(Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-Hogan Photos/Golden Boy)
With 2020 already behind and the first major boxing event of 2021 taking place this weekend, Victorville's Ryan Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) and Luke Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) of England held their final press conference Thursday afternoon in Dallas, Texas as they will square off for the interim WBC Lightweight Championship. Also at the press conference were the undercard fighters twin brother world champions Rene Alvarado (32-8, 21 KOs) and Felix Alvarado (35-2, 30 KOs) of Nicaragua along with their opponents and other fighters on the card.
(Videos by Golden Boy)
RYAN GARCIA, WBC SILVER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION:
“I wanted this fight after Francisco Fonseca. When it was offered to me for the interim title, I thought that my dream was finally coming true. I’ve always said he is a good fighter. I never said he wasn’t a good fighter. But I just know that with my skills and my training, I will be victorious.”
“My fights haven’t gone long because I don’t let them. If it happens to go that way, then I’m ready for 12 rounds. If he’s tough and he can take a shot, then I’m ready for that. They can say all they want about me not being able to go 12 rounds. I’ve trained to go 1000 rounds. I expect this to be a great fight. I expect this to be a great war.”
LUKE CAMPBELL, FORMER WORLD TITLE CHALLENGER:
“I’m confident because I want to prove that I am the best in the division. From what I have seen, he is good. He is fast. He’s got good skills. But I believe in myself. My strategy is to win by any means possible, and I’m going to be the best version of myself.”
“Tune in Saturday night. I’ve come to fight. This is going to be a fantastic fight. We are two of the best lightweights in the world, and it will be a fantastic battle.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY:
“I see what I’ve always seen in Ryan: an incredibly gifted, wildly charismatic fighter who never takes his foot of the gas in training or in the ring on fight night. I also see a fighter with an incredible appreciation of and admiration for the sport. When he’s not fighting or training, he’s watching film or going to other fights. The kid eats, sleeps and breaths boxing. At the same time, at a really young age, Ryan has an understanding of marketing that only a handful of fighters ever truly achieve.”
“We live in an era when fans can feel closer to their heroes than ever before through the development of social media. Ryan engages with those fans and has grown a following that is close to unrivaled in the sport. You put all these things in a package, and what you end up with is a fighter who is primed to crossover and become an international superstar.”
Undercard