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<\/a>Former lightweight champion Robert Easter Jr. and former two-division champion Rances Barthelemy went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference before they meet for the vacant WBA Lightweight title this Saturday live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. PT \/7 p.m. ET) from The Chelsea inside of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.<\/p>\nAlso squaring off Thursday were former champion Viktor Postol and France\u2019s Mohamed Mimoune, who battle in a WBC Super Lightweight Title Eliminator, plus rising heavyweight sensation Efe Ajagba and Germany\u2019s Michael Wallisch, who meet in a 10-round attraction.<\/p>\n
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions in association with About Billions Promotions, can be purchased at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or through Ticketmaster.<\/p>\n
Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas:<\/p>\n
ROBERT EASTER JR.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not here to talk about any past or future fights. Right now I\u2019m focused on this fight against Rances. Come Saturday you\u2019re going to see what I\u2019ve put myself through during this camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only have I learned a lesson from fighting Mikey Garcia, but I also learn something new after every fight. I went back home to Toledo for this one and got back to basics with my dad and Mike Stafford. We put in the hard work and you\u2019ll see it on display Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fight is going to be a lot of action and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to make it to the final bell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m highly confident right now coming off of the hard work in training camp. The connection with my dad is so great and all the time we spent in camp is going to pay off Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a tremendous camp. I\u2019m hungrier than ever right now to get back in the ring and show everyone that I deserve to be at the top. The only dance I\u2019m going to be doing on Saturday night, is to the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
RANCES BARTHELEMY<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited for this new opportunity that I have in front of me and I\u2019m not going to let it go to waste. I\u2019m taking that belt with me on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always have good fortune fighting here at The Cosmopolitan and I believe I\u2019m going to take home the victory Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI take nothing away from Robert Easter Jr., because he\u2019s a great champion. But I can do everything. I can fight on the inside, on the outside, I have power and I\u2019ve fought against great opposition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never dreamed of making it this far, especially coming from where I did. The dream of professional boxing didn\u2019t exist. To be in this position already, it makes me want to keep chasing bigger fights and leave behind a big legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a very competitive fight in front of me. I\u2019ve worked with Joel Casamayor, who has great experience combined with mine. We have great chemistry and I\u2019m ready for everything to come together on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thank Robert Easter Jr. for taking the challenge, but I\u2019m going to make him dance to the rhythm of the \u2018Cuban Salsa\u2019 on Saturday night. It\u2019s going to get caliente.\u201d<\/p>\n
VIKTOR POSTOL<\/p>\n
\u201cMy team and I had a great camp and I\u2019m excited to be here and see what my opponent is going to bring for Saturday\u2019s fight. I\u2019m ready for a great fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI trained hard like I always do. I have the experience against top fighters and I\u2019m ready to prove that I\u2019m still one of the best.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to become world champion again. I\u2019ve fought much better opponents than Mimoune and it will show on Saturday. My plan is to box, break him down and if the knockout comes, I\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
MOHAMED MIMOUNE<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very excited to fight here in Las Vegas and I want to tell the American fans that I guarantee a great fight on Saturday night. I\u2019m coming to win.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very good camp, and it fully prepared me for war on Saturday night. I\u2019ve worked hard to be in the best shape of my career.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery fighter is different, so we\u2019ll see if he\u2019s my toughest opponent once I\u2019m in there. I respect him and I know that he\u2019s a good boxer, but he doesn\u2019t have anything I can\u2019t handle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve studied Postol closely and I\u2019m ready to fight. I have the strategy and game plan prepared to get the win. I\u2019m focused 100 percent on getting this win.\u201d<\/p>\n
EFE AJAGBA<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my first time in Las Vegas and I\u2019m very excited to be here. I\u2019ve been studying my opponent and I know he\u2019s a good fighter. I can\u2019t wait to get in there on Saturday and show off my skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I fight I go back to Texas and start training again. I\u2019m facing a good fighter, but I\u2019ve been preparing for him. I have a powerful jab that I\u2019m looking forward to showing off.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one year, or maybe two. I think I\u2019ll be fighting against top guys. We\u2019re going to keep stepping up. This is my first time fighting on SHOWTIME so I\u2019m looking forward to that step.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s up to my opponent how long the fight lasts. I never say I\u2019m going in to knock him out. I have to feel it and find the moment and see what he gives me.\u201d<\/p>\n
MICHAEL WALLISCH<\/p>\n
\u201cI come from Germany to bring a show to the fans. I love this city already and I want to win so I can come back again. I\u2019m fighting a tough guy on Saturday, but I\u2019m also very tough. May the best man win.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a little less than a month\u2019s notice for the fight but I had already been training and sparring very well. I think that I\u2019m going to bring that great work into the ring on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for sure I\u2019m the toughest opponent of Ajagba\u2019s career. I will be the first rock that he has to climb. At heavyweight, everybody has power. We will see on Saturday what he has.<\/p>\n
\u201cI trained very hard with Alexander Dimitrenko, who is another tall fighter. It prepared me well and I think we\u2019re going to go toe-to-toe for as long as it lasts.\u201d<\/p>\n
ROBERT EASTER SR, Easter\u2019s Trainer<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were really focused for this camp. We stuck with what we know and went right back to how we started in this sport. Robert loved the camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert is hungry. He\u2019s always been a hungry fighter. The loss was a huge lesson for him. He treats every fight like it\u2019s the last fight. I see the fight going our way.\u201d<\/p>\n
JOEL CASAMAYOR, Barthelemy\u2019s Trainer and Former World Champion<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very happy to be working with Rances. He\u2019s a great fighter and we\u2019ve been working together to perfect his boxing style. His improvement in a short time has been outstanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to give the fans a surprise. We are winning by knockout. It\u2019s going to be \u2018Easter Dinner\u2019 on Saturday night. He better be ready. Rances is bringing the knockout.\u201d<\/p>\n
ROY JONES JR. (on working with Mohamed Mimoune leading up to the fight)<\/p>\n
\u201cI like a lot of things about Mohamed. He\u2019s a high-energy fighter and because of that, he can do anything that he wants to do. I\u2019ve explained to him that he needs to go out there and be who he is, and not let Viktor Postol be who he wants to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cMohamed needs to take control of the fight and keep control. If he gives control back to Postol, he\u2019s going to feel like he can dominate. You have to hold on to that momentum.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very good matchup stylistically. Both guys are tall and long. I think Mohamed beats him in the end because he\u2019s smarter and hungrier. He hasn\u2019t been beat in a long time, and if he dictates the pace, he\u2019s going to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
RONNIE SHIELDS, Ajagba\u2019s Trainer<\/p>\n
\u201cAjagba wants to learn everything in the gym. He wants to be the best heavyweight out there. He just turned 25 on Monday, so right now we\u2019re just picking our spots and letting him develop. We\u2019re not trying to force anything. Slowly but surely he\u2019s moving along.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s still young in the game, but I think he could compete with a lot of the top guys right now. It\u2019s a learning process. He needs to take those steps one at a time. We\u2019re at a good pace right now that we\u2019re both happy with. Within another year, he\u2019s going to make some noise.\u201d<\/p>\n
LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO of Mayweather Promotions<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a terrific card we have this weekend from top to bottom. It\u2019s exciting to see young fighters on the rise, former world champions and more making up this great card.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not too often you get fights like these, with former world champions still in their prime. I\u2019ve seen Robert Easter Jr. mature through the ranks and fight on the big platforms. He came up short in his last bout against another great champion in Mikey Garcia, but I think he took invaluable experience from that fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime you fight on that stage and come up short, you know going forward that you have everything to lose. Robert has a chip on his shoulder and he\u2019s coming to prove that he\u2019s still the man in the division.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say enough about Rances Barthelemy. He\u2019s already a two-division world champion with eyes on eventually winning a title in a third division. He knows on Saturday night he has his hands full. These two young guys are fighting for the same thing. They\u2019re both world class fighters coming to show who the better man is.\u201d<\/p>\n
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