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Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo
Final Press Conference
Quotes
Hard-hitting former world champions Brandon “The
Heartbreaker” Figueroa and Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo went
face-to-face at Thursday’s final press conference and
promised fireworks when they meet for the vacant Interim WBC
Featherweight Title this Saturday, March 4 live on SHOWTIME
from Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif. headlining a Premier
Boxing Champions event.
The press conference also featured former unified world
champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd and power-punching Armando
Reséndiz, who meet in the 10-round middleweight co-main
event, plus unbeaten young middleweights Amilcar Vidal and
Elijah García, who square off in the 10-round SHOWTIME
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast opener at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB
Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through
Ticketmaster.com.
Figueroa and Magsayo will each look to earn a fight for the
WBC Featherweight World Championship currently held by Rey
Vargas with a statement victory on Saturday. For Figueroa,
the former WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion, it
presents an opportunity to become a two-division titlist,
while Magsayo will be looking to reclaim the featherweight
belt that he lost to Vargas via decision in his last fight.
Here is what the fighters had to say Thursday from
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Ontario Airport:
BRANDON FIGUEROA
“I have all the abilities. Everyone knows that I love to
fight. I want to dominate my opponent, break them down and
get them out of there. I train really hard to go in there
and do what I do best.
“I’m going to do anything it takes to win this fight. If I
have to box, I’ll box. But if I can hurt him on the inside,
I’ll get in there with body shots. I can beat him any way I
have to.
“Everyone is going to see that I’m coming with everything. I
have to make a big statement at 126 and leave my mark. I’m
trying to win more titles and show I’m one of the best.
“Just expect a great fight. I hit a lot harder than Julio
Ceja. Especially now that I’m at 126-pounds. I’m strong and
powerful. Everybody is going to be surprised by what they
see.
“I had a great training camp working in Las Vegas. I have an
amazing team and I have my family supporting me. I can’t
wait to give everyone a great show. I’m going to mix it up
with Mark. I have nothing but respect for him, but I’m
ready.
“This is going to be early ‘Spring Break’ action. We’re both
coming to fight and coming to win. This is what boxing is
all about. We’re facing the best of the best. Now we just
have to put it all together on Saturday night and give the
fans a great show.”
MARK MAGSAYO
“This is different than my last fight. Rey Vargas likes to
run, but Figueroa comes to fight. It’s a big difference and
it’s going to be much more exciting.
“Fans can expect that this is going to be a real fight.
Neither of us are backing down. We’re coming forward. I know
that he fights from different stances, but we’re prepared
for it. We’ve been working hard since October for this.
“Whatever happens in the fight, we’re ready for it. I’ve
fought a lot of good fighters and big punchers. I can take
it, because I want to win.
“I’m not a big talker, but there’s going to be a knockdown
in this fight. We’re ready to take advantage.
“I’m very excited for this fight. It’s a good opportunity to
get back to a world title fight. I’ve learned from my
mistakes and I’m ready to go.
“I guarantee this is going to be a great fight. We’re both
prepared, so let’s see what happens on Saturday night. The
winner of this fight is definitely the fans.”
JARRETT HURD
“We’ve been staying ready. I had a lot of wars in the
beginning of my career, so I think that a break wasn’t such
a bad thing. I’ve been in some tough fights and I took the
time to get myself together.
“Training outside of my hometown just wasn’t a great thing
for me. I had all my success there in training. Now I’m
training with my new coach Andrew Council back in Maryland.
We’re a great match and he allows me to be myself.
“I almost feel like I’m back to where I was before I was
unified world champion. I’m back to the guy that people
weren’t really believing in. I’m back to being the guy who
has to go out there and prove every time why I was where I
was. I had to go out there and beat guys that nobody thought
I would beat. This time off made me fall back in love with
the sport.
“Middleweight is where I’m going to stay at. They’re going
to be saying that ‘Swift’ is back after Saturday. I’m going
to shake off the cobwebs, but I’m going out there to
dominate.
“I know he’s coming with the Mexican style, but they all say
I have the Mexican style too. So it’s going to be a war for
sure.”
ARMANDO RESENDIZ
“Jarrett has earned his place and I consider him a great
fighter. But I know that I also have to earn my own place. I
want to solidify myself in this sport just like Jarrett has
in the past. I have to work hard to do it.
“I was always ready for a big fight. My coach Manny Robles
and I have been tirelessly going through the lessons I had
to learn from my past fights. I’m Mexican, so it’s in my
blood to be ready for the pressure that Hurd is going to
bring.
“I’m ready for war and I’m ready to fight at a distance. I’m
not interested in predictions, but I’ve had amazing
preparation for this fight and I’m ready to show what I’m
all about.
“I want to give everyone a great show. Whatever happens,
happens. I’m going to go with the flow, rely on my training,
and get my hand raised at the end of the night.”
AMILCAR VIDAL
“He better be ready because every fight that I’m in is a
dream come true for me and I’m looking to make more dreams
in the future.
“I had an awesome training camp with Bob Santos as my coach
and he’s prepared me really well. I’m ready to send a
message of my own on Saturday.
“I want Uruguayans everywhere to know that I’ll do my best
to make them proud. I’ve had to sacrifice a lot lately being
away from my family, but I know that I can keep improving
and go after what I want. My goal is to become the first
ever world champion from Uruguay.
“I wanted to be focused on only working hard and giving the
best that I could. I was well aware of what I was getting
into working with Bob Santos. We’ve gelled really well and
everyone is going to see the fruits of our labor on Saturday
night. That’s for sure.”
ELIJAH GARCIA
“I wouldn’t say this is a step up too soon. This is
something we’ve been preparing to do for years. The whole
plan turning pro was to win fights. I’m 19-years-old and
we’re aiming to fight for a world title in the next few
years. If this is the route I have to go, then that’s what
it’s gonna be.
“I want everybody to know that I’m not an average
19-year-old. You don’t see 19-year-olds taking these kinds
of fights. I’m here to get the win in a fashionable way.
“I’m not a big talker. I’ll let my performance speak for
itself. He’s a good opponent and I’m sure he had a good
training camp. But he’s not the only one. I’m more than
prepared.”
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