Opening Shots of "Firepower"
Posted by Ryan Bates on 11.12.2009
Quotable quotes from today's undercard press conference.
Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank
If yesterday was all about accolades and congratulation, today's "Firepower" undercard press conference was all about appreciation and conviction. Many of the undercard fighters had a short time to say their piece; here are some of the best soundbites.
BOB ARUM: Everybody is going to have airtime. From 4:00 [pm Pacific] to 5:30, the fights will be televised for free, to the cable providers, the satellite providers, absolutely free.
MATT KOROBOV: I'm so glad to work with Kenny Adams, my new trainer, and I'm ready to go.
KENNY ADAMS: Matt is one of the most skilled fighters I have ever worked with. He's a hard worker. He's truly a man of the future.
EILON KEDEM, former sailor in the Israeli Navy: To be honest, this couldn't get any better for me. I'm not fighting only for myself, I'm fighting for Israel.
BOB ARUM, regarding Gomez/Soto-Karass: Anyone who's watched boxing for the past two or three years know that these two come to fight.
ALFONSO GOMEZ: I just had my daughter, Hayden Luna, and she gave me motivation to train hard. Whoever wins this fight [against Soto-Karass] gets a chance at a world title fight.
JESUS SOTO-KARASS: A lot of people are saying this is a big fight [against Gomez], and I think it will steal the night.
BOB ARUM, on Yuri Foreman's post-boxing ambitions: I never in my wildest dreams, when I started promoting Muhammad Ali, imagined that I would put on a card featuring a future Rabbi.
YURI FOREMAN: It's my childhood dream to fight for the world title, to win the world title. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity to fight on such a mega-fight. I've been getting ready for this all my life.
DANIEL SANTOS: This is the first time I bring my son to the fights. I dedicate this fight to my son. The world is going to start believing in a new Daniel Santos.
TROY ROWLAND: I have the one opportunity to take [Chavez Jr.'s] zero, and that's what we plan to do. People on the Internet have said I'm a nobody, but they just haven't seen me. I've been around. Nobody will be disappointed in this fight.
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR.: I have a lot of pressure on me because of my name, and I have always been in my father's shadow. But next year I hope to be a world champion. I won't let you guys down.
