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Top Rank held their final press conference for the “X-Plosive” showdown featuring WBA Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto, 29-0 (24), against two-division World Champion Zab Judah, 24-4 (25), which will take place on Saturday, June 9 at Madison Square Garden.
Cotto has made fighting on the eve of New York ’s Puerto Rican Day Parade an annual event at the “Mecca of Boxing”. For the first time since 2001 Madison Square Garden has opened the upper mezzanine section which will create an additional 3,000 seats to make room for the growing number of Cotto fans.
The added capacity totals 19,000 seats which are expected to be sold out by the event.
Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank promises a great night of entertainment with exciting match ups and music entertainment between the bouts.
The undercard bouts will start with a 10 round, super welterweight fight between undefeated Yuri Foreman, 22-0 (8), and Anthony Thompson, 23-1 (17).
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., 30-0-1 (23), will face the last fighter who defeated his father in the ring Grover Wiley, 30-9-1 (14), who promises to not only be the last person to defeat Chavez Sr. but the first to beat Chavez Jr.
In the lead up to the main event Humberto Soto, 41-5-2 (25,) will face Bobby Pacquiao, 27-12-3 (12), in a 10 round, super featherweight bout.
The highlights of the press conference were the speeches by the trainers and fighters of the main event.
Yoel Judah, Zab’s father and trainer spoke without a microphone saying he didn’t need it because Cotto – Judah speaks for itself, “We are going to show the world one more time, this is what we do!”
“Unfortunately I do have to use the microphone because I don’t have a big mouth like he does,” said Evangelista Cotto, Miguel’s uncle and trainer referring to Yoel Judah . “I know how hard we worked for this fight and how well Miguel trained for this fight and there is no way in my mind I can see him losing this fight.”
Zab Judah spent quite a bit of time at the podium thanking just about every member of his family, the New York State Athletic commission, HBO, his promoter and just about anyone else he could think of.
Judah felt strongly that he was the reason for the high demand in ticket sales, “Miguel Cotto has fought in New York City on the Puerto Rican day parade for three years in a row and has never been in this type of a fight before, they have never opened the top level of the mezzanine, it’s never been sold out.
“Outside the Latino community Miguel Cotto is nobody… but if they ask about Zab Judah they know, because I’m a force to be reckoned with.”
When Cotto stepped to the podium he responded directly to Judah, “Zab asked to you, who is Miguel Cotto? I don’t care if you know who Miguel Cotto is, he has to know who Miguel Cotto is on Saturday. I hope you are prepared for this fight, I hope you come to fight and are going to support your words, I am here to fight.”
