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Subriel Matias vs. Shohjahon Ergashev & Hector Luis Garcia
vs. Lamont Roach Press Conference Quotes
Hard-hitting IBF 140-pound world champion Subriel Matias,
unbeaten top contender Shohjahon Ergashev, WBA Super
Featherweight World Champion Hector Luis Garcia and
mandatory challenger Lamont Roach previewed their respective
SHOWTIME PPV undercard world title fights during a virtual
press conference Tuesday before they step into the ring on
Saturday, November 25 in a Premier Boxing Champions event
from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
in Las Vegas.
The pay-per-view telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and
will feature Matias defending his world title against
Ergashev, while Garcia puts his belt on the line against
Roach in the telecast opener. The card is headlined by
undefeated two-time super middleweight world champion David
“El Monstruo” Benavídez defending his Interim WBC Super
Middleweight Title against unbeaten two-division world
champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade.
Here is what the fighters had to say Tuesday:
SUBRIEL MATIAS
“My preparations have been great. I’m healthy and we’re
heading into the home stretch before the fight. I can tell
you this, the fight won’t reach the final bell because if
you look at the way both of us like to fight and how our
fights have gone, you can expect a knockout.
“I am not the same fighter as I was in 2020 when I lost my
only fight. I am way better now. I was not focused back in
2020. Now, I am ready to show the fans that the champion is
here and I’m ready to put on a great show.
“My experience is going to be his downfall. This is going to
be like a game to me. Let’s see what happens after the sixth
round. I will leave it there.
“One of us is going to fall. I promise you that. One of us
is going to kiss the mat.
“I can consider myself the best at 140 pounds, but I would
rather show it. If this is one more step on the ladder
towards greatness, I will gladly take that step to get to
where I want to be.
“I have the confidence in myself to win this fight after
what I have done in training camp. But to say that I am a
big favorite would be assuming a lot of things considering
that boxing is unpredictable. I’m not going to underestimate
my opponent. I am going to go out there and bear the fruits
of my preparation.
“I have a great opportunity to come back to Las Vegas and
redeem myself and fix the mistake I made in 2020.
“The goal is to unify next. It doesn’t matter against who. I
am going to defend my title and then I’ll be ready for
whoever comes my way.
“I am going to promise you fireworks. Just look at our
records. 19-1 with 19 KOs for me. 23-0 with 20 KOs for him.
What do you think is going to happen? It’s going to be
awesome. Plus, I’m the pride of Puerto Rico and I have to
make my country proud.”
SHOHJAHON ERGASHEV
“It’s been a long journey to get here and I’ve been training
for this fight since the summer. I had a great camp. Even
though this is my first title fight, I’ve been ready
physically and mentally for a long time. I can’t wait to get
to Las Vegas and get the fireworks started. People are going
to see the world class talent that I am.
“I have a lot of respect for Matias. He’s a good fighter, a
big puncher and is truly a good world champion. But
understand that I’m not coming here from the library. I’m
coming here with a big surprise, a Thanksgiving gift for
Subriel Matias. I have a lot of respect for what he’s done
inside the ring, but the belt is coming home with me to
Uzbekistan.
“He says for me to wait and see what happens after the sixth
round? Well, let’s see if he makes it to the sixth round
before he worries about that.
“I’ve fought on SHOBOX, but people have not seen my true
potential. Matias is an excellent fighter and it’s going to
be an exciting fight because he likes to engage. That will
give me the opportunity to showcase my skills and raise my
game to the next level.
“I plan on using all of my skills to my advantage. I have
physical strength and boxing skills and experience both
professional and as an amateur. All of this is going to pay
off big time.
“My country is supporting me and I am the first fighter from
Uzbekistan to challenge for a title in this weight class. I
feel the pressure, but I’m also very excited. This is an
interesting fight for me because most of my opponents have
run from me because they were scared of my power. Matias is
a very good fighter who is very aggressive and likes to come
forward. This will be a fun fight for the fans.”
HECTOR LUIS GARCIA
“I feel in tip top shape. I fought at the beginning of the
year and I feel like I am ready to go on November 25. You
can expect the best of me, like always. I am going to focus
on not letting that loss get the best of me. I am going to
focus on being positive, having positive thoughts and going
after the win.
“I learned a lot from the Gervonta Davis fight. But there is
only one Gervonta Davis, so I know that I am not going to
lose like that again. I always take the positives out of a
fight and having fought on a pay-per-view main event allowed
me to grow and I learned a lot from the entire experience.
“Congratulations to Lamont on his mindset. I’m glad that he
has such confidence and such a positive mindset that he
thinks he’s going to stop me. Good for you. But I talk
inside the ring, not outside of it. You will see.
“Lamont Roach, like most American fighters, likes to talk.
That’s his thing. My responsibility is to defend my title
and exit the ring as the champion. That’s what I’m going to
focus on. I prefer to do my talking inside the ring and
that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
“More than anything, I’m going to prove that what happened
against Gervonta Davis was a fluke and it’s never going to
happen again. No excuses.
“Lamont will not be the toughest opponent that I’ve ever
had, not by a long shot. Roger Gutierrez is better than him.
Chris Colbert was way better than him. Lamont has earned
this opportunity and I don’t take that away from him, but
Gutierrez, Colbert and, of course, Gervonta Davis are all
better than him. I don’t consider him my toughest opponent
at all.
“I feel equally fine at either 130 or 135 pounds. The plan
is to defend the title on November 25 and then hopefully
unify afterwards. Then, if the opportunity comes to fight at
135 then I will gladly do so. But the goal right now is to
defend the title.
“The past is in the past and now I’m ready to redeem myself
and go for it all.”
LAMONT ROACH
“Training camp has been going great. Words can’t explain how
hard I have been working and how hard I have been striving
to achieve my goals. On November 25, fans are going to see
fireworks. They are going to see the best of me and they are
going to see the demise of Hector Luis Garcia.
“My second time in a world title fight is going to be
different because I learned a lot in the first one against
Jamel Herring. I took a lot from that fight and I kept the
ball rolling as you can see. I’m riding a win streak that I
don’t plan on stopping for a long time. I give Garcia credit
for being the champion but he’s in my way and I don’t think
he’s on my level.
“I’m from the trenches and I stand by what I said about how
I’m going to stop him. That’s what I’m here for. I was in
the front row for his fight against Tank. I saw Tank take
the fight out of him and I know I can do the same thing. And
it might be quick.
“Fans are going to be saying that I’m the best boxer at 130
pounds and I will continue to prove that after November 25
as well.
“I like that he said no excuses. That’s what I like to hear.
There are no excuses on my end. That’s the name of my gym,
No Excuse.
“I fought for my first world title when I was 24 years old.
I was young and since then I’ve only gotten better. I
capitalized on it and added to my game. I’m better mentally,
physically and psychologically. Every aspect of my game has
been raised extremely high. There won’t be any excuses. For
him to say that Roger Gutierrez is a better fighter than me
is extremely disrespectful to my skill set. I hope he’s not
training as if Roger Gutierrez is better than me.
“SHOWTIME PPV is going to showcase the next star. Make sure
to tune in. I think Hector is the perfect dancing partner
for me to get my shine on.”
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