Fighters competing on the Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz Showtime PPV undercard taking place this Sunday previewed their respective showdowns during a press conference Friday before they enter the ring in a Premier Boxing Champions event from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.
The event featured super welterweight star Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora and fellow unbeaten Sergio Garcia, who compete in a WBC super welterweight title eliminator that serves as the co-main event, middleweight contenders Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Carlos Adames, who meet in a 10-round WBC middleweight title eliminator, and featherweight contenders Eduardo Ramirez and Miguel Marriaga, who square-off in a 10-round attraction that opens the pay-per-view telecast.
SEBASTIAN FUNDORA
“My style just depends on the fight. If he gives me the chance to display my skills and shows he can last in there, then I’ll do that. But if I can end it quickly, then I’m going to do what I always do.
“If he’s willing to fight on the inside or try to walk me down, it’s going to go like my recent fights have gone. If he wants to box me, we’ll definitely be ready for that.
“I do what I worked on in training camp during a fight. I don’t worry about what Garcia is going to do. I’m not concerned with what style he brings. We’re prepared to be the best Sebastian Fundora possible.
“We want the belts. Whoever wins a Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano rematch, I want them in the ring. Those are the guys to beat and I want to prove myself against them.
“I’ve been improving with age and as I continue to mature. With each fight we pick up some new things based off how opponents attack me. That’s helped me be better each time I step into the ring.
“I just listen to everything my father says. That’s the respect and teamwork that we have for each other. If he wants me to keep this guy at a distance, I’ll do that. But if he wants me to run an opponent over, I’m ready to go.
“I can guarantee fans that you’re going to get your money’s worth on Sunday. I promise that this is going to be the fight of the night.”
SERGIO GARCIA
“It’s an honor for me to be here making my U.S. debut on SHOWTIME PPV. I feel absolutely no pressure. Fundora is a peculiar fighter for this division. He’s unusual to prepare for. But I have sparred against opponents as tall as he is. I feel ready for any challenge that he may throw my way on Sunday night.
“I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to do in the ring. It’s up to me to show you in the ring on Sunday night what I can do beyond just words. It’s my job to show the world what I’m capable of and to prevent the knockouts that Fundora is used to getting from happening. Fundora is going to come with his hunger, his ambition and his drive, and I’m going to do the same thing.
“I came here to win the fight and I came here to win hearts. It’s going to be a great fight because I didn’t come here to run. I came here to stand up to Fundora. I respect my opponent. I respect anybody who gets in the ring with me. I’m going to put my pride and my skills on the line and show everybody what I’m capable of.
“I’ve sparred with guys as tall as Fundora but those guys are actually heavier than Fundora is. I consider that an advantage. It’s something that made me tougher. Something that made me stronger. It’s going to come in handy when I get into the ring on Sunday night.
“I absolutely love this challenge. I’m coming into somebody else’s house. I have no pressure. All I want to do is give the fans a great show and enjoy each and every moment. Hopefully there’s a happy ending, but I plan to savor every single second that I have on Sunday night.
“Spanish boxing is certainly on the rise. But I fight for my family. I want to make them proud. I want to make my corner proud. Those are the people that mean the most to me and who I fight this fight for. For my fans in Spain and for my two little ones, my wife and my family.”
SERGIY DEREVYANCHENKO
“I have a lot of motivation for this fight. That and my power is going to help me. Winning this fight is going to keep my career going and put me where I want to get back to.
“I feel strong and I’m excited to face Adames. He’s a good fighter who hits hard. But I’m ready for anything he brings. I’ve fought the best middleweights in the world. I’ve faced power punchers before, so I’m not worried about his power.
“I’ve studied Adames and looked at some of his past fights. He’s a very strong fighter. I am familiar with him and we’ve been working during training camp for what he does. I know what I have to do on Sunday night and I’m going to show everyone during the fight.
“Of course I need to win this fight. This fight is the next step toward becoming world champion. I want to win this fight, face Jaime Munguia and then fight for the title again. My dream is to win the belt and that’s what I’m working toward.”
CARLOS ADAMES
“Every fight has something big on the line. Every fight is risky. Otherwise, why are you fighting? I always look for the biggest challenges. I want to fight against the best boxers, and Sergiy is certainly one of them. I am aware of everything that is at stake, but I do not run away from it. I am excited for what is going to come on Sunday night.
“I understand that he has fought against great fighters. In the end, he is fighting against Carlos Adames, and I am a big puncher. Don’t underestimate me. Otherwise, he is going to have a big problem on his hands. I consider myself to be a great fighter just like him.
“People didn’t think I would be that great at 147-pounds. I showed them. Then I went to 154, and they didn’t think I was going to be a great fighter, but I showed them there. Now I am at 160, and I am going to show them again how powerful I can be and how big of a threat I can be. Sergiy is a good fighter, but he’s not an obstacle for me. I don’t consider him to be an insurmountable mountain.
“Sparring is not a fight. He can spar with Superman. I don’t care. I am going to be ready for him. He is going to realize how strong I am. He can spar with whoever he wants, but Carlos Adames is a whole different thing.”
EDUARDO RAMIREZ
“In the end, whether the win comes by knockout or decision, it doesn’t really matter to me. What matters the most is the work that I put in the gym day in and day out for this fight to be reflected in the ring. I just want to give the fans a great show.
“I’m a guy that lives in the present, not the past. The list of fighters he has faced is impressive, but it doesn’t matter what he did in the past. It’s about what happens on Sunday night.
“In the end, for me, I hope to put Mexico’s flag in the air Sunday night. I want to make everybody proud in my country and show my fans what I’m capable of.
“As far as the world title opportunity, we do hope that a win brings me a title eliminator shot or perhaps even a world title fight. But in the end, I have to go step-by-step. I can’t look past this fight, otherwise none of my ambitions are going to come true.”
MIGUEL MARRIAGA
“Every fight is important, but in this case, this fight has a potential to earn myself another world title shot. It’s do or die because it is that big of a fight on Sunday night.
“I have fought against high caliber opponents, and Ramirez isn’t unbeatable. He is not someone that I am overly concerned about. I have to be focused, I have to be aware and not underestimate anybody. In the end, it’s about what I do inside the ring.
“Everybody knows I’ve come to Los Angeles ready to fight. I’m facing a quality opponent, but the most important thing is to believe in my preparation and to go look for the fight, not wait for the fight to come to me.
“I had great preparation for this fight. It’s a pleasure to be opening up the pay-per-view. Now it’s time to go out there and win.”
LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO of Mayweather Promotions
“We have a fabulous undercard on Sunday night. Mayweather Promotions has promoted the biggest fights in the history of the sport and I can honestly say that this phenomenal undercard is probably in the top three ever that I’ve promoted.
“Top to bottom, this card is outstanding. In the co-main event, we have Sebastian Fundora, who is an exciting fighter and one my favorite in the sport today. He is going to be in for an all-out war against Sergio Garcia. These guys are going to give everything they’ve got.
“We all know Sergiy Derevyanchenko and have seen him in tough fights before and come up short in some questionable decisions. He’s going to look to take advantage of that experience on Sunday when he faces the tough and hard-hitting Adames in what shapes up to be an exciting bout.
“In the opening bout, we’re going to see top featherweight contender Eduardo Ramirez take on a former world title challenger in Miguel Marriaga. I can’t wait for this whole show. These are fights that you don’t want to miss.”
One of the best PPV undercards witnessed in recent memory, in my humble opinion. Imagine if Tank was fighting a Kambosos, Teo, Haney, or Garcia in the main event, definitely would have made it worth the price of the PPV. Still not sure if I’m going to part with $74.99 just yet.
Spend $30 on the Amazon Fire Stick and you will never have to spend $$ on any PPV ever again. Plus movies, tv series, etc.
Gary did you get the Mike Hunter heavyweight fight with undercard on the firestick? What about the Lopez Kamboosa fight with the complete undercard?Any problems with freezing or buffering?
Johnny:
– I did not watch the Mike Hunter fight / card.
– I can watch the entire live PPV event on the Stick, complete w/undercards – live only. If I tune in too late and miss an undercard bout, I miss it.
– I was visiting friends in South Carolina during the weekend of Lopez / Kambosos. I was in luck – they had a Fire Stick hooked up to their main TV. I had trouble downloading Kodi, so I used Live Sports to watch that fight. Worked out well.
– I also deleted some of their un-used programs to free up memory, downloaded ES File Explorer and Background Apps & Processes (and showed them how to use them), and added Cinema HD, Nova TV, and CyberFlix so they can watch any movie / any TV show when they want.
– Yes, I do get buffering during live fights, especially with Kodi, and it can be frustrating. I can try another feed from Kodi (there are sometimes a dozen) or stick with the link that I am using and hope the freeze-up goes away sooner than later.
– If I get buffering during a movie, I free-up memory using ES File Explorer. I like to have 2.5 out of 5 GB free before watching a movie. I will typically use a link w/750 MB or less, no matter if it says HD, 1080, 480, etc.
Some apps have more issues with buffering than others.
– Sorry for the long post.
– Take care.
Hmmh…let me check into it.
– If I can do it, you can do it.
– I would love to “cut the cord” and tell Comcast to shove their $220/month bill, but #1 Wife doesn’t like new tech on her TVs.
– Only downfall I see w/the Stick is that it does not get local TV channels.
– Take care.
…throw Loma and Jojo in that groups as well.
Boy I sure must come from a different generation than you. I dont even think 90% of the main events are ppv worthy and these undercards are nothing to get excited about if they were on free network. I remember HBO having much better fights and undercards on its basic service with only the elite bouts on ppv.
Agreed, its the times in which we live, slim. I remember the good old days when you had 3 and 4 world title fights on one PPV bill or doubleheaders on HBO. The way I see it is at least we are getting 3 exciting fighters on one PPV with world title implications in Tank, Fundora, and Derevyanchenko. These guys have to get paid somehow. Baseball players are getting 10 year 345 million dollar contracts guaranteed for a less riskier endeavor and still get paid if they get hurt, not fighters.
Try the firestick. It can bring in everything free if you are ok with some of the things that can be very frustrating when you use it. Gary G helped me with some firestick info