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Zab Judah & Errol Spence Jr.
Virtual Press Conference Quotes
Boxing legend Zab Judah joined WBC and IBF World Champion
Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. for a virtual press conference
Wednesday as the fighters discussed the undisputed
championship and previewed Spence’s upcoming welterweight
championship unification clash against WBA World Champion
Yordenis Ugas taking place Saturday, April 16 live on
SHOWTIME PPV from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
headlining a Premier Boxing Champions event.
Tickets for the April 16 live event at AT&T Stadium, which
is promoted by TGB Promotions and Man Down Promotions, are
on sale now and can be purchased at SeatGeek.com, the
Official Ticketing Provider of AT&T Stadium.
Just the 12th unification fight in the rich history of the
welterweight division, Spence vs. Ugas will join other
classic unification matchups at the weight class such as
“Sugar” Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns I and Floyd Mayweather
vs. Manny Pacquiao. Spence will look to add a third belt by
defeating Ugas, moving him one step closer to becoming the
first undisputed welterweight champion since Judah
accomplished the feat in 2005.
Here is what the press conference participants had to say
Wednesday:
ERROL SPENCE JR.
“It’s motivating to hear from Zab. When you grew up watching
a person and now it’s your turn and they give you high
praise, it’s especially motivating. I appreciate Zab’s
support. A lot of older fighters don’t really give their
support to the younger generation. I give much respect to
Zab. His support means a lot.
“I remember when I was younger, watching Zab winning all the
belts. That’s something I wanted to do. I never dreamed in a
million years that I’d be doing that. It’s a dream come
true. I just have to stay focused because every fight is the
most important fight. This is the third time I’m taking
someone’s belt. The welterweight division has had a lot of
great fighters and a lot of great champions so doing it at
this weight class is such a big accomplishment.
“It's definitely gotten easier to fight in my hometown. You
get a lot of pressure from fans, media and friends but you
have to block all that out and focus on the task at hand.
It’s still special to fight at home in front of your family,
your friends, your day one fans too. That ring walk is
special too—walking out and seeing familiar faces. You don’t
get that in other places but at home they can come out and
watch you fight.
“All of my training camps have been at home. I rarely go to
a fight hotel unless I’m fighting out of state. I like the
comfort of being at home, being around my family. I don’t
like getting on planes, especially when you’re trying to
make weight. You’ve got to hop out the plane, go to a boxing
gym that you’re not familiar with. I’d rather just stay
home.
“I don’t see any trickiness in Ugas. I think people put too
much emphasis on that. Most Cuban fighters move a lot, get
on their toes but Ugas is not even that. He’s a guy who
tries to fight, he wants to fight and trade shots. I boxed
Mikey Garcia, I banged with Kell Brook and Shawn Porter. I
boxed in the paint with Lamont Peterson, slipping and
countering. I don’t stand in front of opponents.
“I’m adding to my legacy. Every fight that led up to this is
just as important as this fight because they got me to this
point. If I didn’t beat those guys I fought when I was 9-0,
10-0, then I wouldn’t have gotten the Kell Brook fight. If I
didn’t beat Brook, I wouldn’t have got the Shawn Porter
fight, Danny Garcia and everything else. So, every fight
means a lot to me because it leads me to better fights and
more accomplishments.
“Being a student of the game and just my style makes me a
throwback fighter. I feel I’ve always had a professional
style, even in the amateurs. I was going to the body then,
stopping people to the body. I always had that patience and
that’s why I was highly regarded once I turned pro. Also, I
have a laid back personality so I transfer that over to my
fighting ability.
“It’s about working hard every day, striving and staying on
the grind. I want to show everyone that they don’t have to
worry about anything. I’m going to perform to the best of my
abilities and I’m 100%.
“It feels good to prove all the doubters wrong. It motivates
me. For all the people who say certain things, I just use it
as fuel. On April 16, they’re going to see not even the same
version of me but a better one.
“Everybody tune-in on Saturday, April 16. If you can’t be
there at the AT&T Stadium, make sure you order it on
SHOWTIME PPV. It’s going to be an amazing event, an
all-action fight. It’ll be one-sided on my end but you will
see an exciting fight.”
ZAB JUDAH, Last Undisputed Welterweight Champion
“I have a lot of respect for Errol. Number one, for him
being the human being he is. He’s a solid, solid fighter
I’ve been watching since the amateurs. Errol was a guy who
always stood out there. When he turned to the pros and began
making a name for himself, I started watching him. He’s
about to do something big and become the next undisputed
welterweight champion of the world. I feel great passing on
the torch, no joke.
“I feel I don’t have to give Errol any advice. He just needs
to do what he has to do to win this fight – work behind his
good jab and let his combinations go. Like I said, to pass
the torch is dope. Errol Spence is the guy for the job.
“For me, I used to like Pernell Whitaker and he was an
undisputed champion. Mike Tyson was another one who was
undisputed champion. I got to live out my dream and watch
those idols and be around those guys.
“It didn’t matter to me where I fought. Even when I went to
win the undisputed championship of the world I had to go to
St. Louis and Cory Spinks’ hometown and it was a crazy time
for me. I got death threats and all kinds of stuff. But that
meant nothing to me. I was focused. I was locked in. I know
how Errol feels. When you’re locked into something and it’s
your time, there’s nothing that can stop you. Nothing or
nobody.
“I like watching [Errol] in the Shawn Porter fight, and the
Danny Garcia fight. Errol showed a lot of heart and pulled
through. He looked to be confused at times and he pulled
through it. Shawn Porter came in with a bunch of ugly looks,
but he figured it out. Even in the Danny Garcia fight he got
caught with a good left hook, but he went back to his jab
and started boxing. That’s a great thing about being great
left-hander. You can start back with the jab and it’s all
back together again.
“Yes, I would say Errol Spence is a throwback fighter. I
would say he has throwback qualities. He’s still a young man
and of this era, but he has throwback qualities.
“It was a phenomenal feeling when they strapped those belts
on me. And I was in ring and I saw all these colorful belts
being passed onto me. It felt like I had a bag of Skittles.
I was so happy seeing all those colors. I was like, ‘Wow,
this is amazing.’ And when I got back to New York they
really embraced me and I had a parade and all kinds of
things. The city opened up definitely.
“Yordenis Ugas is a very talented fighter. He’s a very hard
worker and is a guy who’s worked hard to get where he is.
And I have a lot of respect for him. I’ve never fought a
Cuban fighter but I used to spar with Joel Cassamayor and
sparring with the Cubans fighters you know they are very
crafty and they do a lot of things that we normally don’t
do. Just little types of tricks that they got.”
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