Boxing Quotes: Mares, Darchinyan Bantamweight Tournament

Undefeated WBC Silver Bantamweight Champion Abner Mares and two-division titleholder Vic Darchinyan participated in an open media workout Tuesday at Westside Boxing Gym with Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions/ Mares’ promoter in attendance.

This Saturday, April 23, Mares and Darchinyan will compete in separate bouts in The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All live on Showtime at10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.

In the finals of the four-fighter, two-night tournament, Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs), of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, will challenge defending champion Joseph Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs), of Accra, Ghana, for the IBF 118-pound title. Mares’ WBC Silver bantamweight belt will also be at stake in the 12-round bout.

Darchinyan (35-3-1, 27 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, by way of Vanadzok, Armenia, and former IBF bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez (20-1-1, 14 KOs), of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., by way of Cartagena, Colombia, will clash in a key 12-round co-feature for the IBO Bantamweight World Title and a WBA Bantamweight final eliminator.

A replay of the dramatic Semifinal fights last Dec. 11 on Showtime will air this Friday, April 22, on SHO Extreme at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

What they said Tuesday: Oscar De La Hoya (Mares’ promoter): “Abner is a hell of a story — he’s living the American dream. His career was almost derailed with his eye injury and now he’ll be fighting in front of his hometown fans for a world title.

“He’s our first fighter that we’ve produced from the start. It’s a wonderful story and we’re crossing our fingers for him.”

Abner Mares: “He (Agbeko) does have a similar style to Mexican fighters – he comes forward and likes to fight. It’s a different style for an African fighter, but I think it benefits us because that’s what we’re used to. I think the key in the fight is going to be my jab. We have to fight an outside fight and keep my jab effective.

“This is the main event for a world title, and the whole tournament is on the line. It’s a big deal; it feels good to have people talk about you.

“I want to fight the top fighters in their prime so I can be recognized as the best. This tournament is helping me do that.

“I’ve seen Agbeko fight before and I think he’s two different fighters. He can brawl and he can box. We just need to make the fight our fight. I’m a technical fighter but I can brawl at any time. He’s more of a brawler. He boxed against Yonnhy (Perez) but I don’t see him doing that against us.

“The crowd adds to the excitement. They feed me energy and give me a second wind. I think that will be to my advantage.

“It would mean a lot for me and my family to win a championship in front of my hometown fans.

“This is a great division right now. We could either do a rematch with all the fighters in the tournament or face someone like (Nonito) Donaire. There are no bad fights in the tournament or the division.”

(on Darchinyan-Perez)

“It’s going to be tough for both of them. Vic doesn’t like to be pressed and Yonnhy is a pro at that. But, if Vic is able to land that left hand, I think Yonnhy is in trouble.’’

Vic Darchinyan: “I appreciate that people say I’m responsible for getting so many Armenians to go to fights in Southern California and other places, and I expect to see a lot of them waving flags and cheering for me on Saturday. But these people are just good boxing fans that like my style and know that I always give my best and put on exciting fights. If they didn’t like my style, or I made bad fights, they wouldn’t show up.

“I am very confident I will knock out Perez, destroy him. I feel stronger than I ever have. I will not slow down if the fight goes into the later rounds. I will not get tired. The last time, I made the weight a week before the fight. This time, I will make the weight on Friday.

“The last time, I fought stupid against Mares. I wanted to box more and showcase my skills. This time I’m going back to my old style of fighting. I am coming in to destroy.

“I hope the referee lets me fight. Against Mares, the ref was in my ear the whole fight: don’t do this, don’t do that, watch yourself here, watch yourself there. Mentally, he took me out of my fight.

“After this fight, I want to challenge for the title. I want a rematch against Mares or Donaire. For Donaire to say he doesn’t need to give me a rematch, after I gave him a shot at my title, just shows how much he is afraid of me and doesn’t want to fight.”

Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25, are on sale at Ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines (800) 745-3000 and at Staples Center Box Office. Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live open at 4 p.m. PT. The first non-televised undercard fight starts at 5 p.m. PT.

The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All is promoted by Don King Productions, Gary Shaw Productions, Golden Boy Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and is sponsored by Corona and DeWalt Tools.