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Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia
Undercard Media Workout
Quotes
Fighters competing on the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia
undercard participated in a media workout Wednesday before
their respective showdowns taking place this Saturday, April
22 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in an event presented by
Premier Boxing Champions.
The workout included Olympic® Bronze Medalist Yamaguchi
Falcao, who meets WBA Super Middleweight Champion David
Morrell, Jr., in the co-main event, super middleweight
sluggers Gabriel Rosado and Bektemir Melikuziev, who battle
in a 10-round rematch, and hard-hitting 19-year-old
middleweight Elijah Garcia and Mexico’s Kevin Salgado, who
duel in the opener of the SHOWTIME PPV production at 8 p.m.
ET/5 p.m. PT.
Stepping into the ring Wednesday was also sensational
prospect Vito Mielnicki, Jr., who faces Mexico’s Jose
Charles on the SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN SHOW that will stream
live on the SHOWTIME Sports® YouTube channel and SHOWTIME
Boxing® Facebook page beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
The event is promoted by GTD Promotions, TGB Promotions and
Golden Boy Promotions.
Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday from MGM
Grand:
YAMAGUCHI FALCAO
“I don’t have enough words to express how happy I am. This
is a title opportunity. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.
I want the fans to see what type of a fighter I am.
“Training, believing in myself and my faith have been the
keys to my success. I want this fight to blow the door wide
open for me.
“The more I work, the more I crave it. I want to beat David
Morrell, Jr., this Saturday, and then I want Canelo Alvarez
whenever, wherever.
“Being an underdog motivates me so much. The fact that
people like to talk motivates me even more. I love to be the
underdog.”
GABRIEL ROSADO
“We are going to bully the bully. I promise you that.
“This is the biggest fight of the year and I’m blessed to be
a part of this card.
"I was moving up to 175, so I was enjoying eating steaks. I
just had to cut down on the steaks now that I’m back at 168.
It worked out with the weight, so now we’re just getting
ready for a southpaw.
“After I got knocked down in our first fight, I had to show
resilience and mental toughness, knowing that it was a
12-round fight. He caught me with a good shot in the first
round and I took a knee. I said that I would bounce back in
the next round and set him up. That’s what we did. We set
him up in the third round with a picture-perfect shot. It
was a shot that we worked on in training camp. We worked on
his flaw.
“I am taking this as a challenge. I am taking it personally
that he thought the first fight was a fluke. It upset me.
That’s my motivation. I did it once and will do it again.
“Boxing is in my blood, it’s in my DNA. I am a fighter in
life. Inside of the ring and outside of it. This is what I
do.
“This is big. This is like ‘Tito’ Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya.
Ryan and ‘Tank’ are superstars. They’re the top guys in the
division. For them to fight in their prime, my hat is off to
both of them. I wish more guys did that. I’m a fan of both
of them. I know them personally and like them both. It’s
50/50. I just want to see a great fight.”
BEKTEMIR MELIKUZIEV
“This is the fight I’ve been asking for. It’s on the same
card as the biggest fight of the year and it’s a dream come
true. I am ready.
“The loss to Rosado is what happens when you get reckless in
boxing. I got reckless and paid for it. I went for the
finish. This is why we are having the rematch. I am
confident that I will right the wrong.
“I am exactly the same as I have always been. I’m always
serious and mean inside the ring. I’m a happy and a nice
person outside of the ring, but inside the ring I have one
goal and that’s to get a victory.
“It’s going to be an exciting fight, a banger, a war.”
ELIJAH GARCIA
“This is a blessing. I can’t explain the feeling. I can’t
wait to get in the ring, hear that bell ring and get to
work.
“I stay ready. I have the best team in the game and just go
with the experience. My last fight was an opportunity that I
just couldn’t pass up, just like this fight.
“I’m still learning. This is a huge card right here. I am so
happy to be a part of it. I’ve never experienced anything
like this before, but it is not as hard as I thought it
would be so far.
“This is going to be a war. Someone is going to get knocked
out. It is going to be a great fight so make sure you don’t
miss it.
“Being a main event fighter is everybody’s dream. My goal is
doing it even sooner than [Gervonta] Davis and [Ryan] Garcia
did.”
KEVIN SALGADO
“I know that I am going up against a really strong opponent,
but I also know that we can shock the world and surprise
people.
“Sometimes Mexican fighters may not be the favorite, but we
will show our worth. I’m leaving it all in the ring
Saturday.
“I’m so excited. The whole world is going to see a Mexican
warrior. I am going to put on a show and make sure the fans
know who I am.
“It’s going to be a great fight. I know that Elijah [Garcia]
is hungry too. We are going to give it our best. We are
going to surprise everybody. I promise you that.”
VITO MIELNICKI JR.
“This is truly just a dream come true. We came out to Las
Vegas four weeks ago to finish up camp. We’re ready to put
on a dominant performance on Saturday and show the fans what
we’re capable of.
“Shout out to everyone who came out today. I truly
appreciate it. Without you guys, none of this would be
possible.
“Expect fireworks on Saturday. We’ve been improving our
skills, mentally getting better, and maturing all around in
the ring. We are ready to put on a great performance and
dominate on Saturday night.
“This main event is definitely what boxing needs, a lot of
big fights with young guys willing to put their all on the
line. A lot of fighters don’t want to lose that 0.
“We knew there would be bumps in the road after I turned pro
at 17. I made my mistakes on live television in front of
millions of people. I’m thankful for what happened on the
day that I lost. It showed me that proper preparation
prevents poor performance. That’s why you’ll always see me
at my best from here on out.
“I will put on a dominant performance. Expect fireworks.
This guy has never been stopped before, but we’re definitely
going to get him out of there.”
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