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Munguia vs. Ballard Final Press Conference
The pride of Tijuana, Jaime Munguia (38-0, 30 KOs), of
Tijuana, Mexico, and Prince George County, M.D.’s, D’Mitrus
“Big Meech” Ballard (21-0-1, 13 KOs) hosted their final
press conference today at The Grand Hotel Tijuana. The pair
were joined by Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden
Boy, Fernando Beltran, CEO of Zanfer Boxing and the
fighters' trainers, Erik Morales and Barry Hunter.
Additionally, the undefeated fighter "Camaron" William
Zepeda (24-0, 22KOs) was also onsite to talk about his
upcoming fight as the co-main event of the DAZN broadcast.
The fight is set to take place at the iconic Plaza
Monumental de Playas de Tijuana on Saturday, February 19.
The main event, Munguia vs. Ballard is a 12-round fight for
Munguia's WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title will be
streamed live worldwide on DAZN, excluding Mexico.
Below are what the participants had to say about the
upcoming fights on Saturday, February 19.
JAIME MUNGUIA, WBO INTER-CONTINENTAL MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION:
"I want to thank everyone who came out to support me. I am
happy to be here, in my hometown, with all the people who
have help me grow into the athlete that I am today.
"Being here has motivated to work harder and to get better.
Coming home after winning a world title is a blessing and I
am honored to be back in Tijuana.
"I also want to thank the press for all their support
throughout my whole career. I also want to thank Oscar,
Fernando, Zanfer and everyone who has made this event
possible. I also want to thank Ballard for taking the fight,
I know he is coming prepared, but so are we.
"I am in great shape and I feel very prepared. I know
everyone had a nice holiday season, but the truth is that we
never stopped training. I am focused and want to make sure I
deliver a great night of boxing for all of my fans.
"It was my dream come true to come back to Tijuana and I
guarantee everyone that it will be a spectacular event."
D'MITRIUS BALLARD, UNDEFEATED MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDER:
"I want to thank Tijuana for being a gracious host for me
and my team. I am really looking forward for the
opportunity. I love to compete.
"I just can't wait for February 19 to show the world what I
can do. I want to thank team Munguia for the opportunity to
stand up on the stage with him, he is a great fighter thus
far. I am looking forward to the challenge.
"On February 19 there will be fireworks."
"CAMARON" WILLIAM ZEPEDA, UNDEFEATED LIGHTWEIGHT CONTENDER:
“Thank everyone for this new opportunity. It's a great honor
to be in Tijuana. I very happy to be here as the co-event. I
have a complicated fight but we are going to prove who el
'Cameron' Zepeda is.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, GOLDEN BOY:
"I am happy to be in Mexico because I have the opportunity
be back in the country where my parents were born. I feel
the country and the people of Mexico in my heart.
"This fight will be very complicated for both fighters. I
have been working with Ballard since the beginning of his
career and have seen his progress as a fighter. He has
power, he has speed, movement, and I know he will bring a
difficult fight to Munguia.
"Jaime is a former champion. He is a hungry fighter who
wants to make Mexico proud. He wants to continue the
tradition of great Mexican boxing. He is a fighter that is
committed to the sport and works hard on getting better."
FERNANDO BELTRAN, CEO ZANFER BOXING:
"I want to thank everyone for all their support for Jaime;
for welcoming us home and to give us the opportunity to
bring Jaime to fight in his hometown.
"I also want to thank Oscar, it has been a joy to be
partners with him and his team. Oscar is an icon in the
sport and has elevated the name of Mexico in boxing.
"We are all very proud of Jaime and what he has been able to
accomplish as a fighter and for elevating the name of Mexico
to the world. We can't wait to see what else we will see
from him as a fighter."
ERIK MORALES, TRAINER TO JAIME MUNGUIA:
"I am so proud to be part of a great team alongside,
Fernando Fernandez and others. Jaime makes our job easy, he
is a dedicated fighter, he's disciplined, and he wants to
learn and do things differently.
"I do believe you will see a great spectacle on Saturday,
Jaime always gives his all in all his fights. We last saw
him fight in November with great enthusiasm and I know he is
going to do the same on Saturday night. He is worthy to be
one of the representatives of our great city of Tijuana."
BARRY HUNTER, TRAINER TO D'MITRIUS BALLARD:
"I want to thank God for allow us to be here. I definitely
want to thank the promoters and Mr. Munguia, thanks for the
challenge. This is not my first time here, I had the fortune
of competing here before. I love coming to Mexico to
compete, it's a country that is rich in a lot of champion in
boxing history and it's my honor to be on this battlefield."
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