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<\/a>WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay \u201cThe Bronze Bomber\u201d Wilder and mandatory challenger Dominic \u201cTrouble\u201d Breazeale continued their war of words and further escalated their longstanding feud at the final press conference Thursday ahead of their showdown this Saturday live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING\u2122, and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.<\/p>\nAlso featured at the final press conference were WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. and former world champion Kiko Martinez, who meet in a 12-round bout for Russell\u2019s world title, and unbeaten Juan Heraldez and former world champion Argenis Mendez, who compete in a 10-round super lightweight fight. Those two bouts will be part of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET\/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME, while three undercard fights will stream live on SHOWTIME Sports social platforms beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET\/3:30 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN. <\/p>\n
Tickets for this BombZquad event can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP. The Heraldez vs. Mendez fight is co-promoted with Mayweather Promotions.<\/p>\n
Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from Barclays Center:<\/p>\n
DEONTAY WILDER<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThese fighters always get into great shape and think they have the game plan to beat me. They think they\u2019re going to catch me. It\u2019s not going to work. Nothing this guy has prepared for is going to work.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he brings the best he can bring. This is more than just a boxing match. I\u2019m passionate about what I do. This has been a long time coming for me and Dominic. He asked for this, and he shall receive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an amazing night for me, and a sad night for him. Being heavyweight champion is a big responsibility. Not everyone is made to be a champion. It\u2019s more than being glamorous or carrying around this prestigious belt.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve trained harder than I\u2019ve ever trained. He\u2019s got me inspired like I was against Bermane Stiverne. I want to hurt Breazeale so bad. I\u2019m going to keep my composure until that time comes Saturday night.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe Breazeale when he speaks. I\u2019ve been in this game for a very long time. Someone like him is not going to beat me. The closest he\u2019s going to get to this belt is in his dreams.<\/p>\n \u201cMy whole team has been with me since day one. We started together and we\u2019re going to go all the way together. It\u2019s been an amazing run for me. I started my career at the very bottom and worked all the way to this point.<\/p>\n \u201cWe never rushed anything. Even in the Olympics, I was still learning on the job. We trained to be a long term champion, not a short term champion, and we accomplished that. I\u2019m appreciative for how far I\u2019ve come and for everything that\u2019s come with it. Hard work pays off.<\/p>\n \u201cMy actions are going to speak louder than my words. I am the best. I am the chosen one. He can say what he wants. It\u2019s going to be a great fight for as long as it lasts. I\u2019m going to bring the pain. Saturday night, everyone is in for a treat.\u201d<\/p>\n DOMINIC BREAZEALE<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super excited for this fight. Virgil Hunter and myself had a great camp. It was truly one of the best of my life. I\u2019m mentally focused and physically right.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to be back and get another knockout win. Getting that WBC belt is everything to me. This is my Super Bowl.<\/p>\n \u201cVictory for me on Saturday is everything. Wilder doesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s getting himself into. He\u2019s in for a fight. He better be confident in his abilities, because Saturday night, he\u2019s going to be in the toughest fight of his life.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to beat Deontay so bad that he\u2019s not going to ever want to lace up the gloves again. Sports are 80% mental. When I\u2019m done with him, the mental aspect is going to be beat out of him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to put on another explosive performance. I\u2019ve been dreaming for the last year about hearing \u2018and the new.\u2019 It\u2019s a beautiful thing and I can\u2019t wait to make it come true and have my hand raised.<\/p>\n \u201cWilder hasn\u2019t developed at all during his career. He looks the same as he did in the amateurs. He needs to talk himself up to make himself feel confident.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m too mentally in-tune to be focused on what someone says. When I go into a fight I don\u2019t worry about what my opponent can do, but about what I want to do and how I can execute.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of Deontay\u2019s words affect me at all. He\u2019s going to keep barking and I\u2019m just going to keep waiting. I\u2019m going to quiet him down on Saturday night.\u201d<\/p>\n GARY RUSSELL JR.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hungry and ready. Anyone that I step in the ring with is standing in the way of my goals. Anyone trying to stop me, is in a dangerous position.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to try to control the pace of the fight with my jab. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s going to get past the jab. He\u2019s going to try to get rough and physical. My plan is to make the adjustments that I need to get this win.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always a family affair with the Russells. We move as a unit and we excel as a unit. My family is where I pull all my energy from. It\u2019s never a distraction. They give me the fuel I need.<\/p>\n \u201cIn boxing you need to have full trust and belief in your coach. I couldn\u2019t imagine a better fit than having my dad. Even if he gives instructions that might not be 100% right in my eyes, I know that it\u2019s going to be the best thing for me.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one in this division wants to step in the ring with me. They know the speed and power and abilities that I bring every time I step into the ring.<\/p>\n \u201cDeontay and I were on the same Olympic team, plus Dominic and my little brother Gary Antuanne Russell were also U.S. Olympians. It makes for an amazing card on Saturday night.\u201d<\/p>\n KIKO MARTINEZ<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI come to fight and get that title. I had a very smooth training camp and feel 100 percent physically.<\/p>\n \u201cI think my experience is superior. He thinks I\u2019m only a pressure fighter, but he hasn\u2019t seen me box the way I\u2019m going to box him on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the biggest opportunity of my life. To be on this platform and be able to fight for the championship is very special. I\u2019m going to make the most of it.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that Russell doesn\u2019t take me lightly because I still have a lot of abilities left. It\u2019s going to be a great fight for as long as it lasts.\u201d<\/p>\n JUAN HERALDEZ<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cCamp went great and I can\u2019t wait to put on a show. I\u2019m going to let everyone in this division know that I\u2019m coming for them. I\u2019m going to seize the moment and take full advantage of it.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel strong and I\u2019m ready to fight. I\u2019m just counting down the minutes until I can step into the ring. It\u2019s a lot of excitement and I\u2019m going to let it all out Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cI plan to win in spectacular fashion on Saturday. I\u2019m going to show everyone that I\u2019m a player at 140-pounds and I\u2019m ready for anyone they can put in front of me.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not planning to get hit. I\u2019m going to out box him and stick and move. He\u2019s not going to be able to touch me. If the opportunity for a knockout comes, I\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n ARGENIS MENDEZ<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very excited for this opportunity. I had a great training camp and on Saturday night you\u2019re going to see a show at Barclays Center.<\/p>\n \u201cI love boxing and I love this opportunity that I have on Saturday night. I\u2019m going to show my passion for the sport during this fight. I feel great physically and just cannot wait to get into the ring.<\/p>\n \u201cA win on Saturday night opens the door for me. People are going to start seeing me as one of the best fighters from the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a good fight. I have the speed and skills to out box him. We\u2019re both very smart fighters. I believe I\u2019m the better fighter and it will show on Saturday night.\u201d<\/p>\n STEPHEN ESPINOZA, President Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe heavyweight division is exciting again and a lot of that has to do with Deontay Wilder. It\u2019s also been helped by SHOWTIME and our commitment to the division. No other network has been more committed or invested more in the heavyweights than SHOWTIME has and we\u2019re proud of that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re also proud that several of the fighters on this card have fought frequently on SHOWTIME. Deontay will make his 12th appearance and Gary will make his 11th. Wilder, Russell and Dominic all launched their careers on ShoBox, like so many other great fighters.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you get two guys together for a long-awaited grudge match, there\u2019s not a lot that needs to be said. Deontay is the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in the sport. This would be the ninth defense for him, which is something that only nine other heavyweights have done in boxing history.<\/p>\n \u201cDeonay had two of the most exciting heavyweight fights in recent history last year. As for Dominic, he\u2019s a big strong experienced guy who\u2019s been on the world stage before. He has fought for a world title and he\u2019s coming off of three consecutive wins. He has plenty of power and we saw that in his last fight against Carlos Negron that he can change the fight in one punch.\u201d<\/p>\n BRETT YORMARK, CEO of BSE Global<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe heavyweight division has been the talk of the sports world for months, and it\u2019s fitting that the world champion will defend his title right here in Brooklyn in one of the biggest fights in the sport this year.<\/p>\n \u201cDeontay, I\u2019ve said for a long time that this is your home away from home and we can\u2019t wait to have you back. You have a big opponent this week in Dominic Breazeale. Dominic you\u2019ve already made two appearances in our ring and we know the fans are looking forward to another great show.\u201d<\/p>\n
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