![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Gary-Russell-Jr-vs-Escandon-photo-by-Tom-Casino_Showtime-05-300x214.jpg\")
<\/a>WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. and unbeaten mandatory challenger Tugstsogt \u201cKing Tug\u201d Nyambayar went face-to-face at a final press conference Thursday before they headline action live on SHOWTIME on Saturday, February 8 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from PPL Center in Allentown, Pa.<\/p>\nThe press conference also featured former champions Guillermo Rigondeaux and Liborio Solis, who battle in the co-main event for the vacant WBA Lightweight Title, plus Jaime Arboleda and Jayson Velez, who compete in a 12-round WBA Super Featherweight Title eliminator to open the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast at 9 p.m. ET\/6 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Kings Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through www.pplcenter.com\/events (direct link HERE).<\/p>\n
Here is what the fighters had to say Thursday from the Renaissance Allentown Hotel:<\/p>\n
GARY RUSSELL JR.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/youtu.be\/4VFKLXF4JK0\u201cWe had a great training camp. I have my younger brothers on the card with me and in camp, pushing me every day. We\u2019re ready, focused and hungry.<\/p>\n
\u201cTug will be the best he possibly can be because he knows he\u2019s facing one of the best fighters in the world. He has everything to gain and nothing to lose. He\u2019s going to leave it all on the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Tug is a lot more technically sound than a lot of the guys who I have competed against. He\u2019s another guy with everything to gain and nothing to lose, so I\u2019m anticipating a tough fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it were up to me, I\u2019d be facing Leo Santa Cruz or Gervonta Davis, but this is what I have to face. I\u2019m here to defend my title in style once again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to watch my younger brothers and to have them on the same card. I\u2019m excited to work their corners. There\u2019s never been a set of three brothers to become world champions, and I think we\u2019ll do that real soon. They\u2019re both extremely talented and hungry. I expect them to be better than me by the time they\u2019re at this point in their careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the first fighter to turn pro on ShoBox, and I went on to win my title on SHOWTIME. The fact that we\u2019re still doing it now speaks wonders. I work great with their team and I\u2019m grateful to be in this position.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should expect to see what you always see with me. Boxing at its best. A great deal of ring generalship. Good boxing IQ. Hand speed. Punching power. The total package as a fighter. As a matter of fact, I\u2019m trying to figure out why I\u2019m not on the pound for pound list given all of that. That\u2019s an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
TUGSTSOGT NYAMBAYAR<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very excited for this fight. It\u2019s going to be a good fight for the fans. Gary Russell Jr. is a great champion, but watch on Saturday night, when I become the new featherweight world champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just have to be better than Gary Russell on Saturday night. The past experience won\u2019t matter. If he thinks I\u2019m too inexperienced for this fight, he is going to be in for a surprise Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that I\u2019m the underdog, but that doesn\u2019t affect me. I don\u2019t care if I\u2019m the favorite or the underdog.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not worried about any ring rust. I\u2019ve worked so hard in the ring during training camp to make sure I\u2019m the best I\u2019ve ever been.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking with Ismael Salas has been very good for me and I think it\u2019s taken me to another level in my career. All of skills, all of my power and speed, it will all be with me on Saturday. I just have to put it together for my best performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very ready for this fight. I want to be the first WBC featherweight champion in history from Mongolia. I\u2019m ready, you just need to watch on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n
GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX<\/p>\n
\u201cBantamweight is my division. I have no issues making that weight. I want to thank my team for getting me prepared and getting me to this position. All that\u2019s left is to fight Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to also thank Ronnie Shields for how he has prepared me for this fight. It\u2019s been a great training camp and I can\u2019t wait to step into the ring and become champion again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel 100% and I believe that bantamweight has always been my best weight. I did well at 122 pounds, so i stayed there. My plan now is to dominate this division.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe and Ronnie Shields have great chemistry and worked well together. Ronnie is a great trainer and I\u2019m looking forward to a long run that we\u2019re going to have together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to be phenomenal in the ring. I\u2019m going to unify 118 pounds just like I did at 122 pounds. I\u2019m excited to get started.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy strategy will depend on the fight that Solis brings. I\u2019m a veteran in this sport, dating back to the amateurs, so I\u2019m used to seeing so many different styles. I\u2019m to fight the way that gives me the best chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
LIBORIO SOLIS<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you very much to my team who has backed me and supported me leading up to this fight. I\u2019m very grateful for this opportunity. My opponent has been a great champion and I\u2019m very excited to be here to fight him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is obviously going to be a great fight. I\u2019m a warrior who always comes to fight. He can pick his strategy however he wants. But I just want to get in there and put my skills on display.<\/p>\n
I was already a champion in one division and I had a fight taken on the scorecards at bantamweight, or else i would already be a two-division champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cSaturday is going to be different than my last fights. Both me and Guillermo give our heart and soul and we\u2019re going to fight until the best man wins. I\u2019m not leaving that ring without a championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to come with everything on Saturday. I come to fight and I come to win. I\u2019m sure Guillermo is the same. The difference will be my determination to win this fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s weight or which division we fought at in the past will be an advantage. I\u2019m sure he could have always fought at 118. The person with the advantage is who wants it more.\u201d<\/p>\n
JAIME ARBOLEDA<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank all the great champions up on this stage and everyone on my team who made this fight happen. This opportunity has been a long time coming and I\u2019ve been preparing hard to make the most out of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Saturday, I\u2019m very confident that this is going to be a great fight and end in a knockout. I\u2019m prepared and I know that I\u2019m going to win.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great chance to get one step closer to my dream of becoming a world champion. I know what I have to do and I\u2019ve prepared every day to make sure that I fight my best on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of respect for each other and we\u2019re looking forward to Saturday night. Don\u2019t miss this card because it\u2019s going to be action packed from start to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n
JAYSON VELEZ<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy to be here again and back in a big fight. My last time fighting on SHOWTIME was in 2012 and I\u2019m very thankful for this opportunity to compete on this stage once again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m blessed to be able to do what I do every day. I\u2019ve fought professionally since 2007. This is the dream that every boxer has. When I win on Saturday, I\u2019ll be the mandatory for the belt and that\u2019s the opportunity that I want.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been training hard for this fight and I\u2019m ready. I\u2019ve won three fights in a row heading into a great fight between two hungry fighters. We want to add each other to our record and I believe that this fight is ending in knockout.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t miss this fight because this is going to be great. There\u2019s going to be a lot of action. Every time I step into the ring, win or lose, I will leave everything in there. I fight with my heart and I fight for Puerto Rico.\u201d<\/p>\n