|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cristian
Mijares, Vic Darchinyan, Andre Dirrel THURSDAY, OCT. 30, 2008
Le Foyer Ballroom at Anoush Banquet Hall, North Hollywood,
Calif.
World Boxing Association (WBA)/World Boxing Council (WBC) super flyweight champion Cristian Mijares and International Boxing Federation (IBF) 115-pound champion Vic Darchinyan participated in the final fight week press conference Thursday at the Le Foyer Ballroom at Anoush Banquet Hall in North Hollywood, Calif. Darchinyan (30-1-1, 24 KOs) will face Mijares (35-3-2, 13 KOs) in an eagerly awaited 115-pound world title unification showdown this Saturday, Nov. 1, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). Many boxing fans and aficionados think that Saturday’s Mijares-Darchinyan unification bout could follow in the footsteps of Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez and become the next great boxing trilogy. In support of that, it was also announced at the press conference that WBC super bantamweight champion Vazquez will attend Saturday’s fight to show support for both warriors. Also at the press conference, SHOWTIME announcer Jimmy Lennon officiated two coin tosses between Mijares’ promoter Lou DiBella and Darchinyan’s promoter Gary Shaw. Mijares won the first and chose to enter the ring second and be introduced to the fans in attendance and on SHOWTIME first. Mijares also won the second coin toss to determine which corner he will occupy on Saturday. The WBA and WBC champion chose the red corner, while the IBF champion will fight out of the blue corner. In an exciting 12-round co-feature, undefeated, world-ranked super middleweight Andre Dirrell (16-0, 11 KOs) faces once-beaten, world-ranked 168-pound contender Victor Oganov (28-1, 28 KOs). Tickets, priced at $25 to $250, are on sale at The Home Depot Center Box Office, open 10 a.m-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, all Ticketmaster retail ticket locations, online at www.Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster-Charge-by-Phone (213-480-3232). The Home Depot Box Office will open at 10 a.m. the day of the event. The fight card is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Gary Shaw Productions and KO Entertainment. What the fighters said on Thursday:
VIC DARCHINYAN: “I have a lot of respect for my opponent, but I am going to punish and destroy him. “He may be a champion, but he is nothing. I am going to prove that. You are going to see. “Thank you to Mijares’ team for bringing my belts. I appreciate it. “He’s a player. He has an amateur style. I’m going to catch him and knock him out. “He is very confident. He always has a smile on his face. On Saturday night I am going to wipe it off. “People say he is a smart boxer. Well, anyone can say they are smart. We’ll see how smart he is on Saturday. “It’s going to be a very exciting fight. Pay close attention because I am going to knock him out. “This is the biggest fight in my career. I promise you I will walk out with all those belts. “In my one loss I beat myself. That will not happen on Saturday. The only thing I will beat is Mijares.”
CRISTIAN MIJARES: “I know that to be the best fighter in the world I have to beat the best. Darchinyan is one of the best and I will beat him on Saturday. “I know it is going to be a war. The crowd will enjoy it. It will be a big battle. “I can’t promise it will be by knockout, but I can tell you I am going to win. “I’m doing this fight for pride. I promise you I will win and I promise you it will be a good fight. “I feel good. I am very happy with the way training camp went. “I’m already at weight and I’m ready to go.”
ANDRE DIRRELL: “I’m going to go down in history as the best pound-for-pound super middleweight fighter. “Believe me when I say this, I will not lose. This is what I live for. “I thought he was taller than he is, but I don’t think height will have an impact in the outcome of the fight. “This is going to be a great fight. Victor is a great fighter and I will not take him lightly. “He looks pretty durable, but he won’t be able to handle my boxing skills” VICTOR OGANOV: “I won’t do any trash talking. You’ll be able to see it in the ring. “I’ve seen a few of his last fights and I know he has a good style. He is a little guy working hard for his dream. Like all good boxers we will see what he is made of in the ring. “I am very happy with my preparation. This is the biggest fight in my career. I am in the best condition in my life. “The height advantage is not a big deal for me. I’m used to it. He was in tennis shoes today and I was in sandals, so it’s not as bad as it looks.” 
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
