Luis Ortiz – Tony Thompson Press Conference ERUPTS!

Fighters featured on the March 5 HBO Boxing After Dark telecast shared their final thoughts ahead of Saturday’s fights at the final press conference yesterday in Washington, D.C. WBA Interim Heavyweight Champion Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz (24-0, 21 KOs) was joined by Tony “The Tiger” Thompson (40-6, 27 KOs) ahead of their clash in the main event on the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast on Saturday.

Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz: “Unlike Mr. Thompson who uses humor and good words and is very well spoken, I instill fear through my hard work. In the ring is where I’m most comfortable and that’s where I’ll continue to prove why I am the most feared heavyweight on the planet Tony said that he is Godzilla. I didn’t see the movie, but on Saturday night, King Kong is going to beat Godzilla.”

Tony “The Tiger” Thompson: “I didn’t take this fight in my hometown to get embarrassed. I don’t believe in the boogeyman. D.C. raised a man. I’m all man. I don’t care who the opponent is. I’ll meet you in the middle of the ring, and let’s see what happens. He’s the kind of fighter who is going to bring out the best in me.”

Also appearing on stage were number one contender for the WBO Welterweight World Title Sadam “World Kid” Ali (22-0, 13 KOs) and former WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Jessie Vargas (26-1, 9 KOs) who will battle for the vacant WBO Welterweight World Championship in a can’t-miss 12-round co-main event.

Sadam Ali: “This is for a world title. This is what we all wait for. This is what we work for. This is my dream. Just know that you are going to see an exciting fight.”

Jessie Vargas: “We’ve had a great preparation. I am very happy to be fighting for the WBO World Title once again, and I look forward to becoming a world champion. I will do whatever I have to do to come out victorious.”

Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos (23-11, 13 KOs) of and former WBA Interim Super Bantamweight World Champion Oscar Escandon (24-2, 16 KOs) of Ibague, Colombia, who will face of in a 12-round fight for the WBC Interim Featherweight World Championship.

Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos: “I am very well-prepared. We’ve done everything we had to. I want to make history in boxing, and the only way to do that is to win on Saturday night, and that’s what I’m planning to do.”

Oscar Escandon: “I want to dedicate this fight to God and my daughter who was born last week, and I haven’t met and to all of you the fans. I hope you really appreciate this great fight we are going to put on.”

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Herman Caicedo, Trainer for Luis Ortiz: “We put in a lot of hard work at the gym. At the end of the day there’s no one who can help you when you’re in the middle of the ring. Whether it’s in the first or the 12th round, it’s coming – there’s a knockout pending.”

Troy Fox, Trainer for Tony Thompson: “We got two stellar athletes. It should be a remarkable, action-packed card.”

Mike Borao, Manager for Tony Thompson: “People are calling Luis Ortiz the boogeyman because no one wants to fight him, but Tony is the original boogeyman who no one wants to fight. Everyone knows the original is always better than the sequel.”

Robert Diaz, Head Matchmaker at Golden Boy Promotions: “This is a card you don’t want to miss. We stacked it up from top to bottom. These are the kind of fights Golden Boy and HBO put on every time, and every time the fans are the winners.”

Bernard Hopkins: “Not only to the fighters on TV but to all the fighters, this is the time to make a statement in your career. When you have two heavyweights that want to fight, you are going to have a fight. In the heavyweight division you have to be careful, because of the power that they bring.”

Andre Rozier, Trainer for Sadam “World Kid” Ali: “Sadam is a hard worker and diligent student. He’s my youngest fighter to reach this level. We’re going to show you Saturday night what we’re ready for.”

Dewey Cooper, Trainer for Jessie Vargas: “If improvement if possible, perfection is not good enough. That is the way we trained. We improved in every way. You will all see that on display Saturday night. On Saturday night there will be one victor, and that will be Jessie Vargas.”

Lee Samuels/Top Rank: “Jessie reminds me of Alexis Arguello – he’s a gentleman outside the ring and a warrior inside the ring. Jesse wants to make a statement. He re-did his team. Jesse feels a lot stronger and he’s ready to fight.”

Peter Nelson/HBO Sports: “This is a spectacular event, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. All of these fighters are committed to fight anyone, anyplace, any time – those are the kind of guys that fans want to see.”

Ruben Guerrero, Trainer for Oscar Escandon: “Oscar’s been training for eight months, and we’re ready for the fight. He’s going to be ready for this fight. He’s going to be a different fighter than before. Both hands are strong. He’s ready to go. There’s going to be a knockout in this fight.”