treated it with therapy, and everything’s ready to go.

Q. David, what about you and your team, do you guys think that if the hand is 100 percent, do you think it’s something that you can exploit? What do you guys think on that?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I don’t care if his hand is 100 percent or a thousand percent. I’m going to go in there, I’m going to destroy him.

CURTIS STEVENS: You ain’t doing shit. That’s why — if my hand was messed up (indiscernible).

(Multiple speakers)

CURTIS STEVENS: Falling down the steps, shit.

DAVID LEMIEUX: This is what I want. I want you to come like a raging bull. I want you to come like a raging bull, champ. Come.

CURTIS STEVENS: Got a nice spare for you, too.

Q. Curtis, it was your left hand that you hurt in your last fight. You said that you weren’t allowed to use it for about a month and a half. How confident do you feel in your left hand at this point heading into this fight?

CURTIS STEVENS: Oh, I’m confident about it. I use it every day. I use it in sparring. I use it on the bag. I use it. It’s good. My doctor told me not to use it so it could just heal. It was a little contusion. It’s good. I’m ready to go. He cleared me to fight. He cleared me to use it. So I’m good. I’m good to go.

Q. When you say “contusion”, what exactly happened to your hand? Was there like a —

CURTIS STEVENS: No, it must have, was broken before and I didn’t know it was broken. It just healed up on its own. And I believe something was rubbing against it, I believe. Something, I can’t really break it down to you because I’m no doctor. But like something was rubbing, like it was rubbing on something inside my hand that was giving me the pain when I was hitting him. But it’s okay. And he said I’m ready to go.

Q. David, I’m not sure I’ve seen you this emotionally charged before a fight since Purnell Gates. Just describe your emotions going into this and why is it exactly that you’re so worked up?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m not really worked up at all. It’s just stuff sometimes it really makes me laugh just the trash he is, the way he talks and the lack of professionalism he has.

It’s just — to me it doesn’t make no difference. Only making his entrance a lot more rough. So doesn’t matter. But sometimes when he says some things I’ve got to reply just concentrate on my camp and on my stuff.

So there’s emotion — nothing really gets to me. I know what I’m going to do on March 11th. My focus is there. He’s a clown. He wants to play around and put off some funny stuff on Instagram, put my picture up, me getting hit by Golovkin, when he got destroyed a lot worse by Golovkin.

It’s funny to me, like the games he plays. I don’t understand why he has to put other opponents, intermingle with what’s going to happen between him and me. Emotion, no there’s no emotion. I’m going to destroy him and that’s the only emotion I have.

Q. Curtis, question for you: Three of the last four of your fights have gone the distance. Can we somehow maybe expect the unexpected here and see this go longer than the slugfest we all think is going to happen?

CURTIS STEVENS: You know, this is boxing. Anything can happen. He could be knocked out. I could win by a decision. Come March 11th we’ll just have to see what happens. But you never know. This is boxing, anything can happen at the end of the day, you know?

Q. Is there anything that you’re banking on? You say you’re going to destroy him. Do we look forward to three, four round bombs away, or do you think this could actually go to the scorecards?

CURTIS STEVENS: No, I don’t — we personally, no, I don’t think necessarily it’s going to go to the scorecards, no. But like you said, everyone has a turn to get hurt. He may try to survive.

He may just go. You never know. You dig what I’m saying is? And, David, with respect to what you just said, I don’t control Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens’ page. But notice you all watching what’s going in life. I don’t gotta to put a picture up of you getting hit. I really don’t give a damn what happens between you and Golovkin. We both lost to him at the end of the damn day. Just to clear that up with you.

I don’t control that page. But I know you be watching that, you be watching every move I make, huh? Shit. I think it’s funny. Shit.

Q. Obviously with what’s going on in the division right now, the loser of this fight finds himself in a pretty uphill battle. What does the desperation of that do to your efforts for this fight? Does it change the fight plans? Does it make you try to do something that’s more aggressive or more fueled by “I need to be sensational” and kind of maybe let things go a little bit more than I do because I don’t want this in the judge’s hands, because a loss here could be something close to fatal to championship hopes?

CURTIS STEVENS: We both are powerful fighters. So we’re both coming ready at the end of the day. Like I say, we can never really understand what’s going to go on March 11th, you know?

But the winner shall be victorious. To answer your question about what’s going to happen after, I can’t. Because I can’t see into the future. I can’t see March 12th. I can’t see what’s going to happen, you know, but we both are going to come in there to win at the end of the day.

I know he’s going to be in the best shape to put on a good fight and I’ll be in the best shape of my life for the fight.

Q. David?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Coming in to win, coming in strong. And Stevens is going to be in front of me, I’m going to take care of him. Put on a great show. What I can promise is my fans are going to have a great show. It’s going to be very nice and it’s going to be a great night for me.

So I’m excited, ready, March 11th. You guys be watching.

Q. Oscar, can you weigh in on that issue? You’ve seen enough flights like this where like the winner is still in that title talk; the loser, his relevance is going to be a little bit dubious. Is that why you can sell this as a real frontbed?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Obviously, if the loser puts himself into a small corner. But didn’t necessarily mean that — it’s an uphill battle from there, but because of their styles, because of the fan-friendly style they always produce in the ring, I mean, people are watching them fight and obviously the animosity is going to transcend inside the ring and it’s going to be a great fight.

But you’re right, the winner obviously goes and gets in line to fight. They’re the biggest guys in the sports today in the middleweight division, and the loser then has to fight an uphill battle.

But that uphill is not that steep because of their styles, they’re such fan-friendly styles that people want to keep watching them fight.

THE MODERATOR: Does Team Stevens have any closing comments?

CURTIS STEVENS: No additional comments. See you on March 11th.

THE MODERATOR: Team Lemieux?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Thank you all for being here. Don’t miss March 11th, guys, because you’re going to see Lemieux at his best, the best Lemieux you’ll ever see, that you have ever seen. March 11th, 2017 is our year.

Tickets for this highly anticipated matchup are on sale now and priced at $30, $45, $55 and $75 for ringside seats plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster(www.ticketmaster.com).

Lemieux vs. Stevens is a 12-round middleweight bout for the WBO Intercontinental, WBC Continental Americas and IBF North American Middleweight titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and Main Events, and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD.” The HBO Boxing After Dark® telecast begins at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Videos and images are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/LemieuxVsStevens. Credit must be given to Eye of the Tiger Management for any video/image use of David Lemieux. Credit must be given to Main Events for any video/image use of Curtis Stevens.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events, @HBOboxing; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/hboboxing; and visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing and @main_events. Follow the conversation using #LemieuxStevens.

Puerto Rican legend Cotto (40-5, 33 KOs) has long been one of boxing’s biggest and best names and he, like Kirkland (32-2, 28 KOs), is coming off a loss to Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez, as both men seek redemption in a 12-round light-middleweight showdown.

Taking place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, this event will be the first of its kind to be held at the state-of-the-art, 510,000 square foot indoor athletic facility used by the Dallas Cowboys.

“I’m excited to return to the ring and put on a great show. I’m enjoying training camp and can’t wait for February 25th,” said ring legend Miguel Cotto. “Fighting inside the beautiful Ford Center, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboy’s newest creation, and headlining the first ever boxing event there pumps me with a lot of enthusiasm and energy.”

“I’m very excited to get back into the ring against a legend like Miguel Cotto. I’m going to train like never before so I can show the world that the old James Kirkland is back,” said James Kirkland. “You know the fight will be exciting while it lasts. February 25th can’t come soon enough.”

The bout promises to be an all-action affair on BoxNation as two of the most exciting fighters around do battle as they look to kick start their careers with hopes of securing a world title shot down the line.

That thrilling bill will be followed the month after by another mouth-watering clash when big-hitters Lemieux and Stevens meet at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York.

The 12-round middleweight bout for the NABO middleweight championship will see Montreal favourite Lemieux, with a record of 36-3, 32 KOs, look to regain his position amongst the elite at 160-pounds against the tough Stevens, who enters with a record of 29-5, 21 KOs.

“After all this talk, here we are. I’m so excited that this fight will finally be happening. We have big plans for 2017 and this will be the first step. I will make sure to take care of Stevens on March 11. Curtis Stevens came knocking on the wrong door,” said Lemieux. “I’m going to be victorious. I’m going to be vicious. It’s a fight that all the fans will want to see. We’ll see who is stronger, who takes the punches better. It’s going to be exciting.”

“It should be an excellent fight. He comes to fight. I come to fight. It should be a move to move battle. You are going to want to see this,” said Stevens.

Cotto v Kirkland and Lemieux v Stevens joins an already bulging 2017 BoxNation schedule which has a number of world class fights, including Keith Thurman taking on Danny Garcia in a welterweight unification clash, plus the return of Adrien Broner against Adrian Granados.

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “We are pleased to add two further sizzling showdowns to the BoxNation schedule in Miguel Cotto v James Kirkland and David Lemieux v Curtis Stevens. These are two high-quality matchups that are sure to have BoxNation subscribers on the edge of their seats. We look forward to continue adding the very best bouts on BoxNation in 2017.”

BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) for just £12 a month. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –
About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers

MONTREAL (Jan. 19, 2017) – Former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) will defend his NABO Middleweight title against Curtis ”The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) on Saturday, March 11 at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. The two athletes had their first face off during the Montreal press conference held earlier today.

Tickets for this highly anticipated matchup will go on sale January 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. Tickets for the March 11 HBO Boxing After Dark event are priced at $30, $45, $55 and $75 for ringside seats plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster
(www.ticketmaster.com).

Here is what the participants had to say at today’s press conference:

DAVID LEMIEUX (36-3, 32 KOs), NABO Middleweight Champion:

“After all this talk, here we are. I’m so excited that this fight will finally be happening. We have big plans for 2017 and this will be the first step. I will make sure to take care of Stevens on March 11. Curtis Stevens came knocking on the wrong door.

“We didn’t refuse any fight. Nobody ducked you. We wanted the negotiations to be fair. So here we are. The fight is on. I am going to be ready. This fight is not going to go your way. It’s going to be a much harder fight than you are expecting. It’s not going to end well for you. This is a fight where I am going to be well prepared for. 2017 is going to be a big year for me and Steven is the first step. Then I will have much bigger steps to take care of. I’m going to be victorious. I’m going to be vicious. It’s a fight that all the fans will want to see. Stevens comes to fight. I come to fight. We’ll see who is stronger, who takes the punches better. It’s going to be exciting.”

CURTIS STEVENS (29-5, 21 KOs), WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Champion:

“It should be an excellent fight. He comes to fight. I come to fight. It should be a move to move battle. You are going to want to see this.”

MARC RAMSAY, Trainer of David Lemieux:

“This is a fight that boxing fans have been wanting to see for a long time. It didn’t pan out before now due to administrative reasons, because David was going after bigger fish. The timing is perfect. This is a fight which guarantees fireworks. What we have here are two good fighters and two great punchers.

“David resumed training in the gym almost immediately after his last fight because we knew a date would be announced soon. We didn’t waste any time and we are ahead of schedule in terms of our training program. We know Curtis quite well. He came over on numerous occasions for camps as a sparring partner. So we know what kind of challenge lies ahead and we expect David Lemieux to come up with a big win.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management:

“This bout has been highly-awaited by boxing fans and we understand why. These are two athletes with explosive power, who have a high level of integrity towards their sport, and who are ready to face the best fighters. I can guarantee that there won’t be any dancing, running or ducking on March 11. Only two guys that are for real, that will go toe-to-toe. I will bet anything that this will be the fight or the knock out of the year.

“I am very excited about David fighting in the middleweight division which is THE top division in boxing today, with all these talented and explosive fighters. Major fights are coming and this is great news for boxing. It’s important that we offer quality fights to our fans and 2017 promises to be a spectacular year. We are proud to be part of such an event, on March 11.”

KATHY DUVA, Main Events CEO and promoter for Curtis Stevens:

“Main Events has always put together fights that boxing fans hope to see. That is what makes the sport so interesting. We are very happy that this bout between David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens will finally happen and we are very excited about it.”

ROBERT GASPARRI, Golden Boy Promotions Chief Operating Officer:

“The minute after David and Curtis fought on the Canelo vs Khan undercard, there was a buzz out there. These guys had to get into the ring. This fight had to happen. Everytime that these two heavy-handed fighters are on the ring, there are fireworks and it is always exciting. What a great main event it is going to be! David Lemieux vs Curtis Stevens has all the ingredients for a Fight of the Year candidate.”

Professional media requesting credentials for Lemieux vs. Stevens must contact Kelly Abdo, Turning Stone Resort Casino Public Relations Manager at (315) 366.9291 or
kelly.abdo@turningstone.com.

Lemieux vs. Stevens is a 12-round middleweight bout for the NABO Middleweight championship, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and Main Events,and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD.” The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Videos and images are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/LemieuxVsStevens. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for any video/image use.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events, @HBOboxing @TurningStone; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/hboboxing, and www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events and @TurningStone. Follow the conversation using #LemieuxStevens.

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 16, 2017) – In a fight that fans have been calling for since the middle of last year, former IBF Middleweight Champion and current NABO Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) will go toe-to-toe with Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) to battle for Lemieux’s NABO title on Saturday, March 11. Scheduled for 12 rounds, though few believe it will go that, Lemieux vs. Stevens will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York and will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The Montreal, Canada born-and-bred Lemieux is coming off back-to-back impressive victories including a knockout over perennial contender and Freddie Roach-trained Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia and a hard-fought unanimous decision win against the always-rugged Argentine fighter Cristian Fabian Rios.

“The time for talking is done, and after many long months of hearing Curtis yell about all the things he’s going to do in the ring, I’m really looking forward to shutting his mouth on March 11,” Lemieux said. “I’ve told everyone my goal is to once again become middleweight champion of the world. Curtis is in the way, and I’m going to go right through him.”

Stevens, who rose from Brownsville, Brooklyn to become former NABF and now Continental Americas middleweight champion has also won two straight fights, with a thunderous knockout over then-undefeated Patrick Teixeira in May of 2016 followed by a unanimous decision victory over James de la Rosa later in the year.

“The wait is finally over!” said Stevens. “No more talking. My hands will do the talking on March 11.”

With both Lemieux and Stevens appearing and convincingly winning on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan show at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, boxing fans quickly began calling for the two contenders to get together in the ring. Both fighters were happy to oblige, engaging first in a war of words, and now in a war of jabs, hooks and uppercuts.

“We often see fighters pretend not to like each other to help draw an audience – these two guys aren’t faking it; they don’t like each other at all,” said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. “Given the thunder each holds in both hands and their desire to make a statement in the middleweight division, I think fans are going to be in for a knockout – and a spectacular one at that.”

“This is a fight of the year candidate,” said Camille Estephan of Eye of the Tiger Management. “We feel that 2017 is David’s year to take over through all the experiences he got in the last little while. He improved by leaps and bounds, we want another world title and this is the next step. We are happy to give the fans what they want they have been asking for this fight-here it is! It is one of those that is best described by the phrase, don’t blink.”

“The fans have been asking for this fight for a while now, and it’s not hard to see why!” said Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, promoter for Curtis Stevens. “This fight is a perfect, throwback Boxing After Dark main event and I can’t wait to see it!”

Host of this epic event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino, an award-winning destination resort, continues to distinguish itself as a premier venue for blockbuster boxing. The March 11th fight will mark Turning Stone’s 20th nationally-televised boxing event, who also hosted one of the first MMA events in New York this past October, cementing the resort as a mecca for televised combat sports. Additionally, boxing legend Mike Tyson selected Turning Stone as the venue for his world debut as a promoter, Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila Ali made her boxing debut at Turning Stone and in April 2015, Turning Stone was selected to host “Fight of the Year” contender – Matthysse vs. Provodnivkov – over arenas in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami. Turning Stone features world-class amenities including four hotels, more than 20 signature restaurants and dining options, two luxurious spas, 125,000 square foot Las Vegas style gaming floor, a cabaret-style Showroom, a 5,000 seat arena, five golf courses, several bars, cocktail lounges and nightlife venues.

Ticket prices, on sale information and the undercard will be announced shortly.

Professional media requesting credentials for Lemieux vs. Stevens must contact Kelly Abdo, Turning Stone Resort Casino Public Relations Manager at (315) 366.9291 or
kelly.abdo@turningstone.com.

Lemieux vs. Stevens is a 12-round middleweight bout for the NABO Middleweight championship, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and Main Events,and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD.” The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Videos and images are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/LemieuxVsStevens. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for any video/image use.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events, @HBOboxing @TurningStone; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/hboboxing, and www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @main_events and @TurningStone. Follow the conversation using #LemieuxStevens.

LOS ANGELES (October 20, 2016) Stepping into the ring after a bloody fourth round knock out over Glen Tapia this past May in Las Vegas under the Canelo-Khan Card, David Lemieux has been gearing up for his highly anticipated return to the ring to take on Argentina’s Christian Fabian Rios at Montreal’s Bell Center this Saturday, October 22 in “Blood, Guts and Glory” presented by Eye of the Tiger Management, Golden Boy Promotions and InterBox in association with evenko and Videotron. Die-hard fans can watch the broadcast starting at 6:30 EST / 3:30 PT through PunchingGrace.com. Lemieux followers can also keep up to date with all of the fight week events here.

The hard-hitter gave an exclusive look into his life in the ring, his humble beginnings, and a survey of what is to come for the future.

Here is what Lemieux had to say in an exclusive Q&A Session:

What got you started into boxing?
“I fostered a love for boxing at such a young age. One day my neighbor, who was a fighter himself, was smoking a cigar on the balcony across from mine. We were both nine years old and he invited me to the gym because he knew that I loved to fight. Looking back, he saved me from a lot of run-ins with the police and kept me out of trouble. Ever since then, I have been unable to leave the sport. ”

What do you love the most about boxing?
“I love the respect and the feedback when you work hard in the sport. I love how there is no way to cheat. In the sport, everything you do in the ring has to be done perfectly, or else everyone can start to see the mistakes. It’s just you in the ring – no one else.”

What is it like working with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions?
“Working with Oscar and Golden Boy Promotions is a great motivation in my career and where I want to go. Oscar was the hero boxer growing up. I was obsessed with him growing up. Working alongside Golden Boy, and seeing all the great things they are doing in the boxing business, and me being a part of it is a big motivation, and I am proud to have them in my corner.”

How does it feel like to be fighting in front of large crowds?
“Excitement. A fighter wants to be known, a fighter wants to be seen. The bigger the crowd, the higher the energy, and that hypes me up. The crowds are the fuel in the ring, and I feed of their energy.”

How are you training for this fight?

Fighter Spotlight: David Lemieux
Fighter Spotlight: David Lemieux
“I have been training hard for this fight and trying to make sure to be in the ring with different sparring partners to make sure we are well prepared against Rios. We are doing everything that we can to ensure we don’t leave any detail behind.”

“Fans can expect explosions on October 22, especially if Rios brings it all. From my behalf, I promise a great show– our card has a lot of great fighters on it.”

After scoring an impressive knock out of Glenn Tapia this past May, what are you planning to accomplish in the ring this time around as you face Rios?
“My fight against Glenn Tapia was an important step after the Golovkin fight to get back on track. Now, Rios is another step to get back on the road to becoming a world champion – to win and to be impressive.

“I’ve been preparing very well, and we are taking him very seriously. We are expecting the best Rios that we can get. We are not taking him lightly. We are doing everything we need to do to make sure there are no surprises.”

Canadian Thanksgiving day has just been celebrated in your home country. Are there any things you are extra thankful for?
“Absolutely, I am thankful to God for everything. I am thankful for what I have to leave my mark in this world — the kids, the family and the friends that surround me so that I can achieve what I have to achieve and what I want to accomplish. I have all that I need to make it in this world, and I am so thankful for that.”

What do you do to get in your zone before a fight?
“I’m already in my zone when its fight time. I have a weird way of dealing with things. Sometimes it’s not even relevant to the fight that is before. It could be as simple as a distant memory or certain spaces and environments where I just can pull myself together. By the time I get in the ring I am where I need to be mentally.”

Looking back, what are some highlights to your career?
“Winning big – for sure the Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam fight which was personally one of my best fights. I also loved fighting against Gabriel Rosado, I thought he was a great fighter and it was the first time I fought on US soil on HBO. Also, winning against Guerrero was a huge win for me. I would also consider jumping into the ring with Golovkin as a highlight because it was a different type of fight. Although I didn’t get the result that I wanted, I got a ton of experience and learned what I had to do to get what I wanted. Because of that fight, we are in the process of taking what we learned and applying it to my career. I’m heading back to the top.

How would you describe your personality in the ring? How does that compare to your non-boxing personality?
“In the ring, I become a robot. I am no longer human. I have to destroy what is in front of me. There are no hard feelings if I hurt my opponent. If I have trained to do it on a punching bag, I will do it to the human in front of me in the ring. My opponent is thinking the same thing – he has trained to fight me, hurt me, and try to defeat me, and that’s why I am on my toes from start to finish. Business is business.”

Tickets are available for purchase at $50 on the evenko Network at www.evenko.ca, by calling 1 (855) 310-2525 or at the Bell Center. The event will also be available in HD for the U.S on www.punchinggrace.com for only $49.99USD.

For more information, visit www.eottm.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.interbox.ca or follow us on Facebook @EyeoftheTigerManagement, @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Interbox, @DavidLemieuxboxing and on Twitter @EOTMVD, @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Interboxca et @Lemieuxboxing.