Maidana, Lopez, Lara, Angulo Ready To Go In California

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer announced at the outset of yesterday’s final press conference that he expects The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. , to be sold out for the exciting fight card headlined by Marcos Maidana vs. Josesito Lopez this Saturday, June 8 live on Showtime at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT).

“The venue has 8,279 seats and there are only about 800 seats left on sale so we definitely will have a sell-out,” Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions said. “That shows that cumulatively this card is the single best card we have had here in Carson .”

“I was talking with my good friend Dan Beckerman, the President and CEO of AEG and he was telling me that there has only been one event in the history of boxing here in Carson that has been a sell-out and that was the Antonio Margarito fight in 2007 against Paul Williams.

“Whenever there’s a fight in Carson it always elevates the crowd and the fighters. It’s a hotbed for boxing, has been called the mecca of boxing in Southern California and I agree with that,” Schaefer continued.

“I think that week after week Stephen Espinoza is kicking ass at Showtime. There’s only one brand in boxing right now and that’s Showtime, the undisputed leader in boxing.”

In what is expected to be a non-stop action slugfest in the 12-round main event, hard-hitting Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (33-3, 30 KO’s), of Margarita, Argentina defends his WBA Intercontinental Welterweight Championship against “The Riverside Rocky’’ Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KO’s) of Riverside, Calif.

Two additional 12-round battles top off the Golden Boy Promotions promoted event. In a classic puncher vs. boxer matchup, exciting Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo (22-2, 18 KO’s) of Los Angeles, meets classy Cuban Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11 KO’s) of Houston, Texas for the vacant WBA Interim Super Welterweight Championship and Demetrius Hopkins (33-2-1, 13 KO’s) of Philadelphia, Penn. takes on undefeated Jermell Charlo (20-0, 10 KO’s) of Houston, Texas for Hopkins’ USBA Junior Middleweight Championship and Charlo’s WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Championship.

Matchups for the Showtime Extreme telecast (8:00 p.m. ET/PT) include undefeated Yoshihiro Kamegai (22-0-1, 19 KO’s) of Sapporo, Japan taking on former World Champion Johan Perez (16-1-1, 12 KO’s) Caracas, Venezuela in a 10-round clash for the vacant WBA International Welterweight Championship.

Former USC football player Gerald Washington (7-0, 5 KO’s) of Los Angeles facing veteran Sherman Williams (35-12-2, 19 KO’s) of Vero Beach, Florida in an 8-round heavyweight battle and (time permitting) 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz Jr. (4-0, 2 KO’s) of South El Monte, Calif. squaring off against Rigoberto Casillas (8-10-1, 6 KO’s) San Diego in a four/six round junior featherweight battle.

Remaining tickets, priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges are available at AXS.com or by phone at 1-888-9-AXS-TIX (1-888-929-7849), as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 1-877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, please call 1-877-234-8425.

Here’s what the fighters and their trainers said Thursday at The Home Depot Center:

Marcos Maidana:

“If Lopez is willing, this is going to be a total toe-to-toe slugfest from start to finish. Fans know what they’re going to get from me. I come to brawl.

“For me, all my fights are very, very important. This fight is very important because a win means I keep progressing. I need to win so I can keep fighting higher-rated opponents.

“I’ve been in this position before, so I’m used to fighting on my opponent’s home turf, but I’ve been training in Oxnard for three months, so I am pretty acclimated to the area. Working with my trainer Robert Garcia has been great.

“I’m very excited. There’s no pressure. To me, the pressure is on Josesito. The fight is in his backyard.

“I want to thank my team, Golden Boy and Showtime. for this opportunity. I am very well-prepared. Come Saturday, we will do everything that we’ve worked on in camp.

“Lopez’ promoter (Ken Thompson) says I’m going to get knocked out. Words are easy, but it won’t be that easy. It’s very easy to talk as a spectator. Let him (Thompson) get in there.”

Josesito Lopez:

“We’re definitely going to light up the city on Saturday night.

“I’m ready and very well-prepared for what will be the most difficult fight of my career. It’ll be great to have the fans behind me. I fight to please the fans. That’s my style. I want to put on a show, but I know I have to fight smart.

“This will be an all-action fight with the two best welterweights in the world going at it and trading their best shots. I’m not going to predict a knockout, but I don’t see how this fight can end any other way.

“These kinds of fights bring out the best in me. Maidana is one of the most dangerous guys out there, but I’m ready to prove myself again. As a fan, I am excited about this fight. Even before the fight was signed I knew this would be a great fight.

“This is such a great opportunity for me. Moving up to fight at 154 pounds against Canelo Alvarez was also a great opportunity, but that wasn’t my weight class. I feel stronger and taller at 147.

“Going into this fight, I feel like I did before I fought Victor Ortiz. I know I need to get Maidana’s respect and the way to do that is to fight him. I’m really looking forward to Saturday.”

Alfredo Angulo:

“I want to thank everybody involved for this opportunity. I’ve always wanted to fight a great Cuban fighter. I never had the opportunity before, but now I do. I know some people were surprised that I took this fight, but I’ve always wanted to fight the best. Why fight a guy who isn’t ranked?

“I’ve worked extremely hard for this. I’m ready to fight. Lara is a great boxer with a lot of skills. I know I can’t let him dictate the pace or fight his fight.

“If you want to know how I’m going to do it, how I’m going to make him fight my fight, buy a ticket or tune in on Showtime. Whether he comes to fight, or comes to run, I’ll see him in the ring on Saturday.”

Erislandy Lara:

“I’m very happy to be in this fight against Angulo and I want to thank America for the opportunity to fight this Saturday.

“I’ve done tremendous work and I’m ready to fight. I’m focused on this fight and only this fight. Angulo is a good, strong fighter, one of the best in the division, so there is no way I’m taking him lightly. This is a great fight for fans, a chance to see two of the best 154-pounders in the world.

“The key in this fight for me is to work and put consistent damage on him. I want to be the clear-cut winner of every round.

“This will be the fourth time in my last six fights that I am fighting a top-10 contender. I keep proving myself fight in and fight out.”

Demetrius Hopkins:

“I’ve been down this road before. I just have to be me, fight aggressively and fight my fight. At this stage of my career it’s do or die.

“This will be Charlo’s toughest fight. No one has ever tested him like I’m going to test him. I’m ready to show the fans the very best of Demetrius Hopkins.’’

Jermell Charlo:

“Fans can expect a good action fight. I’m preparing for a great fight and a great performance. You get out of boxing what you put into it and I work very hard. I’ll be ready for anything he has to offer.

“On paper, this looks like possibly my toughest fight. We’ll see how it turns out on Saturday.

“I feel like I’m on the verge of really making a big move; my twin brother, Jermall, too. It was an honor to spar with him during camp.

“On Saturday, I’m going to do what I do. I’ll be aggressive, I’ll box, I’ll do whatever it takes. I’m coming for a knockout but I’m ready to go 12 rounds. A victory keeps me right on track. At the end of the day, you will know who I am and want I stand for.”

Yoshihiro Kamegai:

“This is my third fight in the United States and first in Los Angeles. I’ve been training in Las Vegas for the last five weeks and I had a great camp. I’m looking forward to having the best performance that I can.

“Even though I’m Japanese, I hope you’ll be rooting for me on Saturday.”

Johan Perez:

“I’m very excited, well-prepared and I’m coming to get the victory. I don’t know too much about my opponent except that he comes well-regarded. I’m ready.

The important thing is to give the fans a great fight. That’s what it’s all about.”

Gerald Washington:

“I’m very excited about fighting for the first time on television. I’ve worked hard. I want to get to the top. This is the next step.’’

Joseph Diaz Jr:

“It’s going to be awesome fighting on Saturday night and I’m really looking forward to it. This is a great card for Los Angeles and I’m excited to be part of it. I know I’m going to have a lot of fans supporting me and I can’t wait to be able to showcase my skills in front of all of them.

“Casillas has a lot of experience and some good knockouts, but I’m ready to outbox him and put on a show.”

Robert Garcia, Maidana’s Trainer:

“We’re going to be ready for a war because that’s what this fight will be. Josesito has tremendous heart, a tremendous chin and is always in such good condition. We have to be ready for 12 hard, brutal rounds.

“With Maidana, we’ve been working on using his jab a lot and going side to side, but we also have to be realistic; we might not have a chance to use any of that. We may just have to go to war because that’s what Lopez brings. We’re prepared for whatever we have to do inside the ring.”

Henry Ramirez, Lopez’s Trainer

“It’s been a long camp and we’re ready to go. This entire card is stacked from top to bottom. Both of the main event guys are warriors in the ring. Maidana is a big puncher and Josesito has that never-say-die attitude.

“This is the best venue in Southern California for boxing. There’s no bad seat in the house. There’s going to be more than 8,200 loud fans watching this fight on Saturday night.”

Virgil Hunter, Angulo’s Trainer

“With Alfredo it’s really about his conditioning right now. You’re looking at a guy who was incarcerated for seven months. He was unable to workout or exercise or do anything physical.

“That leads to a lot of deterioration, especially for a prizefighter. Then you have the mental side of it where you have the head guy telling you you’ll never get out of there.

“The concentration has been with the conditioning. You can’t teach much if he’s not in the condition to apply it, so the conditioning has been first and foremost and our priority.”

Ronnie Shields, (Lara and Charlo’s Trainer):

“We’ve trained very hard and are ready. This is what we do for a living so of course we’re ready.

“Erislandy Lara is a boxer, that’s what he does. I think he’s going to surprise Angulo with the way he can punch. He’s a pure boxer. Angulo says, ‘He should be a man and stand up and fight.’ That’s what he wants. He wants to fight his fight. I’m sorry to tell him that he’s going to have to fight our fight.

“Jermell Charlo is just such a hard worker. He shows up to the gym everyday ready to work. He’s trying to hone his craft and he asks a lot of questions. He trains the same way each time, regardless of who it is. It doesn’t make any difference. He loves to fight the best guys out there. Demetrius (Hopkins) is the next guy we have to go through to get to the next level.”

Maidana vs. Lopez, a 12-round fight for Maidana’s WBA Intercontinental Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The tripleheader will take place on Saturday, June 8 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. and will be televised live on Showtime beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.

The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). Maidana vs. Lopez is presented in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions.

Also featured will be a 12-round showdown between all-action warrior Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo and top rated super welterweight contender Erislandy Lara for the vacant WBA Interim Super Welterweight Championship which is presented in association with Blue Wave Group and a 12-round fight between veteran Demetrius Hopkins and unbeaten phenom Jermell Charlo for Hopkins’ USBA Junior Middleweight Championship and Charlo’s WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Championship.

Preliminary fights will air on Showtime Extreme at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).