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Don King Productions "Return To Greatness" Makabu vs.
Mchunu Final Press Conference
WBC World Cruiserweight Champion Ilunga Makabu will defend
his world title against WBC Cruiserweight Silver Champion
Thabiso Mchunu in the main event while WBA Heavyweight
Champion Trevor Bryan will square off against WBA No.
13-ranked Heavyweight Contender Jonathan Guidry on Saturday,
Jan. 29, at the W.D. Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio.
All four fighters joined eight others who will compete for
four more championship belts in the final press conference
for Don King Productions’ “RETURN TO GREATNESS” on Wednesday
at the Grand Hotel. Johnnie Langston (9-3, 3 KOs) of
Sarasota, Fla., will square off against Nick Kisner (22-5-1,
6 KOs) of Baltimore, Md., in a 10-round bout for the NABA
Cruiserweight title and Ahmed Hefny (13-1, 5 KOs) of Queens,
N.Y., takes on undefeated Decatur, Ga., prospect Dacarree
Scott, who has a perfect record of 6-0 with 6 KOs. Plus,
West Virginia’s Cody Wilson (10-3, 7 KOs) meets New York’s
Tre’Sean Wiggins (12-5-3, 6 KOs) in an NABA Middleweight
Title Bout and the NABA Middleweight Championship will be up
for grabs as local product Michael Moore (18-3, 8 KOs) of
Cleveland, Ohio, will meet Anthony Lenk (17-7, 7 KOs) of
Niagara Falls, NY.
Warren Mayor William D. Franklin declared January 26, 2022,
Don King Day in Warren, Ohio, presenting the legendary
90-year-old Hall of Fame promoter with a special “Don King
Day” Proclamation plaque.
DON KING: International Boxing Hall of Fame Promoter
“We’re going to have a sensational evening of boxing. I am
very pleased to be home again. It will give people a chance
to have fun again. No one should take it lightly. It would
be much better if you take the vaccinations and the shot,
where your mask and socially distance.
“We are here to give you a moment of respite. Hey everybody,
let’s have some fun. Live it once, and when you’re dead,
you’re done. No matter whether you are young or old, let the
good times roll.
“I have to thank God because we had a governor (of Ohio) who
reduced the charge for me, basically because he said it
wasn’t possible. Nevertheless, he put his reputation on the
line. They sent me to the Ohio penitentiary. They said they
were going to give me shock probation. I had never been
arrested so they were going to give me 30-90 days. I ended
up doing four years. I made the time serve me. I educated
myself in the penitentiary. When I came out of the
penitentiary, the good citizens of Cleveland were waiting to
tell me about the hospital that was going to be closed down
for lack of funds and would I promote a fundraiser for the
hospital.
“I called Muhammad Ali to come in and box five or six guys.
In so doing, we would raise money for this hospital. He told
me that I was the greatest promoter he had ever seen, and I
should go into boxing. So, my first fight was Muhammad Ali.
We made history together. Then he got convicted by not
taking that step into the Army. He was sentenced to five
years and a big fine at the height of his career. He stood
as a conscientious objector. The United States Supreme Court
reversed that decision. Ali then came back and made history
again with me promoting him.
“The four years that he (Ali) was out, no one knows how
great he would have really been because he was at the top of
his career. Plus, he would have made millions of dollars
during those four years.
“You’ve got to say, ‘Muhammad Ali take a deep breath. Float
like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Your hands can’t get
what your eyes can’t see.’ He was so fast that he could turn
the switch off and get in bed before the room got dark.”
ILUNGA MAKABU: WBC Cruiserweight Champion
“I hope everybody knows who I am. I’m very thankful for this
opportunity to be here today in front of you guys. I’m very
thankful to Don King Productions for making this event
happen because plenty of events have been disturbed by COVID.
I’m very happy to be here and to have the opportunity to
defend our title on January 29. I don’t have much to say. I
just want to say good luck to my opponent Thabiso Mchunu
because this is the second time I’m fighting him now. Thanks
to all who come to support us. Thanks to my team. Enjoy the
fight on the 29th.”
THABISO MCHUNU: WBC No. 1 Ranked Cruiserweight Contender
“The hard work has been done. Come fight night, I am ready
to go. All the best to everyone who is fighting on Saturday
night.”
TREVOR BRYAN: WBA Heavyweight World Champion
“I am here to stay, to keep proving myself. I have a strong
opponent in front of me in Jonathan Guidry. I appreciate him
being out here. This is a big opportunity for him as well.
We are going to show it out for you in Ohio and showcase all
this talent for the whole world to see.
“It’s been a long road, a lot of hearsay. I am here to stay.
It won’t be long now. I am the journey.”
JONATHAN GUIDRY: Undefeated WBA No. 13-Ranked Heavyweight
“All the hard work is done. I am just glad we got the
opportunity. We are just thankful to be out here to shock
the world.”
RAY “BOOM BOOM” MANCINI: International Boxing Hall of Fame
Boxer/Jan. 29 pay-per-view commentator
“I am very excited about this fight card here at W.D.
Packard Music Hall. I fought six times here in 1980 on the
way up. I had a fight here against Jose Luis Ramirez to
defend my North American belt. It is a great venue. It is
just a great facility for boxing. It’s great to have
championship boxing back here in Warren, Ohio.”
HONORABLE WILLIAM D. FRANKLIN: MAYOR OF WARREN, OHIO:
“We are very proud, honored, and happy to be hosting this
event. I know what we’re about. I am thankful to you, Mr.
King for letting us be the host of this great event seen by
boxing fans worldwide. Who would have thought that Warren,
Ohio, would be the host?
“On Saturday night, by the benevolence of Mr. King, we are
going to have a record number of our safety forces at the
fight. We’re going to host more than 175 police officers,
firefighters, and health care workers. They have been
protecting us for almost two years.
“Mr. King, I tried to capsulize what people don’t talk
about; your heart, your life, your spirit, your experience,
your strength and hope that you give to so many people.”
BERNIE PROFATO: Executive Director of Ohio Athletic
Commission
“In 1972 Don King called me and I was a young referee at the
time. He asked if I wouldn’t mind donating my time because
they were going to do a boxing show for this hospital. I
said, ‘Don, for you, absolutely anything.’ Don King is the
only person in the state of Ohio that I have issued a
lifetime boxing license to. No one deserves it more than
him. This is probably the greatest overall fight card in the
20 years that I have been at the Ohio Athletic Commission to
be promoted in Warren, Ohio. I am so honored that Don has
done this.”
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