“Ferocious” Fernando Vargas and Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga New York Media Press Conference took place at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel - Grand Ballroom in Midtown. Vargas and Mayorga presented themselves in front of the New York media.
(Vargas, (above) Mayorga, (below))
“El Feroz” Fernando Vargas (26-4-22 Ko's) of Oxnard, California and Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga (27-6-1-22 Ko's) of Managua, Nicaragua traveling road show made a stop in the Big Apple on Wednesday July 25 with a noon press conference at the Affinia Manhattan (formerly Southgate Towers Hotel) in anticipation of their September 8 " The Brawl" at STAPLES Center, in Los Angeles and on pay per view.
Mayorga will be joined by his promoter Don King from Don King Productions.
Vargas will be joined by his promoter Kathy Duva from Main Events.
Two-time world champion “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas and three-time world champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga barely made it through their promoters’ announcement of their upcoming match at STAPLES Center on Sept 8. during the first press conference for the event held at the downtown Los Angeles venue (on July 11), before taunting erupted into a street fight that resulted in punches being thrown and landed—and some blood from a cut under Mayorga’s right eye. The New York Press conference appeared to be pretty much the same with a lot of name calling between the two brawlers, it was almost impossible to photograph the two together, until Mayorga requested that the two meet at the media dais, dressed with a plexi-glass two separate the two fighters and mediocre security.(Vargas and Mayorga at New York Press Conference)
Kermit Cintron (28-1-26 Ko's) of Reading, Pa. (Puerto Rico)the IBF Welterweight Champion will be on the under card of “THE BRAWL”.
(Kermit Cintron (L) and Joey Gamache (R), team Cintron, also see (JULY 14 POST) Gotti vs Gomez Cintron vs Matthysse)
(Maureen Shea and Team Shea Luigi, attend New York Press Conference Vargas vs Mayorga)
If you have not been able to attend either of the highly spirited press conferences promoting "The Brawl" featuring "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas vs. Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga from STAPLES Center and on pay per view Sept. 8, check out the excellent video link, below, made after the Los Angeles press conference that captures the flavor of the event:
http://www.donking.com/videos/brawl/brawl.html
Also, attached and pasted below please find quotes from yesterday's New York City press conference. I have also attached and pasted the quotes from the Los Angeles presser as well.
Alan Hopper
DKP
www.donking.com
The following conversations with “El Feroz” Fernando Vargas and Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga took place at their Wednesday, July 25 press conference inside Affinia Manhattan’s Grand Ballroom in New York. This followed their July 11 press conference at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles in which a brawl broke out. Mayorga and Vargas charged each other from opposite sides of the room at the New York conference but were restrained before they could reach one another. At the end of the conference, Mayorga persuaded Vargas to join him, briefly, for the traditional fighter pose for photographers. The event press release follows the conversations.
Fernando Vargas in response to the first press conference…
That’s what happens when cats do stuff like that at a press conference. Did you think I was just going to sit there and take that? I was prepared for it. He’s a bully and that’s the way bullies act, when it is convenient for them to act like that. But I knew it was coming, so I took my glasses off. If I had them on when he tried to hit me, they would have gone to the side of my face and I would not have been able to react and everyone would have grabbed us and it would have been over. And it would have looked like he got the best of me. All of my fans would have been saying, “look at Fernando, he just got smacked silly by Mayorga.”
But it didn’t work out that way. Look at Mayorga, as dark as he is, and he’s darker than me, he turned completely white when I fought back. He felt my power…and I got him.
I am a professional, but if someone acts unprofessional towards me, I will act unprofessional right back. He felt the difference when someone is not going to take that. He knows that and I went and got him. The first overhand right missed, but then I got him with two good uppercuts.
And look at the plexiglass over there (set up for the face-off to keep the fighters clear from each other), he’ll go up there to the glass and act all crazy. He’s a cat that likes to put on a show. But you know what? My buddy saw Mayorga before the L.A. press conference in the hotel lobby. Mayorga then saw me coming then jumped, not walked, jumped into the elevator and started to push the buttons in a panic to shut the elevator before I got there.
But that is just the beginning. That was round one. Mayorga is a stupid fighter and I am an intelligent fighter and I’m going to pick my spots. I am going to knock him out. He already felt my power once. And it’s going to be great to do that at the STAPLES Center in front of a lot of crazy Mexicans. All of my fans will be going ape. This fight is for pride and I will look good doing it.
When it’s over? Remember after he fought Oscar and he was hugging and kissing him after Oscar knocked him out? He’s going to do the same to me. That’s his nature.
Ricardo Mayorga, after a rant against Vargas…
I am sorry if I have offended anyone. I have a great team with me for this fight. If you want to put money on the fight, I would bet two or three rounds. I predict I will knock him out in two rounds.
I had a dream last night that I threw a rotten orange at Fernando Vargas and hit him in the chin. And he went down. And he didn’t get back up. That’s what is going to happen on September 8th.
Fernando knows that this is his last fight and the reason he says that is because he knows he will lose. Lose in the worst way.
Roberto Duran’s son is in my camp helping me prepare to destroy Vargas. Therefore, I dedicate this fight, and this win, to the great Roberto Duran.
Additional Press from DKP
WWW.DonKing.com
Punches were thrown and landed at the intial press conference announcing Vargas vs. Mayorga at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles today. Attached please find a brief synopsis of the events followed by quotes from Mayorga and Vargas.
Brief Synopsis and Quotes
Initial Press Conference Announcing Vargas vs. Mayorga;
Chick Hearn Press Room at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles;
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Don King from Don King Productions and Kathy Duva from Main Events formally announced the showdown between two-time world champion “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas and three-time world champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga in the Chick Hearn Press Room at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles today.
The room was packed with media, and all went well until the trash-talking Mayorga approached the podium and Vargas immediately removed his sunglasses. Vargas initially maintained his composure while Mayorga repeatedly referred to him as “fatty” as well as other terms not normally deemed acceptable in public company.
Vargas grabbed his crotch and gestured to Mayorga and said, “Here’s your fatty.”
The breaking point came when Mayorga said he was going to do Vargas’s family a favor by retiring him and not allow his family to suffer every time he steps in the ring.
Vargas and members of his camp stood up and went after Mayorga, and a melee ensued. Order was restored when Mayorga left the press conference and Vargas was allowed to address the media.
RICARDO MAYORGA: “I’m very dedicated and focused. Believe it or not, I want everyone to know in this moment even if nobody believes me I have already been training for two months. I have the same hunger and strength I had when I won my first world title. Take a look at my two first world title fights—that’s the Mayorga you’re going to see on Sept. 8.
I’m going to finish you [Vargas] but you’re finished already.
“I’m going to give Vargas the chance to cash his last pension check. I would like to say publicly that ‘fatty’ over here [Vargas] has always feared me. When I was crowned junior middleweight world champion most recently against Michele Piccirillo, Vargas tried to have the World Boxing Council strip me of the title so it could be handed to him.
“I conceded to take this fight at 162 pounds because fatty couldn’t lose any more weight. After this fight I’m going back to 147. I want Mayweather, Mosley, all of them.
“I will do Vargas a favor by retiring him in this fight so his family doesn’t have to suffer every time he steps in the ring. I’m going to do your wife a favor and not let her cry anymore after I disfigure you. [while translator is repeating Mayorga’s comments in English press conference fight begins after Mayorga slaps Vargas, and Vargas lands two blows before order can be restored.]”
FERNANDO VARGAS: “This will be my last fight for one reason only. It’s for pride. I can’t leave my career after a loss.
“I called [longtime trainer and mentor] Eduardo Garcia and asked him if we would train me for one last fight. He said with a chuckle, ‘You still want to fight?’ I said told him just one more, Garcia. It’s for pride.
“Mayorga can disrespect me all he wants but not my queens [his mother, wife and daughter]. He says he’s been training for this fight for two months. I’ve been training since January. I’m already down to 183.
“We should have sold tickets to this press conference. We had a little fireworks here today. There will definitely be fireworks in the ring at Staples Center on September 8.”
