“Everybody knows that Deontay Wilder gets the job done. I worked too hard to get here to just give up the belt. I want all the belts, I’m greedy like that.” — Deontay Wilder

“When my dream becomes a reality on Saturday, I’ll come right back here and give Wilder the rematch.” – Eric Molina

THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 13, LIVE ON SHOWTIME^®

FROM BARTOW ARENA IN BIRMINGHAM, ALA.

Click HERE To Download Photos

Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME

Tickets Still on Sale!!!

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (June 11, 2015) – Two days before the first-ever world title fight in the state of Alabama, undefeated heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and challenger Eric Molina participated in a tense final press conference Thursday at Embassy Suites in Birmingham.

The hard-hitting Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Ala, will be making the first defense of the heavyweight title he won impressively from Bermane Stiverne in January, when he meets Molina (23-2, 17 KOs), of Lyford, Texas, this Saturday, June 13, in the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

In the co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, undefeated Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza(19-0, 12 KOs), of Cidra, Puerto Rico, will be opposed by Andrey Klimov (19-1, 9 KOs), of Klimovski, Russia, in a 12-rounder for the vacant IBF Junior Lightweight World Championship.

In the main event on SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME^®, undefeated world-ranked contendersIvan “El Terrible” Redkach and Dejan “El Dinamita” Zlaticanin will square off in a 12-round eliminator. The winner between Redkach (18-0, 1 ND, 14 KOs), of Los Angeles, and Zlaticanin (16-0, 9 KOs), of Montenegro, becomes the mandatory challenger to Jorge Linares, the WBC 135-pound world champion.

Opening the SHO EXTREME telecast, unbeaten top 10-ranked super welterweight Julian “J Rock” Williams (19-0-1, 11 KOS, 1 ND), of Philadelphia, will be opposed by Armenia’s Armen Ovsepyan(14-4, 11 KOs), of Glendale, Calif., in an eight-round bout.  Time permitting, hard-hitting light heavyweights Ahmed Elbiali (10-0, 9 KOs, 1-1 WSB), of Miami, Fla, and Donta Woods (8-4, 7 KOs), of Atlanta, will collide in a four/six-round swing match.

Below is what the fighters and Hall of Fame promoter Don King had to say today:

DEONTAY WILDER, Heavyweight World Champion

“I’m thankful to everybody who has put together this great event. This is a dream come true for me. When I made my dream to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, I wanted to do something to change the Alabama sports landscape.

“People wanted me to rush my career, even I did at some points, but I’m a man who believes in timing and that there’s a moment when things should happen. We have to wait for our time.

“This is my destiny. Once I had my precious daughter she changed my life forever and she became my motivation to get here. She’s the reason I go hard in the gym, she’s the reason I carry myself the way I do.

“I worked too hard to get to this position. We’re not planning on this being the end.

“It’s a privilege to make history with the first world title fight in Alabama, in any division. I’ve been about making history my entire career since the amateurs.

“I love to fight, I love this sport. They say you have to eat, sleep and breathe it and I do. I’m never out of shape. This is my life.

“Everybody knows that Deontay Wilder gets the job done. I worked too hard to get here to just give up the belt. I want all the belts, I’m greedy like that.

“We respect Eric Molina and what he’s trying to do. It’s a great opportunity for him. I was once where he was, in my last fight.”

ERIC MOLINA, Heavyweight Contender

“I want to thank all the people of Alabama, who have made me feel right at home this week. My training team has been incredible.

“I’ve had Oliver McCall in my camp for four years, and he’s prepped me for my moment to shock the world, just like he did against Lennox Lewis.

“I’ve dreamed about that moment, I’ve thought about it since even before I got this fight. I was going to knock someone out and become heavyweight champion of the world. It seemed so real to me in my mind, and when we signed the fight it all came together.

“Everybody has written me off. I’ve never been undefeated and I’ve always been the underdog.

“When my dream becomes a reality on Saturday, I’ll come right back here and give Wilder the rematch.”

JOSE PEDRAZA, Undefeated Junior Lightweight Contender

“I’m very happy about this opportunity. I’m not worried about the big stage because I’ve been on the big stage before. I’ve been in the big fights before and I just want to make the most of this opportunity.

“It’s been a long camp this time but other than that there has been nothing different in training. It’s been the same great preparations as all my other fights.

“I have a different level of skills than Klimov. I’m fast and I can do it all. Right and left handed, you’ll see all my skills on Saturday.

“This means a lot to me and to the people of Puerto Rico. They want another champion and I’m going to be next. This is the most important fight of my career and I’m going to give it my all in there.

“Whoever says they don’t get butterflies before a big fight is lying, but I’ve been on this stage before so I know how to control them. One that bell rings I’m going for it.”

ANDREY KLIMOV, Junior Lightweight Contender

“I’ve been fighting in the U.S. for five years. I turned pro a little late but I always knew that I had the chance to be a world champion.

“Coming in as an underdog is nothing new to me. It’s happened over and over. I’m going to be there to fight, I’ll never give up.

“The loss was a learning experience. It was my first time under the real bright lights. I took the fight because I wanted to prove something. I was upset because I knew I could do better.

“People are going to talk about me differently after I win this world title. I’ve worked together great with my team. All the bumps in the road have gotten us to here.

“Pedraza was a great amateur and a very good fighter. Everyone at this level is a good fighter. If you look at who we fought, my level of competition has been much higher.”

JULIAN WILLIAMS, Undefeated Junior Middleweight Contender

“We had a very tough training camp. It seems like Ovsepyan comes forward a lot and throws a lot of punches. I’m going to just keep it simple, use the jab and work punches off of that.

“I haven’t thought about any other opponents besides Ovsepyan for the past three or four weeks because he’s the guy that I’m fighting, he’s the guy that’s gloved up. Nobody else will be in that ring besides him on Saturday night, so he is who I am worried about.

“I definitely tailor my training camp based on the opponent I will be fighting. I get certain guys to come in and spar with me that have similar fighting styles and body types as my opponent. I try to get the closest thing to my opponent in my sparring partners so that I can get a good feel for what the fight will be like.”

ARMEN OVSEPYAN, Junior Middleweight Contender

“I’m feeling prepared, boxed over 60 rounds for this fight and I’m definitely ready to go.

“I’m a fighter; I take hard fights, that’s what real fighters do.

“He’s very well-regarded but we’ll see how he likes it when I put a lot of pressure on him from the start. We both have two hands, I can win this fight.

“It’s going to be the best fight of the night, whether we need to go the distance or if we get the knockout early.”

IVAN REDKACH, Undefeated Lightweight Contender

“I’m excited for this; I’m never scared of the big moment. June 13 is going to be the most important date of my career.

“I’ve been in camp for four months and feel 120 percent that I’m ready to fight.

“My opponent always tries to go forward and is very strong. He’s always trying to throw, sometimes weird punches from bottom to side to top.

“I have harder fights ahead of me but we’ll see after this one if this is my toughest test so far.

“I’m very happy for this chance to fight on SHOWTIME, my teammates have prepared me very well for this and I’m excited.”

DEJAN ZLATICANIN, Lightweight Contender

“I’m not a novice, I’ve been around and I know how to fight. I’m strong and I’m not afraid to come forward. I know Ivan is the same way, so you know it’s going to be a great fight.

“In my mind, I’ve already seen Ivan knocked out. I’ve seen it happen and I’m going to see it again on Saturday.

“I’m going to come to work hard. I come from a small country in Montenegro and I’m not here to give anything away, I’m taking full advantage.”

DON KING, Hall Of Fame Promoter

“We’re going to have a terrific fight here in Alabama on Saturday night.

“Deontay Wilder has proven to be a tremendous fighter and he last proved it on January 17. I’m certain that Wilder doesn’t mean to transfer the belt like Bermane Stiverne did.

“Texans have an out of the box way of thinking, they just take what they want. You’re going to have an unstoppable force against the unmovable object. Only one will win.”

# # #

“WILDER vs. MOLINA,” a 12-round fight for Wilder’s WBC Heavyweight Championship, takes place Saturday, June 13, at The Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. DiBella Entertainment and Bruno Event Team have joined forces to bring this event to Alabama. In the co-main event co-promoted by DiBella in association with Universal Promotions, Jose Pedraza will face Andrey Klimov in a 12-round bout for the IBF Junior Lightweight World Title. It will air live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).  Preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

WILDER vs. MOLINA Official Weigh-In will be available for viewing across multiple platforms, including LIVE via satellite feed and the SHO Sports YouTube Page.  Friday’s feed from Birmingham City Hall will be hosted by Mauro Ranallo and will be available in High Definition.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Bruno Event Team are on sale now.  Tickets start at only $25 with the best seats in the house going for $200.  VIP packages are also available.  To purchase tickets fans should visit alabamatitlefight.com.  Tickets are selling fast and a sellout is anticipated.

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com and www.dbe1.com follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @BronzeBomber, @LouDiBella and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #WilderMolina, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit http://shosportspoundforpound.tumblr.com/

Click HERE For Photos From Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME^®

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (June 11, 2015) – Unbeaten Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder, heavyweight challenger Eric Molina, along with co-headliners Puerto Rican junior lightweight Jose Pedraza and Russian amateur standout Andrey Klimov,kicked off fight week working out for the press at Round 1 Gym in Birmingham, Ala. in advance of their SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® bouts this Saturday, June 13, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

Also in attendance Wednesday were, undefeated world-ranked contenders Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach and Dejan “El Dinamita” Zlaticanin, who will square off in a 12-round eliminator earlier that night in the main event of SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME^® (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday:

Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder

“This week has been fun. It’s been exciting. Even to see the people and faces. I’m looking forward to Saturday. It’s always the hard part when you have to wait. Especially when you’ve been training hard and it’s real intense. Everything has been great so far, and I’m glad it’s finally here. I’m looking forward to making history being that this is the first title fight in the state of Alabama. And I’m gonna put my name on it first.

“Training camp has been just like any other camp. When I’m at camp, I’m always giving my all, 110 percent. Because when it’s time to go battle, I gotta give 110 percent. I have to perform better than I did the last time. But this is what I do. I love it and enjoy every moment it.

“Molina’s height is something to watch out for. Everybody likes two tall guys in the ring. I’m definitely going to find out if his bark is as big as his bite. Right now his bark is loud. But we’ll see if his bite is as loud as his bark.

“I don’t watch video or study my opponents because the way you may see them fight someone else is not the same way that they’re going to fight you. I let my people do that and break them down. I trust in believe in them, and I like the challenge as well. That’s another reason I don’t look at film. We’ll find out what he’s about on Saturday.”

Eric “Drummer Boy” Molina

“Deontay is a very strong fighter,a big puncher and a big presence. But just as many strengths as he has, he also has weaknesses. We’re just trying to key in on those weaknesses.

“I know this is a big fight for Alabama. I respect that and it’s an honor, but I’m also trying to make history. I plan on being the first Mexican-American Heavyweight World Champion.

“My mental focus is on the heavyweight world title. When you expect to fight for the world title, you have to come into someone’s backyard and do what you have to put up with pressure. I can handle pressure.

“I’ve accepted my role as the underdog. The whole world has written me off. I’ve embraced the role. I’m used to motivating myself. I’ve never been stronger, more focused. I’ve never been more physically, mentally, spiritually strong. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to fight.

“This is two big guys in the ring, and I can punch just like he can punch. It’s going to be a very exciting fight.”

Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza

“This was a long, hard training camp. We began training for this shot in December. We have worked extremely hard and are ready to show the world on Saturday night.

“We have seen video of Klimov and know what to expect on Saturday night. We will take it round by round and break him down.

“We can box, or we can bang. Whatever Klimov brings to the table we will be ready for. I plan on using my boxing technique to control the pace, but if he wants to stand there toe-to-toe, we are fine with that as well.

“It is important for me to look better than Crawford did in his victory over Klimov. I want to show the world that I am one of the best fighters in the entire sport.”

Regarding the comparisons to fellow Puerto Rican Star Felix Verdejo – “Verdejo is a good fighter and a good guy, but Jose Pedraza will be the next world champion to represent the great country of Puerto Rico.”

Andrey Klimov

“This was a great camp. We worked very hard, and trained with a lot of different champions. I came out 100 percent mentally and physically ready to go.

“I feel that the fight with Crawford actually worked to my advantage more than my disadvantage. I learned a lot in that fight and I will use that on Saturday night against Pedraza. What Pedraza brings to the table on Saturday night I will be ready for it. There will be no surprises on Saturday night, I am ready.

“I am very confident going into this fight. Pedraza is a tough opponent but I don’t think he is ready for what I am going to bring.

“It is an honor to be here and fighting at this level. On Saturday night you will see a spectacular performance.”

Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach

“This was the hardest training camp I have ever had. I have been training four hard months for this fight and I am in the best shape of my career.

“Dejan is a very tough opponent. He comes forward and is very aggressive, but he is not as good as me. The world will see that come Saturday night. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be victorious.

“This fight brings me one step closer to a world title shot, something I have been dreaming about my entire life, and there is no way he is going to stop me from achieving that. The fans are not going to want to miss this fight on Saturday night, because it’s going to be a war.”

Dejan Zlaticanin

“We had great sparring for this camp and it has helped us become the absolute best possible fighter we can be going into Saturday night.

“I have no doubt and no fear. I am the better, more superior fighter.

“This fight will not go to the final bell. I am going to knock Ivan Redkach out. There is no doubt in my mind.

“The winner of this fight earns the shot to fight Jorge Linares for the world title, and that is exactly the fight I want. On Saturday night I will stop Redkach and earn the right to challenge for the world title.”

“It is very important for me to bring this victory back to Montenegro to all my fans and countrymen who are cheering me on.”

# # #

“WILDER vs. MOLINA,” a 12-round fight for Wilder’s WBC Heavyweight Championship, takes place Saturday, June 13, at The Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. DiBella Entertainment and Bruno Event Team have joined forces to bring this event to Alabama. In the co-main event co-promoted by DiBella in association with Universal Promotions, Jose Pedraza will face Andrey Klimov in a 12-round bout for the IBF Junior Lightweight World Title. It will air live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).  Preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

WILDER vs. MOLINA Official Weigh-In will be available for viewing across multiple platforms, including LIVE via satellite feed and the SHO Sports YouTube Page.  Friday’s feed from Birmingham City Hall will be hosted by Mauro Ranallo and will be available in High Definition.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Bruno Event Team are on sale now.  Tickets start at only $25 with the best seats in the house going for $200.  VIP packages are also available.  To purchase tickets fans should visit alabamatitlefight.com.  Tickets are selling fast and a sellout is anticipated.

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com and www.dbe1.com follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @BronzeBomber, @LouDiBella and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #WilderMolina, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit http://shosportspoundforpound.tumblr.com/

Undefeated, Hard-Punching, Local Favorite

Defends Against Eric Molina This Saturday, June 13,
Live On SHOWTIME^® From Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala.;