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Mikey Garcia vs. Sergey Lipinets
San Antonio Press Conference
Photos: Photos from Esther Lin - SHOWTIME
Undefeated three-division world champion Mikey Garcia and
unbeaten IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion Sergey
Lipinets were face to face for the second straight day
Tuesday at a press conference in San Antonio to discuss
their main event showdown taking place Saturday, Feb. 10
live on SHOWTIME (10:15 p.m. ET/PT). The matchup of top-5
ranked junior welterweights is presented by Premier Boxing
Champions at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING coverage will also feature
two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy in a rematch
against Kiryl Relikh for the vacant WBA 140-pound world
title.
Here is what the press conference participants had to say
Tuesday from Ruth’s Chris Steak House Grand Hyatt in San
Antonio:
MIKEY GARCIA
“We’re expecting a tough competitive fight. Lipinets is a
fighter who is always dangerous. He has power in both hands
and he’s not afraid to let his hands go. He’s also willing
to get hit, so that he can hit you back. That’s what makes
him dangerous.
“This opportunity to win a title in a fourth division was
too great to pass on. It’s hard to secure fights like this.
I’m happy everything came together so we can give the fans a
great show.
“Last year was a great year for my return. It started with a
world title win for a third division title and then I had
the big victory over Adrien Broner in the summer. I’m
looking for even bigger things in 2018 and this last year
really paved the path for that.
“Winning a fourth title was the big draw for me in making
this fight happen. To make history like that is something
that really motivates me. I know that I have a lot more to
accomplish in the sport, but this is a great start. This is
the direction I want to go in.
“There’s a lot of talent and history in boxing in San
Antonio. My brother has a gym here and we have a lot of
fighters we train with from the area. Even though I’ve never
fought here, I’ve gotten a lot of support from the
community. When we were looking at venues for the fight,
this was something I was excited to do.
“I have fought in different regions of Texas and always
received a lot of love, but I had never been able to fight
in San Antonio. We decided to bring the fight here to give
something back to the state of Texas. There’s no city better
to host it than San Antonio.”
SERGEY LIPINETS
“The fans in San Antonio can expect drama. It’s going to be
a show. It’s going to have big punches, knockdowns and
everything you’d want to see in a fight.
“This is the biggest challenge that I’ve had in my career.
Mikey is a big star, but I’m very competitive and I want to
show the world what I can do.
“My spirit cannot be matched by any fighter, but I also have
the speed and strength to win. I will show my devastating
power on February 10.
“Mikey is a very good chess player. People underestimate his
ability to think in the ring. So I can’t just go in there
with a style that someone else has used against him. We’re
going to work hard on the best game plan for what I can do.
“This is going to be a difficult fight. I’m aiming to get a
win any way that I can. I can’t say what it is going to look
like, but I will be ready for anything in the ring.
“I’m coming to win. I want to be in the position that Mikey
has reached in this sport. I’ve worked hard to get to this
moment and I’m going to give it my all to take advantage.
“If I didn’t think I was ready for this fight then I
wouldn’t have taken it. We have a plan and we’ll use all the
experience I’ve gained from my career to execute it.”
RICHARD SCHAEFER, Chairman & CEO of Ringstar Sports
“Boxing is going into 2018 with huge momentum and starting
out with big events like this. You have two undefeated
champions getting in the ring to fight each other. These
kind of fights are going to continue to elevate the sport to
great heights.
“This was an easy fight to make because you have two
fighters who want to measure themselves against the best.
This is a fight that got done quickly. Neither fighter had
to be convinced. Both guys feel they can win and are going
into the fight with an attitude of an undefeated fighter.
“Neither one of these guys have any thought that they might
lose. They are 100 percent convinced that they are going to
walk out of there with their hand raised. That’s what’s
going to make this a great matchup.”
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