SAN JOSE, Calif. (July 25, 2012) – Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Selcuk Aydin met with members of the media at a final press conference at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 just three days before their 12-round showdown for the vacant WBC Interim Welterweight World Championship on Saturday, July 28 from HP Pavilion at San Jose which will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
In Saturday’s co-feature, top-rated welterweight prospect “Showtime” Shawn Porter steps into the ring against his toughest foe to date, two-time world title challenger Alfonso Gomez for the vacant NABO Welterweight Title.
The event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arena-Box Promotion and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. Preliminary bouts, featuring unbeaten junior middleweight Hugo “The Boss” Centeno vs. Ayi Bruce and undefeated super middleweight George Groves vs. hard-hitting Francisco Sierra, will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets priced at $252, $127, $62 and $26 are available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000 and at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office.
Here’s what the participants had to say on Wednesday:
ROBERT GUERRERO:
“I had a great camp. I’ll let my training talk in the ring. I’ve been in Lake Tahoe for two months and I’m in great shape. This is the best camp I’ve ever had.
“My wife is doing better now and I can focus on boxing. Before, you guys only saw 50 percent of me in the ring. Now, I can give it 100 percent.
“I’m hungry and ready to fight.
“I want to thank Aydin for taking on the challenge to face me.
“He said he was going to break my jaw and that motivated me more. That pushed me even harder to get in there and bring it.
“I’m making my way back into the ring so this fight is very important for my career. I’m 100 percent focused and I know what I need to do on Saturday. If they think we’re looking past him, they’re wrong.”
SELCUK AYDIN:
“Most of the time when you have a big fight coming up you talk big, but I’m not a man of big words; I like to prove myself in the ring.
“I know what I came here for, to put on a great fight. We know our opponent, we know he is tough, but we came here to win and take the title back to Turkey.
“I’ve been fighting for 20 years and I know what I have to do to win. You’ll see on Saturday night.
“I can hit hard, but I will also box. I can’t wait to prove to the United States fans what I can do in the ring.
“We know Robert is very experienced, so I won’t say anything against him, but I know what I’ve done. I’ve had a great camp and I’m prepared for anything that happens on Saturday. I know what I’m all about and you’ll find out soon enough.”
RUBEN GUERRERO (Guerrero’s father and trainer):
“We had a great camp up in Lake Tahoe. We did it all with Bob Santos – conditioning, nutrition, training. When Robert gets in the ring you’ll see that body.
“He’s ready, he’s on fire. He’s ready for 20 or 30 rounds.
“These guys think they’re here to win but we’re going to put on a clinic.
“Robert is going to win another title. It’s going to be a long ride home for these guys.”
CONNY MITTERMEIER (Aydin’s trainer):
“We’ve had most of our camp here in San Jose. It’s been a great camp and Selcuk is in great shape.
“We have a very tough opponent, but Selcuk is here to win the fight. We know we have a tough test in front of us but we came here to win.”
SHAWN PORTER:
“This is my first fight in California, which is saying a lot after my amateur and professional career, so it’s a big step for me and my camp.
“My camp dissected Alfonso and told me what to do in the ring. My team pushes me physically and mentally to be ready to fight and I’m prepared to be 20 and 0 after Saturday night.
“He is the most experienced fighter I’ve faced as a professional and he’s been in there with some of the best, but I fought some tough guys in the amateurs and beat them.
“I need to use everything I have; speed, quickness, power, strength and endurance. It’s going to take everything I have to beat him. I need to make adjustments and take it one round at a time.”
ALFONSO GOMEZ:
“This is where I fought as an amateur and I’m excited to be back.
“We prepared well for this camp for Porter. We know he is capable. He reminds me of a young Shane Mosley and I’m sure he’ll have a great career like Mosley, but I have plans and he can’t derail me.
“I’m the toughest guy he’s ever faced. It’s a tough test that I know he will fail. I feel confident, strong and ready.”
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