Vitali Klitschko will make the first defense of his WBC heavyweight title against Danny Williams in the main event on Saturday, Dec. 11, live on HBO Pay-Per-View at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Highlighting the pay-per-view undercard will be Miguel Cotto making the first defense of his WBO junior welterweight belt against former two-time world champion Randall Bailey, FECARBOX 130-Pound Champion Carlos Navarro taking on former WBO champion Agapito Sanchez for the WBC Continental Americas 130-pound crown and former IBF junior lightweight titleholder Carlos “Famous” Hernandez mixing it up with Juan Carlos “Ranchero” Ramirez in a ten-round battle.
Read on for the final press conference quotes.
VITALI KLITSCHKO (34-2, 33 KOs)
“I would like to thank everybody involved for making this fight happen. I am looking forward to my first fight ever in Las Vegas and at Mandalay Bay. It is difficult to win a world title and even more difficult to defend it. I am fighting the strongest (most qualified) challenger in the division, and there is no way I am going to underestimate him. I am ready to show a great performance. Danny Williams destroyed my dream of fighting Mike Tyson. Now, I am going to destroy his dream of becoming world heavyweight champion. This is going to be a very exciting fight. At the end, we will see who the true heavyweight champion of the world is.’’
DANNY WILLIAMS (32-3, 27 KOs)
“I am grateful for this opportunity. This is going to be the fight of the year. I am ready to war and ready to become the new heavyweight champion of the world. You better be ready, Vitali, because I am taking the WBC belt home with me. The dream my father has always had about me is going to come true on Saturday night. I am going to be world champion.’’
MIGUEL COTTO (21-0, 17 KOs)
“Like for all my fights, I am in excellent condition and ready to do my job. This is going to be a great fight. It is a new challenge for me. I know Bailey is tough and strong, but I worked very hard to win the title and it is not going to be easy for anybody to take it away. I am very honored to be part of this great show and look forward to putting on a great fight. You will enjoy this fight. The world title fight is going home with me to Puerto Rico.’’
RANDALL BAILEY (28-4, 27 KOs)
“I definitely think they made a big mistake by fighting me, but I guess his people wanted somebody who could test Cotto’s chin. Well, Mr. Chin Tester here will be more than happy to oblige. I am sure Cotto is going to get hit like he never has before. I really appreciate the opportunity I am getting. Cotto is a real man for giving me this shot, but he is the perfect opponent for me.”
CARLOS NAVARRO (23-3-1, 13 KOs)
“This is definitely a big step up for me, but it is the kind of fight I have wanted for a long time. My goal is to fight for a major title, but in order to I have to beat guys like this. I am well prepared. I know Agapito is known as a dirty fighter, but I will not fight him dirty back. That is not my style. I am a boxer, an artist and I plan to overwhelm him with my quickness and speed. I am ready for 12 tough, very hard rounds against a very durable boxer. I have trained so hard for this fight and am totally focused. I am ready for the fight of my life.’’
AGAPITO SANCHEZ (35-9-2, 18 KOs)
“Our fight will be the best of the night. Make sure you tune in early. I have fought the best in the world. I will give it everything I have. I want a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquaio after I win this fight.”
CARLOS HERNANDEZ (40-4-1, 24 KOs)
“This guy is a tough brawler who comes to win and is going to try to spoil the night for me. I expect one of the toughest fights of my career. But I am on a quest and I have big goals for 2005. I want to win the world title again. So the first step is to beat Ramirez. A lot of guys on this show are fighting for their country, and so am I. I am fighting for the people of El Salvador.’’
JUAN CARLOS “RANCHERO” RAMIREZ (34-6, 14 KOs)
“I am ready for my best effort. I am confident of victory. I always give my best and will do so in this fight.’’