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NEW YORK CITY (Dec. 11, 2019) — The fighters were all business on the press conference dais. The best triple-header of the 2019 boxing calendar didn’t need any pomp and circumstance.Saturday evening at Madison Square Garden (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET), Terence “Bud” Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) will defend his WBO welterweight world title against Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs), while the co-feature will see IBF lightweight world champion Richard Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) hoping to avoid the takeover in Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs).
The ESPN opener will see Irish sensation Michael “Mick” Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs) hoping to turn back amateur nemesis Vladimir Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs) in a 10-rounder at featherweight. Nikitin defeated Conlan twice as an amateur, including in their 2016 Olympic quarterfinal bout, a decision that sparked international controversy.
At Wednesday’s final press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.
“I’m starting to get used to fighting on these big stages, so it ain’t nothing new to me. This week is going to be a great, spectacular show. I am well-prepared for whatever he brings to the table, and I’m sure they know that as well.”
“Nothing really changed between me and {trainer Brian McIntyre}. We’re a team. Iron sharpens iron. We added some more great fighters to the team. We’re pushing each other each and every day in camp. If I’m tired, {Maurice Hooker} will talk to me, ‘Come on little guy, you tired?’ And that just motivates each and every one of us to go that extra mile. Either we’re running, sparring, hitting the bag. Everything is a competition when we’re in the camp.”
“I’m not focused on no other opponent besides the opponent that’s in front of me. My goal is to make sure I get the victory come this weekend, and that’s the only person I’m focused on now. Anyone else is talk. It goes in one ear and out the other. He’s young, hungry and I’m not taking him lightly.”
Bob Arum
“They’re all good fights.The Teofimo-Commey fight, bookmakers have made that a 50-50 fight, so that’s obviously of great interest. And the other two fights are not walkovers. They’re tough, tough matches. Terence is worth the price of admission by himself. He is pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world, and everybody will have an opportunity to watch him fight a very tough Lithuanian in Kavaliauskas, who has fought for us for many years and is a tough, tough Eastern European fighter.”
“Mick Conlan gets his chance for revenge. You all know the story. When most people thought he’d won his fight in the Olympics and Nikitin was given the nod, now they have a chance in professional boxing for revenge, a rematch. And that will be of interest to fans all over the world.”
On Commey-Lopez
“Some young man who has three of the lightweight titles and is looking to fight for a fourth will be on hand. He’s coming in on Friday to watch this match. Vasiliy Lomachenko will be here. A lot at stake in this Lopez fight with Commey. Both great fighters.”
Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas
“Crawford was on my mind from the start of training camp in June. So every day was Crawford, Crawford, Crawford. My mindset is good. I’m happy for this fight. When this fight was made officially, I was super happy. I was smiling all day. I want to fight the best, and we’re fighting in the Mecca of Boxing.”
“We started {training} in June, but we started light. Still, all the tactics, everything was about how Crawford fights, which stance {he’ll use}. Sparring, we had lots of different guys, southpaw, orthodox, guys in different stances. And the training camp, [we worked on} speed, power, sparring, technique and tactics, all in this five, six months.”
“Going straight ahead to Crawford is not an option because he’s too smart and he showed in his last fight that he’s smart in the ring. So, yeah, we’ll work on my combinations. We don’t want to go very wild at him.”
Richard Commey
“2019 has been a great year. I’ve worked so hard coming from Ghana. You know how it is. To get to this stage, man, just an amazing feeling.”
“How many boxers have come from Ghana with a chance to fight in {The Garden} in the co-main event…God bless us, and I’m ready to retain my title. There is no way I’m going to lose.”
Teofimo Lopez
“It’s a blessing. It’s a breathtaking moment. It’s just something I have to visualize and just know that, 22 years old, I have a great opportunity here to do a lot. I’m excited, man. What better way to finish off the year than fight in the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden, for my first world title, in New York? This is a moment right here.”
On the criticism from his last fight against Masayoshi Nakatani
“I think everybody needs something like that. I needed that. Everything happens for a reason. I take everything they try to throw at me negatively and turn it into a positive. You can’t faze me. You can’t bring me down. I’m here for a reason. Teofimo is doing what he’s doing come Saturday night. We’re going to go out there and take over. I have vengeance in me. I’m holding that, holding everything. I want to shut everyone up the best way I can, and that’s doing what I do best.”
“God didn’t bring us this far for nothing. I didn’t come out here just to talk my smack and not back it up. We’re gonna do what we have to do. Richard Commey is a {former} world champion for a reason. And we know that it’s going to be a great and exciting fight.”
Michael Conlan
“This is straight business for me. There is no personal or emotional attachment to it. Vladimir, obviously he beat me in 2013 when I moved up to bantamweight. 2016, he got the decision, but he knows deep down he needs to prove something because his career will always be remembered for losing to me in the Olympics. He’s gotta prove something Saturday night. I don’t believe he will. I’ve prepared fully, and I’ve been training for 14 or 13 weeks for this camp. I’m ready for anything Saturday night.”
“It’s very fitting for me to be boxing here, having this rematch in MSG. This is where I re-started my boxing career after the Olympics, and this is where I’ll close the chapter. We’ll put everything in the past and we’ll stop talking about him because I’m fed up with it. I just want to take care of business and move on.”
Vladimir Nikitin
“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I won two bouts against him in the amateurs and, right now, this is just another big step in my professional career.”
“I fought my last fight here at the {Hulu Theater} at Madison Square Garden. I’ve been in the arena. This is the next step in my professional career. I am preparing for every fight {the same}. It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m ready for 10 rounds. We’ll see what will happen in the ring.”
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment and MTK Global, tickets priced at $506, $306, $206, $106 and $56 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.
Media Workout: Crawford and Mean Machine Prepare to Headline Saturday’s MSG Extravaganza
NEW YORK CITY (Dec. 10, 2019) — Pound-for-pound king and WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford returns to Madison Square Garden Saturday evening (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) as the headliner for the card of the year, a three-headed monster that will follow the Heisman Trophy ceremony.Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) will make the third defense of his welterweight crown against No. 1 contender Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs), Richard Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) will defend his IBF lightweight world title against unbeaten sensation Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs)and Michael Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs) hopes to gain revenge on former 2016 Russian Olympic nemesis Vladimir Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs).
The ESPN+ undercard (5:45 p.m. ET) will feature Bronx-born super lightweight Josue Vargas (15-1, 9 KOs) against Noel Murphy (14-1-1, 2 KOs) and Brooklyn-born knockout artist Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga (12-0, 12 KOs), who has never seen the second round as a pro, against the durable Cesar Nunez (16-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight showdown.
At Tuesday’s media workout, this is what the fighters had to say.
On the pressure of being a top pound-for-pound fighter
“It’s a blessing because it motivates me and adds fuel to the fire. I like proving people wrong. That’s more joy for me.”
“{New York} is one of the big stages. Vegas is a big stage. I do my thing in the ring, and every time I fight, I send a message to all the welterweights out there.”
“Everyone poses a threat. {Kavaliauskas} is a good fighter. He is a two-time Olympian for a reason. He’s undefeated, strong and hungry.”
On his popularity in Omaha now
“It’s the same. I’ve been the around the city since my amateur days. Some people want a picture, others shake my hand and say, ‘What’s up?’
“When I was at 140, everybody criticized me and said I was too big for 140. When I was at 140, everyone said I was too big for 135. If I was to go back down to 140, what would everybody say? I’m picking and bullying people. There you have it.”
On “sides of the street” in boxing
“Well, Deontay Wilder is about to fight Tyson Fury and you never hear about any ‘sides of the street.’ It’s just something people say when it comes to Terence Crawford. You don’t hear ‘wrong side of the street’ with any other fighter but Terence Crawford. Why do all these other fights get made, but when it’s Terence Crawford, it’s about the ‘wrong side of the street?'”
“This is a great opportunity for me against the world’s best fighter. When I win, I will be considered one of the world’s best fighters.”
“Terence Crawford is a great fighter, which is why I wanted this fight. I am ranked number one for a reason. I am here for a reason, and I can’t wait for Saturday night.”
“The way to win a title is to fight the best, and Terence is the best welterweight in the world. I want that title, and I will be the first Lithuanian-born boxer ever to win a world title.”
Teofimo Lopez
“If someone were to tell me I’d win my first world title at 22 years old at Madison Square Garden, I wouldn’t believe it. It’s huge. It’s happening, and it’s a blessing. We have the opportunity, and this is what we’re doing. Nine weeks in camp. I know ya’ll have seen the pictures. We’re ready, man.”
“Everybody is ready. We’re ready. He’s ready. Everyone will be tuned in for a reason. All I want is a great night for all the fans. When you have a great style fight like this, it’s going to be a short night.”
“We gotta get the job done on Saturday. We ain’t there yet.”
“I felt much happier than all my other camps. It’s a new me. I came back rejuvenated and ready to go. These last two fights, I missed that. I needed to go through these trials to make me the man I am today.”
“I have a great team behind me. I have everything I need.”
“We all saw what happened last year when I fought after the Heisman celebration. Look out.”
Richard Commey
“I won my title in February, and I look forward to defending my title for the second time, my first fight at Madison Square Garden, home of champions.”
“I look forward to facing Teofimo Lopez and proving my worth in the ring. This is going to be one hell of a fight.”
Michael Conlan
“It’s nothing personal with Vladimir and I, but I have a job to do on Saturday night, and it’s going to be a demolition job.”
“This fight is a long time coming. We were supposed to fight in August, but Vladimir got injured. I’m excited. We’re ready to rock, and the fans in New York can expect a big performance.”
“Listen, regardless of what I think about the {amateur} judges, I have never officially beaten him. I need to go out there and get my hand raised. I want to right the wrong of what happened in Rio.”
Vladimir Nikitin
On the two amateur fights against Conlan
“We fought twice, and I won both times. I know this is the professional game, and I am happy that I have to chance to prove that I am once again the better fighter.”
On the biceps injury he suffered that postponed the original fight date
“I was upset that I had to cancel the fight, but I am ready now. The best man will win, and I am confident it will be me.”
Josue Vargas
“I call him {Murphy} Canelo because he looks just like him, so I know Canelo. We used to train in the same gym. We sparred two, three times, so I know what he’ll bring to the table. I saw his last few bouts, and he hasn’t gotten better. I know I’ve gotten better sparring the likes of Jose Ramirez, Vergil Ortiz and Mikey Garcia. I sparred those guys after I sparred ‘Canelo,’ so I know what I’ll bring and what he’ll bring. I’m not expecting anything different.”
“He can take a shot and he’s tough. I can’t sleep on him. I’m going to take it home because I have to show out in front of my friends and family.”
“I know he’s confident, but I want to know why. I want to know where that’s coming from because when I sparred him his trainer took him out in the fourth round due to a body shot.”
Edgar Berlanga
“I didn’t have a ton of people the first time I fought at the Garden, but for some reason, my name is hot and I’m fighting back home ready to put on a show.”
“Now that I’m maturing and getting older, I have to understand that I need to go some rounds. All my fans have seen is the power, but they haven’t seen the full me, the movement, skills, jab. I can fight like Pernell Whitaker if I have to. This is a step-up fight. If I can’t get the guy out of there, then I’m ready to go some rounds.”
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