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“Once & Four All”
Teleconference
Yonnhy Perez vs. Abner Mares
By Barbara Pinnella
Yesterday, Tuesday May 11th, was the media conference call
for the big fight night at Staples Center on May 22 titled,
“Once & Four All”. Four fighters were featured, Yonnhy
Perez and Abner Mares, and the two that are involved in the
main event, Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez. Here are the
highlights of that call.
Promoter for Perez, Gary Shaw, started off by saying that
“This is what boxing is all about. A strong card all the way
through, not just one fight.” He pointed out however that
neither fighter would have chosen this fight, since they are
good friends. They have faced each other three times when
they were amateurs.
Both of these men are undefeated. Mares record is 20-0, 13
KOs, while Perez has a record of 24 -0, 14 KOs. Shaw stated,
“The winner of this is truly a Champion. I believe that this
fight has Fight of the Year written all over it.”
When asked how the two first met, Mares was first to answer.
“We met in the Central American Games in San Salvador, and
we won there. He beat me the next time. He introduced
himself, and said he liked my red boxing shoes and how much
were they. I told him, and he said ‘That is experience, but
how could I get some?’ I gave him my shoes, saying ‘You beat
me and you’re a good fighter.’
“We fought in Santo Domingo at the Pan American Games, and
thank God I won there. He asked me about living in the
States and if I knew someone who could help get him into the
pros, and that’s how I introduced him to my Dad.”
When asked how he planned to beat Perez, Mares laughed and
said, “I can’t say how I’m going to beat Yonnhy. You’re
going to have to wait until the 22nd. But he’s a fighter who
doesn’t stop throwing. He just keeps coming forward. He’s in
the best shape and just never stops. But there is a way to
beat anyone out there.”
Perez also had something to say. “There are two great fights
on the card. Four guys that will give their all. I know I’m
prepared and I guarantee I will give it my all. This is a
big chance for me. I have to defend my title so I can show
on a bigger stage just what kind of Champion I am.”
In 2008 Mares suffered an eye injury that required surgery.
When asked about that he replied, “There is no problem.
Everything is good. It is not getting better, but it’s not
getting any worse.”
It was then time for the main eventers to take to the
phones. Vasquez and Marquez have faced each other three
other times, with Rafael winning the first meeting and
Israel getting the nod in the other two.
“I feel motivated for this fourth fight,” Vasquez said. “I’m
glad there is still an interest. I have a lot of gratitude
to the fans for sticking by me, because I’ve been gone a
long time. I’ve got to thank the fans for this fight taking
place. I still get stopped in the street and people say,
‘When are you going to fight him again?’ So I have to thank
the fans, because without them there wouldn’t be a fourth
fight.”
Marquez agreed. “This is going to be a great fight, like the
other three. It’s going to be a spectacle. We’re here to
please the fans.”
It was asked whether or not knowing each other so well was a
good thing or a hindrance. Israel stated, “I think it
cancels out. I see it as a positive. You’re right, you can
see it as a negative, but I see it as a positive. I know
where to attack him; you can always correct the negatives.
You can go back and fix what you didn’t do right. How will
we be able to execute what we’ve been working on? How will
we hold up physically? How much did the past fights take out
of us? Those are the questions that will be answered.”
When the same question was posed to Rafael, he responded, “I
agree with Israel. I think it does cancel out. It’s a little
positive and a little negative. I’m always training in the
gym or running. It’s going to be a great fight on the 22nd.
It cancels out. We both know each other very well.
“Israel is a great fighter. He’s very strong. He’s
resilient. He can come back when he’s down on points and win
a fight. I’ve always said that he is a great fighter and
really has no weaknesses. That’s why I took that first
fight. I only wanted to fight the best, and that’s why I
agreed to fight him the first time.
“I feel fine physically. The biggest difference with me is
that I’m more mature. With any fight you keep learning and
maturing. The only difference between this time and last
time is that I’m more mature mentally and I know what it
takes to win.”
Vasquez has his own motivation for this fight. “Obviously
you get motivated by the fans and motivated by the money.
But my motivation is to shut those naysayer’s mouths. They
say I shouldn’t be fighting any more. I want to shut their
mouths and let them know I can still make great fights. All
I’ve got to do is make a great, spectacular fight on May
22nd. One thing I know is that Rafa and I might be in
wheelchairs one day, but we’ll still be throwing punches and
battling from our wheelchairs. If I can feel the way I feel
now, I’ll keep fighting when I’m 50!”
These great fights will take place at the
Staples Center, and tickets are priced at $250, $125,
$75, $50, and $25. The fight will also be shown live on
Showtime Championship Boxing at 9:00 ET.
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