https://www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing/videos/10155339893805756/

https://www.facebook.com/160095520746436/videos/1621762667913040/

MONTREAL (Dec. 14, 2017) – WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs) and former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs) hosted their final press conference today for their WBO World Middleweight Championship fight that will take place this upcoming Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Québec. The co-main attraction will be a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight title between Antoine “Action” Douglas (22-1-1, 16 KOs) and Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (26-2, 18 KOs). Also on the televised card will be Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (21-0, 17 KOs) who will face Yves Ulysse Jr. (14-1, 9 KOs) for a 10-round super lightweight bout. The action will be televised by HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Here is what the participants had to say:

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS, WBO World Middleweight Champion
“I’ve been in the ring 25 times now, and in a lot of those fights, I’ve been the underdog, bigtime. And in those fights, I was outboxed 60 per cent of the time. When you don’t love boxing and you’re still winning, and you look back and wonder, ‘how did I do that? How did I get through that?’ But when you do find a love for it, and you have good people working around you, people who make you happy – there’s a saying, a happy fighter is a thankful fighter. And I haven’t been this happy since my amateur days. For the last six or seven months, I’ve never been happier. I’m excited to get into the ring. I’m excited to get into the ring and eager to put on a classic display. Because not only am I mixing it with a boxer who is in the top-5, but I’ll be fighting in front of great fighters I’ve watched as a kid, like Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya.”

“David has to come from round one and try to knock me out. Because when he’s eating fresh air, he’s very injury prone. But what I don’t want from David’s team are excuses. David is a good fighter, he’s mixed it with Golovkin at a very elite level. But some boxers are not quite enough to be at that elite level. And David, you’re not quite good enough. Am I good enough? We’ll soon see. In my own mind, I know I can deal with it, and then with Golovkin or Canelo, we’ll see where I really am.”

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF World Middleweight Champion
“The time to talk is over and now it’s time to let the fists do the talk and show you who the real World Champion is. A lot of things are going to happen on Saturday, but my promise to you is that by the time I will leave Place Bell, I will have the WBO belt on me. I will be World Champion. I’m ready to give you guys a great evening of boxing. Saunders made a lot of promises, about his chin, about his purse, and that’s something I haven’t forgotten.”
Let’s see for how long you will be able to back up those words and put them together again this Saturday. I’m well aware of your abilities, I hope you are aware of mine. I’m not just a puncher. People like to see blood and big punches, and that’s what they’ll see on Saturday.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management
“We promised, we delivered, the goal was to offer the best boxing card in Quebec, and that is what we will deliver. The ultimate goal and what we want to make sure of, is that David Lemieux becomes World Champion again. He’s the real deal, he’s a man who represents our team as well as the province of Quebec with pride. I am so proud of the person and the athlete that he is, and also of all the efforts he’s put into this, inside the ring as well as outside.”

ERIC GOMEZ, President of Golden Boy Promotions
“This really is a historic event. Four different promoters here in Montreal. I want to thank Billy Joe Saunders for coming out here, we have great respect for you. He truly wants to be great. We are really excited for David, to have this other opportunity to be champion again. The fact that he is now able to give the fans in Montreal, an exciting fight, another world title is truly exceptional. This promises to be a historic event.”

PETER NELSON, Executive Vice president of HBO Sports
“It’s always great having shows in Quebec. Media always shows up, true fight fans always shows up. It’s truly wonderful when the sport works together to make great fights possible. There is no predetermined results in boxing. On Saturday night, we expect that all three fights are going to be 50/50 fights. I want to particularly thank the champion Billy Joe Saunders for stepping up and coming up into enemy territory to fight on David’s turf. I want to thank David Lemieux who’s never backed away from a great fight, who’s always stepped up for great challenges that’s been put in front of him like this one. We commend fighters like him, and we reward fighters like him. Sometimes, putting on events like this is complicated, but in this case, it was easy, because both fighters wanted to put on a great event. And that is, I think, what we are going to see on Saturday, from top to bottom of the show. ”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner
“David Lemieux… Billy Joe Saunders… They both have the goods to carry on in the middleweight division, over the next year, 2018, with an excitement of what’s going to happen next. I look at this fight… We have two guys whose styles really go together. When you have that type of skills and that type of matchup, you’re going to have fireworks. Anyone that underestimates a fighter that Frank Warren brings over, from wherever he brings him from, you gotta take that seriously. I know from experience that he didn’t come here to lay down, he didn’t come here to give anything away. So David Lemieux has to know that he needs to be at his best. Both fighters now have the opportunity to become superstars in their weight division, but first they have to pass the test that comes Saturday. After the works that’s been done so far, the best is to come. ”

FRANK WARREN, President of Frank Warren Promotions
“I think you’re in for something very special on Saturday. This is a great athlete I’m involved with, Billy Joe Saunders is a fantastic ambassador for British boxing, and he’s done everything the hard way, all the titles he’s won. He’s here, he’s in David’s backyard, and I think we’re going to see something very special, because we have two boxing styles that complement each other well. Billy’s a very smart boxer, he’s got a great chin, he’s never been on the floor whether it be in the amateurs or the pros, he’s gotten himself into a fantastic position at the moment. He’s in top shape physically and mentally. I think this has the potential to be the fight of the year. ”

DOMINIC INGLE, Trainer to Billy Joe Saunders
“It’s going to be a great fight, it’s a 50/50 fight. I’ve always said that Billy Joe can walk the talk and walk the walk. Interesting analogy of Bernard Hopkins of boxing being like a book and a story. I think he is right, I’m reading the first chapter of Billy Joe Saunders. But I think we’re on the final chapter of David Lemieux. And he’s not going to have a fairy tale ending. This is a classic Bull and Matador fight. David can punch, Billy can box. And I can tell you that on Saturday, Billy Joe Saunders will be leaving the ring still WBO World Middleweight Champion.

MARC RAMSAY, Trainer to David Lemieux
“David Lemieux, as he usually does, had a great training camp. He never takes shortcuts. He is in the best shape of his life. A lot of things were said over the last few weeks on social media, I will leave that to the fighters, and I’m comfortable with that. David has shown recently that he can talk, but the second that the bell will ring, he will show up, he will fight. We will see for Saunders. Like the expression says, you can talk the talk, but you also have to walk the walk.”

ANTOINE DOUGLAS, Middleweight Contender
“It feels great to be here. I’ve had a beautiful training camp, I feel strong. I’ve never felt this great or this strong at 160 pounds, in my entire career. And I know it makes a big difference. I’m facing a great seasoned veteran in Gary O’Sullivan, a tough guy, we’re in for a good fight. Like the Saunders-Lemieux fight, it will be a bull-matador fight on Saturday night. I plan to leave Canada as champion.”

GARY O’SULLIVAN, Middleweight Contender
“It’s been great so far here in Quebec, the people are lovely here. It’s been cold, but it’s gonna get very hot this Saturday night. I have no doubt I will be victorious. We’ve both been beaten in the past, we’ve had similar lessons, but the difference was that I didn’t give in, my corner stopped me. As for Antoine, he was beaten in style but he gave up that night, and he’s gonna have a similar experience on Saturday night. I look forward to returning to my home country as the champion.”

JOE DEGUARDIA, President of Star Boxing
“It’s spectacular to have a fighter joining the names of Roy Jones and Mike Tyson by being the third person to be on HBO on back to back consecutive months in a featured fight. It’s a testament to my fighter. It’s a great opportunity. If you haven’t seen Seldin, he really is something special. You’re in for a treat Saturday night. I expect fireworks. ”

CLETUS SELDIN, Super Lightweight Contender
“I believe that if you sacrifice everything single thing possible, you have to do that to make yourself be a successful person. I don’t live a luxurious life. The truth of working extremely hard and sacrificing everything that you have is the only way to accept your performance as a dream. It’ll be a fun and exciting fight. I want to show that you don’t need to have had a long amateur career to become a main-event fighter, that a refuse-to-lose attitude can go a long way.”

YVES ULYSSE JUNIOR, Super Lightweight Contender
“It’s time to shine. I’ve been doing this for 10 years, and it’s my moment. Time to shine.”

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. Seldin vs. Ulysse, Jr. is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of The Tiger Management and Star Boxing. The event will take place Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

Visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.StarBoxing.com and www.hbo.com/boxing for more information. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @StarBoxing, @LifeOfCletus, @frankwarren_tv; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan, @StarBoxing, @BearJewUSA; and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

Photos and videos are available for download via the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used. Download the French language version of the Saunders vs. Lemieux press kit here: bit.ly/SaundersLemieuxFR. Photo credit: Vincent Ethier / Eye of the Tiger Management.

Canadian contender David Lemieux is looking to take Billy Joe Saunders to task this Saturday in his hometown, and tells his opponent that he’s going give him the hardest 12 rounds in his career, live on BT Sport 2 HD and BoxNation.

Speaking on a media call on Monday, the Montreal native says he’s more than prepared to give Saunders hell in the ring to make sure he takes home the title.

“He has a very, very aggressive Lemieux on his back, and I’m going to be ready. I’m extremely prepared for this fight. So, it’s not going to be easy for him. It’s actually going to be hell for him.

“I’m more excited, actually, just to lay my hands on Billy Joe Saunders more than anything else. He’s got a big mouth. It’s rare I see fighters with such a big mouth. I just hope his fighting is going to come as close as his mouth on Saturday night,” he added.

Lemieux has been on a roll of late, clocking four consecutive wins, including two knockouts, against Glen Tapia, Cristian Rios, Curtis Stevens and Marcos Reyes. He’s a known heavy hitter, which means traditional boxer Saunders will be weary of the dangerous Canadian.

“I’m here to knock him out. I’m here to destroy him every round. It’s 12 rounds. It’s unfortunate for him, but I’m ready for 12 big rounds. I’m excited for this fight to give the fans their money’s worth and finish the year with a new WBO Title.

“I’m going to make him pay in the ring,” warned Lemieux. “All this animosity is going to come out in the ring. If he thinks he can run away for 12 rounds, he’s in a lot of trouble.”

Following a loss to Gennady Golovkin in 2015, the challenger is adamant that he is a different fighter than he was two years ago, and that it would be a different story if the two were to meet in the ring again.

“I’m a whole different guy than I am facing Golovkin. I’m a whole different guy. You put Golovkin back in front of me, and it’s going to be a whole different scenario,” he added.

Watch Saunders vs. Lemieux live on BT Sport 2 HD and BoxNation from 2.00am this Sunday.

WBO Middleweight World Champion Billy Joe Saunders has vowed to put David Lemieux ‘out like a candle’ when the bitter rivals square off at the Place Bell in Laval, Quebec this weekend, live on BT Sport HD2 and BoxNation.

Hatfield star Saunders will be fighting overseas for the first time in his professional career when he makes the third defence of his crown against the hard-hitting Lemieux in his own backyard, and is unfazed by fighting in hostile territory.

“I’m a fighting man, a gypsy warrior, and I’ll travel anywhere on the planet to defend my World Title,” said Saunders. “I’m heading into the lions den this weekend, Lemieux will have the whole arena behind him but that won’t make one ounce of a difference, I’ll thrive off their hate for me. Once that bell goes it’s just me and him stood in that ring, he’s is for one hell of a tough night.

“I know I will have 13,000 or 14,000 people against me on Saturday night but I can perform under that kind of pressure. I’ve boxed since I was 16 all over the World, that was as an amateur but you still get that same fear factor, winning or losing, and travelling away to fights.”

Former Middleweight title holder Lemieux has promised to ‘do everyone a favour’ by ‘getting rid’ of Saunders. The Montreal native boasts 33 big knockouts from 38 career wins and is eager to ‘do damage’ to Saunders, telling journalists at Tuesday’s media workout that the Champion will ‘hit the floor’.

Hertfordshire hitter Saunders is in a typically confident mood heading into Saturday’s showdown, even promising Lemieux his entire fight purse if the Canadian manages to knock him out.

“Lemieux shows a lot of heart when he comes to fight but the real truth is, I’m too slick and too good for him. People bang on about him being this monster puncher but you can’t hit what you can’t see – we’re going to play a game of eat the jab and then I’m going to put him out like a candle! I’m in this game to take on the best and once I’ve wiped out ‘little legs’ I’m coming for Canelo and Golovkin.”

Watch Saunders vs. Lemieux live on BT Sport 2HD and BoxNation from 2.00am this Sunday.

MONTREAL (Dec. 12, 2017) Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management, in association with Frank Warren and Vidéotron, today hosted a media workout for the upcoming WBO Middleweight World Championship fight between Billy Joe Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs) and David Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs), set to take place this Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The evening’s co-main event will feature Antoine “Action” Douglas (22-1-1, 16 KOs) against Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (26-2, 18 KOs) for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight title while Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (21-0, 17 KOs) will face off against Yves Ulysse, Jr. (14-1, 9 KOs) in the opener of the HBO World Championship Boxing event that will kick off live at 9:40 pm ET/PT.
Here is what the participants had to say at today’s media workout:
BILLY JOE SAUNDERS, WBO Middleweight World Champion:
“I’m used to fight outside the UK, I’m a traveler of the world. I don’t care if there’s a million people. It’s just me and him in that ring, end of the story. As for the rest, I don’t care.
“David has no chance of winning, and I’m convinced that he will not make the distance against me. I’m willing to bet part of my purse to charity if I lose and the winner will choose which charity to give it to. I’m not here for the money or anything like that, I’m here to make a statement. There’s no point in talking anymore, all that matters now is what happens on Saturday.”

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight World Champion:
“I’ve never said that I doubted his chin. Regardless he will hit the floor. And whether I win by knock out or go 12 rounds, it’s no matter. But I will drop him and I will hurt him.
“There are a lot of fans in England who’ve written to me because they don’t like Saunders, and they want me to get rid of him. I’ll do everyone a favor, I’ll take care of him.”
ANTOINE DOUGLAS, Middleweight Contender:
“I’m very exited to have the opportunity to fight on HBO. I had a very strong camp, moved up to Jersey with my team. I’m prepared to fight 10 explosive rounds and give fans in Canada a show to remember.”
GARY O’SULLIVAN, Former WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Champion and Middleweight Contender:
“It’s absolutely fantastic to fight here on HBO! It’s a very big opportunity, and it’s nice to be here. To me, fighting out of town makes no difference because I fought most of my career out of town – the US, the UK, and I come from Ireland.”
CLETUS SELDIN, Super Lightweight Contender:
“I’m nice outside the ring but once I’m inside the ring, I become an animal that I can’t even contain. I don’t come to score points but to do damage and hurt, and that’s the difference between me and Ulysse, Jr. My trainer and I have studied Yves Ulysse, Jr. and we know he is a solid boxer-puncher who fights with intensity and angles. He can try to dance like Sugar Ray Leonard but he is not Leonard. His strategy will not work against me, I’m very excited about being able to get back on the ring quickly and it’s an honor to be part of such a big event.”
YVES ULYSSE, JR., Super Lightweight Contender:
“He’s a high-calibre fighter, it’s gonna make a great show! I know that this fight will bring out my character, what kind of person I am. Every time I’ve faced obstacles, I’ve always responded with strength. I will do it again.”

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. Seldin vs. Ulysse, Jr. is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of The Tiger Management and Star Boxing. The event will take place Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

Visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.StarBoxing.com and www.hbo.com/boxing for more information. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @StarBoxing, @LifeOfCletus, @frankwarren_tv; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan, @StarBoxing, @BearJewUSA; and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

Photos and videos are available for download via the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used. Download the French language version of the Saunders vs. Lemieux press kit here: bit.ly/SaundersLemieuxFR. Photo credit: Vincent Ethier / Eye of the Tiger Management.

https://www.facebook.com/160095520746436/videos/1618545354901438/
https://www.facebook.com/160095520746436/videos/1618524834903490/
https://www.facebook.com/160095520746436/videos/1618524834903490/

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you to the media for joining us today in this International Media Conference Call for Saunders versus Lemieux. We are kicking off fight week with this call and have a week of events leading up to Saturday’s events, which will surely be a showdown between two heavy hitters this Saturday, December 16th, at the brand new Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada. WBO Middleweight World Champion Billy Joe Saunders will battle the heavy-handed David Lemieux for Saunders title, which is a WBO title. This event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with my partner Frank Warren.

Additionally, we have a spectacular co-event as part of the HBO telecast. Antoine “Action” Douglas versus Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan will be a ten-round fight for the WBO International Middleweight title presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of the Tiger Management, and in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing.

And opening up the HBO telecast, we will have Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin returning to the ring just more than a month after his dominating knockout victory. He’s taking on a highly regarded Yves Ulysse Jr., and that’s a ten-round super lightweight, and that will be opening up the telecast on HBO, which begins at 9:40 Eastern/Pacific time.

Tickets for the Saunders-Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 all the way up to $500. They’re still for sale. Tickets are going fast. We’re going to have a full house at the brand new arena.

So at this time, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the president of Eye of the Tiger Management, my good friend and partner at Golden Boy Promotions, Camille Estephan.

Camille Estephan: Hello, everyone. It’s fight week. We’re here. We’re ready. This fight is going to be a war. We expect a show that we’ll talk about for the next decade. HBO undercard as well, two styles that, I think, will marry very well. Great fight, Action Douglas against O’Sullivan. I can’t wait to watch the fight myself as a fan. We thank you for supporting HBO, Golden Boy, Frank Warren. Everybody’s involved. So many promoters, so many people got together to put this great, great event together.

Oscar, Eric, and the team, wonderful job. Thank you very much. We’re ready here.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you very much, Camille.

Let me introduce now the trainer for David Lemieux. Obviously, he’s been doing an amazing, amazing job. They’ve been training for months now getting ready for this incredible showdown on December 16th. Here is Marc Ramsey to say a few words. Marc?

MARC RAMSEY: First of all, I would like to thank everybody who made this happen, HBO, Golden Boy, Camille Estephan, and Eye of the Tiger Management, Frank Warren.

I proposed to David Lemieux a couple of tough, tough training camps, but a very successful training camp where we reached every single goal in camp. I’m very enthusiastic about the performance of David Saturday night and a very nice victory just before Christmas for our fans here in Montreal.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you. Thank you very much. So now it’s my pleasure to introduce to you Canada’s biggest star. He’s a former IBF Middleweight World Champion. He has a stellar record of 38 wins, 3 losses, and 33 knockouts. David is a thunderous puncher with tremendous, tremendous power in both hands. He captured the IBF World Middleweight Title against Hassan N’Dam in 2015, knocking the then world title holder out four times en route to a decision victory.

This year, Lemieux blasted out title contender Curtis Stevens in a third-round impressive knockout, which is a contender for the Fight of the Year. And then also he went on to beat Marcos “Dorado” Reyes. Now he’s up for another big challenge in Billy Joe Saunders, and that will be for the WBO Middleweight title. It is my pleasure to introduce to you from Canada, David Lemieux.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Thanks, Oscar. Hi, everybody. I’m so excited for this week. Very, very grateful for another great opportunity to become world champion again. I’m thankful for everybody to be part of this. Thanks to Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of the Tiger Management, HBO, and everybody around. Thank you, guys.

It’s been a great camp. I’m really excited for this fight. I’m more excited, actually, just to lay my hands on Billy Joe Saunders more than anything else. He’s got a big mouth. It’s rare I see fighters with such a big mouth. I just hope his fighting is going to come as close as his mouth on Saturday night. He has a very, very aggressive Lemieux on his back, and I’m going to be ready. I’m extremely prepared for this fight. So, it’s not going to be easy for him. It’s actually going to be hell for him.

I’m here to knock him out. I’m here to destroy him every round. It’s 12 rounds. It’s unfortunate for him, but I’m ready for 12 big rounds. I’m excited for this fight to give the fans their money’s worth and finish the year with a new WBO title.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: All right. Thank you, David. Do we have Team Saunders on?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Here ready to rock and roll.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: All right. It is my pleasure to introduce to you the man behind the WBO World Champion. Obviously, when you have a world champion like Saunders, you need a great trainer, and so it’s my pleasure to introduce to you Dominic Ingle. Dominic?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: No, this is Billy Joe. Dominic is not here. It’s the champ here, just the champ alone.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: All right. So, let me — it is my pleasure to introduce to you, hailing out of Hatfield, United Kingdom, Saunders is undefeated coming off back-to-back defenses. He is the WBO World Champion. He demolished Irish Andy Lee in 2015. He is the WBO Middleweight Champion, fighting the likes of Willie “The Mongoose” Monroe.

And on Saturday night he’s looking to stay undefeated, and he’s ready. He trained hard for this fight. So, it is my pleasure to introduce the WBO Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Good afternoon, everybody. Training camp is very, very good. It’s come to an end now. Lovely, beautiful, it’s done. Fitness is done. Feeling in the best shape ever. No excuses. No excuses. Don’t need no excuses about injuries or anything else. It’s going to be a very good fight. I think David is a good fighter, but at the minute, he’s just the last bit of dog meat for me because (indiscernible) Golovkin told me I am the dog himself. And I know he’s given David a bit of a beating and also set that big fire out for me.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: We will now open it up for questions from the media.

Q. My first question for David is I guess this is going to be the first time there’s going to be a boxing event in this particular arena they opened this year in Laval. I wonder, just from your perspective, I know you’ve had a lot of fights in Quebec and in Montreal in particular, but what would it mean for you to win a world title in front of your hometown, the way you did the first time you won a world title belt, especially in a new building, and excited about the fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Well, it’s been done once. It’s going to be done twice. I think it’s going to be a great night for the fans, what I’m going to bring to the ring and how I’m going to fight. People are just talking about my punching power and this and that, but they’re going to be surprised once I start mixing it up with Saunders, and not just the punching behind here, there’s a boxer too. So, we’ll see how he holds up.

Q. When you fought in your last fight that was — in a world title fight and you lost that fight. What makes you believe that your performance against Saunders is going to be a whole lot different than the way it went down against Golovkin? I know that wasn’t your best performance.

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m a whole different guy than I am facing Golovkin. I’m a whole different guy. You put Golovkin back in front of me, and it’s going to be a whole different scenario. Now I’ve got Saunders to take care of. We’ve done everything we need to do in camp. I don’t think it’s going to be very difficult in the ring against him.

I’m going to be nice manners because it’s going to be hell for him. But I’m ready. I’m ready to take the title now.

Q. You made it clear, David, in your opening remarks that you don’t really seem to have much like for Billy. I wonder where does that come from? What’s the reason? I’ve heard you talk in other fights, and you didn’t have that kind of animosity between Gennady Golovkin or even Curtis Stevens, necessarily. What is it about Saunders that has you going in the wrong way?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m going to make him pay in the ring. All this animosity is going to come out in the ring. If he thinks he can run away for 12 rounds, he’s in a lot of trouble.

Q. Is there something he said that got you upset or something he did?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Well, he said a whole bunch of things. Just his character, he is who he is, and I don’t like him.

Q. Billy, can you give me your perspective about traveling to your opponent’s hometown to defend your title. Your previous world title fights have taken place in front of the more friendly crowds over in the UK. Give me your mindset about coming to enemy territory.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I go to enemy territory all the time. Where I’m from, when I boxed Andy Lee, it was the biggest feud amongst possible gypsy culture, English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh all there in one mixture. Most of them there for Andy Lee.

I perform under pressure. I’ve seen David’s absolute best performance against Gennady Golovkin. I think David is very weak in the mind. And at the end, I don’t care if it’s in his backyard, put the ring there. As long as there’s a ring we can get in, that’s all that matters.

I’m quite happy to know I’m under his skin because, if he wants to play a boxing match, then bring a blindfold, and I’ll put it on, and I’ll beat him. That’s how confident I am.

Q. Do you have any regard for his punching power? Most people watch David fight, they think — and have seen knockouts he had against Curtis Stevens, and think of David honestly as one of the top punchers in the sport regardless of weight class. Do you have any thoughts about the kind of punching power he possesses?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Against bums, yeah, knocking out old men, but he got stuck against Rubio. He’s a tough man with power. He lost his next and then fought bums all the way up until Golovkin. Curtis Stevens, he’s not an A-level fighter. He’s just a step up, a bit of a seasonal fighter. He’s really nothing special. He dealt with him, fair play. But he got spanked by Golovkin previous to that.

When you mix him up against the very, very best of the league, he’s not quite comfortable. He didn’t win a round against Golovkin.

Q. One more question for you, Billy. Since you’re so confident you’re going to win this fight, what kind of big fight in the middleweight division or maybe a different division do you want after this fight? There’s obviously a possibility of a Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin rematch. What do you want to do after you beat him?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I want whoever’s next. I would love to fight Canelo Alvarez. I would love to fight him. As long as it’s all a fair playing field here in Canada, which I’m sure it will. I don’t want no Canelo-Golovkin results. I want a fair result. If David Lemieux beats me fair and square, I will shake his hand. But when I beat him fair and square, he won’t even shake my hand, and rightly so.

Q. Billy, just what you just mentioned about going to basically his hometown and you want fair play, how concerned are you about the judging if the fight goes the distance?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Listen, I’m not concerned at all. We’ve got one Canadian, one English, and one other nationality. So it’s going to be a fair playing field. Listen, David’s already said that he’s going to knock me out. So we don’t need judges, do we? He’s already put that pressure on himself. He has to come and knock me out, and if he doesn’t knock me out, there’s no way in God’s name that he’s going to win this fight because, to me, he will be a walking punch bag.

Q. Obviously, if you win this fight, you’re in a great position because they haven’t made the Canelo-Golovkin rematch. How do you feel about possibly getting Canelo, as you just mentioned, if you win this fight?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: When I win this fight, that’s the one I want is Canelo. He’s a global superstar. He’s the one you have to beat to get recognized at the high potential of this game. I would love to work with Oscar De La Hoya and Frank Warren Promotions to make that fight after, but I’ll be up for that fight with Canelo.

Q. And you obviously have no trouble coming to Las Vegas or something like that based on what you said, right?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Listen, if I will come to Canada to spank David, I will go to Las Vegas, Mexico, wherever they want, to be in the fight. I’m not in it for money. I’m not in it for anything else. I’m in it because I want to be involved in big fights. Now I’ve got my hand in the big pot, I don’t want to make any slip-ups. So I’ve got to make sure I’m 100 million percent on Saturday night, which I will be.

Q. David, what is your perspective on possibly getting another — if you win this fight, possibly getting another shot at Golovkin or possibly facing Canelo?

DAVID LEMIEUX: These are all names that will come up sooner or later, so I will be prepared when their time comes.

Q. Hi, David. I just wonder, you’re up against a left-hander, unbeaten guy who doesn’t have a lot of knockouts on his record. So the obvious thing would be power against — puncher against boxer. Is that the way you see the fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: You know, we’ve prepared for many scenarios. I’ve had multiple sparring partners. We’ve been training to brawl. We’ve been training for everything. Come fight night, there will be no surprises. But I have an idea about how he’s going to fight against me, and we’ve prepared very well for it. So there’s going to be no surprises for me.

In regard of fighting a left-handed guy, I’ve always done good against left-handed guys. It’s not a problem.

Q. Were you inspired at all by Jean Pascal winning his farewell fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Inspired? No, but I guess he did do good. I didn’t really see the fight, but congratulations to him. He had quite a comeback.

Q. David, I’m sure that Saunders points to your record and says, well, he has losses, and I don’t. However, do you think that those losses give you a level of improvement and learning that somebody with an O on their record doesn’t have? In other words, is that an advantage to you?

DAVID LEMIEUX: If you look at those losses, there’s really only one loss that I can credit. The two losses were early in my career, the first one against Rubio, and the one against Alcine is very debatable, in my eyes. I still don’t believe I lost that fight.

The one against Golovkin, I had my issues. Right away the fight was done. No excuses. I worked my way back up, and I’m very confident in getting those defeats back to a win on Saturday. The first thing to do is to get this deal settled, and we’ll talk about Golovkin or Canelo or whoever it is.

Q. And earlier you were asked about fighting in this new arena in front of the Canadian fans. I think many people are surprised how avid the Canadian fans are, that there are so many very strong Canadian boxing fans. Why do you think that that is? That doesn’t strike people immediately as a country that is very strong with boxing.

DAVID LEMIEUX: We love boxing. We have a lot of good fighters. There’s been a lot of good fighters out here, and boxing has been very active.

Q. Well, they love it, and they show it. The question for you, Billy Joe, you have fought all of your previous professional fights in Great Britain. For your first fight, you choose to come to Canada. Why was that the choice for your first overseas fight?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Because David’s team wouldn’t come to England. I wasn’t going to come to Canada at first, but then if this fight was going to get made, it was going to be after Christmas. I said, listen, I want to beat out twice before the new year, and twice I will be. So traveling is nothing to me. I’m a born traveler. Traveling is nothing to me. I’ve been boxing all over the world since I was 10 years of age, from Russia, from Australia, from Beijing — you name the countries, I’ve been there. I know it’s only amateur boxing, but I’m so used to traveling and preparing to fight the same nervous system, the same energy you need to play.

I’ve seen David. I’ve seen David at his very best, his extreme best. That don’t worry me. He has to bring more than that.

Like I say, boxing is a dangerous sport. One punch can change everything. As David says, he’s a very, very big puncher. So I have to be on my game.

Q. And a final question to the both of you. Are you motivated by the animosity between you? I mean, there’s no love lost at all. Your comments today have been mild compared to Twitter.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I don’t know David. All I know is he’s got short legs. That’s all I said is he’s got short legs. I think with such a nervous — the nerve button a bit. Listen, I don’t not like David. As a matter of fact, after I beat him, I’ll give him a kiss on the cheek, no problem.

Q. Any response, David? And I’ll end my remarks there.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You kiss me on the cheek, you’d better watch out for my hook.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: For the hook? I’ll watch out for that one, yeah. I’ll watch out for the hook, David. Careful you don’t pull that shoulder out as well.

DAVID LEMIEUX: What was that?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I said be careful you don’t strain too hard on your shoulder when you try that hook, okay?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m ready. Both shoulders are good. Let’s see if your chin holds up.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Good, good, good. My chin will hold up. I’ll promise you that. That’s one thing I’ll promise you, my chin will definitely hold up. If it don’t, you can have my purse. How about that? No problem.

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’ll keep that in mind after the fight.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Keep that in mind because you need it. You’re only getting a small one this time, aren’t you?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I got you in Canada at least.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Yeah, you got me in Canada, no problem. At least it’s a ring, isn’t it? You’ve got me in Canada. I’ll just look at it a little bit and smack you up and go do what I need to do after. That’s what we’ll do.

DAVID LEMIEUX: We’ll see on Saturday.

Q. Billy, you just mentioned something about David’s shoulder. Do you suspect that he has a shoulder injury? Is that what you mean?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I don’t expect nothing. Every fight has had injuries, but some are worse than others. We seen James DeGale last week. He had a shoulder injury, and he rushed back too soon, and he should have waited a bit longer. Look, the way I look at it, I’m sure David is healthy and ready to go because he wouldn’t be in the ring if not. His management team wouldn’t be advising him to get in that ring, I’d like to hope so. If I had an injury, then I wouldn’t be here. So we’ve both got to be 100 percent. Thank God we’re both 100 percent, and we can both go to work on Saturday night.

Listen, I’m not hoping for no advantage or disadvantage for injuries. I’m hoping to get in there against the best guy myself and get the win fairly.

Q. This is a question for Billy Joe Saunders. Hello, champ. It’s great to speak with you, sir. No matter what both of you and David say, the bad blood element of this fight is a big, big talking point. You had a bad blood fight with Eubank, Jr., of course, which you won and still talk about a rematch and various things. Is this more bad blood in this fight, do you think? Do you see this as more of a fight where you dislike your opponent?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Like I said earlier on, I don’t dislike David. I don’t know him to dislike him. I don’t really keep track of him, how he goes on and how he don’t. All I know is that he said some — he mentioned about putting people in a coffin dead on Twitter. Now, I’ve only got respect for the boxing world, and we recently lost someone who passed away in the ring and also somebody again the other day. So I just don’t like that talk because it’s stupid talk because to those people’s family, it is very upsetting and very discrediting to boxing.

So if he knocks me out, he knocks me out. If I knock him out, I knock him out. But a death situation, that’s the only thing I didn’t like, which personally, myself, it don’t hurt me, but I love boxing, and it discredits boxing. So that’s the only reason why I got a little bit of a — why I said he had short legs and something else, why I said that.

I’m only saying the truth. He’s got short legs. David, my son’s got some size 22 jeans I brought over for you for after the fight. I’ve got them as a present for you, 22-inch legs.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You talk in English. I don’t understand what you’re saying.

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I’ve got very nice jeans for you, good gesture. They’re very short in leg for you.

Q. Also, Billy, you look to be in absolutely fantastic shape. Is it fair to say you’re in the best physical condition you’ve ever been in before? Because people have remarked on the way you look so ripped. Have you trained harder than ever before?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: Listen, when I come into somebody’s backyard in Canada — I flew over here — I’m never going to leave a stone unturned. I am at my physical, best shape I possibly can be in. There is no better Billy Joe Saunders turning up here on Saturday night, and I can guarantee that. So I hope David can be the same.

Q. This question is for Billy. You’ve taken a lot of criticism from a lot of people who say you’re ducking Gennady Golovkin. I wasn’t interested in the question myself, but I see on my Twitter feed that you mentioned Canelo over Gennady. Would you like to comment on that?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: I know that Golovkin and Canelo, they hold the ace card. I offered to fight Golovkin in June, but he passed up on the opportunity. Not that he was scared or frightened, but he had big business to do with Canelo. So if them two aren’t fighting, it makes more sense now that, me beating one of Oscar De La Hoya’s boxers in Canada, also gives me more of a chance to fight Canelo. Either one of them come along, I would love to fight Canelo.

Q. David, have you altered your training at all to face Saunders or no? In other words, you’re fighting a slickster this time. You’re not fighting a Stevens or a Canelo or even a Triple G. You’re facing someone who’s a little more slippery. Have you altered your training at all?

DAVID LEMIEUX: For every fighter there’s a new planning. I’m in the best shape of my career. Come Saturday night, you guys watch what I’ll do. You can judge for yourself.

Q. (In French).

DAVID LEMIEUX: (In French).

THE MODERATOR: Camille, can you translate the question and the answer for others on the call. Camille or David, are you able to translate the question and response that was just given in French?

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN: Basically, how David feels about fighting, and David is very excited to be able to fight for a second time for a world title in front of his fans, this time in his own backyard. He’s very proud of being able to do an event of this magnitude for the city of Laval.

With regards to the second question was about how he’s going to fight Canelo and Golovkin after his fight. And he says, looking back, David is making a big mistake to talk about what he’s going to do after Saturday, and David would prefer to not talk and just do. Show him on Saturday rather than just talk about it.

THE MODERATOR: We’re going to transition to final comments. David, do you have any final comments you want to share with the media on the call today?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Saturday night I’m going to be the new world champion.

THE MODERATOR: Billy Joe, do you have any final comments you’d like to give?

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS: LOL. See you Saturday. God bless you all.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us on today’s call. We will see you Saturday at Place Bell for Saunders vs. Lemieux. Have a great day.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. Seldin vs. Ulysse, Jr. is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of The Tiger Management and Star Boxing. The event will take place Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

Visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.StarBoxing.com and www.hbo.com/boxing for more information. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @StarBoxing, @LifeOfCletus, @frankwarren_tv; and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan, @StarBoxing, @BearJewUSA; and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

Photos and videos are available for download via the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used. Download the French language version of the Saunders vs. Lemieux press kit here: bit.ly/SaundersLemieuxFR. Photo credit: Vincent Ethier / Eye of the Tiger Management.

New York (Nov. 28, 2017): A big jump in the super lightweight rankings will be on the line Saturday Dec. 16 when Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (21-0, 17 KOs) returns just more than a month after a dominating KO to take on highly regarded
Yves Ulysses, Jr. (14-1, 9 KOs). The 10-round opening event of HBO World Championship Boxing begins live at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

The fight will serve as the TV opener for the main event featuring WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders putting his belt on the line against former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux and the co-main event between Antoine “Action” Douglas and Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight title.

Fighting out of Long Island, NY, Seldin is a former WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Champion whose power has been on display throughout his career, culminating with a three-round knockout of previously once-defeated Roberto “Massa” Ortiz on November 11.

“My trainer and I have studied Yves Ulysse and know he is a solid boxer-puncher who fights with intensity and angles,” said Seldin. “He is as good as anyone in the 140lb class so it will be a hard fought exciting fight. I want to thank my promoter, Joe DeGuardia and HBO for getting me right back in the ring and back on HBO again so quickly. I want to fight every month like this.”

Across the ring will be local Montreal product Ulysses, Jr., who at 29 has never fought an opponent with a losing record and has just one defeat by close split decision.

“It has always been my dream since I started boxing to perform on HBO, the world’s most prestigious television network,” Ulysses said. “I’m so happy to get the opportunity to do this at home, Dec. 16, and show the whole world what I’m capable of.”

Star Boxing CEO Joe DeGuardia had this to say on the Hebrew Hammer’s return to HBO, “I’m thrilled to have Cletus Seldin back on HBO just one month since his exciting destruction of Roberto Ortiz. ‘The Hebrew Hammer’ has a style that thrills fans like the old days of Rocky Marciano and Jake LaMotta with sensational knockout power and relentless aggression. I’m grateful to Peter Nelson and HBO for giving the fans another opportunity to see this crowd pleasing fighter on HBO. We look forward to another exhilarating performance from Cletus Seldin, even though we recognize he will be fighting a skilled and talented opponent in Yves Ulysses Jr.”

“I’m really looking forward to this great fight on this night of fireworks on December 16, said Eye of the Tiger Management President
Camille Estephan. “Ulysse will put on the performance of his career and another star will be born.”

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.StarBoxing.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @StarBoxing, @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @frankwarren_tv and become a fan on Facebook at, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/StarBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @StarBoxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.
FACTS:
Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. Seldin Vs. Ulysse Jr. is a 10-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of The Tiger Management and Star Boxing. The event is sponsored by Coors Light. The event will take place Saturday, December 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.
MEDIA:
Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.
TICKETS:
Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 21, 2017): A pair of middleweights looking to fight their way into title contention will face off on Saturday, Dec. 16 in Montreal as once-defeated Virginian Antoine “Action” Douglas (22-1-1, 16 KOs) and Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (26-2, 18 KOs) of Cork, Ireland go toe-to-toe for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title in the 10-round co-main event of HBO World Championship Boxing beginning live at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

The fight will be the chief support of the WBO World Middleweight Championship showdown between Champion Billy Joe Saunders and challenger and former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux.

At the young age of 25, Douglas has already held numerous regional title belts and has taken the undefeated records of fighters including Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna and Istvan “The Prince” Szili. Douglas is riding a three-fight knockout streak since suffering the only defeat of his career.

“Fighting on such a great middleweight card on HBO will be a great opportunity,” said Douglas. “I’ve seen some fights of Gary’s, and I never underestimate my opponent. I know he’s got a good record and that he always comes to fight. I’ve never been to Canada, so I look forward to expanding my fan base there.”

Known as a true showman with booming knockout power, O’Sullivan is riding a four-fight winning streak culminating with a brutal beating and TKO over Nick Quigley in the main event on Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN in September. At 33 years old, O’Sullivan has faced some of the top middleweights in the division throughout his career including Saunders and Chris Eubank, Jr.

“I’m coming off a tremendous knockout win, and that high has carried into my training for this huge co-main event opportunity,” said Gary O’Sullivan. “I’m excited to be making my HBO debut on such a tremendous card, and will not disappoint in giving everyone a show. Antoine Douglas should be prepared to face the very best version of myself in the ring.”

“The Middleweight division is absolutely stacked, and fans will get to see four of the top-tier fighters on one night in Quebec, Canada,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “While Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin sit atop the division, these two fights will likely determine their challengers in the near future. Everything is on the line for all these guys.”

On the non-televised undercard, rising 130-pound star Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (12-0, 11 KOs) will look to defend his Junior NABF Super Featherweight Title in an eight-round fight against Noe Martinez (10-9-2, 6 KOs) of Michoacan, Mexico. The 19-year-old native of Victorville, Calif. is coming off eight knockout victories and will look to defend his title for the second time after earning the title with a spectacular first-round knockout win against Miguel Carrizoza in September and defending it impressively via third-round technical knockout against Cesar Valenzuela in November.

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O’Sullivan is a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. The event is sponsored by Coors Light. The event will take place Saturday, December 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for Saunders vs. Lemieux are priced beginning at $45 to $500 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Place Bell Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com, www.goldenboytickets.com or www.placebell.ca/en.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @spike_osullivan, @frankwarren_tv and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, @action_douglass @garyspikeosullivan and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/SaundersLemieux into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

MONTREAL – Oct. 23, 2017 – There was a lot of hostility in the air today, while the WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs) and former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs) were hosting a press conference to discuss their upcoming showdown to be held on Dec. 16 at the Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. Saunders vs. Lemieux is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management, in association with Frank Warren, and will be televised live on HBO World Championship beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Here is what the participants had to say at today’s press conference:

Billy Joe Saunders, current WBO World Middleweight Champion:
“This fight has good fight written all over it. There is a lot at stake. I’m going to be very aware because as you all know, boxing is a funny game, it can end very quickly with one punch. And it goes both ways. David is going to eat some, and he’s going to beg me to finish him off.

“Styles make fight. It’s the classic match-up between the boxer and the puncher and I’m looking forward to it. I was born to fight, and I’m going to prove it by unifying the belts as soon as I’m done with David.

“Lemieux shows a lot of heart when he comes to fight but the real truth is, I’m to slick and too good for him. I’m in boxing to win and defend my belt all over the world, Lemieux is my tester for the winner of Canelo and Golovkin. ”

David Lemieux, former IBF World Middleweight Champion:
“I think that you are in for a surprise. I will be at my best and take the title from you.

“If the fight demands me chasing you, I will chase you. If the fight demands me to go toe-to-toe, I will. On December 16, I promise that I won’t leave the Place Bell without the belt. I’m extremely excited. Let’s get it on!”

Dominic Ingle, trainer to Billy Joe Saunders:
“Billy wants to fight Golovkin and wants to measure himself against Lemieux. It’s a great test for him.

“David is a great fighter, big puncher and a clever boxer. Billy is in a very good place and he’s had some brilliant training and a great camp so far. He is super confident to put on a great show. Hopefully, Dec. 16 is going to be a great night of boxing!”

Marc Ramsay, trainer to David Lemieux:
“I’m proud to train a boxer such as David Lemieux, who is a true warrior, a real champion, always up for real challenges. As soon as we found out that facing Canelo wasn’t an option, we started looking at other options. David’s request was clear: ‘I want to face the best fighter available.’ And, we found it in Saunders, and it’s going to be a good challenge for David. Once again, he will give the fans a show to remember and a beautiful Christmas gift.

“This fight is a great opportunity for David to write history and follow the steps of great Arturo Gatti, by becoming two time World Champion.”

Camille Estephan, president of Eye of the Tiger Management:
“We promised our fans to host a championship fight and we delivered. We would like to thank our great partners, HBO, Golden Boy Promotions, Videotron and evenko who made it possible.

“We also promised that David would become World Champion again, and I guarantee that we will keep our promise. We are glad to inaugurate the Place Bell with this terrific boxing event. We will write history together on Dec. 16.”

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for Saunder’s WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren Promotions. The event will take place Dec. 16, at the Place Bell in Laval, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday, October 28 at 12p.m. at www.evenko.ca.

For further information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @frankwarren_tv and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 18, 2017): Christmas will come early for boxing fans this year as WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs) will put his belt on the line on Saturday, December 16 against former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs) at a soon-to-be announced venue in Montreal, Canada. The fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET/PT.

Saunders, 28, from the United Kingdom, is undefeated and coming off back-to-back defenses of the WBO belt he won against “Irish” Andy Lee in late 2015. Over a standout career, Saunders has defeated the likes of former WBA Interim World Middleweight Champion Chris Eubank, Jr., then-undefeated Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan and longtime contender Willie “The Mongoose” Monroe Jr.

“Firstly, I’d like to thank Golden Boy Promotions for putting the show on,” said Saunders. “Lemieux looks good against ‘B level’ fighters, but he is now getting in the ring with someone who is far more superior and slick than anyone he has ever been in with. I don’t just want the dog meat that Golovkin has left behind. I want the dog himself, and when I come through this fight I will have him. He is a mandatory and we’ve agreed to a deal to go over to foreign soil and get it on. I have a lot of friends in Canada, and I’ll be bringing a lot of supporters over to Canada from the UK. It has all the makings of a good fight. I’m expecting a good, clean, fair decision. Once I beat Lemieux, I’ll be moving onto bigger fish: the winner of the rematch between Canelo and Golovkin. I’m looking forward to a great fight.”

Lemieux, 28, and from Montreal, is a thunderous puncher with tremendous power in both hands who captured the IBF World Middleweight championship against Hassan N’Dam in 2015, knocking the then-world titleholder down four times en route to a unanimous decision victory. This year alone, Lemieux blasted out title contender Curtis “Cerebral Assassin” Stevens in a third-round knockout-of-the-year contender before earning a unanimous decision win against Marcos “Dorado” Reyes.

“It’s time to be world champion again,” Lemieux said. “Saunders is about to get destroyed. I’m going to be extremely ready for this fight and I’m going to inflict a lot of pain on Saunders. His 0 must go.'”

“Saunders vs. Lemieux is exactly the right way to end a year that has been tremendous for boxing,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO and Chairman Oscar De La Hoya. “Will Saunders be able to use his speed and craftiness to outbox Lemieux, or will David land a massive shot to end it in short order? We’ll find out December 16.”

“This has ‘great fight’ written all over it,” said Camille Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Management. “I know David is extremely motivated and viscerally dislikes Saunders. When he’s in that state, watch out. This promises to be a war. We are thrilled to have the opportunity for David to fight for the WBO title at home and keep it here. ”

“We’re delighted to be working again with Golden Boy Promotions, who we continue to enjoy a fantastic relationship with,” said Frank Warren. “Billy Joe Saunders is going into the lions’ den as he believes he has the beating of David Lemieux. It’s a great opportunity for Billy Joe to defend his WBO World Title against a big-name opponent and headline his first bill on HBO at American prime time. He is looking forward to making a statement to the American audience to ensure he secures a fight with the winner of the Canelo vs. Golovkin rematch, for the Undisputed Middleweight World Championship. Billy Joe is out to prove he is the best Middleweight in the world. He has been continually avoided and if it means he has to go to Canada to ensure he can no longer be overlooked, then that is what he is prepared to do!’

“The middleweight division is stacked with the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, and Daniel Jacobs, and on December 16, fans will see champion BJ Saunders travel across the Atlantic to fight one of the divisions biggest punchers in David Lemieux on his home turf in Montreal,” said Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports.

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. The event is sponsored by Tecate,”THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING.” The event will take place December 16, in Montreal, Canada and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.frankwarren.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EOTMVD, @hboboxing, @bjsaunders_, @LemieuxBoxing, @frankwarren_tv and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @eottm_boxing, @saundersbillyjoe, @davidlemieuxboxing, and follow the conversation using #SaundersLemieux.

WBO Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders will defend his title against David Lemieux on December in Quebec, Canada in a bout that will be televised by HBO, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It’s a done deal, live from Montreal on HBO,” Lemieux promoter Oscar De La Hoya said, adding that he is speaking with two venues about hosting the fight — the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal or the new Place Bell, a 10,000-seat arena that opened earlier this year in Laval, which is just outside Montreal.

“Like gentlemen, we worked out the agreement and we’re on the same page with Warren,” De La Hoya said. “We want to see this year finish strong for boxing. It’s been a great year for the sport and for Golden Boy. We’re extremely proud we can deliver not only Miguel Cotto’s final fight but also Saunders-Lemieux, both live on HBO.

“We’re willing to work with everybody. We believe that David Lemieux has a great shot to win this fight. Frank Warren believes that his guy, Saunders, has a great shot as well. It was a matter of a little give and take and we made the deal. But all business aside, it’s great for both parties what we negotiated. Both sides are happy. We wanted to make sure we delivered an exciting fight to end the year.”

“I strongly believe David Lemieux is the missing piece of the puzzle in the middleweight division,” De La Hoya said. “David Lemieux looking great against Billy Joe Saunders will create excitement in the division.”

“David Lemieux against a fighter who is tough, who is durable and who is a trash-talker will make the fight week quite interesting. We’re looking forward to it,” De La Hoya said. “When David heard we had a deal for him to fight Saunders, he was ecstatic. He cannot wait to bring the title back to Canada.”

“Saunders is a middleweight who is dangerous, who can box, who can move, who can make things difficult for you,” De La Hoya said. “Obviously, David Lemieux cannot take this guy lightly whatsoever. David Lemieux has to make a statement on Dec 16 by knocking out Saunders.”

WBO Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders has been ordered to defend his title against Billy Joe Saunders, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“We got the letter from the WBO and Frank Warren reached out to me in an email and I responded back to him, so we’ve started dialogue and it will continue. We’re going to start negotiating,” Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez told ESPN.

“You can’t do it on that undercard. It’s a little too expensive,” Gomez said. “Frank’s got the champion, so he’ll make us an offer. Most likely he’ll want to do the fight in the U.K. Depending on the offer, we’ll react. We’ll discuss it with David, but it’s a good fight for HBO. I notified [HBO Sports executive vice president] Peter Nelson and he has interest in it.”

“We have 30 days to negotiate a deal, and then if they call for a purse bid it would be within two weeks after the 30 days,” Gomez said. “Then from the date of the purse bid it’s 90 days to put on the fight, so you’re looking at maybe February or March. But David is ready to fight in December, so that will be part of our conversation with Frank. It’s all open to discussion and negotiation.”

Follow all the action as Mexican Warriors, Canelo Alvarez takes on Julio Cesar Chavez in super middleweight catchweight bout.  The action begins at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT with 3 fight undercard.  Former middleweight champion Dabid Lemieux battles Marco Reyes.  Former junior welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse takes on Emanuel Taylor.  Joseph Diaz, Jr. fights Manuel Avila in a battle of undefeated featherweights.

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1: Canelo lands a right to the body..Left lands..Jab..Chavez lands an uppercut..hook to body..Right from Alvarez..Jab..Right over top..

Round 2 Combination from Alvarez..Left hook from Chavez..straight right..3 punch combo and uppercut from Alvarez..Right uppercut..2 more uppercuts and a jab..

Round 3 Right from Alvarez..Welt over the right eye of Chavez..2 hard shots from Chavez..3 good shots from Alvarez..Chavez bleeding from the nose..ALVAREZ OUTLANDING CHAVEZ 57-18

Round 4 Left hook from Alvarez..3 punch combination..Hard uppercut..Good body shot

Round 5 Hard counter right from Chavez..ripping body shot..big right,,very one sided fight..Canelo dominating

Round 6 Chavez lands a combo on the ropes..Combination from Alvarez…

Round 7 Chavez lands on the ropes..Alvarez fights off by 2 landing about 8 punches..Good combination from Chavez..

Round 8 Chavez landing on the ropes..Jab from Canelo..

Round 9 Uppercut from Alvarez..Jab,..

Round 10 Uppercut from Alvarez..Combination..Counter right…

Round 11 Right from Alvarez..Right..Right..Left..

Round 12 Alvarez lands a right and a uppercut..

120-108 on all cards for CANELO ALVAREZ

PUNNCHES –ALAVREZ 228-696     CHAVEZ 71 -302

Round 1 Staright raightfrom Lemeiux …Left hook

Round 2 Right from reyes….Reyes cut over right eye from a left hook..

Round 3 Left and hard right from Lemieux..Big uppercut and Reyes s hurt..Huge left hook staggers Reyes..Reyes lands a body shot..Straightt right…2 body shots..Huge right and a body shot,,

Round 4 2 hard left hooks from Lemieux..Body shot from Reyes..Huge right knockouts out mouthpiece,,2 good rights and a body shot from Reyes.

Round 5 Right and left from Reyes..Left from Lemieux

Round 6 Good counter from Lemieux

Round 7 Jab from Lemeiux..Good right..Left and an uppercut..Big left hook..Reyes bleeding and taking a lot of hard shots..Left hook

Round 8 Reyes trying to flurry..Left hook..

Round 9 Right from Reyes..Hard right from Lemieux,,Body shot

Round 10 Vicious 3 punch combination from Lemieux..Reyes trying to land on the ropes..

99-90 TWICE AND 98-91 DAVID LEMIEUX

Round 1 Hard right from Matthysse

Round 2 Right from Matthysse…2 rights over the top..Right..Hard combination on ropes..body shot

Round 3 Matthysee cut over right eye…BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES TAYLOR

Round 4 Left from Taylor..Right and left from Taylor..Jab from Matthysse..Hard left drives Taylor back

Round 5 Good right from Taylor..Good left uppercut and left hook...BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES TAYLOR AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 Diaz lands a left to the body

Round 2 Avila lands a right…Left from Diaz…Jab from Avila..Left from Diaz..

Round 3 Good Jab from Diaz..Straight left..Right from Avila..

Round 4 Right from Avila..Left from Diaz..Good left hook from Avila..Straight right..Left to body from Diaz..

Round 5 Body shot from Diaz..Straight left..Avila cut over his right eye

Round 6 Counter right from Avila..Uppercut on inside…

Round 7 Left from Diaz…Left to body..Combination..Good right hook..another hook..

Round 8 Body shot from Diaz..combination..Counter right hook..Left to body..Hard right from Avila…Right uppercut fromDiaz..Straight left

Round 9 Uppercut Diaz…Left Staggers Avila..Good straight left…4 punch combination

Round 10 Good right hook from Diaz..

WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION —JOSEPH DIAZ JR.

LAS VEGAS (May 4, 2017) – Fighters on the undercard of Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. hosted a press conference today at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino ahead of their bouts on Saturday, May 6. Co-main event fighters former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) and Middleweight contender Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) were joined by former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs), Welterweight contender Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs), NABF Featherweight Champion Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. and IBA Featherweight Champion Manuel “Tino” Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) on the HBO Pay-Per-View portion beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Fighting on the preliminary undercard “free view” stream beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT, lightweight prospect Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (8-0, 7 KOs) will face Tyrone Luckey (8-6-3, 6 KOs) and flyweight prospect Marlen Esparza (1-0) will take on Samantha Salazar (2-3-1). Former Mexican Olympian Raul “El Cugar” Curiel will make his pro debut against Jesus Sanchez (1-1-2).

Super bantamweight contender Ronny Rios (27-1, 12 KOs) will fight Daniel Noriega (28-10-1, 15 KOs) and lightweight prospect Joseph “Diamante” Aguirre (16-0, 9 KOs) will take on Angel Aispuro (8-4-2) beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

Below is what the fighters and their teams had to say at today’s final press conference:

ERIC GOMEZ, President of Golden Boy Promotions:

“We at Golden Boy Promotions have stacked this card from top to bottom, and I believe it is our best undercard yet with fighters from three continents here making this a global event on Cinco de Mayo. Throughout the night of May 6, fans will see a range of great action fights from some of our top prospects; to battles of undefeated contenders; to the return of former world champions.

“I also just received confirmation that our May 5th show tomorrow is completely sold out, thank you to all of our fight fans who have sold out this show and our May 6th show.

BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Business Partner:

“I want the young fighters to know this a great opportunity to be on this Cinco de Mayo undercard with Canelo and Chavez, Jr. This is a great moment to become a champion and be a part of this historical event. Take care of business, and be sure to put on a great show.”

TONY WALKER, Vice President of HBO Pay-Per-View:

“Our distributors have always told us undercards matter, when you think about it-there is four hours of time to fill. People want to be entertained during that time, so it really helps when you have an exciting undercard to the main event.”

“We feel David Lemieux, Lucas Matthysse, Joseph Diaz Jr., all enhance this card and from their strong fan bases in Canada, Argentina and Los Angeles, we expect the fans to be very happy with these great fights.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management:

“This is very exciting, as a fan of boxing, this is an amazing card. Every fight is a must-see. I want to mention the industry of boxing-with the right fights, people come out. We are here to contribute to this great show. David is read, and you can expect fireworks from this co-main event.”

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight World Champion:

“I’m back, I’m expecting this to be a great night of boxing and to put on a show. I started training immediately after my last fight in March and look forward to Saturday night.”

MARCO “DORADO” REYES, Middleweight Contender:

“Without my team, I wouldn’t be here. This is going to be an explosive fight between two big puncher fighters in the ring.”

MARIO ARANO, President of Arano Boxing:

“We’re very excited and very happy for this fight-moving up to weight to welterweight has been a blessing for us. We have a team that has worked with Lucas for 14 years, and it has been a blessing to move up in weight divisions. There is no possibility for Lucas to return to 140. I want to remind you all, Lucas never retired, he is back and ready to give more wars.”

LUCAS “LA MAQUINA” MATTHYSSE, Former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion:

“Training camp has been great with Joel Diaz, it has worked so well with him. I’m going to put on a great fight-see everyone on Saturday.”

JOE DEGUARDIA, President of Star Boxing:

“There are many special things about the Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. fight. I’m extremely impressed with the undercard, and it is amazing we can put together a quality card like this for the fight. It’s a true testimony to the sport.”

EMANUEL “TRANZFORMER” TAYLOR, Welterweight Contender:

“May 6-what can I say? Lucas Matthysse is strong and powerful but it’s my time now. I’m here and I’m hungry, I’ve been working my whole life for this. I’m excited to fight in front of all the Mexican fans on Cinco de Mayo-expect fireworks on May 6.”

JOSEPH “JOJO” DIAZ, JR., NABF Featherweight Champion:

“We had a ten week training camp, and trained very hard for this fight. We’re both young, undefeated fighters and there is a lot at stake here for of us because we could both potentially be mandatory challengers. We’re going to put on a great show for the millions watching and the thousands in attendance.”

MANUEL “TINO” AVILA, IBA Featherweight Champion:

“I’ve been with Golden Boy my whole career, and without them-I wouldn’t be at this stage right now. This is going to be an action-packed fight and someone’s ‘0’ has to go.”

MARLEN ESPARZA, Super Flyweight Prospect:

“I’m really excited about this opportunity and experience, and I want to thank everyone for backing me and seeing the vision I see. I’m very proud to be on this card with so many other amazing fighters. On fight night, it’s not about win or lose, its about how I win.”

RYAN “KINGRY” GARCIA, Lightweight Prospect:

“I put a lot of dedication to this fight, I’m treating this like a world championship fight. I’m coming in explosive with my speed and power-and everyone will see me put on a tremendous show on Saturday night.”

TYRONE LUCKEY, Lightweight Prospect:

“Come May 6th, I’m going to give Ryan Garcia the best fight of this life. A little physical education is always good and everyone will see us put on a great fight.”

RAUL “EL CUGAR” CURIEL, Former Mexican Olympian:

“You will see me put on the best show in the ring, and I want to thank everybody involved who helped us put on a great night of boxing.”

RONNY RIOS, Super Bantamweight Contender:

“This is my first fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend, so I want to thank my family, Golden Boy Promotions and my team-I wouldn’t be here without them.”

JOSEPH “DIAMANTE” AGUIRRE, Lightweight Prospect:

“I’m really excited, I come from Cancun, Mexico and I’m looking forward to this opportunity. This is my first time fighting in Vegas-I’ve always fought in Mexico, so this is a dream come true for me.”

Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with TGB and sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Interjet. Lemieux vs. Reyes is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management. Matthysse vs. Taylor is a 10-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and Star Boxing. Diaz, Jr. vs. Avila is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event will take place Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. and the first fight begins at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. are priced at
$75, not including applicable fees. All seats are general admission and tickets are available for purchase at any MGM Resorts International box office or concierge desk. Tickets also can be purchased by phone with a major credit card at 800-745-3000. Tickets for “Canelo Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.” in theaters nationwide are on sale now at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN).

For more information, visit wwww.goldenboypromotions.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing; become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; follow the conversation using #CaneloChavezJr.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and
pasting the link http://bit.ly/Canelo-ChavezJr into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

LOS ANGELES (April 27, 2017) – Fighting as the co-main event to Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr., Former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) makes quick return to the ring after spectacular knockout over Curtis Stevens in March to face tough Middleweight Contender Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) on May 6 at T-Mobile Arena, live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Below is what David Lemieux and his trainer had to say yesterday at their April 26 media day:

DAVID LEMIEUX, Former IBF Middleweight Champion:

“I’m in better shape than I was against Stevens. I only took a week off before heading back to the gym. I could not pass up the opportunity to fight on the May 6th card as the co-main event for Canelo vs. Chavez Jr., while all eyes will be on us. I love the Mexican fans who always put on a great atmosphere during the fights.

“Reyes is a solid opponent, but I am very confident in my abilities. I don’t think he will last long in the ring against me. I intend to make another statement on May 6.”

MARC RAMSAY, Trainer to David Lemieux:
“It’s going to be a good fight, especially in the early rounds. We are facing a bit of a kamikaze boxer, which we must take very seriously. You have to have a good defense and a good approach.

“When it comes to technique, David really is superior, so it’s going to have to show. He is very conscious of the extent of the importance of this fight.”

Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden BoyPromotions and sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Interjet. Lemieux vs. Reyes is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management, Matthysse vs. Taylor is a 10-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and Star Boxing. Diaz, Jr. vs. Avila is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event will take place on Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Tickets for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. are priced at $75, not including applicable fees. All seats are general admission and tickets are available for purchase at any MGM Resorts International box office or concierge desk. Tickets also can be purchased by phone with a major credit card at 800-745-3000. Tickets for “Canelo Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.” in theaters nationwide are on sale now at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN).
The premiere of the HBO Sports presentation Face Off with Max Kellerman: Canelo/Chavez Jr. airs Saturday, April 29 at 12:15 a.m. on HBO.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and
www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing, become a fan on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing andwww.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.com; and www.facebook.com/espn.fnf, follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, follow the conversation using #CaneloChavezJr

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/Canelo-ChavezJr into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

LOS ANGELES (April 19, 2017) As the clock begins to tick towards the highly anticipated Cinco de Mayo Weekend Canelo-Chavez, Jr. event on May 6, HBO Pay-Per-View, fighters including Former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs), Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs), Former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs), Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs), NABF Featherweight Champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (23-0, 13 KOs), and IBA Featherweight Champion Manuel “Tino” Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) hosted an international media conference call ahead of their fights presented live on HBO Pay-Per-View® and straight from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Co-main event fighters David Lemieux and Marco “Dorado” Reyes discussed their upcoming 10-round middleweight bout. Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor discussed their scheduled 10-round welterweight battle for the WBA Intercontinental title. Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. discussed his 10-round bout to defend his NABF title against Manuel “Tino” Avila.

Here is what president of Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez, Lemieux, Reyes, Matthysse, Taylor, Diaz, Jr., and Avila said during the international media conference call:

ERIC GOMEZ, President of Golden Boy Promotions: I want to thank a few people that are involved in the undercard and are instrumental in making this happen. Camille Estephan from Eye of the Tiger, our partner with Lemieux; Paco Damian with Paco Presents; Mario Arano from Arano Box; Joe DeGuardia, Star Boxing; and Ralph Heredia, which is the manager for Joseph Diaz.

Also, I can’t continue out mentioning our sponsors, our incredible sponsors, that have helped us out for this event and they have been great the last few years: Tecate, BORN BOLD, Hennessy, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Interjet.

And lastly, I want to thank HBO, the best television network for boxing which will broadcast the television live on Pay Per View. Thank you for everything you do, HBO.
And now, I want to introduce to you the first fighter on this call and that is Manuel “Tino” Avila. Manuel is undefeated, 22 0. He will be opening the HBO Pay-Per-View in a great match against Joseph Diaz. And he’s coming out straight out of northern California.

Now obviously you as you guys know, he’s going to be facing Joseph Diaz, another undefeated fighter, Olympian, 23-0, this is going to be a great match up. Joseph has been on HBO numerous times and you know, he’s looking to make a statement on Pay- Per -View.

Q: Tino, obviously this is a tough fight, fighting Joseph Diaz. It’s a tall task. But obviously, I mean, the rewards of big. If you can beat someone like a Joseph Diaz, you’ll be right in line for a world title. How do you feel about this fight?

MANUEL “TINO” AVILA, IBA Featherweight Champion: You know, I feel good about this fight. I’m taking it one fight at a time. Focusing on this fight. And you know, after ten rounds that are done, you know, whatever outcome is great.

JOSEPH “JOJO” DIAZ, JR., NABF Featherweight Champion: Yeah, I just want to thank Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions, Eric, Robert and everybody for giving me this opportunity on fight night to have such a great card. I want to thank HBO, as well, for giving me an opportunity to start on the best network.

May 6 is going to be a great night of boxing. Manuel, if he has his A Game, he’s going to put on a great fight. And I’m going to be 110 percent, as well.

So it’s going to be a fight nobody is going to want to miss, and it’s going to be a very action packed fight. So I’ll see you all on May 6.

ERIC GOMEZ: Train hard and we’ll see you guys in Vegas. I wanted to invite Lucas to say a few words, Lucas, “The Machine” Matthysse, with a record of 37- 4, and making his comeback fight. He’s been out for a while and we’re very excited for this fight. He’s going to be fighting Emmanuel Taylor, so I’ll introduce Lucas to say a few words.

LUCAS “LA MAQUINA” MATTHYSSE, Former WBC Silver Super Lightweight Champion: I want to say hi to everyone, good morning. I started my training camp in Indio and I’m training with Joel Diaz, my new trainer for this fight, and some of my old team including my father who is with me, Mario who is part of my corner, just getting ready for the fight. I’m excited for the fight.

Q. Lucas, good morning. Did you ever think at any point of retirement, because you had such a long layoff?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: No, not at all. I never thought about retirement. I just wanted to rest. I had a string of really tough fights, and I just needed some time to rest and that’s exactly what I did. I rested.

Q. For this come back, obviously it’s a comeback fight, but what’s next? Do you want to go fast and go after some big names, or do you want to go fight by fight? What’s your game plan for this part of your career, second part of your career?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: Look, it’s a comeback fight, but Emmanuel Taylor is a tough fight. It’s not an easy fight. He’s a fighter with a lot of experience. He’s a tough fighter. After this fight, I’ll sit down with my team, my promoter and see what’s next.
Right now I’m fully concentrating on Emmanuel Taylor.

ERIC GOMEZ: Emmanuel Taylor, this is obviously a fight that’s in association with Star Boxing, Joe DeGuardia, thanks for helping us get this fight done. Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor has a great record, 20-4. This is a great opportunity for him.

EMMANUEL “TRANZFORMER” TAYLOR, Welterweight Contender: My name is Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor. I’m coming out of Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. I’m in Boston for about 20 years now and just looking forward to May 6.

Q. Lucas, you’re coming back after your layoff to fight as a welterweight. If you can talk about the particular reason why you elected to do that, was it a matter of struggling to make 140? Did you just see there being possibly better opportunities or bigger money or better opponents at 147 pounds? What was your main reason for the change in weight class?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: I felt that I had to make the change. I’ve been at the weight for a long time. I’m 34 years old now, and the truth is, the last two fights, they were a struggle. I struggled a little bit the last two fights in making weight. My body just felt that it was time to move up, and I’m feeling good right now.

Q. You took the long layoff but part of the reason was the bone injury you suffered in the last fight. Is that 100 percent healthy and are you confident that even if Emmanuel hits you right on that spot, that you’ll be okay?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: I feel confident there’s not going to be any problems with the eye. I had a training camp in Argentina and I was training out there and I had nothing wrong with it. I got hit plenty of times there. And now, you know, I changed my training camp while I’m out here in Indio and I’ve been sparring and I feel confident that there’s not going to be any problems with the eye.

Q. The guys you lost to are Garcia and Postol. I know Emmanuel is in solid fight form, but do you have any desire in the future to have rematches with either of those guys? The Garcia fight was a pretty close one and the Postol fight, we know what happened there, but do you have any desire to ever see these guys again in the ring?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: Yes, of course. Look, I’m willing to fight anybody. I always want to fight the best. Of course I would. But you know, it’s up to my team. Whoever they tell me to fight, I’ll fight.

Q. Lucas, do you view this fight as kind of like just a test at 147, and if you don’t feel comfortable, would you consider dropping back down to 140, or are you definitely at 147 at this point in your career?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: No, I’ve decided to stay at this weight. I feel very good at this weight. I’ve been working really hard, and I feel comfortable. To battle to get back down to 140, I don’t think I have it anymore.

Q. Just to follow up on that, welterweight is a very deep division, Pacquiao, Thurman, Garcia. How do you think you fit into the welterweight division as you climb back in? How do you think you fit alongside those other top fighters in welterweight?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: Of course I feel very capable at this weight class. I feel that I have a lot of confidence in myself. I’m feeling really good at this weight class, so I can challenge anybody. I would love to fight Danny Garcia again, or I’ll fight against Thurman, whoever it is. I feel very capable at this weight class.

Q. Listen, obviously the bigger name in this fight is Lucas Matthysse, being the kind of bigger fight that he’s had compared to you. You’ve got a lot of experience, though. I’ve seen you fight many times. How big of a deal would it be for you to get this fight where you’re going to be the underdog but pull off this upset?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: It’s a real big deal. You know, I always wanted to get back in there and do my thing, do what I do best. You know, Lucas is a great fighter, real strong, real durable.

I’m looking forward to this fight. I’ve been training hard, working hard, and this means everything in the world to me. I’m just really excited for this opportunity.

Q. Do you think that maybe you get him at the right time, as we’ve discussed, he’s coming off a lengthy layoff and coming off a pretty tough injury in a KO loss, and maybe he’s not as fresh as he once was. Maybe he’ll be a little bit rusty from the layoff, where you maybe haven’t had been as active as he has, even though it’s been a little while since your last fight. Do you feel like you might get him at the right time and you might be able to get the win here?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: I think I got him at the perfect time. You know, he’s coming off of a KO loss, eye injury. His last fight before that, he weighed in, I think I caught him at the right time right now, because a long layoff, like you said. It’s perfect timing for me; perfect.

Q. Anybody that watches his fights knows Lucas is a big puncher. Have you thought about or discussed with your team about how to deal with the probability that you’re going to get hit with a good, clean shot?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: Of course. In camp, my coach, we watch a lot of tape on him and have different tactics we’re going to use in this fight. We’ve got a great plan for this fight, so if we get hit with a big shot, we know how to recover. It will show in the fight. It will show in the fight how we’ve been working on things and how everything’s going to play out in our favor.

Q. He’s going up to welterweight and made this announcement where he’s going to campaign at this point forward. You’ve been a guy that’s fought maybe a little bit close to welterweight, maybe at welterweight once or twice, mainly like 40, 42. What’s your weight class? I know you took this at welterweight. Where do you want to fight regularly? Is it at welter late from now forward? Is it going back to 140 depending what happens? Is it somewhere in the middle? Where are you as far as your weight division?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: I fought welterweight three times, and I’m a durable guy at welterweight. It don’t matter, or light welterweight. If the opportunity presents itself at welterweight, I’m going to take the opportunity again. It don’t matter, welterweight or light welterweight, I can make both.

Q. Just wonder if you can tell us who the biggest puncher you fought is so far?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: I wouldn’t say the biggest puncher, but he had a little snap was Adrien Broner. He wasn’t the biggest puncher but he had a little snap to his punches. I never really fought somebody with a big punch that really stung me. But I would say Adrien Broner was a little snappy, not the biggest puncher, but he got some pop, a little pop to him.

Q. In your fights, was there a point where you felt you were hurt by anybody or not really?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: Absolutely not. I always recover very quickly. If I got dropped, I would get right back up and shake it off and that’s about it. But never really hurt in a fight.

Q. You were down in the fight against Victor Cayo and you were down against Mayfield. Any other times?

EMMANUEL TAYLOR: Yeah, Mayfield, the flat knock down, hit me in the back of the head and I fell down. They call that a knock down. I got right back up and won the last two rounds after that.

Q. Eric, I know obviously this is not an easy fight for Matthysse, especially coming off a long layoff but what are your hopes for him in this comeback?

ERIC GOMEZ: Look, obviously we’re not looking past Emmanuel Taylor. Emmanuel is a very tough guy. I was involved in the Adrien Broner fight and also in the Postol and he put a great fight with both fighters. Depends how he looks. If he struggles, then, you know, he might need, you know, a tune up after this fight. He might need a tune up, and he looks sensational and great, then we’re going to sit down and go after any of the champions. Lucas Matthysse has a great name, he’s a fan friendly fighter.

The TV networks love him. He’s been on HBO, Showtime, a number of times. Any of the champions would love to fight him and it would be a great fight because of his style. So it really depends on this fight. We’ll see how he does.

Look, there’s a chance he could lose this fight and he might want to retire after, if he loses this fight. So this fight is very, very important to all of us.

Q. What made you want to change trainers, and how is it going with Joel Diaz so far and what’s he helped you with?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: Basically I decided to go back to my roots and I went back home to southern Argentina in Trelew, where I’m from, and I started working with my dad a little bit who, is the first person who started me in boxing. Then I made the decision to just change. I wanted something different, and I came out here to work with Joel Diaz. He was recommended, and so far, it’s been great. We’ve been working really great and I’ve been learning a lot.

Q. Who recommended Joel Diaz to you?

LUCAS MATTHYSSE: It was my decision to work with Joel Diaz. He did a training camp for the Garcia fight, for Danny Garcia in Indio, and I trained out of the same gym where Joel Diaz is. And through that training camp, I saw some of the things he was working on and I kind of liked the way he was working with other fighters. So that’s the reason why I decided to go with him.

I’m training really hard for the fight. See everyone in Vegas, and thank you for the support.

ERIC GOMEZ: I’m really proud to introduce really hard hitting David Lemieux. He’s coming off probably thus far, knockout of the year, and fighting just two months later on this great Pay Per View. He’s got an incredible record, 37-3 with a bunch of knock outs, almost all wins by knock outs.

David, if you can say a few words to the press, please.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Hi, guys. Hi, everybody. Extremely excited to be on. Of course, I didn’t take much break since the last fight when I did the fight against Stevens. It was a great knockout I had against him. I took one week off and then headed back to the gym. When they announced me that I was starting under this show, I couldn’t say no. It’s a great opportunity and all the greatest fighters in the world are going to be there.

Q. Marco Reyes fought Chávez, Jr. at 168 pounds test weight was 170. What weight is this fight going to be at, and in the future, will you be going to or staying at 158? If so, how soon?

DAVID LEMIEUX: This fight is going to be actually at 153. The weight is not going to be an issue. We just had a fight, 150, which I made 159. So it’s going to be a the weight of 153 and that’s the weight for this fight. But I’m middleweight and I’m going to stay at middleweight.

Q. This is going to be your second fight this year. Is the goal for, if you win, to return in the fall or possibly early winter? And if so, possibly against who?

DAVID LEMIEUX: You know what, we want to stay accurate, that’s what we’re doing. Of course the ultimate goal is as Oscar announced, it’s the winner of the Canelo Chávez, which Canelo is on the radar, of course. But first we have Marco Reyes to take care of, which I have no doubt that we’re going to do a good job.

Q. You were talking about your knockout against Curtis Stevens, obviously was spectacular. Marco Reyes has been known as a very tough fighter, but he did get stopped in the seventh round by Elvin Ayala two fights ago. Elvin Ayala has been a pretty good boxer for many years, but kind of a journeyman guy and not a big puncher, at all. So I wonder, when you look at that on his record, and you know that he got stopped by a guy like Ayala, who is not a puncher, and you’re one of the best punchers in boxing, coming off that absolutely sensational knockout against Curtis Stevens, are just licking your chops to touch this guy and think you can get rid of him?

DAVID LEMIEUX: I think he’s in big trouble. But of course, in boxing, you don’t head to a fight thinking that you’re going to knock somebody out. He’s a very tough opponent. We’re not underestimating him. We’re going to be ready for ten rounds if it’s necessary, and ten hard rounds.

I’m going to be ready for anything, and I’m going to in there strong. I’m going to make another statement, and of course, I want to be the best. I’ve got to fight like the best. Come May 6, I’m going to give the best of Lemieux.

Q. When you have 33 knockouts and 37 wins and most of them are pretty impressive, pretty crowd pleasing, exciting knockouts. You’re not stopping guys on cuts. You’re not stopping guys with a three or four punch combination and the referee comes in. Many, many of your knockouts are one punch ready, putting guys out for a ten count or a 20 count maybe. How is it, when you’ve done that so many times, that you don’t go into a fight thinking you’re just going to do it again; that you have to sort of get the mentality that, you know, you might have to go ten rounds on a given night?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Yeah, it’s a very good question. I learned my lesson in the Golovkin fight, the power is not a game plan. It’s a tool. The game plan is to be ready for anything. When I go against any opponent, always expect to fight the best of that opponent and to fight them at their best and make sure I’m ready to fight them for one round or for 12 rounds if necessary and to fight them strong.

So when I train, I have that mentality now. I don’t just go in for a knockout and think that they are going to go out in the first three rounds. I’m ready to knock them out for 12 rounds if necessary, and I’ll be strong for the duration of the fight.

Q. You fought on the Undercard of Canelo’s fight when he fought Amir Khan, and you knocked out Glen Tapia; that was last May, and now a year later on another Canelo Alvarez Undercard against Chavez, you’re fighting again. Obviously you’re both with the same promotion company. I think most people would look at a matchup between you and Canelo, and think that would be a pretty exciting fight. What do you think you have to do to get that fight? Because obviously a lot of people want to see Canelo; the Chavez fight is happening; a lot of people want to see him fight GGG down the road after that. But you’re sitting there as a big possibility to get a chance to fight him. Have you been given any assurances or promises by your manager or promotor that you are up in the bullpen, so to speak, to take on Canelo at some point? How do you continue to go through these Undercard fights knowing you’re going to be an option but not having gotten the fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Well, after what I do May 6, I’m going to put myself in a position where everybody is going to want to see Canelo-Lemieux. I’m not asking for a position; I’m going to put myself in a position.

So what I do with Marco Reyes will put me in where I want to be, fighting Canelo. But first, I will take care of Reyes, who is a good fighter.

Q. Could you address that? You guys promote Lemieux. You scored some good knockouts. He’s been on a lot of your television cards can you just speak to the possibilities to the long term future of the possibility of Golden Boy making that match between Canelo Alvarez and David, assuming these guys keep winning their fights?

ERIC GOMEZ: Well, obviously whenever you have an exciting fighter like David, he’s good for any fight. You said it yourself, his knockouts are incredible. So you know, it’s something that we’ve talked about. It’s something that I know David wants and it’s something that Canelo is interested in, as well. But it depends. Look, they have very tough fights. Chavez, Jr.’s fight with Canelo is not going to be a walkover. He’s moving up in weight and he’s fighting a big guy, possibly a light heavyweight. And then David, David has a tough fight, too. So there’s possibilities.

I think immediately next, Canelo wants to fight Golovkin. We make that very clear to everybody. Canelo said it; we’ve said it; Golovkin said he wants that fight. We think we can negotiate for that fight. But if for whatever reason that fight doesn’t happen, yes, David would be in line. He would be in line, and it’s very exciting. We’ve got so many calls after his knockout, we got calls, we got e mails, social media, everybody wanting to see David fight Canelo. It was incredible.

But that’s what David is all about. You know, when he has those highlight knockouts, he gets so many people excited.

Q. There were strong words on David after the defeat. What changed your perception since your victories against Curtis Stevens or Rios in Montreal?

ERIC GOMEZ: David learned from those fights. You know, look, obviously with Golovkin, you know, it was a tough fight for David. I think he was excited in the fight. He was doing well. But he learned a lot, and obviously he’s a better fighter now. He’s a different fighter now than he was when he first fought Golovkin. I know, in my opinion if he fights Golovkin again. Many of the losses, they learn and they become better from their losses, more so than when they have a good win.

So I think that David has grown, he’s matured, and he’s a fighter that takes his craft and his business more serious now, and this is a prime example. You know, he just fought in March, and he didn’t take any time off hardly. He got back home, rested a couple days, and was right back in the gym. So it helped him mature and become a better fighter, and that’s the David we have now.

Q. What danger did you face against Reyes?

DAVID LEMIEUX: There danger in every boxer, and I didn’t stop since my last fight against Stevens, and I will continue training and prepare for, I hope, a fight against Canelo.

Q. Your last knock out was very impressive. When you knocked out Curtis like that, was that scary to you, seeing an opponent just rendered unconscious, and do you think, heading into this fight, will there be any reluctance on your part to do something similar to your opponent? Were you scared for Curtis, and do you think that might carry over into this fight?

DAVID LEMIEUX: You know, when I fight, I always want to show the best of me. I want to go in there vicious and do what I do best, and I’m a knockout artist, I’m a power fighter from the first round.
So when I knock out a fighter, I always still want them to wake up after ten seconds, not kill them. But Curtis Stevens was a different story. He talks too much; he got what he got. But it’s a sport at the end of the day, he got up and he was okay after that. So I was pleased, but I don’t want to hurt nobody. I’m just there to do my job. We did a great show, and after that, shake hands, say good night to his family and to my family.

Q. Nobody seemed to get your prediction on Canelo versus Chavez. Could you break that down for us?

DAVID LEMIEUX: My prediction for Canelo-Chavez, you know, being the way that Chavez is changing, the way he is fit and everything, I think you cannot underestimate Chavez, but I know Canelo is a better fighter, and we are all expecting Canelo to go out and beat Chavez.

But I don’t think it’s going to be a knockout. I think it’s going to be a difficult fight for Canelo. Chavez is definitely a big boy. But if I had money to bet, my money would be on Canelo. But they are both very good fighters. I think the edge is on Canelo.

ERIC GOMEZ: We found out that that echo was Marco Reyes. He is in the mountains training. So if any of you have any questions for Marco Reyes, you can e mail us at press@GoldenBoyPromotions.com, and he will answer your questions. It was hard to get him connected.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for participating in our media call. David, if you can say some closing statements before we finish.

ERIC GOMEZ: If you can just say some closing statements, David, right before we’re done. Just a couple of closing statements and then we’ll finish with everything.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Absolutely. I’m very excited to be on. To the fans that will be watching, I promise a great show and I promise a great fight. I’m going to be in tremendous shape. I promise excitement. It’s going to be an exciting fight, I’m exciting to be on, and give the fans a great night of boxing with the Canelo-Chavez fight at the end.

ERIC GOMEZ: That’s great. Thank you. Thank you very much, David. We can’t wait to see you in this action. So thank you for being on the call, and I want to thank all the media participated today and for all the questions.

Again, we’re sold out but we do have closed-circuit tickets still available. They are 75 dollars. You can get them at the MGM Resort’s international box office or at the concierge desk, or you can call 1 800 745 3000. Thank you very much and we’ll see you shortly at the fights in Vegas.

Canelo vs. Chavez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Interjet. Lemieux vs. Reyes is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management, Matthysse vs. Taylor is a 10-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and Star Boxing and Diaz, Jr. vs. Avila is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event will take place on Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for a closed circuit viewing of the fights at the Grand Ballroom at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino are on sale for $75, not including applicable fees. All seats are general admission and can be purchased at the MGM Grand box office or by phone with a major credit card at 800-745-3000.

For more information, visitwww.goldenboypromotions.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing; become a fan on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; follow the conversation using #CaneloChavezJr.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/Canelo-ChavezJr into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

LOS ANGELES (March 27, 2017) – Less than two months after delivering the top knockout of 2017, Canadian knockout artist David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) will return in a 10-round fight against Marco “Dorado” Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) as the chief support to the highly anticipated battle between Canelo Álvarez and Julio Cesar Chávez, Jr. on Saturday, May 6. The mega-event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Opening up the stacked Cinco de Mayo weekend card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former U.S. Olympian and current undefeated NABF Featherweight champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (23-0, 13 KOs) will face perhaps his toughest challenge to date when he defends his title against the undefeated Manuel “Tino” Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) in a 10-round battle.

These two fights along with the main event and the previously announced brawl between Argentinian slugger Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs) and Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs) will round out the pay-per-view telecast on Saturday May 6.

“With three of Golden Boy Promotions’ most exciting contenders appearing on the pay-per-view, as well as the biggest star in the sport, Canelo Álvarez, the Cinco de Mayo card can be described in one word, ‘stacked’,” said Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “I fully expect four action-packed fights that will have fans out of their seats for the entire evening.”

The hard-hitting Lemieux is riding a three-fight winning streak and was last seen delivering a thunderous third-round knockout of the highly touted Curtis “Cerebral Assassin” Stevens that has put the Canadian directly back into the title picture.

“I’m thankful to have the opportunity of being part of this event during the Cinco de Mayo celebrations,” Lemieux said. “I think I was able to send a clear message on March 11 with my performance against Stevens and I intend to do the same on May 6. I want to make sure that everyone understands that David Lemieux is making his way towards the top and that he intends to stay there.”

Reyes, a 29-year-old former WBC FECOMBOX middleweight champion, has knocked out 25 opponents and went toe-to-toe with Chavez, Jr., in a unanimous decision defeat that many spectators had closer than what came up on the scorecards.

“I know everyone is talking about the Lemieux knockout, but I’m ready to take him out,” Reyes said. “With my Mexican fans supporting me on Cinco de Mayo weekend, I’m ready to turn Lemieux’s lights out.”

“Following his performance against Curtis ‘The Cerebral Assassin’ Stevens at Turning Stone Resort Casino, fight fans wanted to see David in the ring again as soon as possible,” said Eye of the Tiger Management President Camille Estephan. “Being part of such a tremendous card that will be featured on May 6 with eyes on us from all around the world represents an incredible showcase opportunity. We are convinced that David will shine. He is in great shape and is more motivated than ever to conquer the top of the middleweight division.”

In the opening battle of the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast, two undefeated fighters will go toe-to-toe with both Joseph Diaz, Jr. and Manuel Avila risking their undefeated records for a chance at greater glory.

“I’m excited to return for the first time in 2017 and put my title on the line against such a tough competitor,” Diaz, Jr. said. “This fight will put me one step closer to a world title shot.”

“This is a golden opportunity to move myself into world title contention, and I’m not planning to let that chance slip away,” Avila said. “I know all about JoJo’s undefeated record, but he’s never faced anyone like me, and at the end of the night, my hand will be raised in victory.”

Preliminary bouts for the May 6 show will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for a closed circuit viewing of the fights at the Grand Ballroom at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino are on sale for $75, not including applicable fees. All seats are general admission and can be purchased at the MGM Grand box office or by phone with a major credit card at 800-745-3000.

Canelo vs. Chávez, Jr. is a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Interjet. Lemieux vs. Reyes is a 10-round bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management. Matthysse vs. Taylor is a 10-round fight present by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and Star Boxing. The event will take place on Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

David Lemieux scored a devastating 3rd round stoppage over Curtis Stevens in the 3rd round of their scheduled 12-round middleweight bout at The Turning Stones Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

It was a fast paced fight with both guys coming out firing. Lemieux was landing the harder shots early, with Stevens lading some good shots in round two. In round three, Lemieux landed a perfect 12 inch left hook on the jaw of Stevens that put the lights out of Stevens almost immediately as he fell motionless on the canvas, and the fight was waved off instantly by referee Charlie Fitch. Stevens would lay unconscious for several minutes, but finally came to, and was carried out of the ring on a stretcher.

The time of the stoppage was 1:59 of round three, for Lemieux, 159 lbs of Montreal and is now 37-3 with 33 knockouts. Stevens, 158.25 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 29-6.

“I told you what I was going to do tonight,” said David Lemieux. “What I saw was a ‘check mate’,” said Lemieux. “The punch was made with perfect landing. I am in great shape, and I prepared myself for him. He is physically strong but nothing special. Stevens is a solid fighter, and we were successful. I wish him the best, and I hope he is OK.”

Former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa won a 10-round unanimous decision over Rene Alvarado in a lightweight bout.

In round ten, Alvarado landed a glancing left hand that put Gamboa on the canvas in what was ruled a knockdown.

Gamboa, 131 lbs of Guantanamo, CUB won by scores of 97-92 twice and 97-93 and is now 26-1. Alvarado, 130.25 lbs of Managua, NIC is 24-8.