★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI & ADRIEN BRONER MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R&R Promotions who is our co-promoter with Adrien Broner and Banks versus Mitchell is presented in association with K2 Promotions. The event is sponsored by Corona and AT&T and will be live on Showtime Championship Boxing beginning at 9:00 Eastern and 6:00 Pacific so it will be live coast-to-coast. There will be preliminary fights airing on Showtime Extreme beginning at 7:00 pm ET/PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using second audio programming, and we have tickets still available. We urge everybody to get out there, get your tickets now. They're going very quickly starting at just $25 going all the way to $250 for a ringside seat but that's actually a very reasonable price for a ringside seat considering the show that you're going to get.

Part of that show is a young man who is the current WBC Lightweight and a two division world champion. He is unbeaten, charismatic and incredibly talented at just 22 years old. He's getting better and better with each fight. He won his first world championship at 130 pounds knocking out Vicente Martin Rodriguez in three rounds in November of 2011 to win the WBO title. He defended that title with a fourth round knockout victory over an undefeated Eloy Perez. Then faced Vicente Escobedo in July of 2012, and then he closed out 2012 by capturing the WBC Lightweight World title with an extremely impressive and thoroughly dominant performance in knocking out Antonio DeMarco who we then regarded as the top lightweight in the world.

Most recently he knocked out Gavin Reece in five rounds to defend his title for a second time back in February, and on June 22nd he's going to make the jump from 135 to 140 pounds to challenge Malignaggi in his Showtime debut in an effort to become a three-time world champion in three weight classes. And if he gets it done he will join Roberto Duran, Roy Jones, Jr. and Robert Guerrero as the only fighters to win a world championship in their first fight after jumping over a weight class so pretty impressive company if he's able to get it done.

He has a record of 25-0 with 22 KOs from Cincinnati, Ohio, Adrien 'The Problem' Broner. Adrien?

Adrien Broner

I would like to say that it's going to be a hell of a show. Basically, I'm just going to go in the ring and do what I do best, and that's get the victory in each-anything I've got to do to get the victory. I'm really not worrying about jumping weight classes. You know I know that I'm going to do a lot of great things in a sport and I'm going to do them differently. So with that being said, you will see something explosive. You'll probably see another knockout; nine times out of ten check on my record. He's bringing pillows to a fight that I'm throwing bricks so you should see a lot of blood, a lot of bruising before the referee stops the fight.

I know you said, Adrien, in your opening remarks you weren't worried about the jump in weight, and I believe that you're not worried about it. But I'd like you to describe sort of what you might have had to do different or how you feel at it or what you think might be different about the way you box at a new weight, two weight divisions? As Dave mentioned in the opening remarks, it is a little unusual for a fighter to go up two weight classes these days and right in to a world title fight. Could you talk about that a little bit?

Adrien

For me the weight is not a problem. I'm originally a welterweight anyway. I just had to lose weight so I really didn't have to do anything different.

So just the only thing different I guess is you'll weigh ten pounds more roughly?

Adrien

Negative that's my regular weight.

No I mean but it's hasn't been your fighting weight for most of your career.

Adrien

Oh I mean I don't walk around at 130 pounds. I don't walk around at 135 pounds. I walk around at 147, 150 pounds so I'm at my regular weight.

Okay. So then at 130 and at 135 obviously you have shown very good knockout power. Most of your opponents have been stopped. Paulie for one in his career has shown very good durability whether it was at 140 against a prime Cotto taking those heavy shots he took or as a welterweight he-Paulie, to his credit, has got a good chin I think. Do you think that you're going to take that 30/35 power that you've shown all of us and it's going to be with you when you get in the ring against Malignaggi?

Adrien

What a lot of people don't understand is you can't really do nothing for power; you're either born with it or you aren't. It's like Pacquiáo when he was in smaller weights he was knocking guys out. When he went up in to the bigger weights he was still knocking guys out. It's just something that God blessed me with. I've got power so it really don't matter what weight class I'm in; I'm still going to have the same power as I had at any weight class I'm in.

Okay. I want to ask you one other thing about it. Much is being made about this jump up two weight classes. There are not a lot of guys for you to fight at 135 that were willing or that had good names. You know 140 was pretty loaded but a lot of those top fighters were busy fighting the other guys. I know you've been asked about this but I don't remember what you were saying about it. Do you think that whatever happens in the fight with Paulie that you would maybe move down to 140 at some point and try to mix it up with those guys or just wait for them to come to you in your new weight class because many of those guys probably will move up eventually anyway? How do you sort of look at that landscape?

Adrien

I'll fight anybody who's willing to fight Adrien Broner.

Okay. I mean are you familiar-I know you're familiar with the top guys at 140. I mean most of them are promoted by Golden Boy.

Adrien

I'm not worrying about any names. I'm not worrying about who did what in whose fight. I'm not worrying about hard someone expected to hit. I will fight anybody who is willing to fight Adrien Broner.

What do you think of Paulie Malignaggi, honestly, as a fighter because you've given him plenty of stick in the buildup and at the press conference in Las Vegas? What do you think his strengths are in the ring?

Adrien

He's a very good talker. I mean he's got some great talent. I mean he's a hell of a commentator. Other than that I really, I don't know. He's the world champion.

Yeah. You know he can't be a bad fighter to have got as far as he's done and had the wins that he's had so it is ....

Adrien

I mean you know if I was to look at the career and his-I would say he was born to be a commentator. He looks good. He's got the looks. He can talk. I mean in boxing if it isn't Adrien Broner or Floyd Mayweather then I don't really see anybody. He wouldn't be a world champion if he wasn't somebody, but at the end of the day he's fighting Adrien Broner and I will be the ruler of boxing in about a year or two.

You say you're going to become the ruler of boxing in a year or two; how will you have to beat to become the ruler?

Adrien

It's not about who do I have to beat it's how I do my job. It don't matter who I beat as long as I keep winning in the fashion that I do it, as long as I keep putting on shows, as long as my ratings keep going up I will be the ruler of boxing.

Adrien, Malignaggi is a crafty veteran; is there any particular area of his game that you have studied in preparation for this fight?

Adrien

I really don't study tapes. I let my coach do that. I know that as long as I'm in shape there is nothing I wouldn't be able to adjust to so I'm always ready. Whatever he brings to the table I'll be ready, make my adjustments and I'll do what I've got to do to get the victory. I wouldn't call him a veteran but I know he's a slipper fighter and if you're really not on you're a game with Paulie Malignaggi there's a better chance that he can slip away and get a victory. So I'm going to be on my A game. I'm going to bring everything I have, and you'll see what I do on June 22nd.

Okay. And there have been talks circulating about a potential fight with Marcos Maidana should you get past Malignaggi. After seeing Maidana's performance last week against Lopez does he deserve a shot at the 'Can Man'?

Adrien

I didn't see it, but I heard he did get a victory. I didn't see it but Maidana is Maidana. Everybody knows Maidana bring to the table, but we're worrying about Paulie Malignaggi right now. If the best fight for Adrien Broner after this fight is Maidana then Maidana will get it.

But I wanted to kind of focus a bit on the trash talking, which has kind of gone off the scale in the kind of build up to this fight. Will the fight live up to the hype or is there a chance it could be remembered for the kind of back and forth that you've had with Malignaggi?

Adrien

Of course, I'm Adrien Broner. I always say something and do more than what I said.

Who is in whose head? Who is getting to who most? Is anything he's saying affecting you?

Adrien

No. No. No way. Nothing is personal. Nothing is personal. At the end of the day we still got to fight June 22nd. He could bring his siblings in the ring with him it's not going to help him. What I have to say is you know he needs to like stop all the cussing and all the other stuff he's doing because at the end of the day he really has a nine to five, and I really want him to keep his job on Showtime because after June 22nd like boxing is really not going to be his biggest job he has. Like the commentary job is going to be the biggest job for him after June 22nd so he's a role model. Really he's a good commentator and people like seeing him on Showtime talking so getting on the phone with me and talking crazy like that if Showtime heard that that do him no good.

Kelly

Okay. So now I want you to do a closing comment about the fight itself and how training camps are going, and then we're going to turn it over to Paulie, and you can go back to the gym.

Adrien

Okay. Basically, I'm going to do me regardless. I'm going to come in dancing. I'm going to leave out dancing, and I'm going to be victorious. I will be 23-year-old three time champion in three weight classes. I will make history on June 22nd. I heard there's only two guys that have already done it and I will be the third. It's going to be a hell of a fight however long it lasts. And I'm going to get this money and my checks are bigger than his, and at the end of the day he better keep practicing his lines. And hopefully the referee don't stop the fight before it get too bad and he miss out on some jobs because after the fight if the ref let it go on too long he probably will miss out on a fight, and then he will have to be at work with glasses on and I don't know how good that be to his career.

Kelly

Okay. Bye. See you soon. Okay. Now, we're going to turn this call over to Paulie.

David

He's the current WBA Welterweight and two division world champion. He has the never say, "Die" attitude and style that epitomizes the fighting spirit of all fighters from Brooklyn and all Brooklynites. He first made his mark in the 140 pound weight class when he defeated Lovemore N'dou for the IBF crown. Early last year he won a 9th round technical knockout victory over Vyacheslav Senchenko that earned him the WBA Welterweight World Title in Senchenko's native Ukrain; has defended the belt once thus far winning a decision over Pablo César Cano at Barclays Center last October at the arena's inaugural boxing event.

He's also well-known and well-praised for his work as a color commentator on Showtime Championship Boxing, and on June 22nd the 32-year-old will look to stop the rise of Adrien Broner just a few miles from his home in Brooklyn. He has a record of 32-4 with 7 KOs from Brooklyn, New York Paulie 'Magic Man' Malignaggi.

Hey, you know when Adrien was doing his call and before you-when you jumped on to the call the say that Adrien seems to come across anyway is that he doesn't really seem to take you too seriously. I kind of take it like when he's doing his ... sort of like with a little bit of a wink of the eye. You seem to take it a lot more serious, a lot more personal. Has he gotten under your skin a little bit? It seems like it.

Paulie

It doesn't really matter if he got under my skin. I mean I've been fighting for 12 years. We can get under each other's skin or not it doesn't matter. When the bell rings I'm focused and I'm ready and I've already been there already. So if I was the guy who just started this shit then okay you could say, "Hey, he's getting under his skin. It doesn't really matter. It's a irrelevant question. Yeah at times I'm pissed. At times it's tongue and cheek. I guess it depends on the moment, but it doesn't really matter. We've got a job to do on Saturday night and that's what counts.

Okay. So all those antics even if you do get annoyed and irritated by it you're saying that when the bell rings it's not going to take you out of your game.

Paulie

No. No talking has ever gotten me out of my game. The things that have gotten me out of my game in the past has definitely not been talking.

Okay. And so when he says those things how much does it upset you or are you also giving a little schtick too?

Paulie

Some of it is schtick and some of it is yeah I'm irritated. I'm irritated for a couple of things. I'll get in to it long after the fight, but some things are stick obviously. Some things are banter and going back and forth and some things are not so we'll see how it goes.

Okay. Now, listen you started your career when you won your first world title. I think you started at 135 but you really made your name at 140. Now you've been a welterweight now for a couple years and obviously have done very well. You have made the jump in weight that he's about to make. Can you talk a little bit about what that was like for you and how you think as an observer that he will handle that change?

Paulie

It's not really comparable comparison. I made that transition over the course of my entire career so I kind of go out of the weight class and I didn't just jump weight classes. I had no choice but to move up in weight classes when I moved up. He made a choice to move up so it's a question that you can't really compare the two weight jumps.

Then how do you think though that we can go in-like you said, you went up the two weight classes over a long period of time. He's taken a jump up two weight classes in the span of just from one fight at 135 to the next fight at-or from 135 to 147 in his next fight. Can you give me your opinion about what you think that will be like for him? I know you've watched him fight before.

Paulie

Yeah. He's a little guy. He's a little guy and he's going to see how overrated his power was. I think they were better off letting him fight a live guy, a lightweight or someone below that before him fighting live guy welterweight. He's fighting this this bigger guy all in one jump so I don't think that was the most intelligent move on his team part. It doesn't really matter to me.

So do you think that even though people don't associate Paulie Malignaggi with big punching power- but you've stopped a couple guys at welterweight-do you think that because maybe like you say the smaller guy that you'll maybe be able to surprise a lot of people not necessarily by winning but by stopping him in a victory?

Paulie

If you look at my opponents they all get their ass beat don't they? I mean do they all not wind up looking like their face went through a window at the end of the fight, especially recently? I don't see why Adrien Broner's face is going to look different at the end of the fight. He will wind up looking like they put his face in a blender when I'm done with him. Whatever it is. It depends on him. It depends how bad he wants to win. I'm not going to tell you that I'm going to sit here and knock him out in one punch, but he's going to feel a lot of punishment on next Saturday night. We'll see how bad he really wants it. He talks like he wants it so bad. We'll you're going to go through a lot of pain in a situation where he's not even going to win so in the end he may just tell himself it's not worth it and he'll just quit.

You've had a handful of Showtime broadcasting assignments over the past several weeks, and when you go from site to site whether you're training and then you go and do your broadcast. Has juggling both things the last few weeks done anything as a determent to your training regimen or have you been able to deal with both and stay on key for both jobs?

Paulie

No. Every show we went to Adrien was at the same show with the exception of the Maidana-Lopez show, but the show wasn't really a hassle because it was minutes from my training anyway so it wasn't really an issue.

Hey, Paulie. First question is do you think that your legs are going to win this fight for you? I mean your movement is that one of the biggest assets that you'll use to win?

Paulie

You've got to watch the fight and find out bro. There's a lot of things you can't really pinpoint one single way to beat him because it's really up in the air. He's fought such bums who ... boxing ring let alone boxing for world titles that you can't even really make a comparison to what is going to beat him or not because it really could be anything. There's not really one thing that you can say will or won't work. The guys he's been fighting have nothing at all so just the fact that you bring something, anything to the table already gives you more of a chance than anybody else he's fought.

I hear you champ. I hear you. Now have you been training away from New York or have you been in New York?

Paulie

Yeah. Yeah I just got back to New York this past weekend. I was on the West Coast.

And is this better focus?

Paulie

Yeah better focus, better sparing. It's just where I was training. I actually had a place in L.A. for a couple of years. I just got rid of it but it's where I prefer to have training camps.

Okay. And lasts question, do you feel any at all any added pressure fighting in Brooklyn?

Paulie

No. No. It's all good. It's all good, man. It really doesn't matter. The ring is square no matter where we fight so it's all good for me.

When you win this fight then will it give you more satisfaction than any other victory?

Paulie

Every fight has its own satisfaction. The fight at the moment is the one that's always most satisfying until you get to the next one so yeah because this is the next one. And in the long line of fights that I've had in my career yeah obviously this is a very satisfying victory but I'll tell you winning another one after this will become more satisfying. You always focus on the task at hand and knowing that's the biggest satisfaction is to win the fight in front of you.

Steve

And do you think-you know a lot's been said between you both in the buildup. Do you think you could get on with him sensibly after the fight?

Paulie

It doesn't really matter. I don't really care. I don't box to make friends. I box to make money.

And also you're making a great career with Showtime. Does that have any influence now on when you might walk away from boxing and go with broadcasting full time?

Paulie

Soon. I don't expect to fight much longer, but as long as the fights like this get my adrenaline flowing and get my juices going and get me excited to fight then I'm going to say I'm going to keep fighting. They're the kind of fight that makes me appreciate being a fighter and being a boxer. As long as these fights are around then obviously I'm not going to walk away from it, but once it start becoming harder, you've got these kind of fights being harder, these kind of fights my body tells me something different then I'll walk away. But I don't expect to stay around much longer.

Do you think 2013 could be your final year in boxing then?

Paulie

Maybe, maybe not. I take every year one year at a time. I don't like to look too far ahead.

Hi, before I ask Paulie a question I just want to make a comment about Dave Itskowitch who is leaving Golden Boy. Dave, you were the consummate professional the whole time and I hope you stay in boxing. It's been a real pleasure dealing with you over the years.

David

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Paulie, what do you expect the crowd reaction to be? You are the local fighter. Do you expect the crowd to be heavily behind you, split, or against you? What are you anticipating?

Paulie

I don't know. I expect I'm going to see some support for me. I also know how there are a lot tickets scalper and they take all the floor seats so I have my share of floor seats, but I don't know. I don't know how those tickets go to and I don't know who they're being sold to. I mean it doesn't matter, bro. We can fight in my living room or we can fight in his living room but it doesn't matter. The ring is square and we've got to deal with it in there so that's what I'm focused on.

Do you think it's a sign of disrespect that Broner is moving up two weight divisions to box you instead of stopping off at 140 to look at one of the champions there?

Paulie

No. It's an ambitious move. I don't look at it as disrespectful in that way. I think he's just a fighter looking to make an ambitious move and trying to build a legacy so to speak so that part is not really what ticked me off.

I'm curious, this is an interesting fight just in terms of you're with Golden Boy, you're also a Showtime commentator, kind of the future, and you're a champion that's still viable in my opinion. I was just curious did you have a choice in taking this fight just because there seems to be too many kind of conflicts of interest, moving parts?

Paulie

No. I mean it was a fight that was offered to me. I actually liked it when it was offered to me. I thought it was actually too good to be true, and so there were other fights I was given as options but I felt like this was the one that paid the most first of all, which obviously is always the main key.

At this stage too a lot of fighters start to say that they need motivation. They look for little things to light a fire; he certainly lite a fire for you. How important has that been in your preparation? Having that kind of passion to feed off of is it a good or a bad thing?

Paulie

I think you always want to have big fights, the big moment in your career. It's always something that you strive to achieve. You always strive to get to fights like this. That's what we live for you know as fighters. When you're a kid and you're in the gym and you're working so hard you dream of moments like this, the big crowd, the main event in the big arena, the big fight night. You dream of that moment so it's a motivating factor to be a part of something like this, and that is really what drives me to train hard and still do this.

Can you explain the testing situation? You said as of May 13th you have not been tested though you both had agreed to it. Has that changed?

Paulie

Yeah. Yeah. I've been tested a few times myself. I don't keep track of Broner, but I've been quite a few times yeah since then.

Also just last thing how important do you think is pace in this fight? He fights at a leisurely pace. I tend to think a mid-tempo, kind of mid-to-long range boxing match favors you if you can keep it that way. What do you think about pace in this fight? Do you have to tire him out? What is the thing that you have to do to him to beat him?

Paulie

I don't know. We're just training to get sharp. We're not really training for him because the things that have worked against the ones he fought it's hard to really say they'll work against me or the things that he's done against the ones that he fought. It's hard to say he'll try those same things because really when you fight a bum really anything will work. When you're fighting a world class fighter you're going to have to actually come with a game plan. It's hard to say. That's why we didn't really prepare for him. We just prepared and prepared with some good sparring partners and just be the best we can be because the game plan he may have for me may be altogether different than what he's been fighting, the one he's been using and whatnot.

Like I said, when you fight the corner store dairy clerk every time you're out there fighting if you don't have a new game plan you're not going to do it. So now he's fighting somebody real so it wouldn't surprise me if he comes with a new bag of tricks, I guess some new looks so that's why I didn't really train for anything I saw on video or anything like that. I stopped watching video regularly in camp for that reason.

And that's since you'll be providing him the first professional resistance he's ever faced?

Paulie

Yeah.

There you go. Thank you very much, man. Good luck to you in the fight.

You kind of talk a lot about how this fight kind of got the competitive juices going and really interested you. What specifically about this fight made this one stand out for you?

Paulie

It's the main event. I'm the world champion in the city where my family moved to. I came here and my family came here. When I got in the country I didn't speak English so it's the city where my life changed kind of. Right now I get to be on the big stage in the same city as world champion in the main event in a big arena. It's the kind of things that you say people dream about but really I could have never dreamt it before so these kind of fights are what stand out, not necessarily opponent. It could have been any opponent. I just wanted a big opponent and a name opponent that makes the fight this much bigger.

Just when you're fighting kind of a younger fighter, kind of proving yourself against someone who is supposedly younger and some people think are better, just how you're just kind of proving yourself that you're still this top-notch fighter.

Paulie

Yeah. There's satisfaction in every big fight. The young versus the old match-ups they're a part of boxing in general so it's not the first time and it's not going to be the last time this kind of fight happens. So you know that kind of thing is not really the big motivating factor, just one of many things that are involved in a fight that make it exciting.

I don't have any final comment. All my comments have been said already. I'll see you guys next week. Thank you.

Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi's WBA Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, June 22, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions' sponsors Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^®beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell as he defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Super Middle weight World Championship. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Danny Williams vs Dominic Negus 'Clash of the Titans' Pay Per View

These two boxers were both top contenders in the pro game that somehow never faced each other.... But now thanks to Box Office Promotions they will finally take each other on in what is set to be battle that will be truely worthy of being named, 'Clash of the Titans'!

Watch the fight LIVE along with the 12 other preceding boxing bouts on June 22nd only on Boxing Evolution TV for £1.99

On the night we have commentary by former Heavy-weight boxer Julius Francis and presenting by the gorgeous Monica Harris...

Included in the livestream will be live perfomances by 'The Strangers' and 'Mr Soul'. We will also be speaking to a number of the celebrity guests to find out how they are enjoying the evening and what they are getting up to in their lives.

If you dont want to miss out on this great evening of boxing and entertainment make sure you tune in on June 22nd at 7pm when the first fight starts.

PPV Tokens will available from Monday.

B.E READY FOR A GREAT NIGHT!!!
♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

JOHNATHON BANKS VS. SETH MITCHELL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL

The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. Banks versus Mitchell is presented in association with K2 Promotions. We're sponsored by Corona and AT&T. We'll be live on Showtime Championship Boxing at 9:00 Eastern Time with preliminary fights airing on Showtime Extreme at 7:00 Eastern Time, and the event can be heard in Spanish using second audio programming.

Those of you who are in the New York area, no excuse not to be there. We have great seats still available, but they're going fast and very reasonably priced starting at $25 and ringside $250, which is again, in this day and age, two world title fights and a great heavyweight fight, you really can't go wrong. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or at the American Express Box Office at the Barclays Center.

Now to say a few words, I'd like to introduce a young man who's a former standout Michigan State University linebacker who found his true calling in the boxing ring. In the first four years of his career, he tore through all of his opposition, beating Taurus Sykes, Timur Ibragimov and Chazz Witherspoon, all those by knockout. He's extremely eager for the opportunity to avenge his only pro loss when he faces Banks and he'll look to show the resilience of a champion when he attempts to even the score on June 22^nd. He has a record of 25, 1 and 1 with 19 KOs. From Brandywine, Maryland, Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell. Seth?

Seth Mitchell

First and foremost, I want to thank my team for giving me this opportunity. I want to thank Al, Sharif Salim, Lorin Chvotkin, and everybody that's involved on my team. Thanks Johnathon Banks for giving me this opportunity to avenge this loss.

I'm very excited about this fight. As Dave said, this is my first pro loss and it was a hard loss. It took me about a week to get over the loss, but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.

Everybody that knows me, they know that I went back to the drawing board. I'm preparing diligently. I'm very focused for this fight. I know Johnathon Banks is preparing hard as well. It's going to be a great fight.

Again, I don't do a lot of talking. I just go back to the drawing board and work hard. I'm very confident in my abilities. I'm very confident in what I can do, and there's no doubt in my mind that I'm going to come out victorious this time.

I've watched the fight numerous times. I saw a lot of mistakes that I made. I'm not taking anything away from Johnathon. He did what he was supposed to do that night, but I promise you it's going to be a different outcome from June 22^nd. I just want everybody to tune in because I will be ready.

I was ready to fight on February 16^th and I was really disappointed when the fight got cancelled, but again, I go back to my belief that everything happens for a reason and that just allowed me to hone my skills to get better and to be more prepared for this fight. I'm definitely a better fighter. I'm not going to keep saying that. I just have to go out there and show you what I've learned from that fight, what Johnathon Banks has taught me from that fight, and you will see that on the 22^nd. I'm very prepared for this fight and very focused and just excited that I'm back on this big stage and on Showtime.

It's not too often you get, not only do you lose, but you get stopped in the second round and have the opportunity to come back and fight on a major network, and I'm very fortunate and very blessed for that, and I'm definitely going to take advantage of this opportunity. Again, I want everybody to tune in. I want to thank everybody that's a part of this, and making this happen. I want to thank my family, my friends, everybody that's praying for me. Continue to pray for me, and on the 22^nd, I will be victorious. Thanks.

Itskowitch

Before I introduce Tom, I just wanted to mention one thing. These two fighters are, in case you didn't notice in listening to Seth, are kind of a stark contrast from Paulie and Adrien in terms of the way that they conduct themselves, and I was around them when they first fought. I just couldn't believe how they're just such gentlemen and really, really two nice, good guys, respectful athletes, and that's always a breath of fresh air.

So, now to introduce Johnathon Banks, I would like to turn it over to the managing director of K2 Promotions, Mr. Tom Loeffler.

Tom Loeffler

We're really excited to be a part of this promotion. As was already mentioned, it's a great main event, but you couldn't get a better co-feature fight to complement that type of a main event, and you got two tremendous heavyweights in there before the first fight. Seth was clearly considered the best American heavyweight leading up to-there was a lot of talk of him fighting the Klitschkos down the road, and with everything that Johnathon went through at that point, training Vladimir with the death of Emanuel Steward, everything like that and then just being able to be victorious in that fight, I think he proved there's a lot more to Johnathon Banks than people had known previously. So, we're looking forward to his fight again just to prove that the first fight wasn't a fluke. Johnathon, I know has been training really hard for this fight as well.

So, with that, I want to introduce him. He's in Detroit, Michigan right now, the WBC International and NABO Champion, Johnathon Banks.

Johnathon Banks

There's not much to say. Seth said it all. I'm not a talker. He's not a big talker. There's not much to say.

I'm looking forward to the fight. I wish that I wouldn't have broken my thumb preparing for February 16^th because I was also looking forward to that fight, but things happen. This is out of your control. It was out of my control. That's the first broken bone I ever had, never had nothing broken on me before, but I ended up breaking my thumb. So, the fight was postponed, but now we have a new day, June 22^nd.

I am preparing just like I always have been. Looking forward to the fight. I just always believed that Seth Mitchell was one of the best heavyweights out there and I still think so. So, I would never underestimate a guy like that. I look forward to the fight.

I know it will be a big challenge, but challenges are all a part of life and I accept every challenge that ever comes my way. I'm not walking away from a challenge. I accept it. I accept it as it comes, and I really believe that the heavyweight division is going to be-it's going to be filled up with excitement again because this heavyweight fight is going to be a good fight.

Loeffler

Thanks a lot, Jonathon. I guess we can now turn it over to media for questions.

Seth, I know one of the things in watching your tape and in talking to you, I'm sure you looked at the things you got away from in the biggest fight of your career, and my question is how do you practice patience? How do you practice executing and also being loose at the same time without being robotic?

Mitchell

You have to-I've been working on just being relaxed and it not being anxious. Even though when I fought him the first time I didn't feel anxious, I didn't feel nervous, when I went back and watched the tape, I could see that I was tight and that I was tense. So, it's just repetition, repetition in the ring, and repetition in sparring. I know sparring isn't fighting, and I wouldn't ever say that sparring is fighting, but it's just the more repetitious you get and making a conscious effort of just trying to do the right thing and not being over anxious and just take your time, so that's just what we've been working on.

Obviously, instruction and executing your trainer's instructions under fire, is that something you guys are doing? I don't know if you just recreate the situation that got away from you in this fight, or how is that going, the communication thing?

Mitchell

The communication is going well, and I always consider myself a good listener. I don't think I know it all. I just didn't do what my trainer instructed me to do going into the fight. We knew a lot of things that Johnathon does, things that we couldn't do and I went out there and did those things, not saying that I was being hardheaded or anything, but I don't know, maybe it was experience, but I definitely showed that I've learned from it, and like I said before, I definitely feel that that loss made me a better fighter, and I just can't wait to show it.

So, I guess the same question-being a boxer and a trainer, can you imagine how difficult must it be for Seth to do what he's doing, and as a fighter who's going to be in the ring with him, is that something you're going to try to exploit that maybe that potential that he might be questioning himself after the loss?

Banks

Well, I don't believe and no interview anywhere have I ever heard Seth question himself. Seth Mitchell, he admitted that he could listen. I made a mistake. 'I've done a couple things wrong and other Banks have capitalized on it.' That's all he ever said. He never really questioned himself, so therefore, I'm still seeing the strong confident heavyweight that I saw the first time. He's just he's coming back stronger, and he may be a little bit bigger because he's eager to prove himself to the world again, and I just think that's what's going to make this fight a good fight, two fighters trying to prove their selves to the world that they are number one or a good fighter or different things like that.

So, I just don't believe that he has any doubt in himself or in his abilities. All his comments, all of his concerns has been just correcting the little mistakes that he made. That's all his concerns has been. So, okay, I just don't see him having no lack of confidence in his self. I think he's fully confident in his ability and I just think he's coming out stronger, bigger and ready to take the world by storm again.

Last question for you-getting into the head of another fighter as a trainer, what must he be going through, and as a trainer, what is the key to getting a fighter to execute in the heat of battle?

Banks

Well, I don't think Seth Mitchell has a problem executing in the heat of battle because he's been in the heat of battle before so he hasn't had too many problems executing in the heat of battle. No matter who you are as a fighter, you get away from certain things that work, no matter who you are, and if you have a chance to correct it, then that's all the better. So, I don't think he's going to have a problem executing whatever he has, but as a fighter, my particular job is to stop him from executing what he wants to do and his job is to stop me from executing what I want to do. So, that's the reason we coming together to for one to stop the other and the other to try to stop the one. So, that signals what it's all about.

As far as the training part, it's difficult for me because I'm not thinking as a trainer. I'm only thinking as a fighter. I took my training hat off when I left Germany. When I get back from here, I'll pick that hat back up and put it back on, but right now, my thoughts are simply either as a fighter and I let my trainer think as himself.

My last question to you is Tom mentioned earlier when he opened the call that you want to prove that your win over Seth wasn't a fluke. Is that something that you feel has been out there because I know Seth has given you full credit for executing and I'm just kind of wondering where Tom might be getting that, where you might-have you heard anything like that that makes you ...?

Banks

You see a lot of things from public. I've heard different things here, well, he just was a hyped-up individual. Well, none of that is really-that doesn't matter to me because I know Johnathon Banks. I know that I was prepared and that I was just going out for a fight.

So, people may say that I was hyped up over the death of Steward, that this was a fluke, this ... happen to happen, but the rest of it, it doesn't bother me. I've heard it. It plays no effect on me. It doesn't bother me because like I say, I know what it was and I know what it is, and the thing about it at the end of the day, there's still going to be a fight.

So, I don't believe in flukes. I don't believe in it just so happen become this or that. I prepared for the fight and I became victorious and this is fight ... begin. We both have to train for the fight and only one here can be victorious. So, as always, I always wish my opponent a healthy training camp and I wish myself a healthy training camp so we can get in there and perform in front of the world.

My last question for both of you-who is the pressure most on in this fight? Is it on Seth because he lost, or is it on you because you won a fight that some people thought you were going to lose and now you have to prove it's not a fluke? To both of you, who's got the most pressure on them or who's, in your perception, who's under the most?

Mitchell

Me personally, I think the pressure's on me. The pressure's on me. It's one thing to lose, but it's another thing to lose back to back to the same fighter. So, I believe the pressure is on me, but I've said this from day one-I want to be in a situation where the stakes are high. That means you're headed in the right direction. So, I think the pressure is on me. I accept it. I relish the challenge and the June 22^nd, we're going to get it in.

Banks

I think the pressure's on me. I do. I think the pressure's on me that they're saying he came on TV, he did this and let's see if he can do it again. I think the pressure's on me, and just like he said, I accept the challenge too. I've never ran from pressure. I accept it. I embrace it. So, I really believe the pressure is on me and I'm happy to hear how-I have no doubt that Seth will accept the challenge. I accepted the challenge, and like I say, June 22^nd, we going to get it in.

I'll start my first question for Seth. After the first fight, I know you had the right to ask John to give you the immediate rematch and I'm sure that you spent some time thinking about it and talking with your trainer and your team, but was there any discussion or thought either in their minds or in your minds about the prospect of possibly taking some interim fight first rather than going right back in with the guy that had stopped you?

Mitchell

Not at all. This is a true story. When I went back into the dressing room, I was devastated that I had lost. It was a tough loss for me, but my first question is to Al. I asked him two questions. I said how far did this set me back and when can we get the rematch. That was my first two questions to Al, and I just wanted to get back in there not because I didn't think-I just wanted to get back in there because I'm a fighter and I lost.

When stakes are high, this is a very, very important fight for me, and I understand that and I don't tend to bet with my heart. When I'm betting, I bet with my head, and I truly believe that I can beat Johnathon Banks. He beat me the first fight, but I truly believe that I'm a better fighter and I have to show better than what I showed and that was just my mindset.

I wanted to get in there and correct this wrong, and I know he's going to come to fight, but I'm going to come to fight as well. Like I said, man, I am truly a better fighter. I keep saying that, but I don't like to really talk a lot, man, I just got to go out there and show and that's why I want everybody to just tune in on June 22^nd and they're going to be in for a shock. They're going to be like wow, this cat really did go back, look at his tapes, see what he did wrong and this loss definitely made him a better fighter.

Seth, when you asked Al those two questions in the dressing room, what were his answers about how far did this set you back and when can we get the rematch?

Mitchell

He said not long. Actually, he answered the question probably about two or three days later, and he said it probably was about a seven to eight month setback but we'll get that rematch and you'll just take care of business.

I understand you as the athlete, the competitive spirit to desire and go make things right in your mind and get the revenge and all that, but that's why boxers pay their advisors and their trainers and the people that work with them to try to take a step back and look for the betterment of the guy's career in the long term. Did anybody on your team, Al, Sharif, whoever, talk to you about maybe taking an interim fight, trying to convince you otherwise even though you were going to be very adamant about wanting to do the immediate rematch? Did anybody on the team think that maybe it was best to take the interim fight?

Mitchell

There was no talk about an interim fight. The only time that came up is when Johnathon got hurt, and once Johnathon got hurt, honestly I didn't want to wait seven months, another four months to fight him. I wanted to stay active and fight, but things happen for a reason. That didn't happen, and June 22^nd, it's going to be Johnathon Banks.

When you were getting ready for the second fight and you had the thumb injury, obviously that's not the type of thing you can go into a fight and fight with, but can you talk about the circumstances of what happened with that and then what your feelings and thoughts were when that happened and you knew that there's no way you can go in there and this was going to have to be postponed?

Banks

Well, actually I was going to fight with a broken thumb because I wanted to fight, and I don't like to, me personally as a fighter, I don't like preparing for a fight-preparing for a fight, you're spending your money. Preparing for a fight and then you call the fight off, I don't like doing that, and I was going to go through with the fight. Vladimir Klitschko called me and asked me not to go through with the fight. He said, dude, you broke your thumb, why would you take the risk going to a fight handicapped.

I wasn't thinking with my mind. I'm thinking with my heart because I just wanted to fight. That's just me. I'm saying regardless I want to fight.

So, I sat down, thought about it and it was bandaged up, I couldn't use it. I was just going to use my left hand to finish up the training, but no matter what, I listened to what he said and that's why I went on and called off the fight, but I mean, I didn't want to do it because I mean, no fighter likes to be hear about this ... a week or a week and a half, two weeks before the fight.

So, you took a call from Vladimir Klitschko to convince you not to go into a fight on this caliber, this significance with a hand that you would obviously not be able to use very well?

Banks

Yes because that's just-I just wanted to fight. Right. I'm a fighter. I just want to fight. So, I figured if I could walk, if I could talk, if I could throw it, I said let's fight, but like I say, he talked to me,. That's why once again, that's why you surround yourself with people that are knowledgeable about the game so when you not thinking knowledgeable, they can bring you back to reality.

So, now in retrospect, the way that it ended up going down, I have to imagine that you feel as though you made the right decision to postpone it?

Banks

Definitely, definitely. I definitely made the right decision because as I said once that night, once I sat and thought about it and I said you know what, he's right, why will I go into fight handicap because I don't like to say okay, Johnathon Banks, you lost the second fight, what happened, I said well, you know, I don't know. I want to be 100%. If I lose, let me lose at 100%. I can live with that, losing at 100%, but I can't live with being halfway ready and then I lose. I don't want anything like that to happen.

Also, if you do lose in that situation, then you're in a position of do I just keep my mouth shut and I got the loss or do you say something and have guys like me say all you're doing is making excuses?

Banks

Exactly. I would just keep my mouth shut. You would never know it unless somebody else came and told you or unless somebody came and whispered in your ear, you wouldn't know because I wouldn't have said anything.

Do you think that just from a pain threshold and a physical aspect of making the fight that you could have actually gone and fought with a broken thumb?

Banks

I know I couldn't. I couldn't even ball my fist up. It was too swolen for me to ball my fist up, but I'm just talking to you about the will of a fighter that wanted to fight. That's how I'm coming to you from. I wasn't thinking as an individual saying do you know what, I shouldn't fight because it could be long-term damage, it could be nerve. I wasn't thinking like that.

So, how is the thumb now? Are you perfectly back to normal? There's no issues?

Banks

Everything is fine.

Well, I'm glad to hear that. Tom, are you there, Tom Loeffler?

Loeffler

Yes, I'm still here.

Are you the one that called up Vladimir and told him talk to Johnathon he's acting crazy?

Loeffler

No, actually Johnathon had let him know ahead of time once he went to see the doctor and everything like that and I think he was just looking at letting Vladimir know. I naturally agreed with what Vladimir explained to him because in a fight like this, at this caliber and at so much at stake, it just doesn't make sense to go into it. Every fighter is never really 100% after sparring and little nicks and bruises and things like that, but to have a broken thumb and to go into a fight like this just wouldn't really have made sense, although it did take a little while to convince Johnathon of that, I know that.

I know that in your last fight with Johnathon, you were on your way to a professional title shot against one of the title holders, and I know you were hurt against Chazz Witherspoon. You recovered in that fight. Was it more difficult to recover against Johnathon Banks because of his experience?

Mitchell

I guess you could say. He did the right thing. I guess Chazz Witherspoon when I got hurt and he had got close, he allowed me to grab him and gave me the time to recover whereas in that instance when I had got buzzed and tried to grab Johnathon, he stepped back and he kept his hands going and didn't allow me to fully recover and that allowed me to get knocked down two more times and the ref stopped the fight. So, I guess that could be attributed to his experience, but it is what it is. It's something that happened and I just had to learn from it and I believe I have.

Do you think in your last fight that you were overconfident going into this since you dominated some of the other opponents?

Mitchell

I wouldn't necessarily say that I was overconfident. I never underestimate any of my opponents. I train extremely hard, and I don't go out there trying to take everybody head off, but when you look at my record, before this fight, I had knocked out I believe either 12 or 13 or 13 of my last 14 opponents and then when I went back and looked at the tape, even though I don't in my mouth I don't say that I'm trying to go out there and destroy my opponent, that's what my actions showed, and it caught up with me that night.

Yes. My last question for you is-obviously Johnathon being a trainer and also a fighter, he got to see different tactics that fighters use to the ability to beat another opponent. Do you think him obviously being a trainer and a fighter, that helped him to adapt to your styles since you have a little less experience than him?

Mitchell

I think just his experience in general definitely might have helped him out, but he's a fighter as well. Like he said, when you get in that ring, a lot of times you take that training hat off and you become a fighter and he did what he was supposed to do. I have no excuses. I just got to get better, so better, and I definitely plan on doing that on the 22^nd.

Now, obviously since you beat Seth in your last fight, I know that you trained the Klitschkos, was that something that you were looking for before having a rematch with Seth?

Banks

What do you mean?

No, were you actually looking to fight a Klitschko because there's a couple of rumors that you might fight a Klitschko even though you trained them before?

Banks

No. I wasn't looking to anything actually before the fight. I was looking for Mitchell. I wasn't looking to fight-I wasn't beefing with any other fighter, but him.

Would you ever fight one of the Klitschkos though for the title?

Banks

Who knows? I don't know. That's a question that really can't be answered because the question really is null and void if I can't be successful on June 22^nd.

That's true. Now, your training style, do you think that helped you in the fight against Seth Mitchell last time, having that training mentality and then like Seth just said, the training mentality kind of goes out the window and then the fighting mentality takes over?

Banks

Well, I wear two different hats. I wear a training hat and a fighter hat. When it's time for me to prepare for my fight, the training hat goes off and the fighter hat comes on. So, the two don't connect with one another.

When I'm a fighter, I'm a pure student of the game, and I'm listening to my trainer. When I'm a trainer, that's when I'm a pure trainer, I'm a teacher of the game. So, it's just two different situations. So, to answer the question, I don't think-it didn't hurt me, but I don't necessarily say it just helped me out to be also to be a trainer in boxing.

Obviously, having Emanuel Steward in your corner for a while, that obviously rubbed off on you. How did his training tactics help you as a fighter and also as a trainer?

Banks

Well, most of all, you got to understand that for literally for 15 years, I traveled with him. I've been around him and lived with him. I learnt a lot from this man. So, like I say, everything that I've accomplished in boxing that the majority-a lot of the things I accomplished in boxing I owe to him because he taught me so much, and he was a big influence.

One question for both you guys, same question. Just talk about some of the challenges mentally and physically you have in such a long layoff. It's been seven months since you've fought. What are the difficulties of waiting so long in between fights and how do you manage that?

Mitchell

Well, for me I just-once the fight got made-I was back in the gym. We fought November 17^th, I believe. I was back in the gym the first week in December, not training like really hard but just getting back into the gym, and once the fight was scheduled, I went into my training camp, and then once the fight got postponed, I just stayed in the gym but then I wasn't killing myself in the gym because you don't want to over train or peak too soon, and that's just how I handled it. I'm always in the gym. In six and a half years, I've never been out of the gym longer than three and a half weeks.

I always go to the gym. I just starting so late, I have to stay in the gym to continue to learn and I believe that's why my learning curve has grown so rapidly, but it's just staying in the gym, not overtraining, not sparring all the time because your body-mentally and physically, you can get worn out, at least I can, but just stay in the gym and stay sharp and try to learn from my trainer Andre Hunter. That's just how I approached it, but I'm ready to go though.

Johnathon, same question to you. Obviously, you had the injury to heal from, but just the long layoff and how do you expect that to affect you if at all?

Banks

I've had longer than this, so it doesn't affect me at all. You talk about I've been in boxing for quite some time now. So, a long layoff, a short layoff, the preparation is the same. So, no, I don't feel that it will affect me at all.

This one's for Seth and I want to ask a similar question to Johnathon. When title shots at heavyweight are often handed out to fighters after just a few solid wins, it's fairly easy to get a world title shot at heavyweight sometimes compared to other weight classes, do you think victory over Johnathon will get you close to a world title shot, and do you think you're ready for one?

Mitchell

I definitely think that a victory will get me closer, hopefully a title eliminator or somewhere in that caliber, and I definitely feel that I'm ready. I've grown a lot and this fight has definitely made me better, and on the 22^nd, the world will see that I'm not calling the first fight a fluke at all. I've said from day one, Johnathon did what he had to do, he did what he was supposed to do, but he also made me a better fighter, and I definitely feel that I want the big fight, and after this fight, I have to go out here and take care of business, but after this fight, I definitely want the big fight, and I definitely think it'll move me closer to a title shot not only because I just won my next fight but it says something to accept the challenge and fight the person that just not only beat you but stops you in the second round to not fight anybody else, go back, take care of that business and it just shows the character, shows the type of fighter and the type of person and man that I am.

Before you lost to Johnathon, you were quite frankly, the highest-ranked prospect in America in heavyweight boxing and that loss set you back somewhat, but would you say that victory over Johnathon would just put you say back where you were anyway? It would basically just delete your loss on your record?

Mitchell

I believe it will, I believe it will, and that's why I've trained very hard. I'm ready to fight now actually. I'm just maintaining now, but I'm excited about the fight and I definitely think that within this fight it might even put me higher than what I would have been if I hadn't loss because like I said before, it says something about a man's character, it says something about a fighter to not take any tune-up fights and just go back in there and win the fight. It shows something about the kind of fighter that you're made of.

This one's to Johnathon. It's a similar question. I hope it's not too controversial for you. If you're victorious over Seth for a second time, you would surely be in the line for a world title shot, but do you think you could ever step in the ring with Vladimir, and if you did get a world title shot, would you probably go after the Vitali instead?

Banks

That is a little difficult question to answer because I really I can't adjust my vision to see past June 22^nd. So, that's what's on my radar. That's the biggest-I don't know if you saw Seth Mitchell, but he's a big guy. So, I've got a big old guy in front of me. So, that's all I'm looking at.

So, it's kind of difficult for me to try to look past that particular date and say, for instance, for the future, do I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world? Yes. Will I be? I definitely believe so, but like I say, all of that is really null and void if I can't put on a good performance and be victorious on June 22^nd.

Well, talking about performances, going into your first fight with Seth, did you believe that you could possibly pull of the KO win because you had an early knock out? Was that your plan, and do you think a similar thing could happen in the rematch?

Banks

Well, going in the fight, I knew that I'm in the heavyweight division, and I know that one punch can turn the whole fight around. Did I plan to stop him in the second round? No. Did I think that was going to happen? No. I was prepared for 12 rounds.

Right now, I'm prepared to go 12 rounds. I'm not just jumping in looking for a rush and hurry to get a knock out. I'm prepared to go 12 rounds, and when the bell rings, we'll see what happens. But no, I didn't try to predict-I'll be lying to say if I predicted the fight would end early or it would end by knockout. No, I had no clue that it would.

Okay. I've got one final question for you. We often see a heavyweight especially in recent years, naming no names, but we all know who we're talking about, we often see a lot of animosity between fighters especially at heavyweight. Would you say that there's any animosity between the two of you or do you have nothing but respect for each other, and why would you say that your characters are like that and not so fiery like other fighters?

Banks

Me personally, I can't speak for any other fighters, but what I will say is the situation that we're-I don't feel that you have to have animosity against an opponent to fight them. Also, you have to have animosity against an opponent to go up against them or defeat them.

This is a business that we're in and me and Seth Mitchell both have a job to do. So, his job is to beat or knock out his opponent, and my job is to beat or knock out my opponent. We both have a job. What happens in this particular job is we're facing each other. If he was facing someone else or someone else, I believe his job would be the same and my job would be the same.

Mitchell

I definitely I feel that to say I look at it like this-this is a business. My opponent's going to prepare. I'm going to prepare. I want everybody to do what a lot of fighters out there, they hate all other fighters because they're doing this and they're doing that. The bottom line, when you get in the ring, you have to do what you're supposed to do. If you take care of what you're supposed to do, then everything will be all right, and I truly believe that if I hate on somebody else and don't want them to succeed, God is not going to continue to bless me and that's just how I look at it. That's just my nature.

Because of the way the first fight ended, do you feel that you need to not only win this fight but win in a really explosive way?

Mitchell

I need to win the fight. That's my mindset. Obviously, I always want to go out there and I want to look impressive, and my style resonates with the fans and with the people, but at this point in time, these days in my career especially with this fight, the victory is most important. I've got to get the W.

You were just talking about being professional and doing your job. What do you think about the way that Malignaggi and Broner are approaching their fight in the main event?

Mitchell

To each his own. I'm big fans of both of them. Adrien Broner and me have a personal relationship, but I know Paul Malignaggi but not on a personal relationship level, but both of them are hell of a fighters and I can't speak on how they feel their fight. That's just what they do. To each his own, but I know I'm looking forward to a good fight.

Okay. For Johnathon, you stopped him early in the first fight, so you already have kind of a blueprint on how to do it. Are you going to be looking to just go out and land something big again? Is that the way to beat Seth Mitchell?

Banks

I think going out trying to land something big is the way you get some big. So, I didn't plan that the first fight. I didn't go out trying to land something big, and I'm not going to go out there this time trying to look smack-down big. I'm a boxer, that's what I do, move around the box. So, if I see an opening, I'll try to capitalize on it, but like you say, it's going to be a couple battles, it's going to be a tough fight, but am I looking to go out there, start winging punches and see what happens? No, that's not what I'm going to do.

Same question for you about Malignaggi and Broner. What do you think of the way they're approaching the fight in terms of the way that you and Seth are approaching the fight?

Banks

Well, it's almost the same thing that Mitchell said. To each his own. This is what they-these are these guys' personalities, and I think no matter what, when you have two fighters, you must show their personalities. These guys' fans, they're talkers. It's what they do. It's their personalities. So, that's what they're doing.

Okay. Just one last question for you-are you still sparring at all with Vladimir when you're training him now or do you just leave that to the other people?

Banks

I leave it to other people. I haven't seen Vladimir in a little while, so I leave it to the other guys. I leave it to the other guys to do so.

Swanson

That's the end of our call. You guys, if you want to make one last quick comment and we'll let you go back to the gym, I imagine. Why don't we start with Seth?

Mitchell

I just want to just thanks everybody again for being on the call. It's been a long time coming. I'm well prepared. I know Johnathon and I know you're prepared, but just be ready for a good fight because I'm going to bring it. June 22^nd is going to be a good fight and I definitely plan on being victorious.

Banks

Thank you, Kelly. I wish Seth Mitchell a good training camp, a good finishing of the camp, hopefully no injuries and I wish myself the same thing. Once again, I am really I'm excited. I look forward to Jun 22^nd. It's going to be a very good show.

END OF CALL

Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi's WBA Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, June 22, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions' sponsors Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^?beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT (delayed on the West Coast). In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell as he defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Super Middle weight World Championship. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^? is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

No Holds Barred: King Mo On His June 19 Bellator Fight

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bellator MMA fighter "King" Mo Lawal (http://www.twitter.com/KingMoFH).

He will be returning to action Wednesday, June 19, in the semifinals of Bellator MMA's four-man light heavyweight tournament, facing MMA veteran Seth Petruzelli. This fight will headline this card, which takes place at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and will be televised live in the U.S. on Spike TV.

This will be the first fight for "King" Mo following his upset loss to Emanuel Newton on February 21, 2013, in the Bellator Season 8 light heavyweight tournament semifinals. In that fight, he lost by first-round KO after Newton landed a spinning backfist.

We spoke with "King" Mo Monday by phone about his June 19 fight and the lessons of his last fight.

In this interview, he admitted, "I got caught" by Newton's spinning backfist. And, he said, in preparing for the June 19 fight with Petruzelli, "I had to make some adjustments."

But he added, "I'm not going to change much," noting that his wrestling, grappling, sparring, boxing, and kickboxing are all "on point."

He already weighs 210, just five pounds over the MMA light heavyweight limit, and said, "I'm always in shape. I'm ready to go."

He also discussed his training with Olympic gold medalist wrestler and current Iowa State coach Kevin Jackson, and noted boxing trainer Jeff Mayweather, along with numerous active fighters. We also discussed the first-round TKO upset win in boxing this past Saturday by Adonis Stevenson over Chad Dawson to capture the WBC light heavyweight belt.

In addition, "King" Mo is signed to perform in the TNA pro wrestling organization, which also airs on Spike TV. We discussed his training for that, how it compares to the other training he is doing, and what real catch wrestling moves he is learning there. And we discussed Quinton "Rampage" Jackson also signing with both Bellator and TNA, the continuing turmoil in international wrestling and some of his experiences there, and more.

WBA Welterweight World Champion Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi and Two-Division World Champion Adrien "The Problem" Broner

FACTS:

Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi's WBA Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, June 22, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions' sponsors Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^®beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell as he defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Super Middle weight World Championship. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Undefeated Lightweight Prospect Mel Crossty Returns To Action June 14

Undefeated Lightweight Prospect Mel Crossty Returns To Action June 14
Next month from his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, undefeated lightweight up-and-coming prospect Mel “Black Diamond” Crossty (5-0-1, 1 KO) will return to action following a near 16-month layoff as he seeks his sixth consecutive win as a professional.
Having turned pro in 2008, Crossty stayed consistent within the squared circle, defeating the opponents he needed to, keeping his unblemished record intact.
His career hit a speed bump in 2009 when he encountered managerial issues, and was unable to get a fight. But rather than becoming complacent with his training he stayed diligent and awaited his opportunity to lace up the leather again and go to work.
Recently signing with Starpower Boxing out of Cincinnati— a full spectrum boxing managerial company—Crossty is anxious to return to action June 14.
“Come June 14 I’m looking to be very impressive, which I know I will be,” said Crossty. “I am ready to get back in there and do what I know how to do. At the end of the day it is about getting that victory, and I’m ready to get it done.”
At 27-years-old Crossty has already has the chance to spar with world champions and contenders, including Adrien Broner, Devon Alexander and Sharif Bogere, to name a few, and most recently has been training in Las Vegas with Floyd Mayweather Sr. in preparation of his upcoming bout.
Crossty has the fast hands and the determination to reemerge onto the boxing scene and make an impact within the lightweight division, and his road to working towards the hardware will commence June 14.
“My training has been going great,” Crossty continued. “I have been getting great work, and been giving those guys great work as well. I really feel that right now, I am ready to match someone will my skill level. I believe that going forward in six or seven fights I will be able to compete with any of the top fighters. Right now it’s about going out there and feeling comfortable in the ring.”
Now teamed up with Starpower Boxing, Mel Crossty has a promising future ahead of him as long as he can execute inside the ring as he has done through the early part of his pro career. A soft-spoken, class act in and out of the ring who wants nothing more than to fight and pursue his dream of going to war for a world title one day, Crossty is anxious to pick up where he left off last April.
“Now being with Starpower Boxing, we are taking it straight up,” said Crossty. “I am one of the first fighters on Starpower, and we are ready to take it to the next level. We are going to make my name big and the Starpower name big. Getting to the top is what we are set on, and that’s what we plan on doing.”
Also on the card is Starpower’s welterweight William “Action” Jackson (10-1-1, 5 KO). Jackson is a quick and powerful welterweight who stayed busy inside the ring until 2011 when he ran into his own promotional problems. During his run he took down up-and-coming undefeated prospects, and at 24-years-old is bringing both experience and maturity into the ring June 14 when he looks to get back to his winning ways and put on a show in front of his Ohio fan base.
Starpower Boxing was established Michael Grace in 2013 to give boxers a stable managerial company to be fight under with the fighters’ best intentions in mind.

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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI & ADRIEN BRONER MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Danny Williams vs Dominic Negus 'Clash of the Titans' Pay Per View

JOHNATHON BANKS VS. SETH MITCHELL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL

No Holds Barred: King Mo On His June 19 Bellator Fight

WBA Welterweight World Champion Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi and Two-Division World Champion Adrien "The Problem" Broner

Undefeated Lightweight Prospect Mel Crossty Returns To Action June 14