Top New York-area boxing talent featured in undercard action on Saturday, December 5 at Barclays Center, hosted a media round table at McMahon’s Public House in Brooklyn today to discuss their upcoming showdowns.
Erick Bone (16-2, 8 KOs), the welterweight contender facing Long Island’s Chris Algieri, former world champion Yuri Foreman (32-2, 9 KOs), undefeated rising star from Staten Island and 2012 U.S. Olympian “Sir” Marcus Browne (16-0, 12 KOs), undefeated Brooklyn-native Heather “The Heat” Hardy (14-0, 3 KOs and Queens native firefighter Will “Power” Rosinsky (19-2, 10 KOs) who takes on Long Island’s Joe Smith Jr. (19-1, 16 KOs) were in attendance and spoke to the media shortly after posing in front of Barclays Center.
The loaded lineup of fights will precede the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXINGÒ doubleheader headlined by the all-Brooklyn battle between middleweight world champion Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (30-1, 27 KOs) and former world champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (32-0-1, 23 KOs). ). In the co-feature, WBA Featherweight World Champion Jesus Cuellar (27-1, 21 KOs) will face exciting Puerto Rican contender Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo (26-4, 16 KOs).
Tickets for the live event start at $50, not including applicable fees, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.
Below is what the fighters had to say Monday:
ERICK BONE
“Camp has been excellent so far. I’ve been training for a while now and I’ve been working really hard.
“When I first heard Algieri’s name, I was a little surprised about it. Once I realized it, I got really excited and happy because If I can pull off the win, this will be big for my career.
“Something I learned from my last fight is, I don’t have to respect an opponent. I lose all respect for the person I’m fighting as soon as they’re in the ring.
Another thing I learned is, if I get injured, I need to stop. I was injured in the second round of my fight with Shawn Porter, but I kept going and fought for three rounds with one knee. I had to wear a cast for two months right after that fight. My knee is 100 percent healed now.
“I feel like I’m a boxer-puncher. I can box and I can punch.
“In reality, to beat Algieri, all I have to do is listen to my coach, my corner and my whole team.”
YURI FOREMAN
“I believe that timing is everything. I’ve been off for two years. I realized that I needed a little rest. I love boxing. It is something that I’ve loved since I was a kid and I feel like I wanted to do it more.
“[On ending retirement] It’s a combination of a variety of things. I wouldn’t come back just for the rush of it – I would probably jump out of an airplane if I needed a rush. I like the daily routine. It’s going to the gym, it’s keeping a mental, emotional and spiritual balance. I want to become a world champion again.
“I’ve been in the gym since June, so more than half a year. Camp is good. I have friends and sparring partners that are helping me. It is the same as any fighter – preparation is a routine.
“It is refreshing to be back in the ring. I feel more centered spiritually and mentally. I am more mature. I just feel stronger all around.
“This is great. I live on 6th street so 10 or 15 blocks away. I’ve always wanted to fight at Barclays Center. One of the things you learn about your life about yourself. Every human has a desire and a goal. I had a desire to fight here and now I am. It is a big card with a lot of talent and great fighters. I am happy to be a part of it.
“I always consider myself a smart fighter and boxer. I would say I’ve added more aggression to my arsenal since the last time I was in the ring.”
MARCUS BROWNE
“Everything is going as planned and I’m staying focused for December 5. I’m ready to take care of business as usual.
“I went into my last fight with a different mentality. And I’m going into this fight exactly the same way. I’m not playing with anybody. I need to make a statement this year because this is an important time in my boxing career. The light heavyweight division is picking up and I need to make a solid name for myself.
“I see a lot of openings in a lot of people’s games, but I have some openings in my own game too that I need to tighten up. You cannot afford to have those types of openings at this level.
“I’ve been bumping up the conditioning as I’ve been getting fights with more rounds. I’m ready to go 10 rounds right now.”
HEATHER HARDY
“I hate doing rematches because it’s so redundant, I already beat you. It was a split decision from a crazy judge, she feels like she can come back and beat me. I didn’t want to deny her because we put on a great show for the fans.
“People at the fight knew I won the fight and that it was a clear decisive win, but when people see ‘split decision’ there are always questions that arise because she is such a good legitimate fighter. I’m giving her another chance.
“I did three fights in a row over the summer, so it was nice to take a little break. I’m happy to get back in there.
“It’s an honor to fight at Barclays Center. I am the first girl to ever fight there and I want to keep the door open and keep the momentum going.
“The truth of the matter is; women don’t get the recognition that they deserve [in this sport]. What people see, I’m a sole leader in women’s boxing, but behind the scenes, there are girls out there kicking ass all over the place. My stablemate just won a world title, oldest woman to win a world title in the Guinness Book of World Records. It is kind of sad that we aren’t all getting the recognition we deserve.
“I hate looking past a fight, but without saying too much — I want 2016 to be my world title year. I earned it and I’m so ready for it.”
WILL ROSINSKY
“I’m kind of ahead of the game in terms of weight because I thought I would be fighting in October, but when this opportunity came up, I had to take it.
“Fighting at Barclays Center is an opportunity that I was looking forward to getting and now that its here, I’m really excited. Barclays Center is becoming the center for sports. There’s been a lot of great cards there and I’ve been at many of them and I’m happy to be a part of the actual card.
“I know Joe Smith well because we spar a lot. He helped me get ready for Kelly Pavlik when I fought him a few years ago. He is a tall, long and strong kid. He has power in both hands. I’m working on boxing him, brawling with him a little bit — taking him into deep water. He has a lot of knockouts and hasn’t gone the distance too much so it’s something that he’s not used to, but I am used to it. Make sure he isn’t ready for it.
“The best way I can describe it would be effective aggression. I am kind of aggressive, but I can box a little bit and I surprise guys. I’m a fan-friendly kind of fighter, which might not always be good for me, but it’s good for the crowd.
“I think that mine and Joe’s fight is going to stand out in terms of the card. I think the main event is going to be a great fight also, but I think fans will see a lot of grit and toe-to-toe action with a lot of punches thrown for 10 rounds in our fight.”
JOE SMITH JR.
“I’ve been training all over the place. Lots of gyms. Wherever I can. I’ve been working on my speed, combination punches and moving a lot more.
“I just want to show that I can beat anybody if I put my mind to it. I’m trying to focus hard on this fight.
“My fans can expect to see a lot of action. I’m a big puncher and I like to throw a lot of punches.
“I’m very excited for it. It’s definitely the biggest place I’ve ever fought at and I can’t wait. Once I’m in the ring, I just focus on what’s going on there. Fighting at Barclays Center doesn’t affect me that way.
“Will was always a big sparring partner of mine to get me ready for my fights, so now I just have to find sparring elsewhere.
“I think the fans are going to see something that they didn’t expect when Will and I meet in the ring.”
