Tag Archives: Boston

BOSTON’S DANNY O’CONNOR ADDED TO MAY 23 CARD TO FACE VERMONT’S CHRIS GILBERT IN EXPLOSIVE NEW ENGLAND SHOWDOWN

FULL UNDERCARD ACTION COMES TO AGGANIS ARENA ON SATURDAY, MAY 23

 

Ireland’s Gary O’Sullivan Takes On Melvin Betancourt

Plus Local Favorites Ryan Kielczweski & Logan McGuinness

 In Separate Bouts

 

Premier Boxing Champions on NBC Starts At 4:30 P.M. ET/1:30 P.M. PT

 

BOSTON (May 19, 2015) – Boston-area fans will be treated to fireworks this Memorial Day weekend as a full slate of exciting undercard fights come to Agganis Arena on Saturday, May 23. The undercard action is highlighted by Boston’s own Danny O’Connor (25-2, 9 KOs) taking on the fighting pride of Vermont, Chris Gilbert (13-1, 10 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight battle for the New England welterweight championship title.

 

Undercard fights will support the Premier Boxing Champions on NBC show featuring the super middleweight showdown between Olympic medalists Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16 KOs) and James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs) and Edwin Rodriguez (26-1, 17 KOs) taking on the undefeated Craig Baker (16-0, 12 KOs).

 

O’Connor vs. Baker will put two of the most popular fighters in the New England area on display as the slick boxing O’Connor will look to pick apart the hard-charging Gilbert. The bout will be the final event of the evening and close down the show in spectacular fashion at Agganis Arena.

 

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to fight Chris in Boston,” said O’Connor. “Being able to do what I love in front of my hometown fans that have supported me since day one is very meaningful to me”

 

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to fight on such an amazing card,” said Gilbert. “I’m coming off a first round knockout last week and I plan to bring the same intensity, aggressiveness and hard hitting style into the ring this week.  O’Connor has been at the top of the welterweight division, whether in the amateurs or pros, and I’m excited to see how my skills compare.”

 

“This is a fight that local fight fans have been eager to see for a long time,” said Ken Casey, President and CEO of Murphys Boxing. “New England’s premiere welterweight versus New England’s hardest hitting welterweight. Pride can be worth more than money sometimes and the right to call yourself ‘New England welterweight’ champ is very important to a fighter in this close knit community.”

 

The undercard will also feature a highly anticipated 10-round middleweight contest that pits Gary O’Sullivan (20-1, 13 KOs) against Melvin Betancourt (29-1, 23 KOs) as both men look to prove themselves as contenders in the division.

 

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Murphys Boxing, are priced at $250, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $35, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. Tickets will be available at www.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

 

Further action will feature the six round featherweight bout between local favorite Ryan Kielczweski (22-1, 6 KOs) andAnthony Napunyi (15-14, 8 KOs) and a six round junior lightweight bout that showcases Logan McGuinness (22-0-1, 10 KOs) taking on Christian Esquivel (17-13, 15 KOs). Plus undefeated prospect Immanuel Aleem (12-0, 8 KOs) facing David Toribio (21-14, 14 KOs) in a six or eight round middleweight swing bout.

 

Also stepping into the ring at Agganis Arena is undefeated knockout artist Jonathan Guzman (18-0, 18 KOs) who takes on Christian Esquivel (27-6, 20 KOs) in an eight-round junior featherweight matchup. Heavyweight prospect Danny Kelly (7-1-1, 1 KO) will take on Curtis Lee Tate (7-5, 6 KOs) in a six-round heavyweight attraction while Antonio Russell (1-0,1 KO) taking on Brandon Garvin (0-1) in a four round bantamweight fight. Kicking off the action in the arena is undefeated prospect Edwin Espinal (5-0, 4 KOs) who will take on Alvaro Enriquez (12-13-2, 4 KOs) in a four round light heavyweight fight.

 

A former National Golden Gloves champion who has fought as a pro since 2008, O’Connor was set to face former two-division champion Paulie Malignaggi, but will now return home for a May 23 bout. The 30-year-old out of Framingham, Massachusetts is coming off of back-to-back knockout victories over Michael Clark and Andrew Farmer and looks to leave a big impression on his hometown fans.

 

A hard-hitting fighter out of Windsor, Vermont, Gilbert has become a staple throughout New England, appearing on cards all around the region since turning pro in 2011. The 30-year-old boasts an impressive knockout percentage and just last week recorded his tenth professional stoppage with a first round knockout over Raphael Valenzuela. He takes a step up in competition when he battles O’Connor on May 23.

 

A resident of Cork, Ireland, O’Sullivan will be fighting for the fifth time as a professional in the state of Massachusetts, where he is yet to lose. At 30-years-old, he has won his last four fights since a defeat to Billy Joe Saunders in 2013, including three straight by knockout. He will take on a strong opponent making his U.S. debut in Betancourt. The fighter out of Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic has won nine fights in a row.

 

A runner-up in the 2008 National Golden Glove tournament, the 25-year-old Kielczweski has become a staple fighting in his home state of Massachusetts. Born and raised in Quincy, he hopes to rebound from the first loss of his career, a split decision defeat to Danny Aquino in April of this year. He will take on the 32-year-old Napunyi, who is coming off of a third round TKO victory over Joshua Omukhulu in January of this year. Fighting out of Canal Point, Florda, he hopes to make it back-to-back victories on May 23.

 

Fighting out of Ontario, Canada, McGuinness will make his second start in the U.S. after debuting in April with a first round TKO over Carlos Fulgencio at Memorial Hall in Massachusetts. The 27-year-old will take on the 35-year-oldCuevas out of Mexico City.

 

An undefeated prospect out of Richmond, Virginia, the 21-year-old Aleem will take on the very dangerous and experienced 35-year-old Toribio out of Miami.

 

With a perfect knockout percentage, the 25-year-old Guzman looks to build off of his Massachusetts debut, which saw him knockout Juan Guzman in the fifth round in February of this year. Fighting out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic he returns to the ring to take on 28-year-old Esquivel out of Temoaya, Mexico.

 

The 23-year-old Kelly will return to the same city where he delivered a first round TKO of Eric Newell in June 2014 looking for another big victory. The fighter out of Washington D.C. will take on the 31-year-old Tate out of Oakland, Tennessee.

 

Another native of Washington D.C., Russell made his professional debut this year with a second round knockout over Harold Reyes in January. The 22-year-old takes on Philadelphia’s Garvin.

 

A 22-year-old prospect who has racked up five wins since turning pro in February of this year, Espinal will get back in the ring again on May 23. The fighter out of Providence, Rhode Island will take on the 33-year-old Enriquez out of Tlaxcala, Mexico.

 

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For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.comwww.nbcsports.com/boxing, www.AgganisArena.com andwww.dbe1.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @AndreDirrell, @JamesDeGale1, @LouDiBella, @DropkickMurphys, @MurphysBoxing, @NBCSports and @AgganisArena and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/NBCSports, www.facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment,www.Facebook.com/DropkickMurphys and www.facebook.com/MurphysBoxing. Follow the conversation using #PremierBoxingChampions and #PBConNBC

JAVIER FORTUNA VS. BRYAN VASQUEZ NOW TELEVISED OPENER FORMAY 29 PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON SPIKE TV CARD

LIVE FROM BARCLAYS CENTER

 

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI FORCED TO WITHDRAW

DUE TO INJURY

 

BROOKLYN (May 15, 2015) – An exciting junior lightweight battle between Javier Fortuna and Bryan Vasquez will now open the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike telecast on Friday, May 29 live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn beginning at9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

 

Fortuna vs. Vasquez, which was originally scheduled to take place May 23, replaces the bout between Paulie Malignaggi and Danny O’Connor as Malignaggi suffered a severe cut above his eye in training camp. The 12-round brawl will lead into the highly anticipated contest between former world champions Amir Khan and Chris Algieri.

 

An amateur standout who participated in the first Pan American Junior Championships in 2003, the 25-year-old Fortuna (27-0-1, 20 KOs) owns victories over Abner Cotto, Miguel Zamudio and Patrick Hyland. The undefeated rising star out of La Romana, Dominican Republic holds four knockouts over his last six fights as he looks to put on another great show on May 29.

 

The 27-year-old Vasquez (35-1, 18 KOs) is quickly becoming known as the preeminent pugilist from the island of Costa Rica. The San Juan-native is the winner of his last five fights, including a stoppage of Sergio Thompson in Dec. 2014. Vasquez does not shy from any competition and will not back down when he faces his toughest test to date in Javier Fortuna on Spike TV.

 

O’Connor will now fight in his hometown of Boston on Saturday, May 23 on the undercard of the PBC on NBC event from Boston University’s Agganis Arena.

 

 

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Tickets for the live event on May 29 at Barclays Center, promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Star Boxing, are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now.  Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.comwww.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

BOSTON MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES & PHOTOS

 

Local Favorites Ryan Kielczweski, Javier Fortuna & Jonathan Guzman

Prepare For Undercard Bouts on Saturday, May 23 at Agganis Arena

 

Danny O’Connor Faces Paulie Malignaggi On Premier Boxing Champions

on May 29 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn

 

Click HERE For Photos From Emily Harney/Premier Boxing Champions

 

BOSTON (May 14, 2015) – Some of Boston’s most popular local fighters participated in media workouts yesterday at Peter Welch’s Gym in South Boston as they prepare for respective Premier Boxing Champions fights taking place in the coming weeks.

 

Exciting local favorites Ryan Kielczweski (22-1, 6 KOs), Javier Fortuna (27-0, 20 KOs)and Jonathan Guzman (18-0, 18 KOs) all worked out in anticipation of their bouts taking place Saturday, May 23 at Agganis Arena. Also in attendance was President and CEO of Murphys Boxing, Ken Casey.

 

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Murphys Boxing, are priced at $250, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $35, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. Tickets will be available atwww.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

 

Also participating is local welterweight contender Danny O’Connor (25-2, 9 KOs), who is preparing for his May 29 fight against Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-6 7 KOs) at Barclays Center.

 

Here are what the participants had to say at yesterday’s workout:

 

Danny O’Connor, Framingham, MA:

“I think the show is big but, for me, it’s just another fight with Paul. I’m excited about the challenge in front of me, matching my skills against somebody like Paul with his resume.  I’m extremely focused.  All the work is done here (in gym).”

 

Ryan Kielczweski, Quincy, MA:

“It’s really cool fighting close to home on such a big card with double world title fights.  Someday, hopefully, I’ll be there. I’m focusing on my fight and when that’s over I’ll watch Edwin (Rodriguez) fight.”

 

Javier Fortuna, La Romana, Dominican Republic

“I feel super good and super confident.  I’ve been training here (Boston) but haven’t seen much of the city. I expect a lot of fans there for me.  I’ve been doing a lot of Spanish interviews.  I await their approval of my performance.”

 

Jonathan Guzman, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

“I feel very, very good.  I’m ready to fight, 19 for 19 (19 wins, 19 KOs).  I have a lot of family living in Lawrence (suburb) of Boston) and I’ve been staying here (S. Boston).”

 

Ken Casey, President & CEO of Murphys Boxing

“Boston is a sports-crazed city with a lot of good local fighters.  It’s a shame a show like this hasn’t happened here in a long time.  Sometimes it just takes good fighters and the right promoter to help them. It’s the perfect combination now.”

 

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For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.comwww.nbcsports.com/boxing, www.AgganisArena.com andwww.dbe1.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @AndreDirrell, @JamesDeGale1, @LouDiBella, @DropkickMurphys, @MurphysBoxing, @NBCSports and @AgganisArena and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/NBCSports, www.facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/DropkickMurphys and www.facebook.com/MurphysBoxing. Follow the conversation using #PremierBoxingChampions and #PBConNBC

 

PBC ON SPIKE MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT WITH AMIR KHAN, CHRIS ALGIERI, PAULIE MALIGNAGGI & DANNY O’CONNOR

Kelly Swanson

Thanks so much, everyone, for calling in.  We have a great call today. Joining us will be Amir Khan, Chris Algieri, Paulie Malignaggi and Danny O’Connor all in exciting bouts at Barclays Center on PBC on Spike. The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Star Boxing. This is a great show.  I’m going to turn it over to our moderator now, Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment.  Also joining us on the call in between the fighters are Brett Yormark and Jon Slusser.

Lou DiBella   

It’s a great card that’s going to be on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Friday night, the 29th of May, at Barclays Center.  The first bout will feature the anticipated return of Paulie Malignaggi to the ring after a year layoff.  Very few guys in boxing can claim to be more Brooklyn than Paulie Malignaggi and he has his hands full in a bout with Danny O’Connor.  Danny is a tough kid who is hungry for this fight.  This is a matchup between an Italian-American and an Irish-American, a kid from New York and a kid from Boston has the makings of a terrific fight. We’re going to get to Danny first.  Danny is going to say a few words, then we’ll open it up to a few questions for him, then turn it over to Paulie.

Danny O’Connor

I want to thank everyone for being here.  I’m very excited about this opportunity to fight Paulie and to come down to New York and showcase my skills at Barclays Center.  I’ve worked my whole career for this.  I put a lot of effort and sacrifice in my life to get here.  I’m very excited and I’m ready for the task at hand.

Q

Danny, in a situation where you’re fighting a guy who in his last fight was TKO’d, does that make you think of coming in a different way than you ordinarily might, really target him and be more aggressive than usual being that he was stopped in his last outing?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor 

No, I don’t.  Anything can happen on any given night in boxing.  That’s what we do we get punched in our face.  Because of that, I’m not looking at anything differently.

Paul had some time off to recover and recoup.  I’m expecting Paul at his best.  I want him at his best.  The better he is, the better challenge that lies in front of me.  The more excited that makes me. My game plan is going to be my game plan regardless of the outcome of his last fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

What was your reaction when your name was picked?  You’re fighting Paulie Malignaggi, a former world champion.  Did you think it was a joke or did you see it as you’re getting a fight at an elite fighter that will springboard you?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor 

I was excited right off the rip.  That’s what I’ve been working my whole career for, is that shot at something big.  To be able to match my skills up against someone like Paul, with his résumé, that’s what excites me.  I get up for that type of challenge. I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case something fell through.  Boxing, anything can happen.  As it got more and more real it was excitement.  It’s all about excitement.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’ve been working a very long time to get to this spot.  I put in a lot of work and I deserve to be here.  I’m excited to take this chance and to showcase my skills against Paul.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You have a tremendous amateur record, 110 wins, only 11 losses.  Is that part of the training ground that you’ve had to put you into this position now?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor 

Yeah.  I think with anything in life, experience is going to get you places.  The more experience you have, the more comfortable you’re going to be, the more savvy you’re going to be.  I think along with that, the type of person I am, my work ethic, how hard I’ve worked, it’s got me far so far.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

A victory over Paulie will put you on top of the radar charts for the other 47-pounders. There is a grand central community of 147-pounders.  Is that what you’re looking for?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor

 It’s not even in my mind, man.  I don’t look at all past Paul.  He’s a tough fighter.  I’m focused at the task at hand, and that’s Paul.  That’s all I’m looking at.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Paulie is fast.  How do you intend to deal with his speed?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor 

Hopefully I’ll be able to neutralize that speed by having my own speed.  I’m not too slow myself.  I think it’s going to be a battle of the minds.

 

DiBella

I would just like to acknowledge Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys, the legendary Boston-based Irish rock band who has Murphys Boxing – Danny’s promoter. I’m going to introduce a man I know very well, and who probably didn’t think I’d be making this announcement, but Paulie, would you like to say a few words?

                                                                                                                                                      

Paulie Malignaggi

I’m happy to be here.  I’m excited about fighting at Barclays Center again.  I’ve gotten the desire to fight again over the past year little by little.  It was almost nothing and then the desire started growing more and more.  Once you sign up for a fight, you see the event in front of you, you start seeing things like the teleconference and all that we’re doing now, it starts to resonate in your mind that it’s coming up, it’s close, so the excitement kind of builds.  I’m happy to be a part of this event, part of this show and everybody involved with it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q.

Paulie, you’ve gotten off to a great start in your broadcasting career.  Does this take anything away from what you’re achieving in broadcasting or slow your development that way, or do you feel like you can manage both things side by side?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi 

This has been a training camp where I’m kind of getting it all down pat together.  It’s basically a training camp where I haven’t had as much work to do as I have this time around in the past. The reason I still have the passion for this is I still make time to train every day. I still find the time to prepare adequately every day.

                                                                                                                                                      

It’s not always easy with the broadcasting. Throughout the course of my career, you have to fight, shut everything down and focus on the fight.  It’s not like that anymore.  That kind of comes with age, you kind of get into new things in your life and whatnot.

                                                                                                                                                      

If it was a couple years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.  I’m at a place in my life where I am more mature. I can handle it more and compartmentalize things more.  The passion shows in and of itself.  If I didn’t really want to do this, trust me, I would do the broadcasting, I would half-ass it on my training.  Last week was challenging, but every day I was able to get in my training somehow, some way.  One workout a day, sometimes two workouts a day.

                                                                                                                                                      

That shows me I have the passion. When you don’t want to train, but you still go out and do it, you have that victory in your mind, you want to persevere and excel.  I’m the type of person that wants to do that.  In the end, after this fight, I plan on winning the fight and looking good.  I’ve been feeling good in the training camp.  After the fight, I’m just taking it one fight at a time.  I’m not looking past Danny.  It’s a little bit different in my career right now, but at the same time I’m still enjoying the ride.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q.

At some point when you were doing the broadcasting, was there something about being on the sidelines that kind of inspired the feelings that you’d like to be back on the other side of the ropes again?  Was it a particular fight or moment?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

I wouldn’t say it was anything in particular.  I don’t say that was part of the reason, I guess. At first it was part of the reason why I didn’t want to fight again.  I would see these fights from close range, see the violence, some crazy exchanges.  “Man, better these guys than me.  I’m done.”

                                                                                                                                                      

Then little by little, as I started feeling better, I would start seeing the same kind of stuff, and I would focus on the crowd reaction, the adrenaline these fighters are feeling.  I was starting to slowly change my thinking pattern.  It was starting to slowly become more like, I got to feel this again, I got to feel that rush again.  It’s something missing in my life.

                                                                                                                                                      

The transition kind of came slowly.  I don’t think it was one particular moment or situation, it just kind of came slowly and developed.  At first I got back in the gym and wanted to keep my weight down. Before you know it, you start to hit a couple bags.  As with any boxer in general, you start to hit the bag, you start to loosen, before you know it, you start to feel it. I suppose when you retire from boxing you should stay away from the boxing gym, because otherwise you’re going to want to fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Paulie, how much of a factor was the result of your previous fight in motivating you to kind of come back and have a chance to go out with a win if, in fact, that’s what ultimately occurs here?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

My last fight had no bearing on any of this.  The only bearing in my life that fight had on me was the decision not to fight anymore.  When I went into the fight, I didn’t decide it was going to be my last fight.  I wasn’t thinking of any of that stuff at all.

                                                                                                                                                      

When the result happened, I was more so thinking, okay maybe this is it.  It wasn’t really that particular result as far as me not being able to accept it. It was more so, before the Porter fight, I hadn’t looked bad. I had a split decision lost against Broner. I had a dominant victory, but I had one bad night.  If I really want to chalk up my entire career to that one bad night and be done, or do I give myself another shot?

                                                                                                                                                      

It wasn’t about Idon’t want to go out on a loss, I have more left.  The Porter fight doesn’t take away from what I did in the past two or three years.  You have a fight like that, take a year off, people expect that’s where you are and that’s it.

                                                                                                                                                      

I think people are going to draw their own conclusions.  The Porter fight had no bearing on what I wanted to do.  I felt like, I’m alive and I want to live.  For me living is feeling that adrenaline rush, the rush of being in the ring and competing.  I’m a competitive person.  That’s more what was the motivator.  I’m not dead, so I don’t need to live like I’m dead.  Some people choose to live like they’re dead.  I don’t need to do that.  I can feel life.  Nothing makes me feel more alive than having the adrenaline of being in a boxing ring in front of a packed crowd.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Paulie, depending on how you look at this fight, if you perform to your highest capabilities, if you win handily, what’s next for you?  Do kick back into that mode where you go challenge for a title, fight one of the better fighters in the division again?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi:

Honestly, it hasn’t even crossed my mind.  I want to see not only how I look and feel in the fight.  There are a lot of things I have to decide. I may look good and say, you know what, I’m good to go again.  I may look good and say, you know what, this is taking away too much time from other things I want to enjoy in my life.  I may need to feel this adrenaline rush again.  I don’t know. I haven’t given it that much thought yet.  I’m only focused on Danny O’Connor right now. I’m focused on May 29th.  I feel like those are possible things that would be crossing my mind, but in reality I haven’t given it enough thought to really have made that kind of decision. I don’t know yet.  I’m focused only on the fight right now.  So anything post May 29th I’ll decide post May 29th.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You said you started training, you were feeling good, had no problem training.  How much fun are you having again with boxing?  Do you feel rejuvenated?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

I enjoy a good challenge in life, a challenge that I enjoy.  If you put me in a chemistry class, it will be a challenge, but I don’t think I’ll enjoy it too much.  Know what I’m saying? Boxing is a challenge to me, but it’s a challenge I enjoy.  I enjoy pushing my body and mind to the limits and seeing if I can succeed and testing myself.  Of course, I’ve been enjoying it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Sometimes people look at me and tell you, why would you want to fight again?  You’re good. You’re set.  You have good money coming in.

                                                                                                                                                      

It’s not about the money.  Well, obviously it’s always about the money.  That’s not the main motivator.  The motivator is to feel alive.  I can be dead when I’m six feet under.  Right now I don’t want to feel like that.  I want to feel that rush of adrenaline again, feel alive.  While I can still do it, I will do it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Paulie, what made this particular fight the right opportunity to get back into the ring?  What does the New York/Boston rivalry add to this fight?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

The opportunity to be back in the ring could have came against anyone. The New York/Boston rivalry, I’ve thought of it a couple times over the camp.  It’s not Boston/New York, Italian/Irish.  It’s like 50 years too late.  If it’s 1955 instead of 2015, you’re going to have this in a huge stadium, everybody would be into it. Everyone would be going crazy  It could be a real cool event.  Not that it’s not going to be a cool event anyway. What I’m saying is the perception of the event is different now than it would have been back in the day when the Italian and Irish rivalry, New York and Boston rivalry might have been more.  It gives it a fall-back feel to me and that’s good for me.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

What do you know about Danny O’Connor?  He hasn’t fought a lot of the top-level opponents that you have.  What do you see as your strengths and his weaknesses in this fight?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

I’ve known Danny for quite some time.  Obviously he hasn’t fought at the level that I have.  The experience is in my favor. I knew he had a good amateur career.  He’s a solid competitor.  He has a national Golden Gloves title and he was an Olympic alternate.  When you have that kind of amateur career, you expect yourself to break through in the pros.

                                                                                                                                                      

I had a good amateur career, I was a national championship as well.  I remember turning pro with  the expectation I would have a successful pro career as well.  At that point you’re used to winning and winning at a high level.

                                                                                                                                                      

I feel like Danny has that expectancy of himself.  Maybe it’s come a little slower.  I feel this is an opportunity for him because he has a chance to finally show all the things he had to show in the amateurs where he was a good amateur and was considered a top guy.

                                                                                                                                                      

For that reason I can’t take him lightly, and I don’t take him lightly because I know what he’s feeling.  I know what it’s like to have that successful amateur career, go into your first professional fight and have those goose bumps and be ready for it.  I kind of know what he’s feeling, what’s going through his mind, both the good and the bad. In that way I guess I have the advantage because I’m prepared for that thing because I’ve already been through it. You can never underestimate me. I’m a hungry fighter and Danny’s a hungry fighter.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Are you able to focus on him as an opponent in this fight rather than all these broader questions about your career arc and all that type of thing?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

Yes, of course.  I’m preparing for a slick boxer named Danny O’Connor. He can become aggressive at times.  He’s a southpaw, can sit back on the back foot sometimes.  He might bring the kind of fight I intend to bring, my game plan.  Every day I’m in the gym working on that.

                                                                                                                                                      

Although the distractions are nice to talk about, in the end I’m working on the exact plan in the gym every day.

                                                                                                                                                      

L. DiBella 

Thank you, Paulie. Now I’d like to acknowledge John Slusser the senior vice president of sports for Spike and everyone at Spike TV. The first PBC on Spike card was on March 13 and it was a terrific show and we are looking forward to continuing that streak. I would now like to introduce a gentleman who has become a friend of mine. I would be remised first if I did not make this announcement. Tickets are available are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now.

Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.comwww.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

Now I’d like to introduce the CEO of Barclays Center, Brett Yormark.

                                                                                                                                                      

Brett Yormark:

Thank you, Lou.  Glad to be here with everyone.  Looking forward to hosting Paulie and Danny on the 29th, as well as Amir and Chris.

                                                                                                                                                      

From a building perspective, obviously we’re committed to boxing.  We’re thrilled to be hosting our second PBC fight.  Our first event was just a resounding success.  It was our biggest gate since we opened Barclays Center as it relates to boxing.  It was the most highly attended event.

                                                                                                                                                      

The atmosphere and the environment was electrifying.  We think we’ll be able to duplicate and replicate that experience for our fans on the 29th.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’m thrilled that Spike will be our partner.  They have a great edgy and cool feel of broadcast, how they do their business.  That’s a perfect fit for Brooklyn.  Obviously we are just excited that Paulie is on the card. In bringing boxing back to Brooklyn, it was always about bringing fights that meant something nationally, but it was also about nurturing and fostering the careers of Brooklyn fighters.

                                                                                                                                                      

There’s no bigger fighter in Brooklyn than Paulie Malignaggi.  He’s a friend and has fought many times at Barclays Center.  Welcoming him back after a year away from the sport is terrific for us.

                                                                                                                                                      

We’re also thrilled to have Danny fight in our building for the first time.  I’m also excited to be working with Amir Khan. He and I have become friendly and I always hoped that Amir would call Barclays Center home.  He’s been in our building for Nets games and other boxing events. For him to be in our ring is a real pleasure.

                                                                                                                                                      

Then Chris Algieri, he and Provodnikov last June probably had one of the biggest and most electrifying fights ever at Barclays Center.  For him to come back and fight again is terrific for us.  He brings a big Long Island fan base, which we hope to tap into again.

                                                                                                                                                      

This should be a really big night for Brooklyn boxing, boxing in general and certainly the PBC.  We are thrilled to be a partner and look forward to the 29th.

                                                                                                                                                      

L. DiBella 

Thank you, Brett. Now to what will be our other main event of the evening, the final fight of the evening on Spike on May 29th at Barclays Center. The first participant is the pride of Huntington, Long Island. As Brett mentioned, his career best victory took place at the Barclays Center when he upset Ruslan Provodnikov and really established himself as a force in boxing. He is promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

                                                                                                                                                      

Chris Algieri with a record of 20-1, I know is looking forward to this great opportunity versus Amir Khan. Chris, can you say a few words.

                                                                                                                                                      

Chris Algieri 

Hello, everybody.  I’d like to thank Lou DiBella Entertainment for working with my promoter Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.  It’s a pleasure to be back at Barclays Center.  We fought a year ago last June, had a great fight, won my first world title.  I’m also excited to be fighting on Spike TV.  Thank you for hosting the event.  It’s a whole new network to fight on.  I’m very excited about it all.

                                                                                                                                                      

L. DiBella 

Thank you, Chris.

                                                                                                                                                      

This next gentleman, I use that word seriously, is one of the most talented fighters in the game.  He’s from England.  Former world champion with a terrific record of 30-3.  Amir Khan.

                                                                                                                                                      

Amir Khan

Hello, everyone.  I want to say hi to all the press and media.  Brett Yormark is a friend of mine now from Barclays Center.  I’m very excited to fight at the Barclays Center.  I’ve been there a few times.  I always said that I want to come over here and give New York a huge fight, bring boxing there.  I have a big fan base from New York.  I’m sure Chris Algieri also has a big fan base there as well.  But we’re going to come and make some noise.

                                                                                                                                                      

The fight is going to be on Spike TV, which I’m also excited for.  I’m looking forward to the whole event on the 29th of May, on Friday.  I hope you’re all going to be there cheering us on.  Thank you.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Chris, you’ve had time to work with John David Jackson now.  Do you see him changing you in any significant way?

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri

Yeah, absolutely.  It’s been a great training camp.  We’ve been learning quite a bit.  John has been bringing out a lot of aspects of my style, things I can do in the ring that I haven’t had an opportunity to show just yet.

                                                                                                                                                      

We’re both very excited about this fight, excited about what we’re going to be able to do on fight night the 29th. Learning new aspects in a sport I love has been an eye-opening experience and enjoyable one as well.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q.

Taking someone on like Amir Khan, someone with his experience, the people he’s fought, I know you’ve kind of made the step up in these last two fights to a higher level, but this could have been an opportunity for you to take a little bit easier fight.  Why did you keep it this tough right here?

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri 

You know, I’ve never been that guy, to take an easy route or an easy fight.  I’ve come up very fast in both of the sports I’ve come up in.  Even at a young age when I was kickboxing, I took on big fights.  In my young boxing career, it’s been a constant step-up my entire career.

                                                                                                                                                      

I have not been one of those guys who has moved along gingerly.  I’ve been excited to tackle big opponents and big fights on big stages.  This is par for the course for my career.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, you had a possibility of fighting Mayweather until he made the fight with Pacquiao.  They’ve already mentioned your name as a next possible opponent.  How critical is winning this fight toward preserving that dream of fighting Mayweather?  Do you see it as part of the big picture?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Definitely, winning this fight is everything to me.  I’m not looking past this Chris Algieri fight.  I know it’s a very dangerous fight for me.  Stylistically he’s very dangerous and I’m not going to be looking past it.  If I do, I’ll have made a mistake. I’ve looked past fights and made mistakes. It will put me right back where I don’t want to be.

                                                                                                                                                      

I have to be focused.  I have to be disciplined in training camp, not looking past this Chris Algieri fight.  I know there are big fights out there like Mayweather and stuff.  I just have to stay focused and win this fight and go from there really.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You call Chris “dangerous”.  He’s not known as a big puncher.  It could be a good boxing match.  What do you see as the danger that Chris poses to you?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Technically I think overall he’s a very good boxer, moves well.  He makes a lot of fighters fall short.  He’s very skillful.  You have to be on your “A” game to beat him.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’ve been watching a lot of videos like Provodnikov. Even the Pacquiao fight, there’s some good things he did there.  It could be dangerous for me coming into this fight if I’m not on my “A” game.  I have to be one step ahead and make sure I don’t make any mistakes.  Chris Algieri is a guy that if you make a mistake, he’s going to make you pay for it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, you were criticized heavily for taking this fight.  What can you do in this fight to put your name up there to get the bigger fights again?  What will you have to do? Are you going to have to knock out Chris to make a real impression?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Look, there’s people putting this fight down, and I don’t know why.  At the end of the day, Chris has won a world title.  He’s been in the ring with Pacquiao in his last fight.  He’s a very good boxer, moves well, boxes well.  I definitely have to be on my “A” game.

                                                                                                                                                      

All this stuff what people are saying, they’re probably thinking Amir thinks it’s going to be a walk in the park, but he’ll make a mistake and lose this fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

I take every fight seriously.  I’ve made that mistake in the past. For example the Danny Garcia fight.  I’ve fought some fights that I thought are going to be a walk in the park; I got hurt, I lost the fight.  I’m not thinking any fight is going to be easy.  Every fight I walk into, every person in front of me is going to be in there to win the fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Listening to Chris Algieri, he seems he wants to win this fight.  That motivates me and makes me train harder.  I’ve got someone in front of me that wants to win this fight. I’m not really listening to what people are saying about future fights or where this fight can take me.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

There still is pressure on you to deliver because you have to send a message that you’re still a big name.

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Definitely there is.  There’s a lot of pressure on me in every fight because they want to see me perform.  Obviously there’s always the bigger picture of the other side. At the end of the day I’m still fighting the top guys and I believe Chris is one of the top guys in boxing.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q.

You were quoted on the weekend that saying Leonard Ellerbe has mentioned Mayweather to you.  September is an issue. What would be your plan there?  Would it be hoping he puts it back to November or could you fight late in September?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

To be honest, I’m not looking past this fight.  I’ll tell you everything after the fight.  At the moment what’s on my mind is the Chris Algieri fight.  I don’t have anything else on my mind.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, you left Golden Boy after your contract ran out.  You’re with PBC now.  What was your thinking behind making that move?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

PBC I think is brilliant because it’s going to give more fans the chance to tune in to get to see you.  I think it’s going to be good for the boxers.  To be on Spike, the viewers are going to be great.

                                                                                                                                                      

At the end of the day it’s not like I’m making less money or anything.  I’m still doing well financially.  Obviously I’m getting more people to watch me fight hopefully on Spike and on PBC.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Obviously your name has been linked with Mayweather not just the last three weeks but with the last three years.  You’re both with Haymon.  Has he ever said what you need to do to get in the ring with Mayweather?

A. Khan                                                                                                                    

Mayweather is the best fighter in the world and in order to get that fight, you have to look good.  You have to shine really.  It’s all about working hard, training hard, putting in good performances in the ring.  To turn in the best performances in the ring, I can’t take it easy in camp.  I have to work very hard in camp and I have to be very focused. I have to be very focused.

                                                                                                                                                      

There’s been the word there for the last couple years that that fight was going to happen.  But I’m going to be taking every fight one step at a time, hopefully put on great performances.  If that fight comes, obviously it’s something I’ve always wanted.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Is that what he’s saying to you?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Yes, Virgil my trainer, everyone has said, “You have a fight in front of you and Chris Algieri is no joke.”  I can’t go into this fight thinking it’s going to be easy.  In boxing you can get beat and, there are always guys who are skillful and can beat you.  I have to be that one step ahead.  I can’t really take this fight lightly and think it’s going to be easy, lose my fight, then all my dreams are shattered to fight all the big names in boxing. Chris is a very dangerous opponent for me.

                                                                                                                                                      

Losing this fight, it would ruin my dreams to fight the big names in boxing.  I have to be focused on this fight. I’m fighting in his own backyard.  I know what it’s like to fight someone in their own backyard.  When I fought Lamont Peterson, you have to try harder to win that fight. There will be a big crowd there as well. I have to be very focused, definitely keep the game plan strong, just win your rounds and win the fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Chris, you were in the ring with Pacquiao before.  Obviously there’s a shoulder injury he says he’s had for quite some time.  Was there anything you felt when you were in there, maybe you saw a difference in him, different from when he fought you?

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri 

I didn’t really see anything physically.  I saw a little more mental.  He seemed more focused from my fight, to tell you the truth.  Even at the weigh-in, he was kind of bubbly and smiley at the Mayweather weigh-in.  He wasn’t that way with myself when we were in China.  That’s neither here nor there.  You don’t know whether that could be anything. That’s kind of a hard question to answer for someone else.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

What does this fight mean for you going forward?  A win against a top name in boxing would do wonders for your career.  Tell us what a win would mean for your career moving forward.

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri 

Yeah, I don’t want to speak for Amir or any other fighter out there, but we’re all competitors.  We’re all out there to win.  There’s a reason we do this at the elite level.  You have to have a burning desire to be a winner.

                                                                                                                                                      

Amir is a champion, a former champion.  I’m a former champion, a champion myself.  That will and desire to always want to win is there.  There’s a lot of questions that are being asked.  You have to win this fight.  Of course, you have to win this fight. That’s how boxing is. That’s what competition is. You have to win to get the big fights.

                                                                                                                                                      

That’s one of the great things about this sport:  when you keep winning, good things happen.  Of course, we’re all very hungry to get this victory and move on with our careers.  I’m in exactly the same place.  This is a huge fight, a huge opportunity.  As with any other fight, I want to win.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, did you see anything in Mayweather that you would have taken advantage of, something you saw that other people didn’t see?  Did he look a step slower?  Something you saw that you could take advantage of?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Yeah, I mean, I was there as a boxing fan.  I’m only an hour away from Vegas.  I went there to watch the fight.  I enjoyed the atmosphere and everything.

                                                                                                                                                      

Mayweather looked great.  He did what he had to do to win the fight.  His accuracy was nothing but the best.  He was catching Pacquiao with some good, clean shots, whereas Pacquiao was falling short.

                                                                                                                                                      

That’s the way he fights.  He’s a very skillful fighter who is very patient and makes his opponent make mistakes.  That’s what I liked about him.

                                                                                                                                                      

His world grade is dropping tremendously because of his age.  But there are a few things I saw there which I have not seen before; when he takes a good shot, he doesn’t panic.  The only way to catch him is with speed, which Manny has.  Pacquiao didn’t use as much speed and explosiveness in the fight. I enjoyed it.  I’m sure there were all those people who said he was never going to beat Pacquiao, well, he’s been there and done that.

 

Q:

One last point on Mayweather. Floyd Sr. said that Floyd would fight you next and it would be an easy fight and I was wondering what you think about that.

A. Khan

Floyd Sr. is going to say its going to be an easy fight. Before anything I have Chris Algieri in front of me. Maybe they don’t want me to focus on my next fight. I have to be smart. I’m not going to let anything distract me in anyway. I am not going to think about Floyd’s team or put me down. At the moment that fight is not happening. At the moment the only fight that is happening is between me and Chris Algieri. We are only three or four weeks away from the fight and it is crunch time.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q.  A lot of people want you to fight Kelly Brook, can you talk about the decision to take a different opponent who is not ranked as high?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

I could have fought Kell Brook in the UK.  I only want to fight in may. I don’t want to fight in June because of Ramadan coming up.  Either way, I’d be taking Ramadan off.  I don’t want to be going into Ramadan tired after a fight, going straight into Ramadan, fasting.

I like to give my body a break. I’ve done that before.  I’ve had a fight and I’ve gone straight into Ramadan back-to-back.  It’s too much for a body to take.  Obviously I need to look after my body.

                                                                                                                                                      

Yeah, Kell Brook, the guy is a world champion, he should be fighting the likes of Bradley and the big names in boxing, like I’m doing.  I’m fighting Chris Algieri, who just came out of the ring in his last fight against Manny Pacquiao.  Kell Brook, his last fight, never heard of the guy he fought.  Now he’s fighting another no-name fighter without a ranking.

                                                                                                                                                      

That name doesn’t bother me anymore because he’s not doing anything.  The only reason his name gets pushed to me because he holds the title.  If he didn’t have the title, I don’t think it would mean anything to me or boxing.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q.  Tell us your thoughts on Algieri as a fighter and give us some of your scouting report on him.

 

A. Khan

Chris Algieri just came off a win against Provodnikov.  I saw it the other day.  It was a very good fight.  He boxed very smart against a guy who is a good pressure fighter and a big puncher.  Then, against Pacquiao, one of the quickest fighters in the world.

                                                                                                                                                      

I think if you look at the names of Chris Algieri’s last few opponents and Kell Brook’s last few opponents, the names will speak for themselves.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Chris, in this fight there’s been a lot of discussion what Amir is going to do in his next fight, all this.  You’re in some ways being overlooked in this.  Tell us what you think your advantages are over Amir and why you think you’re going to be able to win this fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri 

All the talk is none of my concern, to tell you the truth.  I’m focused on training, preparing the best that I can for this fight.  I’ve been working hard, working on a lot of new things with John David Jackson.  Great sparring so far.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’m just a very hungry fighter at this point.  I’m coming off my first loss as a professional, and watching Pacquiao and Mayweather fight this weekend has spurred me on even that much more, made me that much more of a hungry fighter.

                                                                                                                                                      

It’s one of those things, you have a guy in great shape that is really hungry for the win.  I think that’s a big advantage in any fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, focusing on this fight, what do you think your advantages are over Chris? You said you watched his fight recently with Provodnikov where he won. What do you think his advantages are?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Yeah, the speed, the movement, the power.  Experience is something that I have on my side.  I remember a couple years ago when I was fighting the guys who were a lot more experienced than me, I was going and beating those guys.  Now I’m in a position where I’m one of the guys with most experience, fighting guys with less experience.

                                                                                                                                                      

You can’t take that lightly really because obviously I was once in Chris Algieri’s position where I had one loss and I was going up against the top guys in boxing, and I beat those guys.

                                                                                                                                                      

I can’t go into this fight thinking it’s going to be an easy fight or I’m going to win this fight because I was once in Chris Algieri’s position, where I was getting people telling me, you’re not going to make it, you’re not going to win this fight.  I was the underdog and I proved everybody wrong.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, you fought in New York before.  Chris is going to be the hometown guy in this fight.  You’re well-known in New York, too.  What do you think the effect is going to be having the fight in Brooklyn?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

I always wanted to fight in Brooklyn.  I fought at Madison Square Garden in 2009 against Paulie.  From there, I always wanted to come back to New York.  The fan base is huge.

                                                                                                                                                      

It’s like a second home for me.  My wife lives in Staten Island.  I spend a lot of time in New York.  We live in England, but spend a lot of time in New York and America itself.

                                                                                                                                                      

For me, every time I’m walking the streets of New York, I have everybody asking me, when are you going to be fighting again?  We want to see you fight again in New York.

                                                                                                                                                      

Also when I’m at Barclays Center, I’ve been there for a couple of the Nets games, people have always asked me, we need you back in New York.  We need you to fight at Barclays Center.

                                                                                                                                                      

I think it’s time now.  I promised them I would come back.  I’m coming back fighting one of their home fighters.  I know by fighting that home fighter you have to work a bit harder because he’s going to have a little bit more fans than me.

                                                                                                                                                      

But, I mean, time will tell.  We’ll see how it all goes. I’m going to be focused on everything.  I’m going to stay calm and hopefully come fight night I’m going to be ready for everything that Chris Algieri brings to the table.  I’m going to be ready, yeah.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, in Vegas over the weekend you were getting mobbed everywhere you went by fans.  What are they saying to you at this point?  They’ve been asking you about Floyd.  Has that subsided or is that still the message?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Everybody was talking about that one big fight.  “You should fight Floyd.  You should fight Floyd.”

                                                                                                                                                      

I was telling them all, I’m fighting Chris Algieri next.  That for me is a very tough fight.  I need to win this fight if I need to go near any of the big names in fighting.

                                                                                                                                                      

They were very supportive.  I was getting a lot of respect in Vegas.  But, like I said, this is time to fight Chris Algieri.  I’m not going to be fighting Floyd Mayweather yet till I win this fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

I was listening, being respectful back. Just meeting fans and greeting fans really.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

How inspiring was that to be part of the weekend?  It was something quite special, wasn’t it?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

It was massive having two big names.  I’ve been to both big fights.  Normally you have a Pacquiao fight with big names.  When you go to a fight with two big names, it was huge.  Manny had the bigger crowd, it seemed to me.  Floyd just did what he had to do.  It was full of a high-profile people, celebrities and stuff.  I sat amongst them.  It’s something I want to be doing one day, being in the ring, having millions of people in the world watching you and having high profile people watch you ring side.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You had Adrien Broner in your ear.  What was that all about?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan

I think he just wants to jump on the bandwagon really and get a little hype.  I told my advisor Al Haymon to get me the fight with him before we even got the fight with Chris.  Adrien to me seemed to not want the fight.  In front of the cameras, he seems to want the fight, but when it comes down to signing the contract he didn’t want to sign anything.  When it comes down to signing the contract, he doesn’t want the fight. Adrien didn’t want it, so obviously I had to go on to someone else.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Is it true that you’ve ruled out fighting in September if a Mayweather fight does come to pass?  Will you not fight in September?

                                                                                                                                                      

A Khan 

No, no, I’ve not ruled out.  It’s possible I could fight in September, yeah.  Ramadan is going to be a little bit earlier this year, so obviously it helps, gives me enough time to get the training done and everything.  It can happen in September.

                                                                                                                                                      

L. DiBella 

Thank you, Amir and Chris.  Thank you, everybody, for joining us.

 

#          #          #

For more information, visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.spike.com/shows/premier-boxing-champions,www.barclayscenter.com and www.dbe1.com. Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @AmirKingKhan, @ChrisAlgieri, @LouDiBella, @SpikeTV and @BarclaysCenter and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.Facebook.com/AmirKhanThePage, www.Facebook.com/ChrisAlgieri andwww.Facebook.com/Spike. Follow the conversation using #PremierBoxingChampions and #BrooklynBoxing.

PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON SPIKE BROOKLYN MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES & PHOTOS

 

Click HERE For Photos From Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment

 

BROOKLYN (May 13, 2015) – Former two-division world champion Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs)held an open workout at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn Wednesday before he takes on Danny O’Connor (25-2, 9 KOs)on Premier Boxing Champions on Spike, Friday, May 29 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT live from Barclays Center.

 

Also working out at Gleason’s Gym on Wednesday was undefeated bantamweight contender Heather “The Heat” Hardy (12-0, 2 KOs) and undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight Adam Kownacki (9-0, 9 KOs).

 

These fights will be part of an explosive evening headlined by boxing superstar Amir “King” Khan (30-3, 19 KOs)who faces tough New Yorker Chris Algieri (20-1, 8 KOs).  Doors at Barclays Center open at 6 p.m. ET.

 

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Star Boxing, are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. Tickets are available atwww.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

 

Here are what the fighters had to say Wednesday:

 

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI

 

“I know Danny O’Connor pretty well. He’s a good boxer who had a good amateur career. He can be pretty slick and he’s a real intelligent guy. He’s not going to just hand it to you so you have to use your mind against him.

 

“O’Connor is going to come hungry. With the situation he’s in, he’s really been looking for this opportunity in his career. I expect the hungriest and best possible Danny O’Connor.

 

“I’m going to go out in the first round see what I’m looking for. I’m not going to go out and expect something from him, but we’ll make adjustments. If I see some of his patterns that I’ve seen on video, then I’ll know what to do. I’m going to look to take apart what’s in front of me.

 

“Gleason’s Gym is the first place I ever learned to box. I learned to throw a jab in here. I learned to throw a right hand in here. All of my fundamentals came from here. I didn’t have a clue about boxing before I came to Gleason’s. I owe a lot to this gym.

 

“There was a good six months where I didn’t really care about coming back. I was satisfied. But then I just started to miss being a competitor. I was keeping busy but the competition was missing in my life. Once I got back in the gym and started hitting the bag and I felt good I knew I wanted to get back out there.

 

“It’s been tough balancing the schedule out with my announcing. It’s a mental challenge to make sure you’re still training despite all the other responsibilities. To me that proves that I still have the passion to fight. I still wanted to train no matter how busy I got.

 

“I’m thankful to be able to be a part of something really big like this. Sometimes you take a bad loss in your career and you can take a big step back but I’m thankful to have an opportunity to be on a highly elevated show like this, it’s really cool.

 

“I’d still like to fight for a world title and take on big names. If I could win another title I feel like I can put myself into the position to go into the Hall of Fame as a fighter. I’ve been fighting at a high level since 2006, a good percentage of them have been world class opponents.

 

“PBC is really amazing, I think it’s great for the sport. It’s going to build up new stars because fighters are going to be on your television constantly. I think people are going to start to really follow it. You’re going to see a lot of different kinds of fights and fighters, there’s something for everybody.”

 

HEATHER HARDY

 

“Training camp has been very good, this is probably the biggest fight of my career so far against Noemi Bosques. I’m fighting the number two bantamweight and I’m really excited.

 

“I haven’t changed my training at all. I go into every fight to win and I always give 100 percent.

 

“I’m really happy to be back in the ring so quickly. I was winning my last fight and I was ready to knock this girl out, but then the head butt stopped it prematurely. There was an unfinished feeling after the last fight, almost like a sparring session.

 

“I know I’m facing a tough fighter, she can box but she’s also an aggressive fighter. We’re going to do what we do against every fighter, which is make adjustments.

 

“Me being on the undercards for these PBC shows has been great for women’s boxing because it’s got a lot of great media attention.

 

“I love fighting at home. I watched them build Barclays Center and I thought about how much I’d love to fight there. It’s a dream come true. Barclays Center is special.

 

“I’m still on the steps looking up in my career. There’s a lot more to go. I don’t feel like I’ve reached the highest that I can reach. I’m going to keep fighting and winning and giving the fans a reason to come back.”

 

ADAM KOWNACKI

 

“I was born and grew up in Brooklyn so it’s a real treat to fight at Barclays Center. I can’t wait to perform there. It’s going to be an amazing night.

 

“It’s really a dream come true to be fighting at Barclays Center. I’m so glad it’s finally here. Hopefully one day I’ll be the main event.

 

“I’ve fought recently in Chicago and Philadelphia, but I’m really excited to be back home and have a lot of people come out to support me.

 

“I come to fight, if the knockout comes it comes. Hopefully the knockout comes again on May 29.

 

“I want the fans to keep looking for me, I’m going to get tougher opponents and tougher fights and more exposure that I’m so excited for.

 

“I bring excitement to the ring. I throw a lot of punches and my defense has improved with every fight.”

 

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EDWIN RODRIGUEZ AND CRAIG BAKER TO SQUARE OFF IN BOSTON AS PART OF PBC ON NBC CARD TAKING PLACE

SATURDAY AFTERNOON, MAY 23

 

Plus Undefeated Javier Fortuna Battles Bryan Vazquez

In Undercard Action

 

Undercard Bouts To Support Andre Dirrell vs. James DeGale

Super Middleweight Showdown

 

BOSTON (May 8, 2015) – Exciting light heavyweights Edwin Rodriguez (26-1, 17 KOs)and Craig Baker (16-0, 12 KOs) enter the ring on Saturday, May 23 in Boston as part of a special Memorial Day weekend edition of Premier Boxing Champions on NBC.

 

The live PBC on NBC event starts at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT and goes until 6:00 pm. ET/3:00 p.m. PT when the action switches over to NBCSN from 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT until 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.

 

Further undercard action pits a pair of dangerous junior lightweights as Javier Fortuna(27-0-1, 20 KOs) and Bryan Vazquez (34-1, 18 KOs)do battle at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. These undercard bouts will support the super middleweight contest between Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16 KOs) and James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs).

 

“I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity to be on this great card,” said Rodriguez. “I will show the world and all the top light heavyweights, especially Kovalev, Stevenson and Fonfara, that I am a force to be reckoned with by taking Craig Baker’s undefeated record in an entertaining fashion.”

 

“I’m well prepared to seize the opportunity that this fight presents,” said Baker. “A win on May 23 puts me closer to a world title fight and I’ve only dreamed of actually accomplishing something that big. I’ve seen Rodriguez in action before and he’s a good fighter, but I’m working to be in great condition so that I can put on a show for the fight fans in Boston. We’re having a great camp and making major accomplishments, things should be pretty interesting.”

 

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Murphys Boxing, are priced at $250, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $35, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. Tickets will be available atwww.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

 

An accomplished amateur who won a 2006 National Golden Gloves gold medal and a 2005 U.S. National Championship gold medal, the 29-year-old Rodriguez enters this fight as the winner of his last two bouts. Born in the Dominican Republic but fighting out of nearby Worcester, Mass., Rodriguez’s lone loss came to undefeated star Andre Ward in 2013 and he owns victories over previously undefeated fighters Will Rosinsky, Jason Escalera and Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna.

 

An undefeated fighter who turned pro in 2008, Baker enters this fight having stopped his last four opponents inside the distance. The 31-year-old took home victories over Anthony Greeley and Sergio Cordoba in 2014 and kicked off 2015 by knocking out Umberto Savigne. Fighting out of his hometown of Baytown, Texas, Baker will look for a big victory as he takes a step up in competition.

 

Undefeated and owner of a 4-0 record in 2014, the 25-year-old Fortuna is a prospect on the rise looking to make an impression on May 23. After a split draw decision against Luis Franco in 2013, he has bounced back to win five straight fights. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Fortuna owns victories over Abner Cotto, Miguel Roman and Patrick Hyland.

 

A former world title challenger whose only loss came to Takashi Uchiyama in 2012,Vazquez comes into this fight on an impressive five fight-winning streak. The 27-year-old began his career with 29 wins and has recently added victories over Sergio Thompson, Jose Feliz Jr. and Rene Gonzalez. Fighting out of Costa Rica, Vazquez has a big chance for a signature victory on May 23.

 

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PBC ON SPIKE MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT WITH AMIR KHAN, CHRIS ALGIERI, PAULIE MALIGNAGGI & DANNY O’CONNOR

 

Kelly Swanson

Thanks so much, everyone, for calling in.  We have a great call today.  This is a great show.  I’m going to turn it over to our moderator now, Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment.  Also joining us on the call are Brett Yormark and Jon Slusser.


Lou DiBella   

It’s a great card that’s going to be on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Friday night, the 29th of May, at Barclays Center.  The first bout will be Paulie Malignaggi after a year layoff.  Very few guys in boxing can claim to be more Brooklyn and he has his hands full in a bout with Danny O’Connor.  Danny is a tough kid who is hungry for this fight.  This is a matchup between an Italian-American and an Irish-American, a kid from New York and a kid from Boston.

We’re going to get to Danny first.  Danny is going to say a few words, then we’ll open it up to a few questions for him, then turn it over to Paulie.


Danny O’Connor

I want to thank everyone for being here.  I’m very excited about this opportunity to fight Paul and to come down to New York and showcase my skills at Barclays Center.  I’ve worked my whole career for this.  I put a lot of effort and sacrifice in my life to get here.  I’m very excited and I’m ready for the task at hand.

Q

Danny, in a situation where you’re fighting a guy who in his last fight was TKO’d, does that make you think of coming in a different way than you ordinarily might, target him and be more aggressive than usual?


D. O’Connor 

No, I don’t.  Anything can happen on any given night in boxing.  That’s what we do.  Because of that, I’m not looking at anything differently.

Paul had some time off to recover and recoup.  I’m expecting Paul at his best.  I want him at his best.  The better he is, the better challenge that lies in front of me.  The more excited that makes me.

                                                                                                                                                      

My game plan is going to be my game plan regardless of his last fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

What was your reaction when your name was picked?  You’re fighting Paulie Malignaggi, a former world champion.  Did you think it was a joke or did you see it as you’re getting a fight at an elite fighter that will springboard you?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor 

I was excited right off the rip.  That’s what I’ve been working my whole career for, is that shot at something big.  To be able to match my skills up against someone like Paul, with his résumé, that’s what excites me.  I get up for that type of challenge.

                                                                                                                                                      

I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case something fell through.  Boxing, anything can happen.  As it got more and more real it was excitement.  It’s all about excitement.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’ve been working a very long time to get to this spot.  I put in a lot of work and I deserve to be here.  I’m excited to take this chance and to showcase my skills against Paul.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You have a tremendous amateur record, 110 wins, only 11 losses.  Is that part of the training ground that you’ve had to put you into this position now?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor 

Yeah.  I think with anything in life, experience is going to get you places.  The more experience you have, the more comfortable you’re going to be, the more savvy you’re going to be.  The type of person I am, my work ethic, how hard I’ve worked, it’s got me far so far.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

A victory over Paulie will put you on top of the radar charts for the other 47-pounders.  Is that what you’re looking for?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor

It’s not even in my mind, man.  I don’t look at all past Paul.  He’s a tough fighter.  I’m focused at the task at hand, and that’s Paul.  That’s all I’m looking at.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Paulie is fast.  How do you intend to deal with his speed?

                                                                                                                                                      

D. O’Connor 

Hopefully I’ll be able to neutralize that speed by having my own speed.  I’m not too slow myself.  I think it’s going to be a battle of the minds.

 

DiBella

I’m going to introduce a man I know very well, and who probably didn’t think I’d be making this announcement, but Paulie, would you like to say a few words?

                                                                                                                                                      

Paulie Malignaggi

I’m happy to be here.  I’m excited about fighting at Barclays Center again.  I’ve gotten the desire to fight again over the past year little by little.  It started growing more and more.  Once you sign up for a fight, you see the event in front of you, you start seeing things like the teleconference and all that we’re doing now, it starts to resonate in your mind that it’s coming up, it’s close, so the excitement kind of builds.  I’m happy to be a part of this event, part of this show, and everybody involved with it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q.

Paulie, you’ve gotten off to a great start in your broadcasting career.  Does this take anything away from what you’re achieving in broadcasting or slow your development that way, or do you feel like you can manage both things side by side?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi 

This has been a training camp where I’m kind of getting it all down together.  It’s basically a training camp where I haven’t had as much work to do as I have this time around in the past.

                                                                                                                                                      

The reason I still have the passion for this is I still make time to train every day, find the time to prepare adequately every day.

                                                                                                                                                      

It’s not always easy with the broadcasting.  You have to fight, shut everything down and focus on the fight.  It’s not like that anymore.  That kind of comes with age, you kind of get into new things in your life and whatnot.

                                                                                                                                                      

If it was a couple years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.  I’m at a place in my life where I can handle it more and compartmentalize things more.  The passion shows in and of itself.  If I didn’t really want to do this, trust me, I would do the broadcasting, I would half-ass it on my training.  Last week was challenging, but every day I was able to get in my training somehow, some way.  One workout a day, sometimes two workouts a day.

                                                                                                                                                      

When you don’t want to train, but you still go out and do it, you have that victory in your mind, you want to persevere and excel.  I’m the type of person that wants to do that.

                                                                                                                                                      

In the end, after this fight, I plan on winning the fight and looking good.  I’ve been feeling good in the training camp.  After the fight, I’m just taking it one fight at a time.  I’m not looking past Danny.  It’s a little bit different in my career right now, but at the same time I’m still enjoying the ride.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q.

At some point when you were doing the broadcasting, was there something about being on the sidelines that kind of inspired the feelings that you’d like to be back on the other side of the ropes again?  Was it a particular fight or moment?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

I wouldn’t say it was anything in particular.  I don’t say that was part of the reason, I guess.

                                                                                                                                                      

At first it was part of the reason why I didn’t want to fight again.  I would see these fights from close range, see the violence, some crazy exchanges.  “Man, better these guys than me.  I’m done.”

                                                                                                                                                      

Then little by little, as I started feeling better, I would start seeing the same kind of stuff, and I would focus on the crowd reaction, the adrenaline these fighters are feeling.  I was starting to slowly change my thinking pattern.  It was starting to slowly become more like, I got to feel this again, I got to feel that rush again.  It’s something missing in my life.

                                                                                                                                                      

The transition kind of came slowly.  I don’t think it was one particular moment or situation, it just kind of came slowly and developed.  Before you know it, you start to hit a couple bags.  As with any boxer in general, you start to hit the bag, you start to loosen, before you know it, you start to feel it.

                                                                                                                                                      

I suppose when you retire from boxing you should stay away from the boxing gym, because otherwise you’re going to want to fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Paulie, how much of a factor was the result of your previous fight in motivating you to kind of come back and have a chance to go out with a win if, in fact, that’s what ultimately occurs here?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

That had no bearing on any of this.  The only bearing in my life that fight had on me was the decision not to fight anymore.  When I went into the fight, I didn’t decide it was going to be my last fight.  I wasn’t thinking of any of that stuff at all.

                                                                                                                                                      

When the result happened, I was more so thinking, Maybe this is it.  It wasn’t really that particular result as far as me not being able to accept it. It was more so, before the Porter fight, I hadn’t looked bad.  I had a dominant victory, but I had one bad night.  If I really want to chalk up my entire career to that one bad night and be done, or do I give myself another shot?

                                                                                                                                                      

I don’t want to go out on a loss, I have more left.  The Porter fight doesn’t take away from what I did in the past two or three years.  You have a fight like that, take a year off, people expect that’s where you are and that’s it.

                                                                                                                                                      

I think people are going to draw their own conclusions.  The Porter fight had no bearing on what I wanted to do.  I felt like, I’m alive and I want to live.  For me living is feeling that adrenaline rush, the rush of being in the ring.  I’m a competitive person.  That’s more what was the motivator.  I’m not dead, so I don’t need to live like I’m dead.  Some people choose to live like they’re dead.  I don’t need to do that.  I can feel life.  Nothing makes me feel more alive than having the adrenaline of being in a boxing ring in front of a packed crowd.

Q

Paulie, depending on how you look at this fight, if you perform to your highest capabilities, if you win handily, what’s next for you?  Do you go challenge for a title, fight one of the better fighters in the division again?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi:

Honestly, it hasn’t even crossed my mind.  I want to see not only how I look and feel in the fight.  I may look good and say, you know what, I’m good to go again.  I may look good and say, you know what, this is taking away too much time from other things I want to enjoy in my life.  I may need to feel this adrenaline rush again.  I don’t know.

                                                                                                                                                      

I haven’t given it that much thought yet.  I’m only focused on Danny O’Connor right now.  I feel like those are possible things that would be crossing my mind, but in reality I haven’t given it enough thought to really have made that kind of decision.

                                                                                                                                                      

I don’t know yet.  I’m focused only on the fight right now.  So anything post May 29th I’ll decide post May 29th.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You said you started training, you were feeling good, had no problem training.  How much fun are you having again with boxing?  Do you feel rejuvenated?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

I enjoy a good challenge in life, a challenge that I enjoy.  If you put me in a chemistry class, it will be a challenge, but I don’t think I’ll enjoy it too much.  Know what I’m saying?

                                                                                                                                                      

Boxing is a challenge to me, but it’s a challenge I enjoy.  I enjoy pushing my body and mind to the limits and seeing if I can succeed.  Of course, I’ve been enjoying it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Sometimes people look at me and tell you, why would you want to fight again?  You’re set.  You have good money coming in.

                                                                                                                                                      

It’s not about the money.  Well, obviously it’s always about the money.  That’s not the main motivator.  The motivator is to feel alive.  I can be dead when I’m six feet under.  Right now I don’t want to feel like that.  I want to feel that rush of adrenaline again, feel alive.  While I can still do it, I will do it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Paulie, what made this particular fight the right opportunity to get back into the ring?  What does the New York/Boston rivalry add to this fight?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

The opportunity to be back in the ring could have came against anyone.

                                                                                                                                                      

The New York/Boston rivalry, I’ve thought of it a couple times.  It’s not Boston/New York, Italian/Irish.  It’s like 50 years too late.  If it’s 1955, you’re going to have this in a huge stadium, everybody would be into it.  It could be a real cool event.  Not that it’s not going to be a cool event anyway.

                                                                                                                                                      

What I’m saying is the perception of the event is different now than it would have been back in the day when the Italian and Irish rivalry, New York and Boston rivalry might have been more.  It gives it a fall-back feel to me and that’s good for me.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

What do you know about Danny O’Connor?  He hasn’t fought a lot of the top-level opponents that you have.  What do you see as your strengths and his weaknesses in this fight?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

I’ve known Danny for quite some time.  Obviously he hasn’t fought at the level that I have.  The experience is in my favor.

                                                                                                                                                      

I knew he had a good amateur career.  He’s a solid competitor.  He has a Golden Gloves title.  When you have that kind of amateur career, you expect yourself to break through in the pros.

                                                                                                                                                      

I had a good amateur career, I was a national championship as well.  I had the expectation I would have a successful pro career as well.  At that point you’re used to winning and winning at a high level.

                                                                                                                                                      

I feel like Danny has that expectancy of himself.  Maybe it’s come a little slower.  I feel this is an opportunity for him because he has a chance to finally show all the things he had to show in the amateurs.

                                                                                                                                                      

I can’t take him lightly, and I don’t take him lightly because I know what he’s feeling.  I know what it’s like to have that successful amateur career, go into your first professional fight and have those goosebumps.  I kind of know what he’s feeling, what’s going through his mind, both the good and the bad.

                                                                                                                                                      

In that way I guess I have the advantage because I’m prepared for that thing because I’ve already been through it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Are you able to focus on him as an opponent in this fight rather than all these broader questions about your career arc and all that type of thing?

                                                                                                                                                      

P. Malignaggi

Yes, of course.  I’m preparing for a slick boxer named Danny O’Connor.  He’s a southpaw, can sit back on the back foot sometimes.  He might bring the kind of fight I intend to bring, my game plan.  Every day I’m in the gym working on that.

                                                                                                                                                      

Although the distractions are nice to talk about, in the end I’m working on the exact plan in the gym every day.

                                                                                                                                                      

L. DiBella 

Thank you, Paulie.

                                                                                                                                                      

Now I’d like to introduce the CEO of Barclays Center, Brett Yormark.

                                                                                                                                                      

Brett Yormark:

Thank you, Lou.  Glad to be here with everyone.  Looking forward to hosting Paulie and Danny on the 29th, as well as Amir and Chris.

                                                                                                                                                      

From a building perspective, obviously we’re committed to boxing.  We’re thrilled to be hosting our second PBC fight.  Our first event was a resounding success.  It was our biggest gate since we opened Barclays Center as it relates to boxing.  It was the most highly attended event.

                                                                                                                                                      

The atmosphere and the environment was electrifying.  We think we’ll be able to duplicate and replicate that experience for our fans on the 29th.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’m thrilled that Spike will be our partner.  They have an edgy broadcast, how they do their business.  That’s a perfect fit for Brooklyn.  Obviously we are excited that Paulie is on the card. It was always about bringing fights that meant something nationally, but it was also about nurturing and fostering the careers of Brooklyn fighters.

                                                                                                                                                      

There’s no bigger fighter in Brooklyn than Paulie Malignaggi.  He’s a friend and has fought many times at the Barclays Center.  Welcoming him back after a year away from the sport is terrific for us.

                                                                                                                                                      

We’re also thrilled to have Danny fight in our building for the first time.  I’m also excited to be working with Amir Khan.  I always hoped that Amir would call Barclays Center home.  He’s been in our building for Nets games and other events.

                                                                                                                                                      

 Then Chris Algieri, he and Provodnikov last June probably had one of the biggest and electrifying fights ever at Barclays Center.  For him to come back and fight with us is great for us.  He brings a big Long Island fan base, which we hope to tap into again.

                                                                                                                                                      

This should be a really big night for Brooklyn boxing, boxing in general, and the PBC.  We look forward to the 29th and are thrilled to be a partner.

                                                                                                                                                      

L. DiBella 

Thank you, Brett.

                                                                                                                                                      

Now to what will be our other event of the evening on May 29th, the first participant is the pride of Huntington, Long Island.  His career best victory took place at the Barclays Center when he established himself as a force in boxing.

                                                                                                                                                      

Chris Algieri with a record of 20-1, I know is looking forward to this great opportunity versus Amir Khan.

                                                                                                                                                      

Chris, can you say a few words.

                                                                                                                                                      

Chris Algieri 

Hello, everybody.  I’d like to thank Lou DiBella Entertainment.  It’s a pleasure to be back at Barclays Center.  We fought a year ago last June, had a great fight, won my first world title.  I’m also excited to be fighting on Spike.  Thank you for hosting the event.  It’s a whole new network to fight on.  I’m very excited about it all.

                                                                                                                                                      

L. DiBella 

Thank you, Chris.

                                                                                                                                                      

This next gentleman, I use that word seriously, is one of the most talented fighters in the game.  He’s from England.  Former world champion with a record of 30-3.  Amir Khan.

                                                                                                                                                      

Amir Khan

Hello, everyone.  I want to say hi to all the press and media.  Brett Yormark is a friend of mine from Barclays Center.  I’m very excited to fight at the Barclays Center.  I’ve been there a few times.  I always said that I want to come over here and give New York a huge fight, bring boxing there.  I have a big fan base from New York.  I’m sure Chris Algieri also has a big fan base.  But we’re going to come and make some noise.

                                                                                                                                                      

The fight is going to be on Spike, which I’m also excited for.  I’m looking forward to the whole event on the 29th of May, on Friday.  I hope you’re all going to be there cheering us on.  Thank you.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Chris, you’ve had time to work with John David Jackson now.  Do you see him changing you in any significant way?

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri

Yeah, absolutely.  It’s been a great training camp.  We’ve been learning quite a bit.  John has been bringing out a lot of aspects of my style, things I can do in the ring that I haven’t had an opportunity to show just yet.

                                                                                                                                                      

We’re both very excited about this fight, excited about what we’re going to be able to do on fight night the 29th. Learning new aspects in a sport I love has been an eye-opening experience and enjoyable one as well.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Taking someone on like Amir Khan, someone with his experience, the people he’s fought, I know you’ve kind of made the step up in these last two fights to a higher level, but this could have been an opportunity for you to take a little bit easier fight.  Why did you keep it this tough right here?

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri 

You know, I’ve never been that guy, to take an easy route or an easy fight.  I’ve come up very fast in both of the sports I’ve come up in.  Even at a young age when I was kickboxing, I took on big fights.  In my young boxing career, it’s been a constant step-up my entire career.

                                                                                                                                                      

I have not been one of those guys who has moved along gingerly.  I’ve been excited to tackle big opponents and big fights on big stages.  This is par for the course for my career.

Q

Amir, you had a possibility of fighting Mayweather until he made the fight with Pacquiao.  They’ve already mentioned your name as a next possible opponent.  How critical is winning this fight toward preserving that dream of fighting Mayweather?  Do you see it as part of the big picture?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Definitely, winning this fight is everything to me.  I’m not looking past this Chris Algieri fight.  I know it’s a very dangerous fight for me.  Stylistically he’s very dangerous and I’m not going to be looking past it.  If I do, I’ll have made a mistake.

                                                                                                                                                      

I have to be focused.  I have to be disciplined in training camp, not looking past this Chris Algieri fight.  I know there are big fights out there like Mayweather.  I just have to stay focused and win this fight and go from there really.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You call Chris “dangerous”.  He’s not known as a big puncher.  It could be a good boxing match.  What do you see as the danger that Chris poses to you?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Technically I think overall he’s a very good boxer, moves well.  He makes a lot of fighters fall short.  He’s very skillful.  You have to be on your “A” game to beat him.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’ve been watching a lot of videos.  Even the Pacquiao fight, there’s some good things he did there.  It could be dangerous for me coming into this fight if I’m not on my “A” game.  I have to be one step ahead and make sure I don’t make any mistakes.  Chris Algieri is a guy that if you make a mistake, he’s going to make you pay for it.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, you were criticized heavily for taking this fight.  What can you do in this fight to put your name up there to get the bigger fights again?  Are you going to have to knock out Chris to make a real impression?

                                                                                                                                                      

Amir Khan 

Look, there’s people putting this fight down, and I don’t know why.  At the end of the day, Chris has won a world title.  He’s fought Pacquiao.  He’s a very good boxer, moves well, boxes well.  I definitely have to be on my “A” game.

                                                                                                                                                      

All this stuff what people are saying, they’re probably thinking Amir thinks it’s going to be a walk in the park, but he’ll make a mistake and lose this fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

I take every fight seriously.  I’ve made that mistake in the past.  I’ve fought some fights that I thought are going to be a walk in the park; I got hurt, I lost the fight.  I’m not thinking any fight is going to be easy.  Every fight I walk into, every person in front of me is going to be in there to win the fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Listening to Chris Algieri, he seems he wants to win this fight.  That motivates me and makes me train harder.  He wants to win this fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’m not really listening to what people are saying about future fights or where this fight can take me.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

There still is pressure on you to deliver because you have to send a message that you’re still a big name.

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Definitely there is.  There’s a lot of pressure on me in every fight because they want to see me perform.  Obviously there’s always the bigger picture of the other side.

                                                                                                                                                      

At the end of the day I’m still fighting the top guys and I believe Chris is one of the top guys in boxing.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You were quoted on the weekend that saying Leonard Ellerbe has mentioned Mayweather to you.  What would be your plan there?  Would it be hoping he puts it back to November or could you fight late in September?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

To be honest, I’m not looking past this fight.  I’ll tell you everything after the fight.  At the moment what’s on my mind is the Chris Algieri fight.  I don’t have anything else on my mind.

Q

Amir, you left Golden Boy after your contract ran out.  You’re with PBC now.  What was your thinking behind making that move?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

PBC I think is brilliant because it’s going to give more fans the chance to tune in to get to see you.  I think it’s going to be good for the boxers.  To be on Spike, the viewers are going to be great.

                                                                                                                                                      

At the end of the day it’s not like I’m making less money or anything.  I’m still doing well financially.  Obviously I’m getting more people to watch me fight hopefully on Spike and on PBC.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Obviously your name has been linked with Mayweather not just the last three weeks but with the last three years.  You’re both with Haymon.  Has he ever said what you need to do to get in the ring with Mayweather?

A. Khan                                                                                                                    

To get that fight, you have to look good.  You have to shine really.  It’s all about working hard, training hard, putting in good performances in the ring.  To turn in the best performances in the ring, I can’t take it easy in camp.  I have to be very focused.

                                                                                                                                                      

There’s been the word there for the last couple years that that fight was going to happen.  But I’m going to be taking every fight one step at a time, hopefully put on great performances.  If that fight comes, obviously it’s something I’ve always wanted.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Is that what he’s saying to you?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Yes, my trainer, everyone has said. “you have a fight in front of you and Chris Algieri is no joke.”  I can’t go into this fight thinking it’s going to be easy.  In boxing, there are always guys who are skillful and can beat you.  I have to be that one step ahead.  I can’t really take this fight lightly and think it’s going to be easy, lose my fight, then all my dreams are shattered to fight all the big names in boxing.

                                                                                                                                                      

Losing this fight, it would ruin my dreams to fight the big names in boxing.  I have to be focused on this fight.  I know what it’s like to fight someone in their own backyard.  When I fought Lamont Peterson, you have to try harder to win that fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

I have to be very focused, definitely keep the game plan strong, just win your rounds and win the fight.

Q

Chris, you were in the ring with Pacquiao before.  Obviously there’s a shoulder injury he says he’s had for quite some time.  Was there anything you felt when you were in there, maybe you saw a difference in him, different from when he fought you?

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri 

I didn’t really see anything physically.  I saw a little more mental.  He seemed more focused from my fight, to tell you the truth.  Even at the weigh-in, he was bubbly and smiley.  He wasn’t that way with myself when we were in China.  That’s neither here nor there.  You don’t know whether that could be anything.

That’s kind of a hard question to answer for someone else.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

What does this fight mean for you going forward?  A win against a top name in boxing would do wonders for your career.  Tell us what a win would mean for your career moving forward.

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri 

Yeah, I don’t want to speak for Amir or any other fighter out there, but we’re all competitors.  We’re all out there to win.  There’s a reason we do this at the elite level.  You have to have a burning desire to be a winner.

                                                                                                                                                      

Amir is a champion, a former champion.  I’m a former champion, a champion myself.  That will and desire to always want to win is there.  There’s a lot of questions that are being asked.  You have to win this fight.  Of course, you have to win this fight.  You have to win to get the big fights.

                                                                                                                                                      

That’s one of the great things about this sport:  when you keep winning, good things happen.  Of course, we’re all very hungry to get this victory and move on with our careers.  I’m in exactly the same place.  This is a huge fight, a huge opportunity.  As with any other fight, I want to win.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, did you see anything in Mayweather that you would have taken advantage of, something you saw that other people didn’t see?  Did he look a step slower?  Something you saw that you could take advantage of?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Yeah, I mean, I was there as a boxing fan.  I’m only an hour away from Vegas.  I went there to watch the fight.  I enjoyed the atmosphere and everything.

                                                                                                                                                      

Mayweather looked great.  He did what he had to do to win the fight.  His accuracy was nothing but the best.  He was catching Pacquiao with some good, clean shots, whereas Pacquiao was falling short.

                                                                                                                                                      

That’s the way he fights.  He’s a very skillful fighter who is very patient and makes his opponent make mistakes.  That’s what I liked about him.

                                                                                                                                                      

His world grade is dropping tremendously because of his age.  But there are things I saw there which I have not seen before; when he takes a good shot, he doesn’t panic.  The only way to catch him is with speed.  Pacquiao didn’t use as much speed and explosiveness in the fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

I enjoyed it.  I’m sure there were all those people who said he was never going to beat Pacquiao, well, he’s been there and done that.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

A lot of people want you to fight Kelly Brook, can you talk about the decision to take a different opponent who is not ranked as high?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

I could have fought Kell Brook in the UK.  I don’t want to fight because of Ramadan coming up.  Either way, I’d be taking Ramadan off.  I don’t want to be going into Ramadan tired after a fight, going straight into Ramadan, fasting.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’ve done that before.  I’ve had a fight and I’ve gone straight into Ramadan back-to-back.  It’s too much for a body to take.  Obviously I need to look after my body.

                                                                                                                                                      

Yeah, Kell Brook, the guy is a world champion, he should be fighting the likes of Bradley and the big names in boxing, like me.  I’m fighting Chris Algieri, who just came out of the ring in his last fight against Pacquiao.  Kell Brook, never heard of the guy he fought.  Now he’s fighting another no-name fighter without a ranking.

                                                                                                                                                      

That name doesn’t bother me anymore because he’s not doing anything.  The only reason his name gets pushed to me because he holds the title.  If he didn’t have the title, I don’t think it would mean anything to me or boxing.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Tell us your thoughts on Algieri as a fighter and give us some of your scouting report on him.

 

A. Khan

Chris Algieri just came off a win.  I saw it the other day.  It was a very good fight.  He boxed very smart against a guy who is a good pressure fighter and a big puncher.  Then, against Pacquiao, one of the quickest fighters in the world.

                                                                                                                                                      

I think if you look at the names of Chris Algieri’s opponents, Kell Brook’s last few opponents, the names will speak for themselves.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Chris, in this fight there’s been a lot of discussion what Amir is going to do in his next fight, all this.  You’re in some ways being overlooked in this.  Tell us what you think your advantages are over Amir and why you think you’re going to be able to win this fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

C. Algieri 

All the talk is none of my concern, to tell you the truth.  I’m focused on training, preparing the best that I can for this fight.  I’ve been working hard, working on a lot of new things with John David Jackson.  Great sparring so far.

                                                                                                                                                      

I’m just a very hungry fighter at this point.  I’m coming off my first loss as a professional, and watching Pacquiao and Mayweather fight this weekend has spurred me on this much more, made me that much more of a hungry fighter.

                                                                                                                                                      

It’s one of those things, you have a guy in great shape that is really hungry for the win.  I think that’s a big advantage in any fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, focusing on this fight, what do you think your advantages are over Chris?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Yeah, the speed, the movement, the power.  Experience is something that I have on my side.  I remember a couple years ago when I was fighting the guys who were a lot more experienced than me, I was going and beating them guys.  Now I’m in a position where I’m one of the guys with most experience, fighting guys with less experience.

                                                                                                                                                      

You can’t take that lightly really because obviously I was once in Chris Algieri’s position where I had one loss and I was going up against the top guys in boxing, and I beat those guys.

                                                                                                                                                      

I can’t go into this fight thinking it’s going to be an easy fight or I’m going to win this fight because I was once in Chris Algieri’s position, where I was getting people telling me, you’re not going to make it, you’re not going to win this fight.  I proved everybody wrong.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, you fought in New York before.  Chris is going to be the hometown guy in this fight.  You’re well-known in New York, too.  What do you think the effect is going to be having the fight in Brooklyn?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

I always wanted to fight in Brooklyn.  I fought at Madison Square Garden in 2009 against Paulie.  I always wanted to come back to New York.  The fan base is huge.

                                                                                                                                                      

It’s like a second home for me.  My wife lives in Staten Island.  I spend a lot of time in New York.  We live in England, but spend a lot of time in New York and America itself.

                                                                                                                                                      

For me, every time I’m walking the streets of New York, I have everybody asking me, when are you going to be fighting again?  We want to see you fight again in New York.

                                                                                                                                                      

Also when I’m at Barclays Center, I’ve been there for a couple of the Nets games, people have always asked me, We need you back in New York.  We need you to fight at Barclays Center.

                                                                                                                                                      

I think it’s time now.  I promised them I would come back.  I’m coming back fighting one of their home fighters.  I know by fighting that home fighter you have to work a bit harder because he’s going to have a little bit more fans than me.

                                                                                                                                                      

But, I mean, time will tell.  We’ll see how it all goes. I’m going to be focused on everything.  I’m going to stay calm and hopefully come fight night I’m going to be ready for everything that Chris Algieri brings to the table.  I’m going to be ready, yeah.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Amir, in Vegas over the weekend you were getting mobbed everywhere you went by fans.  What are they saying to you at this point?  They’ve been asking you about Floyd.  Has that subsided or is that still the message?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

Everybody was talking about that one big fight.  “You should fight Floyd.  You should fight Floyd.”

                                                                                                                                                      

I was telling them all, I’m fighting Chris Algieri next.  That for me is a very tough fight.  I need to win this fight if I need to go near any of the big names in fighting.

                                                                                                                                                      

They were very supportive.  I was getting a lot of respect in Vegas.  But, like I said, this is time to fight Chris Algieri.  I’m not going to be fighting Floyd Mayweather yet till I win this fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

I was listening, being respectful back. Just meeting fans and greeting fans really.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

How inspiring was that to be part of the weekend?  It was something quite special, wasn’t it?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

It was massive having two big names.  I’ve been to both big fights.  Normally you have a Pacquiao fight with big names.  When you go to a fight with two big names, it was huge.  Manny had the bigger crowd, it seemed to me.  Floyd just did what he had to do.  It was full of a high-profile team, celebrities and stuff.  I sat amongst them.  It’s something I want to be doing one day, being in the ring, having millions of people in the world watching you and having people watch you ring side.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

You had Adrien Broner in your ear.  What was that all about?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan

 I think he just wants to jump on the bandwagon and get a little hype.  I told my advisor to get me the fight with him before we even got the fight with Chris.  Adrien to me seemed to not want the fight.  In front of the cameras, he seems to want the fight.  When it comes down to signing the contract, he doesn’t want the fight.

                                                                                                                                                      

Adrien didn’t want it, so obviously I had to go on to someone else.

                                                                                                                                                      

Q

Is it true that you’ve ruled out fighting in September if a Mayweather fight does come to pass?  Will you not fight in September?

                                                                                                                                                      

A. Khan 

No, no, I’ve not ruled out.  It’s possible I could fight in September, yeah.  Ramadan is going to be a little bit earlier this year, so obviously it helps, gives me enough time to get the training done and everything.  It can happen in September.

                                                                                                                                                      

L. DiBella 

Thank you, Amir and Chris.  Thank you, everybody, for joining us.

 

#          #          #

For more information, visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.spike.com/shows/premier-boxing-champions,www.barclayscenter.com and www.dbe1.com. Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @AmirKingKhan, @ChrisAlgieri, @LouDiBella, @SpikeTV and @BarclaysCenter and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.Facebook.com/AmirKhanThePage, www.Facebook.com/ChrisAlgieri andwww.Facebook.com/Spike. Follow the conversation using #PremierBoxingChampions and #BrooklynBoxing.

ANDRE DIRRELL AND JAMES DEGALE TO MEET IN EXCITING SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT SHOWDOWN ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, MAY 23 FROM AGGANIS ARENA IN BOSTON LIVE ON NBC & NBCSN

 

 

OLYMPIC MEDALISTS BATTLE IT OUT ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AS 

PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON NBC COMES TO BOSTON

 

Tickets Are On Sale Now!

 

BOSTON (April 21, 2015) – A Memorial Day weekend showdown takes center stage when Olympic stars battle it out as 2004 Bronze medalist for the United States Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16 KOs) meets 2008 Gold medalist for Great Britain James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs) in a super middleweight bout as Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC comes to Boston on Saturday, May 23 live on NBC and NBCSN.

Live coverage of this special Memorial Day weekend afternoon edition of PBC on NBC starts at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT on NBC and goes until 6:00 pm. ET/3:00 p.m. PT when the action switches over to NBCSN from 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT until 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.

“I’m ready for this fight,” said Dirrell. “I’m so happy and honored to be fighting on NBC for a world title against a worthy opponent in James DeGale.”

“We are almost there, on May 23 it’s my time to make history as the first Briton to win an Olympic gold medal and a world title,” said DeGale. “I’m excited about coming to the U.S for this fight, Boston is a great city and I will be bringing plenty of support from the UK. It’s been a frustrating period waiting for my shot but now it’s here and no one is taking it away from me.”

“I’m thrilled to bring Premier Boxing Champions to the Agganis Arena at Boston University on May 23,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Holiday fireworks will begin Saturday afternoon when America’s skilled technician and Olympic bronze medalist Andre Dirrell takes on Britain’s Olympic gold medalist James DeGale for the world super middleweight championship. The card will also feature strong co-featured and undercard bouts, including Boston, New England and Irish title contenders.”

An amateur standout who won two U.S. Amateur World Championships in addition to his Olympic Bronze medal, the 31-year-old Dirrell looks to keep up his recent win streak when he battles DeGale on May 23. A winner of his last six fights, Dirrell’s only blemish on his record is a split decision loss to Carl Froch in 2009. The fighter out of Flint, Michigan holds victories over Arthur Abraham and Curtis Stevens.

Born in London, DeGale won a Commonwealth Championship Bronze medal in 2006 and an Olympic Gold medal in 2008. The 29-year-old turned pro in 2009 and won his first 10 starts while ending eight of those opponents within the distance. His only loss came in 2011 when he lost to fellow countryman George Groves by a narrow majority decision. Since then he has won 10-straight bouts including his most recent victory over Marco Antonio Periban.

PBC and DiBella Entertainment are proud to be working in association with Ken Casey and his Murphys Boxing on this event. The Dropkick Murphys front man has been on the front lines of the boxing resurgence in Boston.

“Boston deserves to have big time fight cards like this. We have rabid boxing fans and a ton of talented world class fighters, many of which will be featured on May 23,” said Casey.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Murphys Boxing, are priced at $250, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $35, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. Tickets will be available atwww.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.comwww.nbcsports.com/boxing, www.AgganisArena.com and www.dbe1.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @AndreDirrell, @JamesDeGale1, @LouDiBella, @DropkickMurphys, @MurphysBoxing, @NBCSports and @AgganisArena and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/NBCSports,www.facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/DropkickMurphys andwww.facebook.com/MurphysBoxing. Follow the conversation using #PremierBoxingChampions and #PBConNBC

BROOKLYN’S OWN PAULIE MALIGNAGGI TO TAKE ON BOSTON’S DANNY O’CONNOR IN TELEVISED OPENER OF PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON SPIKE TV FRIDAY, MAY 29 AT BARCLAYS CENTER

 BROOKLYN (April 20, 2015) – Former two-division champion Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) returns to the ring in his hometown to face the skilled Danny O’Connor (25-2, 9 KOs) as the televised co-feature for Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike TV on Friday, May 29 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT live from Barclays Center.

This fight will be part of an explosive evening headlined by boxing superstar Amir Khan who faces tough New Yorker Chris Algieri.  Doors at Barclays Center open at 6 p.m. ET.

“After some much needed time away from the ring, it feels great to once again be fighting at Barclays Center,” said Malignaggi. “I now look forward to being a participant in the PBC events as a fighter just as I am part of the PBC family of broadcasters.”

“My supporters and I have been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this on the big stage,” said O’Connor. “It’s a throwback matchup…Irish vs. Italian, Boston vs. New York. I’ll be bringing down busloads of people and I’m sure he’s going to have a big hometown crowd. I’ve never been more ready for the challenge that lies ahead of me.”

A former world champion at 140 and 147-pounds, the 34-year-old Malignaggi will return to the ring to fight at Barclays Center for the fourth time as a professional. He has faced a slew of big names throughout his career and has taken home victories over the likes of Zab Judah, Vyacheslav Senchenko and Pablo Cesar Cano. Born in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, “The Magic Man” will look to put on a show for his hometown fans on May 29.

A former National Golden Gloves champion who has fought as a pro since 2008,O’Connor faces the toughest opponent of his career when he steps in the ring against Malignaggi on May 29. The 30-year-old is coming off of back-to-back knockout victories over Michael Clark and Andrew Farmer. Fighting out of Framingham, Massachusetts, O’Connor will be making his first professional start in the state of New York.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Star Boxing, are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.com,www.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.