BOXNATION ADD DAVID LEMIEUX VS HASSAN N’DAM TO SIZZLING SUMMER SCHEDULE

David Lemieux
LONDON (3 June) – BoxNation has added the exciting clash between Quebec puncher David Lemieux and number one contender Hassan N’Dam for the vacant IBF middleweight world title on June 20 to its sizzling summer schedule.

The 160-pound duo will meet in Montreal, Canada at the Bell Centre as they compete for the middleweight crown in a division stacked from top to bottom with star-studded talent.

Hard-hitting Lemieux, with a record of 31 knockouts from 33 wins, first captured the attention of the boxing world during his impressive win against Gabriel Rosado in Brooklyn, New York last year.

When the IBF middleweight title became vacant, the confrontation between Lemieux, who is currently ranked fourth in the world by the IBF, and number one contender N’Dam became eminent.

The division is currently stacked with world-class names including Kazakh assassin Gennady Golovkin and Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto.

“It was really important for my team and I to bring this fight here to Quebec,” said Lemieux. “The fans here have supported me from the beginning of my career and for that I am extremely grateful. I want to live this significant moment of my career with Quebecers and will do all that I can for them to be proud of me. I am ready to offer the very best of myself. Those close to me and my fans will see all the blood they want!”

“I’m thrilled to be fighting for the middleweight championship,” said N’Dam. “I’ve very thankful and I look forward to fighting in Montreal and leaving with the title.”

The undercard will feature some of the most talented boxers in Quebec, including Dierry Jean (28-1, 20 KOs), Schiller Hyppolite (15-1, 10 KOs), Ghislain Maduma (16-1, 10 KOs), Steven Butler (11-0, 9 KOs), Mian Hussain (11-0, 6 KOs), Ayaz Hussain (5-0, 3 KOs), Yves Ulysse Jr. (6-0, 4 KOs) and Mathieu Germain (1-0).

The stacked bill joins a cracking summer line-up on BoxNation which sees a host of top class action including Cotto vs. Daniel Geale this Saturday, Nicholas Walters vs. Miguel Marriaga, Tim Bradley vs. Jessie Vargas, Terry Flanagan vs. Jose Zepeda, Frank Buglioni vs. Lee Markham and Sergey Kovalev vs. Nadjib Mohammedi.

For details on how to subscribe to BoxNation for just £12 a month please visit boxnation.com.

-Ends-

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DAVID LEMIEUX AND HASSAN N’DAM MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

David Lemieux
Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, everyone. To all the media who is participating, we are extremely, extremely excited to announce today, an upcoming fight on June 20th live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada: Lemieux vs. N’Dam. They will be fighting for the IBF vacant Middleweight World Title, and we are extremely proud to announce that this event is being presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko.

We strongly feel that in Canada-obviously they love their hockey-but that’s not the only sport that they follow. Canadians also love their boxing with passion, and we anticipate a full house at the Bell Centre on June 20th in Montreal. So, that’s a fight that everybody in Canada will be looking forward to.

Lemieux vs. N’Dam is a terrific fight and they are in probably one of the most dangerous and one of the most exciting weight classes that boxing has today.

When you talk about the middleweight division, you think about the greats in boxing history. And on June 20th, Lemieux and N’Dam will have the opportunity to cement and to start creating their own history, eventually getting to the top and being mentioned with the greats of this division, the middleweight division.

As you know, Lemieux has been taking the world by storm. He, not only generates huge ratings on HBO, but he’s being looked upon as the emerging next star in the middleweight division, and N’Dam, his record speaks for itself. His style speaks for itself. There’s nothing that anyone can say negatively about N’Dam because he always comes to fight. He’s in the fight of his life and probably the most important fight of his career, and he knows that. We anticipate a tremendous fight on June 20th.

Let me at this moment introduce to you the director of boxing for King Sports who will make some comments and introduce Hassan N’Dam, that is Paul King.

Paul King:

Hey, Oscar. Thanks a lot, my man. First of all, we’re excited and we’re proud to be doing our first event with you. So Oscar and Eric and everybody at Golden Boy, we want to thank you for that.

At this point, I just want to move forward and I would like to put Hassan on for his interview. Hassan, are you there?

Hassan N’Dam:

I feel good. It’s the fight that I’ve been waiting for for a very long time, since I beat Curtis Stevens and I’m the official challenger. For me, it’s just a logic continuity after the Curtis Stevens fight. I’m happy that this fight is taking place because I was sick of waiting for this. For me, the opponent is not important.

Before David Lemieux, two other boxers refused to fight me. The fact that David Lemieux accepted to fight me was a relief. I’m just waiting with impatience for June 20th, because I’ll be able to show to the world what I have in my head, in my legs and in my arms.

Thank you.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, Hassan, and just to remind everyone, Hassan N’Dam has a record of 31-1 with 18 knockouts. So with Lemieux’s style and Hassan’s style, it calls for again one of those terrific fights that can’t be missed.

Also, thank you very much, Hassan, for your comments. We can now open it up to the media for a couple of questions for Hassan.

Question:

The question for Hassan is: how does David Lemieux save up against some of your previous fighters? You fought Curtis Stevens. You fought Peter Quillin. What is Lemieux’s quality? Is he better than Stevens? Do you see him as better than Quillin or a notch below?

Hassan N’Dam:

Every boxer has his style and every boxer has his own strategy. Stevens’s strategy will not be the same as David Lemieux’s strategy. Boxing is a difficult sport. I respect each and every opponent that I have. Every opponent that will face me will be taken very seriously. Each fighter, the better ones and the lesser ones, are all considered equal for me when I’m going into a fight.

Question:

Yes. With the current resurgence of the middleweight division-when you talk about the middleweight division the names that come to mind are: Cotto, GGG, Lee, Quillin, Geale and now Pennello in the mix. They tend to forget two names, which are Lemieux and N’Dam. After Saturday, one of y’all’s names will be mixed with those guys. How do you all feel about that and what does it mean to you?

Hassan N’Dam:

I always look at these things the right side. I’ve always been considered as an outsider. And, I’ve always proven my skills with each and every one of my opponents. I’ve proved to everyone that I have the [indiscernible] to be where I am at that given moment after each fight.

From the moment when I started competing in world championship fights-I fought only undefeated, tough opponents and I beat them. Except for [indiscernible] and that’s the only one, but everyone knows . Today, everyone is talking about the hard-hitter facing me. But people tend to forget what I’ve done before when I’ve faced other hard-hitting boxers. One day my skills, my talent and my efforts will be recognized and acknowledged and then I’ll be in that midst.

Question:

Yes, Paul, are you still on the line?

Paul King:

Yes.

Question:

Okay, I have a question with Hassan. I know this fight was being negotiated and there was some issue-I don’t know if there were issues or just rumors of issues of the financial terms, which led to the purse. I was just wondering if you could briefly speak to that.

Paul King:

Whatever went on before, everything got sorted out. Hassan is here. He’s in camp. Golden Boy is along with us, and we’ll be in Montreal on the 20th ready to fight.

Question:

Thanks. Well, I appreciate that. I have one question for Hassan. Just how he feels about having to go to David Lemieux’s backyard. Like he said, he goes on the outside looking in. So does he just see this as one more chance to upset the odds?

Hassan N’Dam:

Everywhere I fight, I feel like it’s my backyard. I feel like I’m at home. I was born in Cameroon, but I made a name for myself in France. Today, I fight in LA like I’m at home. On June 20th, I’ll be in my room in Canada.

Question:

Okay, great. Thanks. I appreciate that. Then Oscar, I just have one question for you.I know this fight is going to be shown on Canada pay-per-view. I was just wondering if efforts are still being made to try and secure US TV for this fight.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Yes. We are talking to various networks here in the US and that’ll be sorted out. We’ll have an announcement very soon.

Question:

Okay. I know you can’t speak to any network. Are you optimistic it will be on US TV though?

Oscar De La Hoya:

It will be on US TV. Absolutely, yes.

Question:

Yes. Thank you. I’ll ask my question in French, if you don’t mind. Sorry for those who don’t understand my French. Hassan. [speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

I’ll just translate the question for everyone. So, he’s asking, he says your only defeat in your career happened against Peter Quillin. So can you go over that and tell us what have you learned from that defeat, and can you use anything against David Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

I’ve explained this many times to people and this is, I hope, the last time I’ll have to explain it, because my career is moving forward and not looking backwards. I fought Peter Quillin without being prepared. I had only a three-week notice and I didn’t even do any sparring.

The only reason I took this fight with a three-week notice is because they threatened to strip me from my belt, and since I am a man, if I was to lose my title, I thought I might as well lose it in the ring.

I had no strategy to beat Peter Quillin. I just had to improvise to do-to do my own style. And fight with my heart. Which I think I did very well.

Today, this situation is very different. My team changed. My training camp is much better. I am steady in my head to do a brilliant fight.

Question:

Merci. If I could just have a second question. [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

He says why did he not show up at the press conference at the last minute?

Hassan N’Dam:

I was told very, very late. I had a very short notice for this press conference. My preparation was already completely scheduled. When I was told about this press conference, I was in the French Alps because I do a high altitude free training camp, and I was just about to depart for Los Angeles to continue my training camp. I didn’t want to travel a lot and get tired.

I’m preparing this fight on June 20th. That’s my main focus, is to travel to Montreal, win the title and go home with my title.

Question:

This is for Hassan. You mentioned impatience following the fight versus Curtis Stevens. How does that motivate you? Does it give you motivation going into this fight against N’Dam seeing that it’s been a while since you got back into the ring?

Basically, I just wanted-cause he said-he mentioned impatience following the fight against Stevens. Does that give him added motivation going into the fight against Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

Yes, it adds up to the motivation because I finally have a name. I know the face of my opponent so I’ve been just waiting all this time.

Question:
[Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

She says: you’re talking of yourself like a boxer that’s underestimated and what’s your strategy to beat David Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

My strategy is very simple. I’m a complete boxer. David Lemieux says that he’s different than what he used to be. But I am a very complete boxer and I’m going to use all of the tools I have to beat him. That’s it.

Moderator:

At this time, we have no further questions. I’d like to turn it over to Hassan for final comments.

Hassan N’Dam:

The final comment is, you know, I know everyone is talking about the fact that I am unhappy of the purse that I am getting for the fight. Of course, I am not very happy because I’ve heard several comments coming from my opponent’s camp saying that he’s going to have the largest purse in his career. I would like the idea, rules for the purse to be respected, and that is the purse must be split at 50/50, and there’s no additional money. I don’t want to talk about that anymore, but I just hope that the rules are going to be respected.

I just have a message for David Lemieux if he is on the line. Man, you better get ready because the spot you’re in, the challenger spot you’re in, you didn’t earn it. You got it by chance, by luck. I’m going to prove to you and to the entire world that you do not have the level of [indiscernible]. When you had the chance to become mandatory challenger, you always blew your chances. That’s all I have.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much. Paul, thank you very much, N’Dam.

And now to introduce to you Team Lemieux. I would like to say it has been a great pleasure to work with this nice young man I’ll be introducing to you. He is president of Eye of the Tiger management. That is Camille Estephan. Camille.

Camille Estephan:

Hello, everybody. Thank you, Oscar, for the wonderful work and team N’Dam for being here today, unlike the Montreal visit that didn’t happen. I’d like to thank the press for the attention they’re giving to this fight. The fight that is majorly important in a very, very hard division that’s now the middleweight division. We believe that there will be a statement made on June 20th in Montreal at the Bell Centre.

The Bell Centre will be hosting an event that will be historical. It’s historical because it will mark a great name coming up. We believe in David Lemieux to do right at making a statement. But as well, it’s a celebration of a 35-year date in 1980. June 20th, Roberto Duran fought Sugar Ray Leonard at the Olympic Stadium and won a great historical fight. So, we’re pleased and thrilled to be making history again in Montreal for the wonderful boxing fans that supported us throughout the years and I’ve been there for David. So, it’s wonderful. Thank you, Eric and Oscar, to give the opportunity to David to give back to his fans on a wonderful June 20th coming up.

I’d like to introduce you to, as well, David and bring him to say a few words. I’m very proud of the work that he’s putting in, as always, for the last few years we’ve been working together and very, very looking forward to his performance on June 20th. David.

David Lemieux:

Hello. I’m here. Very excited for this fight. I’ve been waiting for a long time to be able to face the world champion in our division and to be able to become a world champion. It is my time, and I’ve been working since I was a young kid at this to be where I am today. I’m working extremely hard. This is to-date the best camp I’ve ever had. My physical strength is much better than it ever has been.

Everything is kind of coming into perfection for this fight. I’m extremely confident in this fight and what I am to expect with Hassan N’Dam, for I understand his boxing abilities. I understand everything about him. I’ve watched him. We studied him very well. I know his strengths, and I know his weaknesses. And I know my strength, and I know my weaknesses or whatever it is. There’s nothing I am concerned about in this fight with what I am doing today and everyday.

It’s going to be a great event. It’s going to be very explosive, and hopefully, it’s going to mark a historical event in Montreal and a great fight for 2015, to give to the fans all what they want, what they need. They’ve got two top athletes in the ring, and it’s going to be great. Two hungry guys; one much hungrier than the other. But, talk is cheap. We’ll keep everything cool for the fight on June 20th.

I’m very excited and very confident. I’m looking very forward to this fight. I’m very, very happy, and to fight N’Dam when other fighters turned him down. I would never turn down any fighter if the skills are right, good or great or whatever they are. With all my abilities, I’m in total confidence with myself, with my group, with my people, and with my surroundings, and every world we’re going to take, we’re going to be together. We’re going to be strong, and we’re going to have a big army around me. I’m willing to do all the damage, and on June 20th, I’m going to open a lot of eyes. It’s going to be very exciting.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, David. Before we open it up to questions for the media-just want to point out that David Lemieux, you take a look at his record, which is 33-2 with 31 knockouts. He has one of the top tail percentages of any fighter today. He has an explosive style. He’s hungry. He’s determined. He’s ready to go.

This is a very important and historical at the Bell Centre. Canada will be behind this event 100%. Golden Boy Promotions is really proud to be working with Eye of the Tiger and David. This will be our first fight since signing a deal with David, so we are just thrilled, excited, and happy, to be going out there for the whole week promoting this great event in Canada.

Now we can open it up to the media for questions for David. Thank you.

Question:

Hello, everybody. Thank you. Hello, David.

David Lemieux:

Hello.

Question:

David, my question for you is related to the loss that N’Dam took against Peter Quillin. He said on his part of the call that he had only three weeks to prepare for that fight and did not spar, but the results of the fight was he got knocked down, I believe it was five times, and obviously lost the decision. The question is: you are known for your very good punching power. He was on the deck five times against the best opponent that he has faced in his career. When you think about that, or do you think about that, do you think that this is looking like another knockout for David Lemieux?

David Lemieux:

He’s a great fighter. I’m not underestimating him, and I would never compare myself to any other fighters, especially not to Peter Quillin. He’s a good fighter but my abilities are very different, and I’m sure that any athlete can get knocked down but I think when Hassan will put the glove to his knee and that bell will ring in the first round, he will never [indiscernible] with me in his entire career. But we’ll see on June 20th.

Question:

Well, when you know that he got knocked down five times, and you know the kind of power that you possess, does it make you lick your chops a little bit?

David Lemieux:

No because anybody I’m willing to go in the ring with, I’m going to hurt them regardless if it is an undefeated title who has never been knocked down or some guy who has been knocked down. To me, it makes no difference because I have one goal in my mind. It’s to destroy and to be able to do it the best way I can throughout the whole fight. If it doesn’t happen in the first round, or the fifth, or the sixth, I’ll still try to the twelfth. There’s always going to be patience from my side.

Question:

I want to ask you, I don’t know if you had a chance to see it. Did you watch the Gennady Golovkin fight on Saturday night and his performance against Willie Monroe?

David Lemieux:

No. I’m just concentrating on this fight right now. I’m not paying attention to any other boxing. Just concentrating on my fight and on my [indiscernible], and that’s it.

Question:

How big of a deal is it for you, David, that this fight is going to take place in Montreal where you, obviously, that’s your hometown? By all accounts, you’re developing a very nice fan base up there. How significant is it for you to be able to fight for one of the world titles in front of those people in Montreal?

David Lemieux:

I’m very, very happy with it. It’s a dream come true. I’m working extremely hard. My fans always supported me here from my downsides, to my upsides and to my greater side. But now I’m a different person and I’m ready to bring this title home and to be sure, for all the fans to enjoy this great night of boxing at home in our backyard and just from a walk away from home. So, it’s good for me.

Question:

Alright. Very good. David, I wish you good luck. Thank you very much.

David Lemieux:

Thank you.

Question:

Hi, David. My question is this. On N’Dam’s side of the call, he said that you didn’t earn this spot, that you were lucky. Why do you think he would say something like that and does that bother you that he said you didn’t earn, regardless of what you’ve done in your career. He says you got this by luck?

David Lemieux:

Well, that’s only going to make him look foolish when I beat him on the 20th, that’s all. There’s no luck in boxing. It’s a hard man’s work. It’s life or death in the ring. It’s not a game, and there’s no such thing as luck in boxing. I’ve earned my right to be where I am, and I will be where I want to be. So, whatever his comment is, I disregard it and I don’t concern myself with his opinion.

Question:

Yes. This question is for David. You’re one of the names that kind of get forgotton in the middleweight division and if you win on Saturday, it’s going to change dramatically. You’re going to get thrown right up there with the upper echelon of this division. What does that mean to you? What does this fight mean to you?

David Lemieux:

It’s something I’ve known, I’ve understood and I’m ready for it. My name has been in people’s ears, but it hasn’t been out there to expose potential yet. So June 20th will signify earning the right to have my name out there with the top of the world. It’s extremely important. Of course every fight is extremely important, but especially this one. It’s another degree of importance. I’m training extremely hard, and I’m not going to miss my shot.

Question:

Good answer. Is unifying the titles, is that in your future? Do you see you trying that?

David Lemieux:

Yes. Sure. I’ll fight whoever there is to fight. I’m always up for challenges, and this is what I do as a champion. This is my duty. I’ll defend whatever there is to defend. I’m always going to be fighting the best. So, I’ll be all set for that [indiscernible].

Question:

Hi, David. How are you doing today?

David Lemieux:

I’m doing great. How are you?

Question:

Good. Thank you. My question comes from Hassan’s comments at the end of his conference. Do you think he is underestimating you as a fighter or do you think it was just a comment out of disrespect for you and how does that motivate you for the fight?

David Lemieux:

I think he has no clue of whom he’s going to face on June 20th and that’s going to be to my advantage. I don’t concern myself with his opinion or what he has to say about who he has faced and the challenges I’ve had in my life and my career, whatever it is. That’s my personal issues, and I aim to prove otherwise and June 20th will be the day when I will prove that. So, I don’t concern myself with anything. I’m very focused, and I’m ready. I’m ready for anything.

Question:

Great. Another question I have for you is he has more experience in championship fights. He’s gone, I think four or five more twelve-round fights than you have. Do you think his experience or your lack of experience in the later rounds will be a disadvantage for you?

David Lemieux:

Not at all. Nothing’s going to change the scenario of the fight. My experience has been great, and I’m ready to fight anybody in the middleweight division. Whatever style they have, it’s not going to be an issue.

Question:

Hello. This is a question for Oscar. Golden Boy and you have really been delivering. Your last two fights were Matthysse, Provodnikov, and then Canelo, Kirkland. This is another great matchup between N’Dam and Lemieux. I was just wondering, I read that HBO had a pass on this fight, and I was wondering why they would pass on a great fight like this.

Cecilia Zuniga:

Hey, Karl, this is Cecilia. Oscar had to step off the call to do a quick meeting in regards to TV rights to this particular fight. So, he’s no longer on the call, unfortunately. Sorry.

Karl Freitag:

Okay. Alright. That’s all I’ve got. Thank you.

Cecilia Zuniga:

Okay. Thank you.

Question:

Yes. I’m going to ask my question in French. [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator: [Speaking foreign language.]

David Lemieux: [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator: [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator:

And I would not like to turn it over to David for final comments.

David Lemieux:

June 20th is going to be a great night of boxing. For all the fans around the world, don’t miss this fight. If you blink, you might miss it. It’s going to be a great night and very explosive. I’m actually very excited and very happy to be fighting Hassan N’Dam. Thank you.

Moderator:

And I’d like to turn it over to Camille for final comments.

Camille Estephan:

Well, the stage is set, and the chips are down, and like David said, don’t blink. It’s going to be an explosive fight that is made for the fans. Golden Boy has, like you guys mentioned, been putting on great fights that are extremely competitive, and this is one that is very promising. We’re working very hard on making sure that it will be a wonderful event for the Montreal fans with great explosive fireworks in the ring. So don’t miss it. Thank you very much.

###

David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam is a 12-round fight for the vacant IBF
Middleweight World Championship presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. ET. The live Canadian PPV telecast airs at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets start at $70 (CAD), taxes and service charges included, are on sale now at www.evenko.ca and at the Bell Centre box office. For further information, please visit us at and www.eottm.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.evenko.ca or call 1-855-310-2525. Follow us on Twitter @Lemieuxboxing, @EOTMVD, @GoldenBoyBoxing and @evenko.




DAVID LEMIEUX SET TO TAKE ON HASSAN N’DAM FOR THE IBF MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON JUNE 20

David Lemieux
LOS ANGELES (May 14)- Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in collaboration with Evenko, announced yesterday via press conference the fight between Quebec power puncher David Lemieux(33-2, 31 KOs) and number one contender Hassan N’Dam (31-1,18 KOs) for the IBF Middleweight World Championship on Saturday, June 20. Live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada and on Canadian Pay-Per-View, the card is set to showcase an exciting night of boxing with four additional championship belts on the line and an undercard featuring local Quebec talent.

David Lemieux first captured the attention of the boxing world during his impressive win against Gabriel “The King” Rosado in Brooklyn, New York December 2014. When the IBF Middleweight title became vacant, the confrontation between the Lemieux, who is currently ranked fourth in the world by the IBF, and number one contender N’Dam became eminent. This will be Lemieux’s first fight with Golden Boy Promotions since signing an exclusive promotional contract with the company in January 2015.

“David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam will be an action packed fight the fans in Montreal will be excited to see on June 20, as David faces off against the dangerous N’Dam for the coveted vacant IBF Middleweight Title,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President and Founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “Hassan and David are both elite fighters in the middleweight division, both former and current title holders with fighting styles that will keep fans on the edge of their seats. This is just the kind of fight boxing needs to have; the fans want action in the ring and both David and Hassan are sure to deliver that.”

“It was really important for my team and I to bring this fight here to Quebec,” said David Lemieux. “The fans here have supported me from the beginning of my career and for that I am extremely grateful. I want to live this significant moment of my career with Quebecers and will do all that I can for them to be proud of me. I am ready to offer the very best of myself. Those close to me and my fans will see all the blood they want!”

“I’m thrilled to be fighting for the middleweight championship,” said Hassan N’Dam. “I’ve very thankful to King Sports for making this happen and I look forward to fighting in Montreal and leaving with the title.”

The undercard will feature some of the most talented boxers in Quebec, including Dierry Jean (28-1, 20 KOs), Schiller Hyppolite (15-1, 10 KOs), Ghislain Maduma (16-1, 10 KOs), Steven Butler (11-0, 9 KOs), Mian Hussain (11-0, 6 KOs), Ayaz Hussain (5-0, 3 KOs), Yves Ulysse Jr. (6-0 , 4 KOs) and Mathieu Germain (1-0). Jean, Hyppolite and Butler will fight respectively for the NABF Lightweight title, the WBC World Francophonie Light Heavyweight title and the North American Youth Super Welterweight title.

For the president of Eye of the Tiger Management, Camille Estephan, it was imperative that the card of the evening is entirely composed of Quebec natives.

“We believe that the province is full of talented and promising athletes who are just waiting for a chance to demonstrate their abilities,” said Estephan. “Our mission is to ensure that our Quebec boxers are achieving the greatest honors. Join us in our conquest.”

Tickets, which will be offered for as low as $70 (CAD) (taxes and service charges included), go on sale Saturday, May 16 at www.evenko.ca and at the Bell Centre box office. For further information, please visit us at and www.eottm.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.evenko.ca or call 1-855-310-2525. Follow us on Twitter @Lemieuxboxing, @EOTMVD, @GoldenBoyBoxing and @evenko.

Currently ranked in the top ten middleweight fighters by the IBF, WBO, and WBA, Lemieux is coming off of his eighth consecutive win and seventh consecutive knockout against Gabriel “King” Rosado in a headlining bout at Barclays Center on December 2014. Lemieux’s previous bout against Fernando Guerrero for the then vacant NABF middleweight title resulted in a dominating win, knocking down Guerrero in the first round, second round, third round and finally a technical knockout in the fourth round. Now David Lemieux is certainly seen as a serious contender against the elite of the middleweight division.

Number one contender Hassan N’Dam of Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, France is a fierce fighter known for his speed and endurance in the ring. A professional since 2004, N’Dam has already accumulated the WBA International Middleweight Title and the WBA World Middleweight title beating out seasoned fighters Omard Gabriel Weis and Giovanni Lorenzo for his shot at a world title. Having lost via unanimous decision to Peter Quillin for the WBO World Middleweight Title in 2012, the top contender is ready for prove that he has the makings for of a world champion when he faces David Lemieux for the vacant IBF Middleweight World title.

David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam is a 12-round fight for the IBF Middleweight World Championship presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. ET. The live PPV telecast airs at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.




Lemieux to battle N’Dam for vacant IBF Middle crown on June 20

David Lemieux
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. Davod Lemieux will take on Hassan N’Dam for the vacant INF Middleweight title on June 20 in Montreal.

“It was really important for my team and I to bring this fight here to Quebec,” Lemieux said. “(Quebec has) supported me since the very beginning, and for that I am extremely grateful. I want to live this significant moment of my career with Quebecers and will do all that I can for them to be proud of me. I am ready to offer the very best of myself. Those close to me and my fans will see all the blood they want.”

“David Lemieux versus Hassan N’Dam will be an action-packed fight the fans in Montreal will be excited to see on June 20,” Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya said. “Hassan and David are both elite fighters in the middleweight division with fighting styles that will keep fans on the edge of their seats. This is just the kind of fight boxing needs to have. The fans want action in the ring and both David and Hassan are sure to deliver that.”




Lemieux sued by GYM

David Lemieux
\Middleweight contender David Lemieux has been sued by promoter GYM (Groupe Yvon Michel) according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Michel, who says he still has a contract with middleweight contender David Lemieux, is suing the fighter and others associated with him in the Superior Court of Quebec for $1.35 million, claiming Lemieux broke their agreement.

Michel also is suing Lemieux representative Camille Estephan and his Eye of the Tiger Management; Golden Boy Promotions, which announced it signed Lemieux to a promotional agreement in January; and HBO, which televised Lemieux’s last fight in December and which Michel claims is complicit in Lemieux’s breaking his contract.

Michel’s Groupe Yvon Michel “claims that it has suffered damages of $1,350,000 as a result of tortuous conduct and bad faith actions by the defendants.”

According to the suit, “GYM has always acted in Lemieux’s best interest, and oversaw his development at every level, turning him into a top contender in the middleweight division, and a financially viable professional boxer and gate attraction.”

The lawsuit alleges that after Estephan made a deal with Michel to modify their agreement, he orchestrated Lemieux’s move to Golden Boy and cut Michel out. The lawsuit further claims that HBO was complicit with Estephan to remove Michel as Lemieux’s promoter.

“Our lawyers have reviewed and analyzed their claims, and we feel very confident that it has no basis, and chances of success [and] their pursuit of extracting money from us are, at best, extremely slim and factually none,” he said.

Estephan said Michel is claiming they have a verbal agreement that does not exist.

“They are based on allegations from GYM that they have a verbal agreement extending the contract and are simply seeking damages,” Estephan said. “I can tell you that in no way, shape or form David nor I have ever agreed to anything verbally with GYM or anyone associated with them.

“We do not have any concerns that their suit would slow down David’s ascension and career. Hence we are looking forward and working diligently with GBP on making the fight for the IBF title between David and Hassan N’Dam.”




GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS AND EYE OF THE TIGER MANAGEMENT HOLD A SPECIAL MEDIA ROUNDTABLE TO DISCUSS SIGNING OF DAVID LEMIEUX

David Lemieux
LAS VEGAS (Jan. 17) – Golden Boy Promotions alongside Eye of the Tiger Management held an intimate roundtable at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, to discuss the recent signing of David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KOs) to Golden Boy Promotions. The impressive middleweight contender Lemieux, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner Bernard Hopkins, President of Eye of the Tiger Management Camille Estephan, and Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez were all in attendance.

The hard-hitting Montreal native’s next bout was confirmed to be broadcasted on HBO and Lemieux expressed his interest in fighting the best in the middleweight division. Below is what the Montreal native, his promoters and his management had to say:

DAVID LEMIEUX, Middleweight Contender

“I have put in the work. What you saw in Brooklyn was only 50 percent of what I can do and I feel like I can be a lot better. I want to show that in my next fight.

“I fear no man, I want to go after the top of the food chain. Oscar and Bernard came up fighting the best and I am of the same mind.

“Canelo is a younger, hungrier fighter. He is explosive. He is a tough fighter and it would be a good match up.

“Everyone is on the list. I want to fight the best.

“The reason I started so young was because I was a trouble maker. I was fighting in the streets. My neighbor was a boxer and he told me to come fight real fighters. I got my ass kicked a few times but I fell in love with it.

“We want to make a good run at 160 and then think about moving up in weight.

“I have always liked power punchers and I respect others’ styles and other champions, but I never mimic them.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions

“We are exploring every option. We can go to Montreal, we can go back to New York City, we can come to Las Vegas; that’s the beauty of David. He can fight anywhere and people will come out to watch him.

“He’s still growing. We haven’t seen his full potential which is very exciting. He has explosiveness and power.

“We will be working hand and hand with Eye of the Tiger Management. We are partners and we want the best fights, the best deals. We will be working together in the best interest for David.

“A future fight with Canelo is possible. Canelo wants to fight the best. Lemieux wants to fight the best. For now we want to focus on 160-pounds weight class and on Cotto, Andy lee and Golovkin.”

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

“We got this guy [Lemieux], he is tough. I know Gabriel Rosado and he handled him easily. I know what I am looking at. I have an eye for talent and he has it.

“We are going to continue and show you that we will put on the best fights and give the fans quality. I’m in it to make the best fights. The ratings speak for themselves. The fans speak for themselves. Judge us by the quality of the matches you see and don’t get caught up in the ‘feelings’ of it.

“I want to put a call out to everyone, that is how Oscar was brought up, that is how I was brought up, fighting the best.

“Three things about David: one, he signed with Golden Boy Promotions; two, he has talent in many ways, not only is he a fan favorite he is a good defensive fighter; three, he has good looks.

“I am seeing now the molding of another legacy, his legacy. But at the end of the day he has an opportunity in the middle weight division, I am glad to be here with a middleweight who I feel already has a lot of respect.

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management

“Canelo is on the list. Cotto is on the list. Golovkin is on the list. Andy Lee is on the list. Everyone is on the list.

“I definitely think he is the most popular boxer, the numbers prove it. He has a lot of potential and the sky is the limit.

“I got a call yesterday from someone in the boxing world about how exciting it is to be working with Golden Boy and he said ‘David is like a sunshine that beams on the world of boxing’ and it is very heartwarming. It’s heartwarming to sit down with Oscar, Bernard and Eric, whom I have gotten to know very well since the Rosado fight. This is great group of people and I think that we can build something together that will make a huge impact in the boxing world.

“David is the one guy, that as soon as I saw him the first time in the gym, the first sit-up he did and the last sit-up he did were exactly the same, he doesn’t cheat. He has the ultimate confidence because he doesn’t cheat himself and I have the ultimate respect for him. I am very proud of him as a person.

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions

“After the Rosado fight, Lemieux was impressive and we began talks with Camille. People love David and it made sense. David has an exciting style.

“We are looking at HBO, the ratings against Rosado were some of the best all year. They are very excited about David.”
###

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.eottm.com on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @EOTMVD, @lemieuxboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement or follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya and @DavidLemieuxBoxing.




GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS TEAMS UP WITH EYE OF THE TIGER MANAGEMENT AND SIGNS DEAL WITH DAVID LEMIEUX

David Lemieux
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 16) – Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management have joined together as Canadian fan favorite and tour de force David Lemieux, has signed an exclusive promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions. After his explosive headlining debut in the U.S. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, on Dec. 6, the beloved Montreal native not only retained his NABF middleweight title, but proved to critics that he is a powerful force in the 160 pound class.

Lemieux impressed as he knocked down Gabriel “King” Rosado in the third round and won by technical knockout in the tenth round when the medical examiner stopped the fight due to Rosado’s terribly swollen left eye. ESPN’s Dan Rafael said “there is no doubt that David belongs to the elite, he has a couple of losses but many others after losses have had great careers such as Wladimir Klitschko. He has a lot of potential.”

Lemieux’s previous bout against Fernando Guerrero for the then vacant NABF middleweight title resulted in a dominating win for Lemieux, knocking down Guerrero in the first round, second round, third round and finally a technical knockout in the fourth round. Now Lemieux is certainly seen as a serious contender for a world title and for 2015 bouts against the elite of the division.

Currently ranked second by the WBC, fifth by the IBF and third by the WBO, Lemieux is coming off of his eighth consecutive win and seventh consecutive knockout.

“David Lemieux is the ideal Golden Boy fighter — a power puncher who is exciting for fans to watch and willing to take on anyone in the division,” said Golden Boy Promotions Founder and President Oscar De La Hoya. “As the calendar turns to 2015 and Golden Boy further focuses on delivering the fights that fans want to see, David Lemieux will fit right in with our stable of new fighters.”

“David has shown us that he is ready for the elite of the division and I believe that with Golden Boy we will be placed in opportunities against these fighters,” said Camille Estephan President of Eye of The Tiger Management. “We will have very exciting news for David’s fans and boxing fans around the world.”

“I am very pleased and excited with my association with Golden Boy Promotions,” said David Lemieux. “I am ready to face the best and this is the mission that I give to Camille Estephan at Eye of the Tiger Management and Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez at Golden Boy Promotions.”

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.eottm.com follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @EOTMVD, @lemieuxboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement or follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @OscarDeLaHoya.




UNBEATEN PROSPECTS JOHN KARL SOSA, D’MITRIUS BALLARD AND LAMONT ROACH JR. KICK OFF NON-TELEVISED PORTION OF “BROOKLYN BRAWL: LEMIEUX VS. ROSADO” AT BARCLAYS CENTER ON DEC. 6

BROOKLYN (Dec. 5, 2014) – A host of unbeaten prospects will open the David Lemieux vs. Gabriel Rosado in the non-televised undercard on Saturday, Dec. 6 at Barclays Center as John Karl Sosa (11-0, 6 KOs), D’Mitrius Ballard (7-0, 6 KOs) and Lamont Roach Jr (4-0, 2 KOs) look to keep their perfect records intact.

In addition, two of New York City’s premier prospects will take to the ring at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center starting with a 10-round super welterweight contest, as the Bronx’s Eddie Gomez (16-1, 10 KOs) faces North Carolina’s James Winchester (16-10, 6 KOs). Plus, Brooklyn’s own Zachary Ochoa (8-0, 4 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line in a six-round super lightweight bout against Puerto Rico’s Jose Miguel Castro (4-1, 2 KOs).

The Lemieux vs. Rosado main event pits Montreal knockout artist David Lemieux (32-2, 30 KOs) against Philadelphia fan favorite “King” Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs). In the opening HBO bouts, Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. (21-0,11 KOs) faces James “The King” De La Rosa (23-2, 13 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight matchup, and Thomas “El Frances” Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs) squares off with “Hammerin” Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-round bout for the vacant NABF and NABA Junior Welterweight Titles.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

Eager to return to the win column after the first loss of his pro career against Francisco Santana in June, 22-year-old Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez (16-1, 10 KOs) is hungry to not just get the victory, but to do it in spectacular fashion. With a 4-0 record at Barclays Center, a run that includes a big January win over previously unbeaten Daquan Arnett, Gomez will have a huge fan base cheering him on in the building this Saturday when he meets Reidsville, North Carolina’s James “Shotgun” Winchester (16-10, 6 KOs). A fearless competitor whose recent record includes bouts against the likes of Terrell Gausha and Luis Arias, the 36-year-old veteran could end the year in style with an upset against Gomez.

Barclays Center has become a second home for Brooklyn native Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa (8-0, 4 KOs), a promising 22-year-old talent who has gone 3-0 at the Barclays Center, most recently taking a near-shutout win over Luis Cervantes in August. On Saturday, Ochoa will be in tough against Carolina, Puerto Rico’s Jose Miguel Castro, who brings an impressive (4-1, 2 KOs) record into the ring.

Also hailing from Puerto Rico is highly-regarded welterweight John Karl Sosa (11-0, 6 KOs), a Caguas prospect who has already won three fights against solid competition in 2014. Sosa will face Brooklyn’s Jason Thompson (5-8-4, 4 KOs) in an eight-round matchup.

In a light heavyweight bout scheduled for six rounds, Washington, D.C.’s exciting prospect D’Mitrius Ballard (7-0, 6 KOs) will face Hartford, Connecticut’s Tylon Burris (4-2, 2 KOs), while his D.C. neighbor Lamont Roach Jr. (4-0, 2 KOs) will open the event in a four-round lightweight bout against Aguada, Puerto Rico’s Alexander Charneco (2-0, 2 KOs).

“Brooklyn Brawl: Lemieux vs. Rosado” is a 12-round NABF Middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.




Dulorme and Lundy make weight NABF and NABA titles are on the line

Thomas Dulorme
NEW YORK (December 5, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions top rated contender Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs, and his opponent Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) both made weight for their upcoming bout taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where the two combatants will fight each other as part of a special triple-header edition of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK®. The 10-round bout will go down this Saturday, December 6, 2014 headlined by Lemieux vs. Rosado.

“There is a lot riding on this bout as my promoter Gary Shaw has made this fight for the NABF and NABA championships” said Dulorme. “I’m fully prepared to give the fans a great fight and bring home a victory to my people in Puerto Rico.”

“Dulorme is in a great position to take his career to the next level.” said Gary Shaw. “With both belts on the line, Dulorme can really position himself for a world title opportunity. I have confidence in his ability to come out on top because I feel he’s the superior fighter.”

# # #

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.




DAVID LEMIEUX VS. GABRIEL ROSADO” FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

davidlemieux
DAVID LEMIEUX, NABF Middleweight Champion

“It’s good to be back in Brooklyn. I’m very excited. This is a great opportunity for both of us fighters.

“I expect the best Gabriel Rosado when I get in the ring with him. I’m not worried because it’s going to be the best of Lemieux.

“This is a big opportunity to be headlining on HBO. I’m not going to miss my shot. I’m going to leave everything in the ring and I will not leave disappointed.

“We’ve been working on a lot of things the last few years and now we’re getting to where we want to be. This is the best camp I’ve had in my career.

“I’m here from Montreal and I’m here to represent and give you guys the best show and a great night of boxing before the holidays.”

GABRIEL ROSADO, Middleweight Contender

“There’s something different about coming from Philly. Any man who steps into the ring is brave, but something about Philly fighters, we’re willing to die in the ring.

“I had a great training camp, I have a tremendous team. We worked on a lot of different things. We’re coming off the Bryan Vera knockout so I really feel like I have the momentum.

“Lemieux is a strong guy who is hungry, but I know this is my opportunity and this is my time.

“Having been in every situation, I know what I need to do. I can’t blame the politics, I just looked into myself and made myself more focused and more disciplined. I’m extremely happy about this opportunity to put on a great show.

“I always thank the fans because I’m only relevant because of fans. The fans have always showed love and always showed up. On Saturday I’m going to give the fans my all so they know I appreciate them.

“By the end of Saturday, I wont be that tough journeyman, I’ll be a star.”

HUGO CENTENO JR., Undefeated Middleweight Contender

“I had a great training camp. It was eight tough weeks. I started training with Gennady Golovkin to prepare him for his fight. I’ve trained extremely hard and have no excuses. Come Saturday night, I’ll be ready.

“I talk with my fists so James can say what he wants. It’s easy to talk before you get hit in the face.”

JAMES DE LA ROSA, Middleweight Contender

“I hope on December 6 Hugo is ready to fight and doesn’t get any little abrasions. I don’t want him to have to tell the doctor he can’t see.

“I hope he’s ready to fight Saturday night because it’s on.”

THOMAS DULORME, Junior Welterweight Prospect

“I’m very happy to be here. I feel like I’m at home here in Brooklyn with all the support that I get here.

“This was a tough camp, It was a good camp. I’m ready to go and I’m ready for Hank.

“I’m not a big talker, so I’ll let Hank talk all he wants. On Dec. 6 at Barclays Center I’ll do my talking in the ring.

“This is going to be a great fight, get your seat ready here or at home and get ready for a great fight.”

HANK LUNDY, Junior Welterweight Prospect

“It’s been a hell of a camp, I have two of the best trainers in the world with me. Everything you read and everything you see about me is the real deal.

“I’m not running, I’m here to put on a fight, I’m putting on a show. I’m the real deal.

“When you have a guy like me coming from Philadelphia, I try to imitate these great guys like Bernard Hopkins and Gabriel Rosado.

“These two belts, you best believe they’re coming back to Philadelphia.”

ZACHARY OCHOA, Undefeated Super Lightweight Prospect

“I made my 97-year-old grandfather cry when he saw me on NY1 yesterday.

“I want to thank Barclays Center for helping those kids in Brooklyn because I used to be one of them.

“It’s a beautiful thing to bring boxing back to Brooklyn and I hope we keep it going.”

MARC RAMSAY, Lemieux’s Trainer

“We are one thousand percent sure that Saturday’s fight is going to be amazing for the fans. What you will remember is that you watched David Lemieux make his U.S. debut.

“We had a very tough training camp and David is ready to show you what he can do.”

JESSE REID, Rosado’s Trainer

“This is a real pleasure, I looked at Gabe when he fought Gennady Golovkin and I was amazed by what I saw, which was a Johnny Tapia. I saw a young man who was learning the hard way.

“He was taking on fights and showing people the heart he has, but he also had a great boxing ability that god gave him. I don’t think he realized the talent he has.

“Rosado has a great team, I’ve worked with a lot of different trainers, but we really have a tremendous team put together.

“He’s going to show people another Bernard Hopkins or Johnny Tapia so look out.”

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

“I would like to let everybody know that fights like these are a custom. We are putting on the best fights, the most competitive fights. This is what we want to do. Going into 2015 this is what we will see more of. We will continue to sincerely do the best to have the best fighters face the best.

“The tickets for this fight are extremely affordable for the caliber of fighters and of fights. This is an early holiday present from Golden Boy Promotions.

“The fighters you see right now might not be the pay-per-view fighters of today, but these are the fighters who are fighting for that position and it starts this Saturday.”

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior VP of Golden Boy Promotions

“We’re very happy to be working with Barclays Center, they are committed to championship boxing and this card is no different.

“Gabriel Rosado is taking on the very dangerous David Lemieux. You don’t want to blink because Lemieux has power in both hands. Gabe Rosado has taken on the best in the business.

“When we put together these big cards we always put together those big competitive undercard fights. We have great prospects from all over the country fighting on the undercards. These guys are the champions of tomorrow.

“James De La Rosa is coming off of a big win against Alfredo Angulo and now he’s going to take on one of the top prospects in Hugo Centeno Jr., who is here to test his skills at this level.

“Hank Lundy and Thomas Dulorme is a fight with two guys who are top fighters in their division so you don’t want to miss that one.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management

“It’s a great honor and privilege to be here. I think boxing wins with this card, this is where boxing is at it’s best, when we have competitive cards like this.

“I really don’t think it’s a 50-50 fight, I don’t think people know. Rosado is a great way to find out if David Lemieux is for real.

“Saturday night David will take the opportunity to become a superstar. We’ve done everything we have to do every single day and I’m so proud of David. There are no shortcuts.

“We have so many great coaches, including Marc Ramsay who is a great person and great coach who is helping boxing in Canada.

“We know what David is all about, but you will all find out on Saturday night. Don’t miss this one and don’t blink.”

GARY SHAW, President & CEO of Gary Shaw Productions

“Hank said that on his side there is blood, sweat and tears. On Dulorme’s side it’s blood, sweat and bling, because we are going to walk out of here with both titles.

“Dulorme is a great fighter and I believe he is going to be the next 140-pound champion of the world. He will do his talking in the ring. The single most important thing is that he’s not a trash talker, he’s just a fighter.”

JIMMY BURCHFIELD SR., President & CEO of CES Boxing

“Fights like these are what boxing is all about, it’s the number one sport in the world and we have to keep making new stars.

“Every fight on this card is going to be amazing.

“Hank Lundy has added two major league trainers to his camp, in Barry Hunter and Mike Stafford. I want to thank them for helping the sport of boxing.

“Hank Lundy has been waiting his turn, we’ve traveled everywhere with Hank Lundy, because we’ve had to. The bigger the fight is, this is where the Philadelphia boxer comes out of him. He’s what TV wants, because he’s going to give his heart.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Barclays Center

“We are really excited about hosting another big night of boxing at Barclays Center. Golden Boy continues to invest in bringing great boxing to Brooklyn.

“Zachary Ochoa, we’ve heard a lot about him, he’s a big personality who’s been training on the Williamsburg Bridge so many of us have seen him going back and forth.

“In just over 24 months, Barclays Center has become the heart of boxing on the east coast. Many great fighters became great champions here at Barclays Center and we are very proud of that.

“We think that next year will be the biggest yet for us. We want to be in the big event business and we want to bring the biggest events to this venue. We will bring the best of boxing to the borough of Brooklyn.”

DAVID BERLIN, New York State Athletic Commission

“New York is key in so many ways and with it’s rich boxing tradition we are once again privileged to host fighters from all around the world.

“Saturday’s card is here with the spectacle of a big fight card, but my first thought about this card is that these are all hard, competitive and evenly matched fights that fight fans want to see.

“Saturday night six fighters have a chance to make their mark and make their mark on the big stage.”

# # #

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by
Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and
sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs.
Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions,
Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout
at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges
are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by
calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please
call 800-GROUP-BK.




THOMAS DULORME ARRIVES IN NEW YORK FOR LUNDY SHOWDOWN

Thomas Dulorme
NEW YORK (December 3, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions Puerto Rican sensation, Jr. Welterweight contender, Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs, arrived with his team in New York for his upcoming fight with Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs). The 10-round bout will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as part of a special triple-header edition of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® on Saturday, December 6, 2014 headlined by Lemieux vs. Rosado.

“I’ve arrived in New York and I’m ready to go to war,” said Thomas Dulorme. “Hank Lundy has been doing a lot of trash talking saying I’m nobody. He’s going to have a rude awaking. I’m going to do my talking in the ring and everyone will know who the superior fighter is once the fight is over. I plan on stealing the show.”

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.




DAVID LEMIEUX VS. GABRIEL ROSADO” FIGHTER WORKOUT QUOTES

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DAVID LEMIEUX, NABF Middleweight Champion

“We are very well aware of Rosado’s tendencies and his capabilities and we did everything we had to in the gym to prepare for this fight. Rosado’s got a lot on his plate.

“Nothing ever brought me down. I believe in destiny and I never quit and here I am with the best around me, you’ve just got to put in the time, the effort, the blood, the tears and the sweat. It’s all a dance and you’ve got know the right steps to get back in the ring. You’ve got be ready for it and willing to accept change.

“I’m very understanding of my power and once I start landing it’s going to be hell for Rosado and I know it.

“Myself and my entourage, I owe it to them and everybody around me to perform well. Even though you’re in the ring by yourself it’s not like you’re fighting alone. I fight for my kids and to put food on the table. I fight for my manger who has invested in me, who believes in me…I am confident in my abilities and I want prove I can do whatever I want.

“My career is about much more than winning a belt. I want to make the youth follow in my footsteps. I want to be a good example for the young guys coming up in boxing. I have a good story. I could have easily went out and given up and been a bum.

“I used to get into fights in the street and get into trouble with cops but I quickly learned discipline. I didn’t want to be kicked out of school which meant I’d be kicked out of the gym…You’ve got to understand you can teach the young people to follow in those footsteps. I have a bit of bigger plan for myself.”

GABRIEL ROSADO, Middleweight Contender

“I feel strong, I feel fast…My new trainer Jesse Reid has lots of experience He’s trained 25 world champions in his career so I think the experience he has will help.

“The fans keep me in the game. That’s what keeps me relevant. I want to get this win for the fans. I want to show them I do pay attention, I do read my Twitter and my Instagram. I can’t reply to all of them but I see it and I do appreciate it.

“I started boxing late, at 18-years-old but I was always a fan of the sport. I have posters all over my room and I when I decided to be a fighter I envisioned it.

“I believe in experience as a backbone. If I use my ring smarts and experience, I think this could end early.

“In this fight I think the fans are going to see a lot more skill. I’m going to use my ring intelligence…you’re going to see speed, power. It’s going to be great.”

HUGO CENTENO JR., Undefeated Middleweight Contender

“This my first time here in New York and I love it. It feels like home.

“HBO is working with Golden Boy again and it feels great to be given that opportunity on such a big stage. I’m exited about it.

“My dad used to box when he was younger and got into a motorcycle accident and he wasn’t able to continue his career and that’s what got me into watching fights, we would watch Tuesday night fights as a kid. I started when I was seven and the rest is history.

“My main strategy in the ring is boxing, but I can bang if I need to. I’m taller than most of my opponents but if it comes down to it and we have to slug it out, I can do that too.”

JAMES DE LA ROSA, Middleweight Contender

“My goal is to take his heart as a fighter, I feel it’s not my discretion to choose whether I can fight or not. I’m going to fight until I can’t see-, doesn’t matter if I get cuts or not. I’m here to put on a show.

“I never back out of a fight. I’ve heard he’s backed out of a couple different fights…I’ve fought a few undefeated fighters. It feels better to take someone’s ‘0’ and that’s what’s going to happen on Saturday.

“People were saying I was going to get knocked out my last fight against Alfredo Angulo and that I didn’t stand a chance and that just fuels me. It brings more fuel to the fire. I trained hard for what I wanted and it just pushes me to show people that I can.

“I feel good and I’m ready to conquer Barclays Center like I conquered the MGM, I’m really excited.”

HANK LUNDY, Junior Welterweight Contender

“I’m excited and I’m ready to go. Dulorme is a pretty basic fighter who I’m going to take care of.

“Dulorme uses a lot of fundamentals and basic things. But you need more than that to beat Hank Lundy.

“It’s going to be a big statement and we’re going to do it in a big way. Afterwards I want Danny Garcia, Philly vs. Philly we have to do it.

“I’m an old school guy and I’m going to show everybody that on Saturday.

“Hammerin’ Hank is coming to put on a show. If you’ve been a fan from day one you know I’m coming to bring the house down.”

EDDIE GOMEZ, Super Welterweight Contender

“I’m excited to return to Barclays. I started off the year January 30th, I fought Daquan Arnett on the co main event of Victor Ortiz and Luis Collazo and I’m ready to go and close out the year in Barclays.

“I learned a lot from my last fight. More of the work was on my boxing skills. Mentally, I wasn’t ready for my last fight but I still went in there and did what I had to do. I didn’t get the victory but for this one I’m 100 percent clear minded and ready to go in there.

“After this fight I’m excited to spend time with my baby, My newborn daughter. I just got a baby girl and my drive, it’s just there more. Before it was just for me but now I have do it for me and my daughter to make sure we’re good.

“I just want to go in there and show off my boxing skills and show what I’ve learned. I’m not really looking for the knockout…you never know until you get in there though, if it comes it comes but if I have to go the distance I’ll go the distance.”

ZACHARY OCHOA, Undefeated Super Lightweight Prospect

“Every time you fight in front of your home fans in your home arena it always gives you that extra push because you don’t want to let them down but it doesn’t matter anywhere I go, I could be fighting in a desert, I’m always going to push.

“My game plan is go out there, do what I do and fight the way ‘Zungry’ fights and dominate.

“Training camp has been going great. I can’t wait for the weigh in, I can’t wait to eat, I can’t wait to get in the ring and hit this guy. I’m not anxious, I’m just real chill and happy with the way everything is going.”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Golden Boy Partner and Future Hall of Famer

“This is going to be a great fight, I promise you it will not go the distance, one way or the other.

“It’s an old saying, but ‘styles make fights’. Both guys are going to let it go in there.

“The Barclays Center fans are in for something great. New Yorkers want them to put on a show and they will not disappoint.

” People want to see the fighters–they want to see Gabe. I’ve been watching and his Instagram has almost tripled each day. He’s a guy that puts his heart out there and comes to fight, and he will fight anybody.

“They may think Gabe is the opponent but then they realize, ‘wait a minute,’ they’re in a real fight. That there is loss and his gain. That’s why Gabe is being loved.”

# # #
Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.




HBO Boxing After Dark returns Saturday Night from Brooklyn

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HBO Boxing presents a sizzling night of ring action when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: DAVID LEMIEUX VS. GABRIEL ROSADO, HUGO CENTENO JR. VS. JAMES DE LA ROSA AND THOMAS DULORME VS. HANK LUNDY is seen SATURDAY, DEC. 6 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 7 (9:30 a.m.) and 8 (12:45 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Dec. 9 (11:45 p.m.)

In the main event, engaging David Lemieux (32-2, 30 KOs) of Montreal brings his hard-hitting reputation to HBO for the first time. This 12-round, 160-pound middleweight fight has all the earmarks of a brawl, as he meets Philadelphia’s hard-nosed Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs).

In the middle bout, the highly-regarded Hugo Centeno Jr. (21-0, 11 KOs), from the boxing hotbed of Oxnard, Cal., meets James De La Rosa (23-2, 13 KOs) of Harlingen, Tex., in a middleweight clash scheduled for ten rounds. De La Rosa is coming off the biggest victory of his career over Alfredo Angulo.

The opening bout is an intriguing 140-pound junior welterweight showdown featuring Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs) and Philadelphia’s Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs). The scheduled ten-round fight is Dulorme’s fourth bout in New York.

The telecast marks HBO’s third trip to Barclays Center, which is quickly becoming a hot spot in the fight game.

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, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.

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




DAVID LEMIEUX AND GABRIEL ROSADO MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

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Lisa Milner
Hi, everybody, thank you for calling in and kicking off your Thanksgiving week with us. We have a very special call today to discuss the card taking place at Barclays Center on December 6th, headlined by David Lemieux versus Gabriel Rosado. To tell us a little bit more about the fight and to introduce the fighters, I’m going to turn it over to Robert Diaz, matchmaker of Golden Boy Promotions.

Robert Diaz
Lisa, thank you very much. I want to thank everybody for taking their time, especially the fighters and their teams. Obviously, this is training time.

This is a very special event; we’re very excited to present to everyone the main event, David Lemieux versus Gabriel Rosado. It’s a 12-round fight for the NABF Middleweight Title, and when you talk excitement, you know what you’re going to get. Gabriel, there’s no secret. He’s a throwback fighter; Philly fighters, they come to fight. Every time he’s in the ring, regardless who he’s fighting, he’s here to fight. David Lemieux, from Montreal, Canada, is a very exciting fighter who’s going to bring it. So it’s a can’t miss; you want to see toe-to-toe action, you want to see a fight? Tune-in.

Our co-main event, Hugo Centeno Jr. versus James De La Rosa. James De La Rosa recently put on a great performance in beating Alfredo Angulo. And Hugo Centeno, a young star, 21-0, undefeated, is looking to make a name for himself.

Opening up the telecast will be Thomas Dulorme against Hank Lundy, and that’s a 10-round bout NABF and NABO Junior Welterweight Titles. Both are vacant and both kids are coming to fight. Opening up the telecast, Dulorme versus Lundy.

Saturday, December 6th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York; you don’t want to miss it. Live on HBO Boxing After Dark, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and the Dulorme versus Lundy is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing.

I want to thank the sponsors, Corona Extra, AT&T, and Mexico: Live it to Believe It! Tickets are reasonably priced starting at $15 and can be purchased through Barclays Center and Ticketmaster. And, for a Black Friday event, we’re going to have a special offer with details coming soon; we’ll be releasing to the media and to all the fans, there will be a very special offer you want to look into following Thanksgiving for your Black Friday special (2 for 1 tickets on Black Friday only using the code BOGO).

I want to take this time to introduce to you, from Philadelphia, one of the most exciting fighters in boxing today; willing to fight anyone and everyone, “King” Gabriel Rosado, a fearless warrior who lives up to his claim of being willing to fight everyone. A knockout winner over the likes of Jesus Soto Karass, Sechew Powell and Charles Whittaker, and he’s been in the ring with top fighters, World Champions like Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin.

Gabe, would you like to say some words to the media and the fans?

Gabriel Rosado
Thanks, Robert. I’m having a great camp, I’m excited about this fight. This is the last week of sparring and I’m just ready to roll.

Q
Can you talk about the difficulty and maybe the hesitance in parting ways with a trainer you’ve worked with so long?

G. Rosado
Yes, Billy Briscoe, he was my trainer for about 10 years. But it just kind of got to the point where I just felt that it wasn’t anything personal, it’s just business and I thought that in order for me to take it to that next level, I had to make a move. And Jesse Reid is one of the best trainers in the world. He’s trained 25 World Champions and it’s funny how it just worked out.

I just went to the gym and I asked if he could wrap my hands up one time and he wrapped me up. And then I asked him if he could work with me in the corner when I was getting ready for a sparring session and he just started giving me advice and I started listening to his advice and it was actually working. We just clicked from there and I just feel that I’m a much better fighter right now and I’m learning a lot of new things.

Q
I can only imagine, that maybe it was hard in having that discussion with Billy, saying I’m going to try something else. Is it difficult, emotionally, having to do that?

G. Rosado
It was difficult, but the thing is that me and Billy, we’re like family and when I brought it to Billy’s attention, what he told me is he felt that if that’s what I feel that I need to do to progress, he was all in and he said it was fine. We parted ways on a good note; I spoke with him not so long ago, a couple-probably about last week. So, everything’s all good, man. He just wants me to be better and I just feel like I’m having a great camp right now.

Q
You usually train in Philadelphia for your fights, if I’m not mistaken; where are you training with Jesse?

G. Rosado
I train with Jesse-I moved to Los Angeles so Jesse’s gym is actually about a 10 minute ride up the block in Burbank. I just go up, I’m in the gym usually around 11 in the morning and that’s when we do our start and we do our workouts. I’m back and forth from Los Angeles to Philly. I have a place in Philly and I have a place in Los Angeles. When it’s training camp, my last training camp, when I fought Vera, I did it in Los Angeles. I’m doing my training camp now in Los Angeles.

Q
What is your perspective on the fact that, they look at Lemieux as a guy that has to get past the gate keeper, Gabe Rosado, that’s how they label you, to move onto the bigger and better things. But I know you still have aspirations yourself, so how important is it to, yes, be in good fights all the time, but you got to win at some point, don’t you?

G. Rosado
Yes. Okay, I feel that I’ve had controversial decisions. I think the fans spoke up loudly when I fought J’Leon Love, and they all felt that that was a fight that I won. And then with Peter Quillin, it was a fight where I honestly felt I was on the verge of getting a knockout; I felt like I had the momentum on my side. I had Quillin on his heels. And it’s a fight that the fans were seeing this and the commentators all had me up on that fight, when the fight got stopped; and it got stopped in the championship rounds.

So, I think, they’re losses, but they’re fights that people say ‘He was winning on the commentators’ score card,’ it was a fight that people felt that-it’s not like taking a loss where I just flat out lost. When I fought Charlo, I flat out lost to Charlo. It was a fight that I think a lot of that had to do with me thinking I could make 154-pounds again and I killed myself to make the weight.

But when we’re talking middleweight, the only guy that really beat me legit at the middleweight division was Gennady Golovkin. But when you look at the Love fight and you look at the Peter Quillin fight, those are the fights that the fans felt I was winning and so did I. So, the fans, they know better and you can’t fool the fans and I think that’s why I’m getting this fight and, honestly, I really don’t feel that Lemieux’s the favorite in this fight.

The media might think that, but I think the fans will get this fight and Lemieux has something to prove because this is his first fight in America; not too many people know Lemieux. People know what I bring to the table and I think with me having Jesse Reid in my corner now and having a new team and doing training camp in Los Angeles, I think you’re going to see a much better fighter in me and I just can’t wait to prove that on the 6th.

Q
Are you insulted by being the “B-side” or do you just feel like I have losses that are better than what they look like on paper and so let me just go in there and take care of this kid?

G. Rosado
Yes. I’m really not insulted by it because, like I said, at the end of the day, what matters to me most is what the fans think and the fans keep me relevant and they want to keep seeing me fight. And I just use it as motivation. I think Lemieux, he’s the one with the title, he’s the one with the strap so he should be the A-side. I think I have the bigger name and I fought the bigger opponents and things like that. But, we are fighting for a title and traditionally the guy with the belt is the one with the A-side.

Q
Robert, from a promoter’s standpoint, from a matchmaker’s standpoint, what does this represent for both fighters?

R. Diaz
Well, I know a lot of times we’re into that culture, it’s a crossroad fight. But look, when you have fighters like David Lemieux and you have fighters like Gabe Rosado, fighting, bringing it together, putting these guys in, I think, after the fight, the fans are going to be like “wow, what a fight.” That’s what keeps boxing alive. We’re too quick to write off a guy because oh, he lost a fight. So what? As long as it’s a great fight, they don’t lose. The fans win; boxing wins.

So, let’s enjoy it while it’s still there. Hey, let’s see; this is going to answer a lot of questions. Gabe is focused, he’s ready, he’s hungry. He knows what this represents. He told you, new trainer, new weight division. I expect fireworks and I’m very excited about this fight.

Q
When you step out of the ring and you’re frustrated, what turns your frustration into a desire to turn it to go back to the ring?

G. Rosado
Yes, it definitely helps when I went through some tough losses in my career, the fans definitely speak up and they definitely show me love on social media and it’s mostly love more than it is negativity. And they definitely motivate me. The fans definitely keep me relevant because they speak up and they speak their minds. So, I definitely appreciate that and it definitely makes me want to go to the gym and work harder.

This fight right here is a fight where I want to win and I definitely want to win it for the fans because it’s kind of like they’re just waiting for me to get my break already. They’re just waiting for me to just get that win and I think, right now, I’m training to my full potential. I’m training really hard. Regardless of the bad decisions, or whatever the case may be, I think a lot of it had to do with me needing to be a lot more disciplined and refocused and I think that’s what I’m doing now.

Q
Talk about what you hear, in some of the messages that you’ve heard from fans that make you believe that you still have it and that you should go back.

G. Rosado
A lot of people just say that I’m an inspiration to them, things like that; I get that a lot and I think it’s because they know my background. I never had a big manager, I never started off with a big promoter. I pretty much worked my whole career having a graveyard shift or just doing odd jobs and training for fights. So I’m kind of like the blue collar guy so, I think the fans kind of relate to me and they’re pulling for me because it’s like they can relate to me on that level. I stay humble; I don’t get big headed or anything like that. I stay humble; I always remember where I come from and I think that’s why the fans relate to me.

Q
You said you met Jesse Reid in the gym; when gym was that and then what are some things that stand out that you learned from working with him so far?

G. Rosado
With Reid, he just saw a lot of potential in me. He just has me doing things that I really wasn’t thinking about in the past. He has me sitting on my shots a lot better, using my rotation, using my smarts, and it’s just a lot that I think is definitely going to show on the 6th. My last fight with Vera, even though it wasn’t a traditional boxing match, I did that camp with Jesse Reid, and I was a lot faster in that fight, I was a lot stronger in that fight, and I think we’re just going to use that momentum from that fight coming into this fight.

Q
What gym was it that Jesse Reid was wrapping your hands? Where you met him?

G. Rosado
We train at his gym and Powerhouse. I walked into the gym and asked him to wrap me up, he wrapped me up. And then I asked him to help me work in the sparring session, and he did. And he just started giving me advice; I started listening. And I was pulling it off in the sparring session and it just kind of made me feel like this is the guy I need.

Q
Hey, Gabe, I was just wondering of what you think of David Lemieux, obviously, he’s a big puncher and he’s got a lot of knockouts, but what do you think of him as a fighter and what his record is in terms of the competition that he’s fought throughout his career?

G. Rosado
I’m not taking David Lemieux lightly. I think he comes in there and he tries to go for the kill; he tries to go for the knockout, throwing a lot of big shots. It’s nothing that I haven’t seen in the past, I think I’ve fought the best Middleweights out there right now. I think I just need to use my experience and my ring smarts in this fight and we have a strong game plan in what we’re going to do and I feel that my game plan is going to succeed.

Q
What do you think about the level of competition, mostly, that he’s faced?

G. Rosado
I really don’t know much of who he fought. I know the two names that I really know are Marco Antonio Rubio and Fernando Guerrero. I just thought that-he’s a young guy so I’m not going to take him lightly. If he’s in the gym, he’s working on getting better. Maybe he learned from those mistakes and maybe he’s working on being a better fighter so I’m preparing myself for the best Lemieux and I’m just being smart and I feel that if I stick to my game plan, I should win.

Q
Gabe, do you feel like this is a fight that you absolutely must win?

G. Rosado
I look at every fight like that. But I think this time around I’m a lot more mature, I’ve been through a lot of iffy experiences in boxing. So I know what I need to do; I know what mistakes not to do, what I did in the past. Regardless of the decisions, the bad calls, or whatever the case may be, I feel that I take some blame for those losses as well.

I felt that maybe I should have been a little more disciplined, a little more focused, and I think living in L.A. right now and having Jesse Reid as a coach is definitely making me a lot more mature as a fighter. It’s making me more disciplined and I kind of see the big picture.

I don’t want to look past David Lemieux, but the goal is to be a World Champion so I definitely feel that winning this fight puts me in that position where I can get a world title again and I can fight one of the champions out there.

Q
What were some of the mistakes that you felt that you made in the past, in terms of not being disciplined?

G. Rosado
They weren’t big things, it’s the little things that mean a lot. I think, maybe, I wasn’t resting well enough. Maybe the diet wasn’t as good as it should have been. It’s just those little things. Now, when I train, I go straight to the house and I rest. We have a rhythm going on; we get up at five in the morning, do our rope work and then we relax for a little bit and then we go to the boxing gym. There’s a routine. Every day is a routine; there’s a schedule. I’m resting better, I’m eating better. So I think once you fall into a rhythm of doing things right, you see much better improvement. I think that’s what I’m doing now; that’s making a difference.

Q
We talked a little bit about some of the close losses that you had in recent times, but you did have that win in the BKB event in the summer against Bryan Vera. It was a nice knockout.
Can you describe what that was like and, also, even though it didn’t count as an official boxing match, the fact that you won and looked good and knocked the guy out, if that had a big impact on you getting this kind of fight on HBO?

G. Rosado
Absolutely, absolutely. It definitely was a different experience, but at the end of the day when the bell rang, it felt like a fight. The only difference is there were no ropes, but everything was boxing, all boxing rules; everything. Getting that win definitely got me the momentum going for this fight. So I feel very confident going into this fight because I felt strong against Bryan Vera. I did something against Bryan Vera that Chavez couldn’t do. I did everything the same as a regular boxing match. I had a strong training camp and I think people saw my skills in that fight and they saw a different me. They saw me faster, they saw me sharper, they saw me sitting on my shots. People took notice that I looked real good and it was the first time that me and Jesse Reid went into a fight. I was taking Jesse Reid’s advice. And the round that I actually knocked Bryan Vera out was the round that Jesse Reid told me to go get him.

L. Milner
Alright, thanks. We are going to turn it over, but Gabe, do you have any closing comments?

G. Rosado
No. No, that’s it. I just got to head to the gym and get ready for sparring.

R. Diaz
Gabe, thank you so much, man. Thanks for taking the time and we’ll look forward to seeing you next week, man. Take care.

Next on the call, he’s definitely one of the most popular fighters in Canada and he’s looking, on December 6th, to come in and make a big splash into the US. Again, fighting 12 rounds for the NABF middleweight title is David Lemieux. He can be introduced by our co-promoter, Camille Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Management. Camille?

Camille Estephan
Hello, everyone. Thank you, Robert. Nice talking to you folks today and very much looking forward to next week in New York. We’re calling this ‘David Lemieux version two.’ Very proudly saying that his camp has gone fantastically well; we’re exactly where we want to be and looking forward to grabbing this opportunity. What a wonderful opportunity it is. Gabe Rosado, we have a lot of respect for him, but we’re there to splash David Lemieux’s name all over the boxing world and we’re confident this is going to happen December 6th.

I’m going to turn it over to David. He will talk to you a little bit about his feelings about the fight, what his training’s been like, and then we’ll be opening up for questions.

David Lemieux
Hello, hello. Here is David. How’s it going?

Camp has been going great. I’m in the best shape right now I have ever been. I’ve trained very well against Fernando Guerrero, but nothing like I’ve been training now and I’ve reached some highpoints that I never thought I could reach and become so strong. My punches are coming off very, very well. And I’ve been doing some 10-rounds, 12-rounds sparring. We’re ready for anything. The shape is there, the endurance is there, and the power is more there than ever.

So, this is going to be an exciting fight for the fans and for everybody, and it’s going to be brutal. I’m very excited to be back in the ring. It’s the first time in the US as a pro so it’s going to be very interesting fighting at the Barclays Center on HBO for a main event. I’m very confident that I did everything I had to do. I’m not fighting for the fans; me, I’m fighting for my family. I want to feed my children. So I know that whatever I do is going to reward the fans and make sure that the fans are always satisfied because, as a pro, I’m there to do the best I can do. So let’s get down to business on December 6th.

Q
Hey, David, there are some people who might qualify someone like Gabriel Rosado who has been in some tough fights, but lost, say that he might be kind of slipping into the role of opponent. Is that a dangerous assumption to make against a guy like this?

D. Lemieux
Well, I don’t care what other people are saying about Gabriel Rosado. Whenever they give me a fighter, I don’t care about whatever is said outside. I take whatever they give me and then we start studying our subject. We’ve been studying Gabriel Rosado for a while now and we’ve been training to perfection to fight him and we’re not taking anything lightly. Gabriel Rosado’s a very good fighter. He’s very durable; he’s been in there with a lot of guys, a lot of tough guys.

I’m not really listening because any fighter can be dangerous and for sure he’s still young, he’s still fresh, he’s not beaten up. He’s going to come to fight and he has a lot of gas. He’s going to bring good stuff to the table, but once he meets me it’s going to be a head-on collision.

Q
Dave, how does Rosado stack up to, say, Marco Antonio Rubio at the time you fought him or even Joachim Alcine at the time you fought him, which were fights that you lost?

D. Lemieux
Well, there’s a very easy answer for that question. I’m nowhere near who I was when I fought Rubio or a controversial fight like Alcine, which I still to this day, don’t believe I really lost that fight, but still, there was a lot of changes that have been made. I believe, also, everything happens for a reason so I’m not taking away anything that’s happened in the past. I take it in a good way. Either it breaks you or makes you better. So it’s making me better now.

So I really put those fights in the past and if I had to do it again, I have zero concerns about fighting Rubio or Alcine. I was a different guy back then and now there’s a much more evolved man that is here now. David version 2.0.

Q
What are the circumstances that are different? Who’s training you now as opposed to who was training you then; management; what are the changes?

D. Lemieux
Actually, everything. Management, trainers, nutrition, nutritionist; everything from A to Zed. I have a new trainer since the Rubio fight with Marc Ramsay that has been going tremendously well. Also, we added a physical conditioning trainer, who is Jarek Kulesza, who has been doing a lot with me and it’s been going great-I’ve never had that in the past, personal, physical conditioning trainer and, I think, it has helped the rise of my career. It has brought me to a different level.

I am thankful to God that I’m with Camille Estephan, the best manager in the world, I believe. I always tell him, what is he doing in boxing, Camille. He’s too much of a good person to be in this sport. But, it’s a rough sport and you need a lot of rough people; he’s a rough man, but I’m very thankful that he’s on my side and we’re achieving a lot of great things.

I changed all my nutrition. I have a new nutritionist; I have a guy who does my meals before me-for every day I have two meals that are premade. So we’re counting all the calories and there’s no fat on me; it’s all muscle. Everything I eat, everything is all calculated. I’ve never had that in the past and we’re just putting more good on our side than ever before so if you like you said, everything from A to Zed has changed in my career to make me a World Champion in the future.

I’m wondering how long did it take you to-or do you feel like you’ve put those losses totally behind you or are there still people that you see that question what the heck happened?

D. Lemieux
I think all that has changed. I know that it has changed in my life, in my head. I know it’s changed, but the people are starting to know slowly and slowly it has changed, also, if they saw my last fight, especially against Fernando Guerrero, they saw I was in tremendous shape, I was in the best physical shape of my life, I was stronger, I was sharp. If you watch closely, you can see not just a puncher, but also a good boxer in there and so we’re mixing everything up and people, when they hear David Lemieux, they think he’s good for four rounds. He’s going to come in there and try to knock him out and then if he doesn’t, well, it’s no longer to his advantage.

Well, they’re going to have a surprise because I’m bringing a lot of tools to the table. And I’m not just going to be a puncher, I’m going to be a very good boxer and I’m going to be strong until the end, from the first to the twelfth; whatever needs to be done, it’s getting better and better with each fight. I think this fight is going to be the peak of my 25th year in life. It’s going to be extremely exciting and I’m very excited to give the fans what they want to see and give them a different perspective from what they’ve seen in the past, probably. Let them judge after this fight who David Lemieux is.

Q
David, do you think that there’s any Middleweight in the world that can stand up to your power?

D. Lemieux
I believe that there are a lot of great fighters out there and there’s a lot of guys who can, yes, for sure take punches and roll with it. Anything is possible. But I’m well-prepared I’m not worried about any Middleweight in the world, but for sure some guys will be tougher to put out and I’m looking forward to it, but anything is possible. I’m not saying it is impossible.

Q
I’m wondering, do you feel like there’s a little bit of, I don’t know about pressure, but a great desire on your behalf, to, not only beat Gabe Rosado, a known fighter that’s been in with everybody, but’s been on a little bit of a losing streak, to go in there and make a real statement to say, you know what, I want those bigger fights and I should be in those bigger fights sooner than later.

D. Lemieux
Absolutely. This is the whole meaning of my long trainings and hard work and preparations; this is where we’ve been waiting to be headed since the beginning of my career. Now we know how to do it compared to before where we were just guessing on okay, let’s get there, but there were some flaws in my base. So now everything has been changed and everything is there and I’m ready to mingle in with all these great Middleweights. There’s a lot of great fighters out there, like you named them. We have a lot of-I have a lot of options. There’s a lot of fun opportunities for the fans, especially to watch some great fights with us.

But, for sure, I’m looking right now for next week, December 6th, with Rosado because he’s a serious dude. He comes to fight and we’re taking him very seriously and I’m training extremely hard for it and my only concern right now is him and after that the doors are opened. First, I have to beat this guy and then we’ll walk in. But I’m extremely confident, I’m not worried. I never like to look too far in the future; it comes soon enough.

Q
Camille, can you talk about, in your mind, as the person that guides his career, where you want to go, if everything goes well for your side next Saturday?

C. Estephan
I echo the sentiments that David has. We really don’t want to look past-we take it a fight at a time. But, there’s no secret that the middleweight division is a very hot division right now. It’s a great division with Canelo, Cotto, Golovkin and the rest of them, Quillin, etc. And any one of those fights would be a good fight for the fans, would be a good fight for us, but Rosado is, maybe, underestimated because of his streak of losses in boxing, putting apart the BKB fight, but certainly not somebody to be overlooked right now. We got to take care of that business and we’re reaching for the stars, man.

I believe David’s capable of beating any one of these guys when he’s properly prepared.

Q
David could you talk about making your US debut and what it means to be fighting at Barclays Center and what kind of emotions you’re going to be having on that night?

D. Lemieux
Ever since I got the news that I’d be fighting, doing the main event on HBO in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, I’ve been extremely happy and extremely excited for this fight. So I’ve been training tremendously hard for it. I’ve had my hardest camp ever. I have never ever slept so much in camp after each training; coming home, being exhausted, being with my daughter. Sleeping at the same time as my daughter, I’m like wow, I’m really exhausted after these trainings. It’s funny because I always said to myself, I only need four, five hours sleep, but now it’s not the same thing anymore. So, we’ve been having a great camp and I’m extremely excited to be fighting at the Barclays Center.

It’s going to be exciting and it’s a great opportunity for me and also for my whole team, for my family, for all the fans, everybody that supports me, everybody out there, it’s going to be a great fight, December 6th. We’re very excited to be fighting there.

Q
Camille, could you talk about that a little bit, too? About what it would mean for David to get a win at Barclays Center and what it would mean for Eye of the Tiger?

C. Estephan
It means the world to us of course, David is one of the main guys on the team. He has the potential to be a great one for many, many years. He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s disciplined, and couldn’t be more proud of him in his work ethic; so, we’re prepared.

But the other thing that we should mention is that, you do the main event on HBO at the Barclays Center, but as well it will be featured at the Bell Centre in Montreal in another show that will have a few thousand people where Pascal is fighting on the InterBox card. So, David’s fight will be projected on the big screen. So the fans in Montreal are very, very excited about that.

He’s basically, I don’t know if it’s ever happened before, where a guy makes a main event in two shows, simultaneously, one in New York; one in Montreal. Very exciting opportunity, and we’re going to grab it.

L. Milner
Okay. David, Camille, if you guys could make some closing comments.

D. Lemieux
We said pretty much everything that there is to say. We’re extremely excited for December 6th and we’re looking forward to it and it’s going to be a great fight. A great opportunity. Thank you.

C. Estephan
Same here, guys. And don’t blink.

R. Diaz
Well, I want to thank everybody; the fighters, David, Gabriel, thank you so much for taking the time. Again, live on HBO, Boxing After Dark, December 6th from the Barclays Center. There are still tickets; very reasonable. You can get them through Barclays and Ticketmaster. And, again, look out for the Black Friday special. Thanks again, everyone. Don’t miss it. Lemieux versus Rosado.

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.




InterBox press conference recap about Dec. 6 PPV show in Montreal

Lucian Bute
MONTREAL (Nov. 12, 2014) – InterBox held a press conference today in Montreal to announce that fans at the Bell Centre on December 6 will be able to watch three major fights: light heavyweights Lucian Bute (31-2, 24 KOs) vs. Roberto Bolonti (35-3, 24 KOs) and Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) vs. Donovan George (26-4-2, 22 KOs), as well as the NABF middleweight title fight between David Lemieux (32-2, 20 KOs) vs. Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs) on big screens live from Brooklyn, New York.

“We have a former IBF champion in Lucian, a former WBC champion and Ring champion in Pascal and one of the most exciting middleweights in the World in David Lemieux – all on the same night,” InterBox president Jean Bedard commented. “It’s the type of card the fans deserve and get excited to see.”

Lucian in the Philippines: A different style of training

Under the watchful eyes of multiple-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, who is training multi-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, Lucian is refining his tools ahead of his Dec. 6 bout. Lucian may be halfway around the world in the Philippines but he quickly got comfortable with such prestigious company. “It is an honor to train with these two legends,” Bute said from the Philippines. “There are so many good people here who stop by and watch us. It feels great. It’s like I am training for the public every day.” Bute will stay at Pacquiao’s camp until Manny and Roach leave for Pacquaio’s Nov. 22 fight vs. Chris Algieri in Macau, China. Bute will return to Montreal at the end of November.

Pascal: Waiting for offers

WBC Diamond and NABF light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal is in an excellent position. As he stated to the media, Jean is currently the mandatory contender for WBC champion Adonis Stevenson and Jean will meticulously study all fight possibilities during the next few months. Pascal’s coach, Marc Ramsey, will be accompanying Lemieux to Brooklyn to work his corner Dec. 6. Pascal, who immediately agreed for Ramsey to work with Lemieux, will have Russ Anber and Roy Jones, Jr in his corner against George. Pascal also decided to set up training camp on Montreal instead of at Big Bear in California.

PPV in North America

The Canadian light heavyweight doubleheader card is also being distributed in the United Statesby Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.

The Dec. 6 card in Montreal, featuring Bute and Pascal in co-main events, will be available on a pay-per-view basis in Canada on Indigo and Bell in French and English, as well as via Rogers, Shaw and Sask-Tel in English only.

Neither PPV will include Lemieux vs. Rosado.

For additional information please visit www.IntegratedSportsnet.com or www.InterBox.ca, follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA @InterBoxBute @JeanPascalChamp.
ABOUT INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDIA: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Carl Froch, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

ABOUT INTERBOX: InterBox was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997 and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004. InterBox is internationally recognized as one of the most respected boxing organizations in Quebec and throughout the World. InterBox’s main objective is to organize top quality events, both locally and internationally. InterBox’s success is due in large part to a growing pool of elite athletes and top quality trainers to support them and their ascension to the elite. InterBox promotes, produces and presents first quality events on a regular basis thanks to the very important corporate sponsors Videotron, the Cage-aux-Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-Jeau.




THOMAS DULORME “ROBERT GARCIA AND I ARE OFF AND RUNNING”

Thomas Dulorme
OXNARD, CA (November 6, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions Jr. Welterweight contender, Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs), has arrived in Oxnard, California to train with boxing coach Robert Garcia. Dulorme will battle Philadelphia native Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) on a special triple-header edition of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® on Saturday, December 6, 2014 headlined by Lemieux vs. Rosado.

“Everything is going as planned and training camp has begun,” said top 140 lbs contender Thomas Dulorme. “Robert Garcia and I are off are off and running. There are a lot of good fighters in camp so I know sparring will be intense. It’s very competitive in this gym and I have to be on my game every time I step into the ring. I feel great and I’m looking forward to a challenging training camp.”

“Dulorme has made all the right sacrifices to get back on top,” said promoter Gary Shaw. “The fact that he’s been training in Oxnard with Robert Garcia these last few fights tells me he’s serious about his career. Garcia has been doing a fantastic job with him and I know they’ll be ready to go on December 6th.”

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For more information go to www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or www.barclayscenter.com Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/EOTMVD www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/KingGabRosado, www.twitter.com/lemieuxboxing, www.twitter.com/HugoBoss805, www.twitter.com/KingJamesLDR, www.twitter.com/Swanson_comm or www.twitter.com/BarclaysCenter. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BarclaysCenter.




DAVID LEMIEUX, GABRIEL ROSADO, EDDIE GOMEZ & ZACHARY OCHOA PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

davidlemieux
DAVID LEMIEUX, NABF Middleweight Champion

“Thank you to everybody for being here, it is a great honor and great opportunity for me to be able to fight in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.

“I’m very excited. I didn’t sleep much last night just getting excited to talk in front of you all.

“I can’t wait for the fight. Gabriel Rosado is a great fighter. He comes to fight and he’s a very tough opponent. However, I’ve never felt so strong in a camp and trained so well. If you saw my fight against Fernando Guerrero, it is going to be a new David again.

“I’m going to be a beast on December 6 and it’s going to be dangerous. I can’t wait. I’ve always trained hard, for people who don’t know my background; I’ve never cheated myself. I always put in all the work in the gym.

“We’ve had some miscalculations and setbacks, but we’re back on track and we’re here to stay on top of the pyramid.

“Brooklyn is a great city, when we landed here we could feel the energy. Then when we came here in front of Barclays Center we said, ‘wow’. This feels like home.

“Not everybody knows me here, but after December 6, you will. If you’re worried about ‘Triple G’, there’s a new name that’s coming in…Lemieux. Wait until you see my fight and then we will speak.

“I’m here to put on the best show and with Rosado, he’s a great fighter so it’s going to be fireworks and dynamite in the arena. I can’t wait.”

GABRIEL ROSADO, Middleweight Contender

“It’s interesting how this fight came about. I was supposed to be the co-main event on Hopkins’ card against Kirkland and that fight fell through. Golden Boy told me not to worry and they stuck to their word. The next thing you know, I’m the main event. One door closes another one opens.

“I’ve been in a lot of fights that were controversial, but that is boxing. Fans love the drama. Now I have the opportunity to showcase my talent.

“Jesse Reid [Rosado’s trainer] has brought new life to boxing for me. A lot of the fights that I study are old fights so I knew about Jesse. One day I needed Jesse to wrap my hands and I realized this was the guy for me.

“I respect Lemieux. He is a tough fighter. Just because I respect him doesn’t mean I am going to give him too much respect [in the ring].

“When it comes to the caliber of fighters I have faced, I’ve faced better names. I need to use my experience and intelligence in this fight.

“I’m excited to fight in New York City – the Mecca of boxing. It’s close to Philadelphia so I know the fans are going to come out. I’m Puerto Rican and there’s a big Puerto Rican population in New York and all of the Latinos will want to watch this fight.

“I’m excited and I can’t wait to put on a show.”

EDDIE GOMEZ, Junior Middleweight Contender

“As we all know, my last fight did not go in my favor. I lost my first fight as a professional, so now I’m just looking to bounce back and do what I have to do.

“I’m happy to be fighting again at Barclays Center, so a lot of my friends and family will come out and show support. You never know, my luck might just be right here at home.

“I’m looking to put on an impressive show in my first comeback fight. I’m happy to be fighting before Christmas and New Years and I’m hoping to close out the year with a good victory.”

ZACHARY OCHOA, Junior Welterweight Prospect

“Since I’ve started boxing I’ve dreamed of an introduction like that from Oscar De La Hoya. I’ve studied him for a long time, especially that jab. I want to thank him and Golden Boy Promotions.

“I want to thank Brett Yormark, Barclays Center and everyone who gave me the opportunity to fight on this great stage.

“It’s going to be a great fight, this has been my best year since signing with Golden Boy and I’m ready to go.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President & Founder of Golden Boy Promotions

“It is satisfying to know that we are coming back once again to the ‘Mecca of Boxing’ in New York – Barclays Center and to be able to give the fight fans real fights that they deserve to see.

“What better venue than Barclays Center? We are always happy to be back in a town where boxing is appreciated this much. The fight fans know boxing. The fight fans live for boxing here in Brooklyn.

“It is very important for Golden Boy Promotions and Barclays Center to keep bringing boxing back to Brooklyn on a regular basis. This is quite a treat for us. Quite a treat for Barclays Center because we know that the fight fans are going to get close to 10 competitive fights from top to bottom.

“I’m really happy to be working with CES Boxing, Gary Shaw Productions and Eye of the Tiger Management. It shows the direction in which Golden Boy Promotions is heading – in terms of bringing the best fights to the fans. It shows that Golden Boy Promotions is willing to work with anybody in order to satisfy the boxing fans.

“The three televised fights are competitive, compelling fights that the fans will enjoy. There is a lot at stake in the 150-pound and 160-pound weight ranges – you think tough competition. There will be no losers because every fighter is going to give it their all. Every fighter knows what is at stake.

“We are really excited about all of the fights on this card. The winners will move on to bigger and better things.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Managements

“We spoke for a while about this and now it is a dream come true. What better place than Barclays Center, what a beautiful place. Being here in New York City, all I can think is ‘wow.’

“We’ve been working towards this for a long time, way before any news about Rosado’s other fights. We have a lot of respect for Rosado and he is a guy that is respected in boxing. What we want to do is stamp the boxing world with David Lemieux.

“A couple of years ago when David and I started working together, we were sitting in a restaurant planning out what we wanted to do. We were sitting near a nice wall of bricks. There are a lot of difficulties in a boxer’s career, and what I said to him is that we we’re going to build a wall, every single day in the gym and every day is another brick in that wall. One day will end up with a great wall.

“We have a grand vision and we’re going to prove it on Dec. 6. We think the best possible place to do it is here so we want to thank everyone who made it possible.

“We’re going to have lots of people from Montreal coming, they’re ready. They’re coming to support David. There are some other great fights on that night in Montreal, but a poll started online saying which fight people wanted to see most. So far 58 percent want to see David’s fight, so hopefully we will bring them hear with us.

JESSE REID, Rosado’s Trainer

“It’s my pleasure to be here. I first saw Gabe on television and he reminded me of the old time fighters like Rocky Graziano. You look at some of these young souls and you see tremendous power, tremendous speed and a big heart.

“I told my son, ‘If I could ever get a chance to work with this young man, I would love it.’ I’ve had some great champions in Johnny Tapia, Roger Mayweather, Hector Camacho and others. This young man has really brought my heart back into boxing. I’m 72-years-old and he makes me feel like I’m 21.

“He’s ready to fight anyone at any time, but he also has tremendous boxing ability and I don’t think that has ever been tapped into and I have the opportunity to work on these things.

“The aggressiveness of Gabriel Rosado is what makes boxing worthwhile.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Barclays Center

“We are extremely excited to be hosting another great night of boxing. We thank Golden Boy Promotions for its support of boxing in Brooklyn and Barclays Center.

“This is the ninth boxing event with Golden Boy Promotions. We are very proud of that. Golden Boy put us on the map in terms of our boxing promotion in Brooklyn. We have only been open for a little more than 24 months and I think we have certainly become the home of boxing in the northeast.

“When I look back at 2014, it was a great year of boxing at Barclays Center. I am looking forward to ending it on a high note on December 6.

“I truly believe that 2015 will be our biggest year ever when it comes to boxing in Brooklyn and with the help of Golden Boy, we will continue to bring great fights.”

# # #

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale now and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

For more information go to www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or www.barclayscenter.com Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/EOTMVD www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/KingGabRosado, www.twitter.com/lemieuxboxing, www.twitter.com/HugoBoss805, www.twitter.com/KingJamesLDR, www.twitter.com/Swanson_comm or www.twitter.com/BarclaysCenter. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BarclaysCenter.




BARCLAYS CENTER IN BROOKLYN TO HOST HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® TRIPLEHEADER ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6

davidlemieux
BROOKLYN (October 29) – Golden Boy Promotions returns to its East Coast home – Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, December 6 with a special HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader. In the 12-round main event, rising Canadian star David Lemieux will defend his NABF Middleweight Title against the no nonsense Philadelphian warrior “King” Gabriel Rosado. Plus, unbeaten Californian Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. takes on his toughest challenge yet in the form of Texas’ James “The King” De La Rosa. Rounding out the televised card is a pair of junior welterweight sluggers as Thomas “El Frances” Dulorme takes on “Hammerin” Hank Lundy in junior welterweight action.

In non-televised action, two hot prospects out of New York City, Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez and Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa, will enter the ring in separate bouts to entertain the hometown fans and continue their rise to the top of the boxing world.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale now and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office starting on Thursday, Oct. 30 at noon. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

“I’m really looking forward to this fight,” said Lemieux. “My training camp has already started and I am in great shape. I want to take this opportunity to prove that I represent a real threat to the middleweight division. Gabriel Rosado is a tough fighter and he has fought a lot of talented boxers and has established his credibility. This will be a good test for me and I’m working really hard to deliver an amazing performance.”

“A fight like me against David Lemieux is what HBO is all about, and the type of fight the boxing world craves,” said Rosado. “I’m both excited and motivated to fight again on the East Coast. I’m from Philly and I know my fans will be in Brooklyn to represent [Philadelphia] alongside my New York fans. Records can be deceiving and I believe David Lemieux will learn that first hand, and I’m hungry to get back in the mix with the best in the middleweight division.”

“I’m really excited about this great opportunity, I will take complete advantage of it and showcase my talent,” said Centeno Jr. “I want to thank Golden Boy and HBO for this opportunity.”

“Here I am again on the big stage this time against Hugo Centeno Jr. on HBO,” said De La Rosa. “I’m dedicating this fight to my mentor Emanuel Augustus who I’d been sparring against since I was 14 years old. People know he came to put on a show and I’m coming to do the same December 6 in Brooklyn.”

“I’m very grateful to my promoter Gary Shaw for getting me this fight with Hank Lundy,” said Dulorme. “I’m really looking forward to putting on a great show for all of the fans watching on HBO. This is a great opportunity for me to showcase my talent against a very good opponent. I know a victory against Lundy will open up many doors for my career. I’m coming to win and win convincingly for my fans back home in Puerto Rico.”

“This is what we’ve been waiting for – to fight on a big stage – HBO,” said Lundy. “This is a great opportunity to show the world ‘Hammerin’ Hank is the best-kept secret in the 140-pound weight class. On December 6, I’m coming to New York to put on a hell of a show. As a Philadelphia kid, everyone knows that I’ve fought hard. Nothing comes easy. The fans know I’m going to bring it.

“The winners of these two fights will find themselves positioned for huge match-ups in their next bouts, while the losers will experience a major setback,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “With so much on the line, fans are in for a huge show to close out the 2014 boxing season at Barclays Center.”

“I’m extremely happy for David to get this opportunity on the big stage in the U.S. against a very well respected Gabriel Rosado,” said Camille Estephan of Eye of the Tiger Management. “We are not looking past this fight nonetheless, we believe David is capable of competing with the cream of the crop in his division. We couldn’t be happier with David’s preparation so far for this fight. We want to seize this opportunity and we will.”

“Dulorme has looked sensational since moving down to 140 pounds,” said Gary Shaw, Dulorme’s promoter. “Right now he’s riding a five-fight winning streak and momentum is on his side. Lundy is a good fighter, but I believe Dulorme is on another level. I want to thank Ken Hershman, Peter Nelson and everyone at HBO for all of their supports in making this fight a reality. Also I’m glad to be working with Cameron Dunkin again. This is going to be a great fight for the fans, one they deserve.”

“We want to thank HBO, Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions for this opportunity. We’re very excited to fight at the beautiful Barclays Center in Brooklyn,” said Jimmy Burchfield Sr., CES Boxing President and CEO. “Hank is a throwback fighter. He fights in the center of the ring and brings the fight to his opponent. This is why he gets the highest ratings when he fights worldwide and on national television. This is a fight we’ve wanted for a long time. We know Thomas Dulorme is a worthy opponent, but these are the kind of fights that bring out the best in ‘Hammerin’ Hank.”

“I am excited to welcome new boxing talent to Barclays Center,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center. “We expect a great fight from Lemieux and Rosado, which the boxing fans of Brooklyn have come to expect at Barclays Center. We are also delighted that Zachary Ochoa and Eddie Gomez are returning to the center of boxing on the East Coast.”

“The commitment to boxing from the people at Barclays Center is gratifying and we are delighted to return to Brooklyn for an action packed night of tough fights on our late night boxing franchise,” said Peter Nelson, vice president, programming, HBO Sports. “Fight fans will get their money’s worth from three stellar matchups and we know that David, Gabriel, Hugo, James, Thomas and Hank will be prepared to seize the night.”

Canada’s latest hope for world championship honors, 25-year-old Montreal native David Lemieux (32-2, 30 KOs) has all of the tools to become an international superstar, and his first HBO headliner against Rosado will certainly prove if he’s ready for primetime. Currently ranked second in the world at 160 pounds by the WBC, fifth by the IBF and eighth by the WBO, Lemieux is coming off of a blistering third-round knockout over Fernando Guerrero in May and many believe a win over Rosado will be his ticket to a title shot.

One of the most respected and popular middleweights in the world, Philadelphia’s “King” Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs) is a fearless warrior who lives up to his claim to be willing to fight anyone, anytime at any place. A knockout victor over the likes of Jesus Soto Karass, Sechew Powell and Charles Whittaker, Rosado has also shared the ring with world champions Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin. Eager to get another opportunity to challenge for a world title, the 28-year-old Rosado will enter the ring with a vengeance December 6.

Ready to make his move on the middleweight elite, Oxnard’s Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. (21-0, 11 KOs) has long been one of boxing’s top prospects, but since the 23-year-old put together wins over Ayi Bruce, Keandre Leatherwood, Angel Osuna and Gerardo Ibarra, he has made himself known as a legitimate contender. On December 6, he will introduce himself to the world on the HBO airwaves.

A native of Harlingen, Texas, 26-year-old James “The King” De La Rosa (23-2, 13 KOs) fought under the radar for much of his nearly decade-long career, even though he defeated Tim Coleman, Tyrone Brunson and James Webb. But in September, De La Rosa broke out on the world stage with his dominant 10-round decision win over Alfredo Angulo in Las Vegas, setting up another big fight in December against the unbeaten Centeno Jr.

Fighting in New York for the fourth time, Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs) is currently on a five-fight winning streak in which he’s dispatched Francisco Figueroa and outpointed previously unbeaten Karim Mayfield, putting him among the top contenders at 140 pounds. Currently ranked second in the world by the WBA, fourth by the WBC and IBF and fifth by the WBO, the 24-year-old Dulorme is taking on a risky test in Lundy, but with a win, he will move a step closer to a title shot.

Bouncing back in style after a 2013 decision loss to Viktor Postol, 30-year-old Philadelphia native Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) has barely lost a round since defeating Olusegun Ajose, Angelo Santana and Gerardo Cuevas in successive fights, showing that despite his previous success at 135 pounds, his true home is now in the junior welterweight division, where he is ranked sixth in the world by the IBF heading into this pivotal showdown with Dulorme on December 6.

Hailing from the Bronx, Eddie Gomez (16-1, 10 KOs) has done a lot in a short time thus far as a professional, following up a stellar amateur career with dominant victories over a high level of competition. Now, he looks to avenge the first loss of his career, an upset defeat in June at the hands of Francisco Santana. Gomez had been hot before the loss as the skilled boxer-puncher had defeated Luis Hernandez, Steve Upsher Chambers and Daquan Arnett previously. Next he will face an opponent to be named on December 6.

Proudly representing his borough of Brooklyn will be junior welterweight prospect Zachary Ochoa (8-0, 4 KOs). Appearing at Barclays Center for the fourth time, the 22-year-old Ochoa has shown style and savvy throughout his young career and in his next test, against an opponent to be determined he will look to keep his hometown fans happy.

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For more information go to www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or www.barclayscenter.com Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/EOTMVD www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/KingGabRosado, www.twitter.com/lemieuxboxing, www.twitter.com/HugoBoss805, www.twitter.com/KingJamesLDR, www.twitter.com/Swanson_comm or www.twitter.com/BarclaysCenter. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BarclaysCenter.




Lemieux to take on Rosado on December 6 in Brooklyn

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According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Middleweights David Lemieux and Gabriel Rosado will headline a triple header on December 6 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn that will be televised on Showtime.

Oscar De La Hoya also outlined the plans for the rest of the card, which will include a middleweight bout between James De La Rosa and Hugo Centeno. A welterweight bout between hot prospect Frankie Gomez and Thomas Dulorme is also in the works.

“Lemieux is a very exciting fighter and a big puncher,” De La Hoya said. “We made a deal with him for this fight. He’s in an exciting weight class and the ultimate prize for anyone at 154 or 160 pounds is to face Canelo Alvarez, and David Lemieux fits into that picture perfectly. The guy comes at you like a Mack truck. We’re going to do some good things with him. He has a great record, amazing power and is a great looking kid.”

The 25-year-old Lemieux (32-2, 30 KOs), whose formal deal with Golden Boy is for only one bout, has fought all of his professional fights in Montreal except one, and that was in Quebec City. He has appeared on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” several times but he is coming to Brooklyn to make a statement in the U.S., said manager Camille Estephan.

“We want to fight guys like Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez, and I think David is ready for these guys, but on a financial level it doesn’t make sense for them to fight him right now,” Estephan said. “I’m not saying they are ducking David because his name recognition in the U.S. is not big enough yet. So HBO wanted David to fight in the United States and for their audience to see him. They wanted to see what he can do against a guy who is a proven fighter like Gabriel Rosado. I am super happy we got this fight.”

“Rosado and Lemieux is a good fight,” said De La Hoya, who promotes Rosado. “Lemieux is a tough son of a gun. He always comes forward and so does Rosado. Rosado gave Golovkin one of his better fights and he always comes to fight. Dec. 6 is going to determine who’s possibly the next opponent for Canelo, after Cinco de Mayo.”




Stevenson gets knocked down but retains Light Heavyweight title with decision over Fonfara

Adonis Stevenson survived a couple anxious moments but he retained the WBC Light Heavyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Andrzej Fonfara at the Bell Centre in Montreal

In round one Stevenson landed a hard left and sent Fonfara to the canvas. Stevenson was all over Fonfara and tried to end the fight in the opening frame. The shots opened up a cut around the right eye of Fonfara in round three. Fonfara settled down and had a decent round four. In round five, Steveson landed a hard left to the body that put Fonfara on the canvas. When Fonfara got to his feet, Stevenson continued to work the body and then landed a huge uppercut. Stevenson hurt Fonfara yet again in round six with a hard right to the body.

Fonfara hung in and tried to work behind the jab in round seven. The fight turned in round nine when a right hook sent Stevenson down to the canvas. Fonfara continued to pepper Stevenson with shots throughout the round. Round ten was a good bounce back round for Stevenson as he hurt Fonfara on a couple of occasions by mixing up head and body shots. Stevenson came out in round 11 by battering the body and then hurt Fonfara with an uppercut. The two battled to the end which was much to the delight of the crowd at the Bell Centre

Stevenson, 173 1/2 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 115-110 twice and 116-109 and is now 24-1. Fonfara, 174 1/2 lbs of Chicago is 24-3.

After the fight, Stevenson told SHOWTIME Sports® ringside reporter Jim Gray, “(It was a) good fight. I hurt my left hand in the second round. He did very well. I threw the punch but I caught the elbow and I hurt my hand.”

Stevenson was satisfied with his victory despite getting knocked down. “Everyone gets knocked down. But I came back strong. I showed the world because I’m a true champion.

“I told everybody (Fonfara) is strong. He’s been training since December. He is ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the world. He was ready for this fight. I never overlooked him because he’s a tough fighter.”

When asked by Gray about the prospect of fighting Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev, Stevenson said, “I accept any challenge. Bernard can be next. And I have no problem with Kovalev. If I fight him I fight him.”

Fonfara, despite the loss, made an emphatic statement. After the fight, he said, “I survived because I have the heart to fight. Every time he hit me I felt the punch. Tonight Stevenson is better. I’m still young. I’m only 26 years old. I’m training hard and one day I’ll be a world champion.”

Middleweight power puncher destroyed former world title challenger Fernando Guerrero in round three of a scheduled 12-round bout.

Guerrero had a good first two-minutes of the bout as he darted in and landed lead lefts. Lemieux finally caught Guerrero with a massive left hook that set up two hard rights that sent Guerrero to the canvas. In round two, Guerrero landed huge shots and opened up a cut from the right eye. Lemieux scored a second knockdown at the end of the round from a hard combination. Lemieux was relentless to start round three to the point Guerrero to a knee without a punch being thrown. With the blood streaming out of his eye, Guerrero went down from hard uppercuts and the fight was stopped at 1:56 of round three.

Lemieux, 159 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 32-2 with 30 knockouts. Guerrero, 159 lbs of Los Angeles is now 26-3.

“I knew Fernando Guerrero is a very strong fighter. Very tough,” said Lemieux. “He’s been down many times and always gets back up. Once I started to land my shots I could see it in his eyes that the game started to change.

“The results in the ring are from my dedication and my training. I want to tip my hat to Fernando Guerrero. He is a great fighter. I studied him for many months prior to the fight. So I am very happy with the outcome.”

“I’m determined to be a world champion. I would love to fight anyone in the world at 160.”

Jr. Middleweight Jermell Charlo remained undefeated with a 12-round unanimous decision over Charlie Ohta.

Charlo took charge with his boxing in the first 2 rounds. In round three, Ohta landed a right hand that sent Charlo to the canvas. Charlo was not hurt and boxed as if nothing happend and came back to land a hard upper cut the bell. Charlo continued to box and mix up his punches with right and left hooks. He jabbed well too. Ohta would get in an occasional nice counter.

In round nine, Charlo was deducted a point for low blows but was never threatened during the fight.

Charlo, 153 3/4 lbs of Houston won by scores of 115-111 and 118-109 twice and is now 24-0. Ohta, 153 lbs of Tokyo is now 24-2-1.

After the fight, Charlo said that he was not concerned with the knockdown. “To me, I slipped. I didn’t feel the solid shot. He hit me with the right hand. He just caught me off balance. But it is what it is.

“This was a rough one. I did what I had to do tonight.”
Good looking Jr. Middleweight prospect Julian Williams remained undefeated with a terrific 8th round stoppage in a 10-round bout.

Williams dominated with quick over hand rights in the 1st couple of rounds. He rocked Medina on several occasions through out the fight. In round six, he shook Medina with a beautiful 10 punch combination for which 6 of the punches landed flush. In round eight, Williams landed a perfect double right hand that sent Medina to the canvas and the fight was stopped upon Medina getting to his feet at the count of 10 at 1:59 of round 8.

Williams, 154 3/4 lbs of Philadelphia is now 16-0-1 with 10 knockouts. Medina, 154 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 26-5-2.

Light Heavyweight prospect Eleider Alvarez scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Alexander Johnson.

Alavarez dominated with a the right hand against the southpaw Johnson. In round five, Alavarez dropped Johnson with a combination. Johnson was able to get out of the round finished the fight as Alavarez seemed content to box from the outside.

Alvarez, 175 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 97-92 on all cards and is now 15-0. Johnson, 171 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC is now 15-2.




DAVID LEMIEUX vs. FERNANDO GUERRERO, JERMELL CHARLO vs. CHARLIE OHTA FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

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MONTREAL (May 22, 2014) – Hometown favorite David Lemieux and Fernando Guerrero agree on one thing: their showdown on the undercard of the Adonis Stevenson-Andrzej Fonfara SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader at Bell Centre this Saturday, May 24 will likely end in a knockout.

“The knockout is going to be there,” Lemieux said. “It’s only a matter of how it’s going to be there that is going to make a difference.”

The power-punching Lemieux (31-2, 29 KOs), of Montreal, and Guerrero (26-2, 19 KOs) of Salisbury, Md., will square off in a 10-round middleweight co-featured bout live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

Guerrero, who compiled a 2-0 record in Canada while fighting as an amateur, isn’t fazed by Lemieux’s power or the prospect of fighting in his hometown.

“We’ve faced punchers before and I’ve demolished them,” Guerrero said. “With a guy like David and I facing off, it doesn’t seem like the fight will go the distance.”

In the opening bout of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, Houston’s unbeaten rising star Jermell Charlo (23-0, 11 KOs) takes on Japan’s Charlie Ohta (24-1-1, 16 KOs) in a 12-round junior middleweight match.

The 2013 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, “Superman” Stevenson (23-1, 20 KOs), of Montreal, will defend his WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship against Chicago’s Fonfara (25-2, 15 KOs), the IBF No. 1 and WBC No. 3-ranked contender.

On SHO EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT) from the Bell Centre, Julian “J-Rock” Williams (15-0-1, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, faces Michael Medina (26-4-2, 19 KOs), of Modesto, Calif., in a 10-round junior middleweight scrap and world-ranked Eleider Alvarez (14-0, 8 KOs), of Montreal by way Colombia, collides with Alexander Johnson (15-1, 6 KOs), of Washington, D.C., in a 10-round light heavyweight bout.

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

DAVID LEMIEUX:
“I’ve been preparing for a spectacular fight. We’re both great fighters, but only one of us can win on Saturday.

“(Guerrero) is one of the best fighters I’ve fought to date. I feel spectacular. My training camp has been spectacular; I’ve had the best training camp of my career. We did everything we needed to do in case there are any surprises in the ring.

“I feel the strongest I’ve ever been. I’m ready to go 12 rounds. If it has to go to the limit, I will have no problem.

On switching trainers……“It has been a big help in my career. It’s been a big turnaround. My new trainer Marc Ramsay has helped me become ready to be a 12-round fighter. There have been so many changes since the two upsets I had with my old trainer. I now see all the things that I need to be on top of my game and to be a world champion. We’ve been making adjustments and we’ve been getting the results in the ring. I’m ready to fight anybody right now.

“I’m a knockout artist. Every fight I go into I expect a knockout. And I’m feeling the strongest I’ve ever felt since the beginning.

“I expect (Guerrero) to take my head off. So I will be ready for whatever. I’m not scared – I expect the same punishment that I give to my opponents. I want to knock him out, so I expect the same thing from him.

“I’m not worried. Whatever he brings to the table, I’ll adjust and I’ll be victorious.”

FERNANDO GUERRERO:
“We’ve fought in Canada before in the amateurs and I won both times. I’m 2-0 in Canada. I’m not worried about fighting in front of his hometown fans.

“I’ve grown since the loss to (Peter) Quillin. I had one of the worst camps of my life for that fight and I wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared. We just have to move on and not have any emotions in there for this fight.

“Lemieux and I have a lot of similarities. We both have two losses. We’ll get in there and see what happens. One of us will likely walk out with a third loss, and I’ve done everything I can to make sure that it isn’t me.

“Once we step in the ring there aren’t any excuses. If I win, it’s because I prepared as hard as I could. If I lose, it’s because I didn’t give it my all.

“I’m 2-0 in Canada. I came here and I won. When you’re a boxer, it’s not the location that matters because we all fight in the ring. I’ll step in the ring and do my job and let the judges do theirs.

“I’ve seen a lot of his fights – we’ve done our homework. We know what he does well and we also know his weaknesses.

“I consider myself a puncher just like him. He’s strong, I’m strong. He’s fast, I’m fast. He has heart, I have heart. But I never give up. I have the will to fight.’’

JERMELL CHARLO:
“I’m blessed and thankful to be here in Canada. Ever since we touched down it’s been great. I’m ready to put on a great performance and keep climbing up in the ranks at 154 pounds.

On his height advantage over Ohta… “In camp we worked on so many different things and we’re ready for whatever Charlie is going to bring. He’s 5-foot-6 and I’m 5-foot-11½ so that’s an advantage for me.

“I’m fast, I’m strong. I’m way stronger than I was for the (Gabriel) Rosado fight, so hopefully that will come out during this fight. You’ll see the strength and you’ll see that I’m ready for this next stage and level of boxing.

On being in camp with Erislandy Lara… “We push each other hard. Even with the language barrier we’re able to still communicate and make fun out of training and at the same time give it our all.

“We’ve been gaining from everything that we knew we missed out on last fight. So it’s just the process of getting better.

On Ohta not being present at the press conference… “It happens. I’ve seen him on tape. I know what he looks like, so it’s fine. I’ll see him at the fight, and I’ll see him at the weigh-in.

“He’s a short and stocky guy so he uses his compact positioning and his style to his perfection. But what fighter haven’t I faced that comes forward, that puts a lot of pressure on and is heavy?

“He has a little pop on his punches. He’s 32 years old, I’m 24 – my birthday was Monday — so I feel like I’m getting older and I’m getting better.”

CHARLIE OHTA (Prepared Statement):
“I’m in great shape and I had a great camp. This is my time.

“This is a great fight between a boxer and a puncher. It’s no secret what I’m going to do — I’m going to bring the heat and put the heat on Charlo.

“We guarantee you will see a great fight and everyone will get their money’s worth.”