Unified Middleweight World Champion (WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO) GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN (36-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS (32-1, 29 KO’s) hosted a massive contingent of Southern California media on Wednesday in Downtown Los Angeles to promote their highly anticipated showdown set for Saturday, March 18 at “The Mecca of Boxing”, Madison Square Garden. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Presented by K2 Promotions, tickets for “MIDDLEWEIGHT MADNESS” priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.
Below are quotes from the participants:
GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN
“Everybody wants to see this fight. Daniel is a great fighter, I’m very excited to be facing him because for me it’s very important who is better, in the ring. I have a great deal of respect for Daniel for taking this fight.”
“I also have a great deal of respect for this sport and that’s why it’s important for me and for everyone to find out who is #1 in the middleweight division. Right now my position and Danny’s position is to find out who is #1.”
“Thanks to my team, to HBO and Madison Square Garden, my friends, my family. I welcome everyone to watch the fight on March 18.”
DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS
“I want to thank my team for allowing me to become the man I am inside and outside the ring. Thanks to my family for always sticking by my side for supporting me. K2 and HBO and everyone involved for allowing this to be the mega-fight that it is.”
“This fight has the material to be one of the best fights in a very long time. What we all bring to the table, this is a can’t miss fight. You guys are going to either want to show up or buy the pay-per-view, this is a fight that cannot miss. Two guys, two dedicated knockout punches, you can’t get any better than this. “
“I’m privileged to face the best. Nine times out of ten, guys don’t take on the toughest challenges, they milk the game in a sense as much as they can.”
“I credit Gennady for taking this fight, I have the utmost respect for him and his team but come March 18, the questions that have been asked about me will be answered, who I truly am, what I bring to the table and just how great I can be.”
“I haven’t come this far to give up, I’m scared of no man, I fear nothing, my back has been against the wall so many times and I’ve accepted that this is no different. It’s a tough challenge but one I look forward to.”
“For however long it lasts, I’m sure it’s going to be an entertaining fight. Once again I’m grateful for those who supported me for allowing me to have this amazing dream, to fight the best. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
ABEL SANCHEZ, Trainer of Golovkin
“We are looking forward to again facing one of Sam and Al’s projects. Andre Rozier has a program of developing a lot of very, very good fighters as we do in Big Bear. On fight night they’re both champions in the ring and we hope that they give you the kind of fight that your presence requires.
ANDRE ROZIER, Trainer of Jacobs
“Give both these fighters all the credit in the world for taking this fight. These guys are putting
it all on the line and they deserve the respect.
“A lot of people don’t know Danny Jacobs, he’s a gentleman out of the ring and when that first bell ring he becomes a monster, I know that this fight will put Danny in the history books. I’ve known him since he 14 years old and he’s never, ever disappointed me and I don’t expect him to disappoint me on March 18.”
TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 Promotions
“This is really two champions fighting each other, there’s no question these are the two best fighters in their division and that’s what the fans respond to, the best fighting the best. There’s not going to be any tables thrown, both fighters are great ambassadors for the sport of boxing, this is clearly how the sport should be conducted. Both are confident in their abilities; the teams as well have a tremendous amount of respect for each other.”
“This is the type of fight that fans want to see, who is the best middleweight in the world. Danny wasn’t going to take this fight unless he was confident in winning and the same for Gennady, it’s a mandated fight from the WBA so if Gennady wanted to keep his title he had to fight Danny Jacobs. The same thing for Danny if he wanted to prove he’s the best middleweight in the world, he’d have to fight Gennady.”
“This has really been a great start to the promotion, we went on sale two weeks ago over the holidays and the tickets sales are outpacing where they were when Gennady fought David Lemieux in October 2015 when MSG was completely sold out so we definitely see the response from both very strong fan bases.”
“With a combined 35 knockouts heading into this fight, Gennady and Danny will provide the excitement on March 18th that the fans want.”
Photo credit: Tom Hogan / K2 Promotions
