![\"image002\"](\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/image002-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>(Photo Credit: Esther Lin\/SHOWTIME)<\/strong><\/p>\nFeatherweight world champion Carl Frampton and former three-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz went face-to-face in Los Angeles Thursday along with lightweight world champion Dejan Zlaticanin and undefeated former two-division world champion Mikey Garcia in advance of their respective showdowns Saturday, January 28 in a Premier Boxing Champions event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and live on SHOWTIME.<\/p>\n
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader begins at 10 p.m. ET\/7 p.m. PT with Zlaticanin vs. Garcia. For Frampton and Santa Cruz, Thursday\u2019s event was the second press conference promoting their highly anticipated rematch as the featherweights spoke to media in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Tuesday at the Europa Hotel.<\/p>\n
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports in association with Cyclone Promotions and TGB Promotions, are priced at $504, $404, $304, $204, $104 and $54, and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.AXS.com.<\/p>\n
After the Belfast press conference, the fighters and their teams flew to the U.S. to meet with the media at an open to the public event at the outdoor plaza at the Los Angeles Central Public Library.<\/p>\n
Here is what the participants had to say at the two events:<\/p>\n
CARL FRAMPTON<\/p>\n
From Los Angeles:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis rematch with Leo Santa Cruz is going to be an amazing one. The first one was considered a \u2018Fight of the Year\u2019 and I don\u2019t think this can be any different. We\u2019re going to kick-off 2017 with a bang.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo is an amazing fighter and I want to thank him for giving me the chance to fight for his title in July. I was more than happy to give him the rematch straight away. These are the types of fights I want to be involved in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I won the first fight. I don\u2019t think it was controversial at all. I think I won the fight by three or four rounds. They were definitely close, competitive rounds, but I think I was doing more to win rounds and get the nod. This one is going to be more of the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cLas Vegas is obviously a bit closer to home for Leo and I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll bring a lot of fans. But I\u2019m bringing at least 4,000 from the UK. Right now I\u2019m the most well-supported fighter in the UK. It\u2019s a great privilege for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I fight people, I feel like I improve the second time. I have a good boxing brain and I can adapt to different situations. The only person I\u2019ve fought twice as a pro was Kiko Martinez and the second time I fought him I won comfortably. Because I learned from the first fight. I know everything about Leo. He fights the same way every single time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our styles just gel really well together. You can expect a great night with a really huge undercard from start to finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know his training may not have been as focused last time as it could have been because of his father. I expect a better Leo Santa Cruz. But in terms of how he fights, I think he\u2019ll fight the same way. It\u2019s a good way to fight and it\u2019s gotten him far. He usually wears people down, but I have serious punching power and that again could be the difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want people to remember you in 20 or 30 years\u2019 time, you need to fight guys like Leo Santa Cruz. We\u2019ve already been working very hard in the gym and we\u2019re going to do whatever it takes to make sure I remain the champion and bring the title back home to Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Belfast:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always good to be here in Belfast and see the people. It\u2019s good for them to see great fighters like Leo Santa Cruz in their hometown.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to be a dream come true. It won\u2019t all sink in until I\u2019m out there and ready to perform. Las Vegas is the mecca of boxing. It\u2019s where all the big names go. I\u2019m expecting a big support base from all over the UK and Ireland on January 28.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like no matter who I fight, I always get better the second time. I have a good boxing brain and I can adapt to my opponent\u2019s style and use it to my advantage. If you\u2019ve seen me in sparring, if I have a dodgy performance, you know I will get better the second time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how Leo fights, and he knows how I fight. But I can adapt and make changes. I can be a bit more clever than I was last time. I got dragged into the fight more than I wanted to.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeadlining in New York against a great fighter like Leo Santa Cruz was a dream come true. Now I have the opportunity to go to Las Vegas, where Leo has fought a few times. It\u2019ll be his first time in the main event there as well and I\u2019m just excited to get out there and feel the buzz of fight week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this fight could be even better. I gave him his first loss and I\u2019m sure he\u2019s going to come looking for his revenge. But I\u2019m training very hard. I\u2019m in good shape for this point in camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that Leo went through a difficult time with his father\u2019s illness. I also know that Leo trained very hard anyway. He threw about a thousand punches last fight and was throwing all the way to the end. You can\u2019t throw much more than that so I don\u2019t think he\u2019s going to improve his work rate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe he\u2019ll come up with a different game plan but I genuinely believe that I\u2019ll be able to deal with anything he brings to the ring. It\u2019s not going to be an easy fight, but I\u2019ll do whatever it takes to win and I believe I will.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo Santa Cruz is a tough fighter with a solid chin. But I believe that if I hit any featherweight, or super featherweight, with a clean shot, that I can knock them out. If I\u2019m a little bit cleaner, then I could knock him out. But I\u2019ll be prepared to go a hard 12 rounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe if I use my brain a little bit more in this one, and don\u2019t get dragged into his fight, that I can win it more convincingly. But there will be times in this fight where I\u2019ll just have to bite down and fight for my life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m prepared for anything. I\u2019m ready to keep this title in Belfast and then I\u2019m going to return here for a show in Belfast in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
LEO SANTA CRUZ<\/p>\n
From Los Angeles:<\/p>\n
\u201cCarl Frampton is a great fighter. He has the respect of the fans because he has proven that he\u2019s a great champion. I know it\u2019s going to be another very close and exciting fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both train really hard for our families and for the fans. We want to give you all a great show. I know that this rematch is going to be very tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned from the first fight that every little mistake really matters. One or two could really cost you. I trained hard but without my dad he wasn\u2019t pressuring me like I\u2019m used to. Those things come back to haunt you. It hurt, but it taught me that I have to leave it all in the ring and work every day for what I want.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to be mentally and physically ready. I\u2019m getting more motivation from having him there. We\u2019ll be making some little changes and we\u2019re going to do a lot better.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m motivated to get my belt back. I was a champion and now I\u2019m a former champion. That makes me unhappy. We\u2019re going to train hard and do our best to become a champion again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to go to the gym and train hard to make this fight even better than the first one.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Belfast:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very nice city and when I knew there would be a rematch, I wanted to come to Belfast. This is the first time I\u2019ve been to Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very hard fight and right after it was over, the first thing that came to my head was a rematch.<\/p>\n
\u201cLas Vegas is a lot closer to my hometown and I feel very comfortable fighting there. Carl Frampton has a lot of fans though, and they\u2019re going to fly over to Vegas. I think it will be a pretty even crowd and I don\u2019t see it as an advantage for anyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a pretty close fight the first time. When you\u2019re in the ring you\u2019re only worried about fighting. It could have gone either way. I thought being the champion, that it should have gone my way. But I won\u2019t take anything away from Frampton. We\u2019re looking to the future and beating him in the rematch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fans here have made me feel very welcome since the first fight. I feel comfortable here. I\u2019m excited to be here in Belfast with these great fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was disappointed but it was a very close fight the first time. He had the bigger crowd and the Irish people would scream for everything he did. It was a really good close fight though. I really think it could have gone either way.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarl Frampton is a great fighter and I knew it would be a tough fight. I didn\u2019t get to train for that fight like I was supposed to. My father was going through cancer treatment so I wasn\u2019t 100 percent in the training. I was thinking about my dad\u2019s health and he was only really there for the last three weeks of camp. We\u2019re going to have a great game plan and it\u2019s going to be another tough fight, but we\u2019re looking to get the victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you watched the first fight you know that it was a great fight. The second one is going to be even better. I took my first defeat. He\u2019s a great fighter, but I want to win this rematch. If I win the rematch, I\u2019m fine bringing the third fight of the trilogy to Belfast.\u201d<\/p>\n
DEJAN ZLATICANIN<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone thinks that Garcia is a pound-for-pound star but I want to tell everyone that I\u2019m going to win this fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything in preparations has been going great. I\u2019ll be 100% ready on January 28. This is the fight of my life. I have to be ready and we\u2019re right on track.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always respected fighters like Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. or a fighter like Mike Tyson because whoever they were supposed to fight they fought. I\u2019m the same way, an old school fighter who\u2019s willing to fight anybody.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came up the hard way, and sometimes I thought I might never get this opportunity. I\u2019ve been in some really tough fights where people gave me no chance to win, but now I\u2019m a world champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be the first world champion from Montenegro is historic. I think it\u2019s made me a national hero in the country and I\u2019m honored. The people in my country love me and I love them back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I beat Mikey Garcia that will make me an even bigger star. I think Mikey is a good puncher, and he has good timing, but I can hit him easily and I\u2019m planning to knock him out.”<\/p>\n
\u201cMikey will have a big opponent in front of him. He needs to run around the ring because I\u2019m going to come for him. You will see me defend my title and you will enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
MIKEY GARCIA<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thankful to everyone who came out. I was down for over two years, but it seems like no one has forgotten about me. We\u2019re looking for big things. I want to pick up right where I left off.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really happy to have been given this opportunity to claim a world title in a third division. This is going to be an amazing fight. He\u2019s a hungry world champion. He\u2019s very dangerous. These are the kind of fights that I want. This is what I need to prove myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is only the beginning. This is going to be a huge year for me. I want to win multiple titles and maybe conquer multiple divisions this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t fought in Vegas since 2012 but I expect the fans to be out there supporting. This is a big stage and a night of great fights. This is a great opportunity to become a world champion in another weight class.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve known Leo Santa Cruz since the amateur days. We get to share the stage again on July 30 and I\u2019m looking forward to another good shot. I can\u2019t ask for anything more.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother and my dad watch more film than I do. I only like to watch a couple rounds of my opponent. So I\u2019ve seen what Dejan has. During the fight I\u2019ll listen to my corner and make adjustments. He\u2019s a young, undefeated champion for a reason. I want him to be at his best because that will bring out my A-game.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy body feels really good right now. I think this is going to be a great division for me. I don\u2019t think the weight will affect me in any way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to be a great show. I\u2019m going to give everything that the fans want to see. I\u2019m sure my opponent will do the same. I want to take on the biggest challenges and I\u2019m ready to make those fights happen. I want to give the fans the fights they want. The best of my career is yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
BARRY MCGUIGAN, Frampton\u2019s Manager, Former World Champion & Hall of Famer<\/p>\n
From Los Angeles:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to be here in Los Angeles for such a great occasion. Dejan, Mikey, Leo and Carl are all incredible fighters and it really is going to be a magnificent show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are two amazing fighters. If they fought every day of the week, and twice on Sunday, every single fight would be close. I just think that Carl has the edge in innate boxing intelligence. He is more versatile and a naturally bigger guy than Leo. We have to get him into the best shape of his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarl is going to have to turn it up on fight night and we know that Leo will turn it up as well. He\u2019ll put the pressure on him. I believe it will be at least as good of a fight as last time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have a fabulous night on January 28 and I have to say it again, we will be winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Belfast:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou boxing fans here in Belfast are the best supporters in the world, we have no doubt about it, and we\u2019re going to go to Las Vegas to make sure we win again and win more convincingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
RICHARD SCHAEFER, Chairman & CEO of Ringstar Sports<\/p>\n
From Los Angeles:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you mix these two together, you know it has to be another \u2018Fight of the Year\u2019 candidate. These two guys could fight 10 times and every time it would be a \u2018Fight of the Year\u2019, and probably a very close decision. These are our modern day gladiators.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are exciting matchups where you really don\u2019t know who\u2019s going to win. This is what the fans like to see. These are closely matched fights, for the fans. That is exactly what you will see on January 28.<\/p>\n
\u201cDejan vs. Mikey is the most significant matchup in the lightweight division. There is no question about it. It\u2019s an extremely dangerous fight. It\u2019s playing with fire for Mikey. I can pretty much assure you that this fight will end in a knockout. This is easily a main event on its own.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that Mikey Garcia is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. But to get there and to stay there, you have to face fighters like Dejan. This just shows what Mikey is made of.<\/p>\n
From Belfast:<\/p>\n
\u201cI was fortunate to promote many of Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather\u2019s fights, but whenever I am here, I can feel the passion that you fans here bring to the sport. You elevate these fighters to do better. At Barclays Center we saw you there cheering on your guy.<\/p>\n
\u201cTickets are available as low as fifty dollars. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a bad idea in January, to go from cold Ireland to warm Las Vegas. There are many reasons to go out there, but this fight is the biggest reason to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a rematch of the \u2018Fight of the Year\u2019 and I\u2019m very proud to be able to promote this fight together along with Barry McGuigan. I thank all of the fans here again for the passion you bring to the sport of boxing.\u201d<\/p>\n
SHANE MCGUIGAN, Frampton\u2019s Trainer<\/p>\n
From Los Angeles:<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are two really good fighters. As Richard said, this would be a great fight 10 times out of 10. Leo had a lot of distractions in training camp with his father\u2019s health and I think he will be a better fight the second time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was Carl Frampton\u2019s first time fighting at 126-pounds, so he had a lot of new experiences leading up to the last fight. They both learned in the first fight and I think they will both be able to give a little bit more the second time. The fans will be the ones to enjoy the action.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraining camp has been going great.<\/p>\n
From Belfast:<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know who was lucky enough to see the first fight between these two, but it was really a great one. Carl got dragged into Leo\u2019s fight at times, but with that came excitement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this fight we\u2019re going to win a lot more convincingly, cement the win and then move on. I\u2019m extremely excited about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see how far Carl has come is phenomenal. I hope people will buy a ticket and come out to support. He needs that support and I hope to see you all out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
ALEX VAYSFELD, Zlaticanin\u2019s Manager<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very hard uphill road for Dejan to get where he was going. He had to fight a lot of different places and fight people that he wasn\u2019t supposed to beat, in other people\u2019s minds. But he won.<\/p>\n
\u201cDejan knows how to be an underdog and he knows how to calm a favorite. I guarantee you that Dejan knows every aspect of Garcia\u2019s game. When he steps into that ring, you will all see something amazing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMikey is going to bring his best, Dejan is going to bring his best and of the fans are going to be in for an amazing fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
ROBERT GARCIA, Mikey\u2019s Brother & Trainer<\/p>\n
\u201cI consider Leo Santa Cruz a great fighter and a friend. Carl Frampton is another great fighter and it\u2019s fantastic to be part of a card with such a big main event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a very easy fight to make. Mikey said yes right away. He wanted to fight for a title and he got it. Mikey isn\u2019t going to hold back. He wants to keep moving up and challenging big names. He wants to be remembered as one of the best fighters in the world. Mikey wants to give the fans the best fights out there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have any second thoughts about this fight because I believe in Mikey. We\u2019re preparing to become the lightweight champion of the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cMikey is training hard. He\u2019s going to be ready on January 28 and prepared to give everybody a great fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive VP & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports<\/p>\n
\u201cSHOWTIME has without question delivered the strongest lineup of any network in boxing. We are looking for the best fighters fighting the best. Top tier fighters against top tier fighters. This is what we have here today.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur main event has Carl Frampton, who for my money is the 2016 \u2018Fighter of the Year.\u2019 He defeated two undefeated world champions to unify 122-pounds and pick up a title at 126-pounds. There is no fighter who has done what he has in 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo Santa Cruz is a three-division world champion. He\u2019s always entertaining. His Abner Mares was the \u2018Fight of the Year\u2019 in 2015 and his fight this year with Carl was my \u20182016 Fight of the Year.\u2019 I think his fight on January 28 will be another one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe co-main event is really worthy of being a main event of its own. For those of you who don\u2019t know Dejan Zlaticanin, he\u2019s a fighter that nobody wants to fight. He\u2019s one of the most avoided fighters in the lightweight division. He\u2019s a power puncher who\u2019s very aggressive. No one except Mikey Garcia. He\u2019s looking for a world title in a third division and he\u2019s no doubt a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. These guys were so anxious to fight that we put it on the card on January 28 and the fans get a real treat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have four top tier fighters. This is the best in the sport, coming together on one card. As Richard suggested, the combined record of these fighters is 112 wins and 1 loss. These are four of the most skilled fighters in the sport. It\u2019s a special night. You shouldn\u2019t miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n