Johnathon Banks has revealed the tough sparring tests Adrian Granat (15-1, 14 KOs) had to endure at the famous Kronk Gym ahead of his Viking showdown with domestic rival Otto Wallin (19-0, 13 KOs) on April 21 at the Gärdehov in Sundsvall, Sweden.

Having first met in Hamburg while Granat was sparring British heavyweight Dillian Whyte, Banks was suitably impressed to invite the Malmo-boxer to join one of former heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko’s training camps.

At Klitschko’s camp, Granat continued to impress, and when the 26 year-old called upon Banks to help him prepare for his biggest career test, the American was happy to accept, and Granat spent a month in Detroit training with Banks at the Kronk Gym.

“I think Adrian was kind of shocked when we were on our way to the gym,” says Banks as he recalls their first journey through Detroit. “He was looking around and asking ‘what’s wrong with all these houses?’ Most of them burnt up, ran down or broken into. You go to some neighbourhood blocks and there might not be four houses worth living in. He’s seen all that and he’s like wow, but that’s just Detroit.

“People from that kind of background don’t care where you’re from or how big you are. When I first got into the ring with Wladimir Klitschko, I didn’t care where he was from. I didn’t care about his accomplishments. I just wanted to hit him as hard as I could. That’s the same mentality Adrian had to face at the Kronk. People didn’t care who he was or where he was from. But he passed the test. He stepped up when it was time to step up. I was worried for a minute but he definitely stepped up, and that was kind of impressive.”

As a figurehead for the Kronk Gym, Banks continues to push the philosophy of his mentor Emanuel Steward, the iconic coach who guided multiple World Champions including Thomas Hearns, and heavyweight legends Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko.

“It’s not just about winning. It’s about how you win,” explains Banks. “It’s about going for the knockout. That’s what the great Emanuel Steward was about. He wanted entertaining fights, he wanted knockouts, and that’s something I try to instil in all of my fighters.

“Why walk into a fight if you just want to look at your opponent and go the distance. The purpose of boxing is to either make your opponent quit or to knock them out. It’s got to be one of the two. That’s what I’ve been drilling into Adrian. If he knocks his opponent out, he’s done his job. If his opponent knocks him out, he’s done his job. That’s just the sport.”

Banks says he believes the Swedish showdown, branded the ‘Battle Of The Vikings’, will come down to a ‘battle of wills’ with the victor being the one who ‘wants it more’.

“It’s going to be a great fight,” says Banks. “Adrian’s opponent Otto Wallin is another top Swedish fighter. He’s actually one of the better fighters to come out of the Scandinavian countries. I have utmost respect for the guy and for his coach Joey Gamache.

“Instead of just a ‘Battle Of The Vikings’, we’re going to see a battle of wills, and whoever has the strongest will is going to win, because both fighters are in shape, both fighters will be equally prepared so whoever wants it more is going to have the most success.”

Otto Wallin and Adrian Granat meet in a Swedish super fight for the European Union Heavyweight title on April 21 at the Gärdehov in Sundsvall on the same night Mikaela Laurén challenges Verena Kaiser for the IBO Female World Super Welterweight strap.

Sven Fornling defends his IBF Baltic title against Karel Horejsek, while rising Swedish stars Oliver Flodin, Robin Safar, Simon Henriksson, Rocco Wadell and David Loy, plus international heavyweights Albon Pervizaj and Agron Smakici return to action.

Wallin vs. Granat and Laurén vs. Kaiser will be shown live and exclsuive on Viaplay PPV in Sweden. For more information, please visit: https://viaplay.se/ppv

Tickets are available online via www.ticketmaster.se or by calling 077-170 70 70.

MIAMI (Dec. 8, 2014) – Five-time world champion Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver (30-6, 21 KOs) won’t be concerned about rust this Thursday night when he fights for the first time in more than a year against veteran Johnathan Banks (29-2-1, 19 KOs).

Tarver-Banks is a 10-round heavyweight fight, presented on a Goossen Promotions card, airing live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes from Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.

Tarver suffered a now-fully-healed fractured thumb to his left hand, closer to the wrist, postponing the original September 29th fight date versus Banks. The 1996 U.S. Olympian has had only five fights in the last six years.

“I’m not concerned with rust,” the cagey southpaw said. “If I’m rusty, it will only be until I’m hit. I’ve been trying to wear off ring rust with intelligent sparring but that’s not like getting reps of a fight.

“I have to beat a solid heavyweight with power like Banks to get where I want to be. I will become the oldest world heavyweight champion in boxing history! He will be surprised by a lot of what I bring into the ring.”

Tarver has been training at the Brazilian Rocky Fight Club in Miami for the past three months to prepare for Thursday’s fight with Banks, who trained world heavyweight champion Wladmir Klitschko for his recent knockout win over Kubrat Pulev.

“I always stress to my fighters in the gym for them to work in rhythm and not be sluggish,” Tarver’s head trainer Orlando Cuellar explained. “Sluggishness and not fighting in rhythm are what shows when there’s ring rust. You always worry about rust. I can honestly say Antonio hasn’t looked rusty but, working in the gym and actual fighting are two different things, and we really won’t really know until this week’s fight. Antonio has always told me that he’s not a good gym fighter but that, once the bell rings for the first round, he’s a great fighter.

“This is the first fight we’ve worked together and Antonio has done everything I’ve asked of him in training for the last three months. He took five days off to be examined by his personal doctor and other than that he’s been working hard, even when he wore a cast. The first four weeks were tough for him because I train my fighters to stop and drop their opponent. It’s high intensity work, much harder than most fighters go through, but he’s given his all in workouts and sparring. With our experience, his as a fighter and me as a trainer, I expect nothing less than the best from Antonio. It’ll be much easier for both of us, training-wise, for his next fight.”

The 46-year-old Tarver, fighting out of Tampa, was one of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters during a 4-year, 9-fight stretch between 2002-2006, in which he had a 6-3 record, defeating Roy Jones, Jr. in two of three, splitting a pair with Glen Johnson, defeating Montell Griffin, Eric Harding and Reggie Johnson, and losing to Bernard Hopkins.

Banks, 32, has been out of action even longer than Tarver, having last fought June 23, 2013 in a 12-round loss by unanimous decision to Seth Mitchell.

“”Every fight is independent in itself,” Tarver noted, “so, I can’t say I’ve fought anybody like Banks. I have fought a lot of guys with power who know how to box. Everybody has two hands and two feet but he can only use one hand at a time. I simplify things. I will be in my best shape and I won’t be surprised by whatever he brings into the ring.”

INFORMATION:

www.OfficialAntonioTarver.com

@MagicMan5XChamp

MIAMI (September 4, 2014) – The long, arduous journey continues later this month for 5-time world light heavyweight champion and 2004 U.S. Olympian Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver (30-6, 21 KOs). The ultra-confident 45-year-old southpaw is on a mission to capture the world heavyweight title, undeniably securing his legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all-time.

Tarver returns to the ring September 29 against veteran Johnathon Banks (29-2-1, 19 KOs) in the 10-round main event, on a Golden Boy Promotions card, airing live on Fox Sports 1 from State Farm Arena in Hildalgo, Texas.

“Al (Haymon, his adviser) has given me this chance,” Tarver explained. “If I retired tomorrow, I would feel unfulfilled despite so much I’ve done as a fighter. The only reason I get up every morning to train hard is to win the world heavyweight championship. I’m on a dream path again. Outside of falling a little short in Atlanta (he won a bronze medal, losing to eventual champion Vassiliy Jirov), I’ve never had a dream in or out of the ring that I didn’t accomplish. I won the world light heavyweight title, made it to Hollywood (starring as Mason Dixon in Rocky VI), and did commentary for a major network.

“I will be world heavyweight champion and I’ll break George Foreman’s record as the oldest. I don’t want to beat just any guy with the world title belt, I want Wladimir Klitschko, and to set-up that fight I will challenge and defeat David Haye, if he has the guts to fight me. Even at 45, I have so much fight in me, and there isn’t a heavyweight I can’t beat in a 12-round fight, unless they knock me out, something nobody’s been able to do in my entire career.”

First, though, Tarver needs to win in impressive fashion against Banks, who, ironically, also trains Klitschko. “Banks is a good fighter,” Tarver continued, “but I’m going into this fight in top shape, weighing 220 pounds, and totally focused. I’ll be sharp, quick, elusive and throwing combination punches should be the keys to victory. I will prevail and continue my journey.”

Tarver, fighting out of Tampa, believes he’s as much a threat today as he was during his “Murder’s Row”-like 4-year, 9-fight stretch between 2002-2006, in which he had a 6-3 record, defeating Roy Jones, Jr. in two of three, splitting a pair with Glen Johnson, defeating Montell Griffin, Eric Harding and Reggie Johnson, and losing to Bernard Hopkins.

“I never won a close fight and in my mind I’ve lost only twice, one to a 14-years younger version of myself, Chad Dawson, and Bernard Hopkins. Kelly Pavlik’s the only other fighter than me who knows what it’s like to be decisively favored and beaten by Hopkins, who is going to beat (Sergey) Kovalev, too. I never got a rematch with Bernard.

“I’ve never gotten the credit I deserve. I’m going to quiet my critics who never mention me as a Hall of Famer. I’m the best defensive fighter in boxing history. I’ve never been cut or hurt and that’s why I’m still here. Defense is a lost art. This is going to be sweet! I love boxing and I’ve forgotten more about it than kids today will ever know. I have a lot of experience. People have been sleeping on my abilities for a long time. I’m on a mission!”

Tarver will be headlining the card his 26-year-old middleweight son, Antonio Tarver, Jr., will making his professional debut. The Tarvers train at Brazilian Rocky Fight Club in Miami, under the guidance of head trainer Orlando Cuellar, who, ironically, trained Johnson for his two fights with Tarver.

Tarver & Cuellar
“I believe in Antonio because of his dedication, discipline and willingness to do what it takes to do as well as he possibly can,” Cuellar commented. “I’ve been sold on him since he walked in the gym and said he was ‘in it to win it.’ I’m not looking at his age. Hell, he’s been pushing me in training camp. I studied him carefully when he fought Glen and now I’m training him. It’s not so much about winning with Antonio, it’s really how much he hates to lose. People can’t write this guy off. There is a reason he’s a 5-time world champion. When the lights come on, he’s going to turn it up, and Banks is going to need his A game to deal with Antonio.”

The clock is ticking for Tarver. Every fight for him is now a must win.

“My record speaks for itself,” he concluded. “Writing me off is a big mistake. I’m going to do something big before I retire. People are going to see on September 29th the magic that’s been missing for a long time. My last few fights I didn’t scratch the surface of my abilities. I’m back…The Magic Man is back!”

INFORMATION:

www.OfficialAntonioTarver.com

@MagicMan5XChamp

HILDALGO, TX (August 13) – Monday night boxing will arrive in the great state of Texas on September 29 when FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes’ sensational series Golden Boy Live! presents an explosive heavyweight showdown between former Light Heavyweight World Champion Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver and top contender Johnathon Banks at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.

“I’m happy to be back in the ring and fighting in Texas for the first time,” said Tarver, who returns to action for the first time since November, 2013. “A win over Johnathon Banks is just what I need to get my shot at the heavyweight title. To come back to boxing on the same day that my son, Antonio Jr. makes his pro-debut; that’s even more rewarding.”

“Tarver is a crafty veteran who deserves respect for what he’s done in the sport,” said Banks. “But his time has passed and I’ll remind him of that on September 29.”

“This is a great matchup between two veteran heavyweights who can show a lot of the younger kids how it’s done,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “I’m really looking forward to this one and as far as picking a winner, it’s a toss-up.”

One of the premier light heavyweights of his era, Antonio Tarver (30-6, 21 KOs) beat the likes of Roy Jones Jr., Glen Johnson, Montell Griffin and Eric Harding en route to a world title and a place on the pound-for-pound list. Now reinventing himself as a heavyweight contender, Tampa, Florida’s “Magic Man” is unbeaten in his last four bouts, most recently stopping Mike Sheppard in four rounds on November 26, 2013. On September 29, he looks to move closer to a world title shot.

A talented heavyweight veteran, Detroit’s Johnathon Banks (29-2-1, 19 KOs) performs double duty in the division as a respected contender and the trainer of world champion Wladimir Klitschko. When he puts the gloves on September 29, the 32-year-old Banks plans on showing the form that has led him to knockout victories over the likes of Seth Mitchell and Travis Walker.

Individual tickets priced at $24, $30 and $50 as well as group table packages priced at $1,094, $886 and $664, plus applicable fees and service charges will go on sale on Friday, August 15 at 10:00 a.m. CT. Tickets can be purchased by calling Leija*Battah Promotions at (210) 979-3302, the State Farm Arena at (956) 684-5115, Ticketmaster at (866) 448-7849 or online at www.ticketmaster.com

Tarver vs. Banks, a 10-round heavyweight bout is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Leija*Battah Promotions in association with K2 Promotions and is sponsored by Corona Extra and O’Reilly AutoParts. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. PT.

Former Light Heavyweight champion will come back to the ring on September 29 against Jonathon Banks in Hidlago, Texas according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Also on the card will be the pro debut of Middleweight Antonio Tarver Jr.

“It’s a good fight, he’s a solid guy, and with the long inactivity a lot of questions will be answered,” Tarver said of his fight with Banks. “Totally stoked about my son’s pro debut. He’s a spitting image of a young me with a more aggressive, fan-friendly style with speed and power.”

“This fight with Banks will tell me if I have the ability at 45 to truly make a run and conceivably fight for the heavyweight championship of the world,” Tarver said. “My quest starts with a tough fight. Banks is a guy raised in the sport. He can box. He has skills. But it’s a challenge I got to step up to. I want this type of fight. I need to realize if I can do it. I believe I can. This fight is a step closer for me.

“I wish I had more activity, but I’m just glad to be back. I want to show I still have it. I know my brand took some hits (over the drug suspension). I’m not naive. But I still got fight in me and the passion to fight. I’m not a shot fighter. I’ve been training hard and I know I can still do this. I don’t take Banks lightly. If I’m victorious, I will just look for my next opportunity. I am coming back to make a statement, but I was never retired or anything.

Tarver is very much looking forward to his son’s debut on the card.

“He’s been training really hard. He started boxing about three years ago and we’ve been taking it slow,” Tarver said. “I see a transformation in him and I think he’s ready at this stage. It’s time for him to get going if he is going to make his own imprint on boxing.

“I didn’t want to force him to box but he had an itch to box. He’s been around boxing his whole life.”

Tarver Jr. had only a handful of amateur fights while his father had hundreds, was a 1996 U.S. Olympian and one of the most decorated amateurs in U.S. history.

“He’s had on-the-job training,” Tarver said. “He’s a quick learner. He took it upon himself to do this. He has determination. I’m not trying to push him. He wants to challenge himself.”

BROOKLYN—Adrien Broner became a three-division world champion as he won the WBA Welterweight title with a 12 round split decision over Paulie Malignaggi at the Barclays Center

Malignaggi came out landing the jab with a accuracy and volume. The was a solid strategy over the first two rounds. At the end of round two. Broner had a big round three as rocked Malignaggi with a hard left hook and then followed up with a hard combination at the end of the round. Malignaggi kept to a solid game plan as he played to his strengths by throwing five and six punches, focusing on the body in attempt to slow the power punching Broner..

Over the second half of the fight Broner landed some hard shots that bounced off the face of Malignaggi but the two-time champion kept on coming. Broner landed the more descriptive punches of note and there were alot of them but Malignaggi continued to throw a great volume of punches.

Broner took two cards 117-111, 115-113 and Malignaggi took a third card 115-113.

Broner is now 27-0. Malignaggi is now 32-5.

“Paulie fought exactly how I thought he was going to,” said Broner. “He was shadow boxing. My next opponent, I’m going to let you all pick. I’m good. I beat Paulie. I left with his belt.”

“I think I worked him. This was a close fight,” Malignaggi said after the fight. “The fight could have went either way. I don’t think he did enough to take the belt from the champion.”

Seth Mitchell drew even with Jonathon Banks by winning a boring 12 round decision that had little action and a lot of booing from the crowd

After the first five-plus minuted provided nothing but a lot of booing from the crowd, Mitchell landed a little uppercut that sent Banks to the canvas. In round three, Banks turned the tables as he rocked Mitchell on several occasions that had Mitchell hurt and holding on.

Not much happened for the final nine rounds. Mitchell would put out the jab. Banks would offer little in return with a lot of clutching and grabbing in between.

Mitchell of Brandywyne, MD won by scores of 117-109; 115-112 and 114-112 and is now 26-1-1. Banks of Detroit is now 29-2-1.

Sakio Bika won the vacant WBC Super Middleweight championship with a 12 round thrilling majority decision over Marco Antonio Periban

The first few rounds were highlighted by Bika working behind the double jab and firing a right hand behind. Bika was a little more active over the first half of the fight. With each passing round the action picked up incriminately.

Perican came out im round seven with more vigor. In round eight, Bika unintentionally headbutted Periban twice. After the fight was resumed, a wild exchange incurred with Periban getting the better of the exchanges. Periban started being a little more consistent in round’s right through ten. The two battled tooth and nail down the stretch with the 12th being nothing short of a war. Both guys were rocked several times much to the delight of the Barclays Center crowd.

Bika of Sydney, Australia won by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114 and is now 32-5-2. Periban of Mexico City is 20-1.

After the fight, Bika said, “I expected the fight to go the distance. He was tough, very tough. It was a great fight and I gave my heart and soul. I worked hard and I dedicated myself to this fight. I want to fight the best. I’ll fight Andre Ward. I’ll fight anyone.”

Warren dropped Fuentas twice in round one and once in round two and the fight was stopped AT 1:04 of round two.

Warren of Cincinnati, OH is 13-0 with 3 knockouts. Fuentes of Bayamon, PR is 5-2.

Julian Williams scored the biggest win of his career as he scored an eight round unanimous decision over former world champion Joachim Alcine in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

In round one, Williams landed a huge barrage that was culminated by a left hook that sent Alcine to the canvas. Williams continued the assault as another big flurry sent the former champion down at the end of the frame. Williams drilled Alcine with a perfet left hook to start the the fifth that sent him down for a third time.

In round seven, Alcine showed signs of life by working the body and then a nice three punch combination to the head. Alcine continued to get the better of the action in round’s seven and eight but Williams took the early rounds plus the three knockdowns were enough to get the nod by scores of 77-72 on all cards.

Williams of Philadelphia is now 13-0-1. Alcine of Haiti is now 33-5-1.

2012 U.S. Olympian Marcus Browne needed just over one round in taking Ricardo Campillo in a Light Heavyweight bout scheduled for six rounds.

Browne dropped Campillo in round one from hard left hand and then battered him in round two before dumping him on the canvas. The fight was stopped by Campillo’s corner just one minute imto round two.

Browne of Staten Island, NY is now 5-0 with all wins coming early. Campillo of Obregon, MX is now 7-7-1.

Good looking undefeated Jr. Featherweight Juan Dominguez pummeled Bradley Patraw in just ninety-six seconds of their scheduled eight round bout.

Dominguez was all over and dropped Patraw and the fight was stopped.

Dominguez of Brooklyn is now `15-0 with 11 knockouts. Patraw of St. Paul, MN is now 9-6.

Frank Galarza remained undefeated by scoring a fourth round stoppage over Ramon Barber in a scheduled six round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Barber landed a couple of hard shots early that shook Glarza. After a low blow suffered by Barber in round three, they exchanged toe to toe warfare. Galarza stated landing hard shots on the ropes. Galarza landed a big right hand at the bell.

In round four, Galarza featured a relentless body attack that began to wear down Barber and finally dropped him and referee Earl Brown stopped the bout at 1:54 of round four

Galarza of Brooklyn is now 10-0-2 with six knockouts. Barber of Wichita, KS is 4-5.

Robert Easter Jr. scored a third round stoppage over Antoine Knight in a scheduled six round Lightweight fight.

Easter dropped Knight in round two from a hard right hand. He continued to batter Knight until the bout was stopped at 1:46 of round three.

Easter of Toledo, OH is now 5-0 with 5 knockouts. Knight of Merriville, IN is now 2-4.

2012 U.S. Olympian Jamel Herring scored a four round unanimous decision over Calvin Smith in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 40-36 and 40-35 for Herring of Coram, NY and is now 4-0. Smith of Prichard, AL is now 2-4.

Barclays Center was buzzing with celebrities including pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko and his girlfriend, actress Hayden Panettiere, Super Lightweight Champion Danny Garcia, Middleweight Champion Peter Quillin and former World Champion Zab Judah.
Former three-time U.S. Olympian Rau’Shee Warren scored a second round beatdown over Jovany Fuentes in a scheduled four round Bantamweight bout.

Paulie Malignaggi

“It’s gotten a little bit crazy, we’ll admit that. I can take some of the blame, but I can’t take all of it. I can only apologize for my end, but at the end of the day, this is how the creation of Adrien Broner happened, in my opinion. They put everything that’s wrong with boxing in one room, did everything that’s wrong with boxing in that room and gave birth to Adrien Broner and you people are eating it up.

“I don’t have to admit anything on Saturday night. I’ll admit he’s a talented fighter now, but there’s a lot more than talent that it takes to get to the top. I’ve been in gyms across the country, across the world and you see talented fighters all the time that don’t make it, just hanging out in the gym, working out. They just don’t get those breaks, so it isn’t about talent. A little bit of the package is talent and he’s got that part of the package; I’m not going to lie to you.

“Did anybody notice he was here a half hour before the press conference and then pretended he was late? Then he shows up an hour into the press conference trying to show up fashionably late. Stop trying so hard, bro. Just do what you have to do. You’re being a clown.

“Mr. Schaefer talked about detours and how some fighters have to take detours and others don’t. It all depends on the matchmaking. It all depends on who’s got your back. Mr. Al Haymon has taken good care of Adrien Broner and that’s why he is where he is now. There are a lot more talented fighters than Adrien Broner that don’t get the credit they deserve. I’m not saying he’s not talented, I’m just saying Al Haymon is responsible for this creation right here.

“There are detours that he hasn’t had to take. I was a talented prospect at one time too. You know what I was rewarded with my first title fight? Miguel Cotto. You know what his reward was for his first world title fight? Some guy Rodriguez, who I can’t even remember his name. OK? There’s a difference. We end up on detours because of the people that have our backs. Instead of praying to God every night he should pray to Al Haymon for making him the creation that he is.

“This guy is nothing and on Saturday night I’m going to prove how nothing he is.

[To Broner] “You remember in that locker room at Wild Card Gym a couple of years ago when you were getting ready to fight (Daniel) Ponce (de Leon) and we were in the locker room and your were all nervous about going the distance? You think I forgot that conversation you had with me? I had to explain to him how to go 10 rounds without mentally killing yourself. He gets to the fight and throws about 16 punches for 10 rounds and gets the decision. My man, you’re going 12 Saturday. I’m going to beat your ass.”

Adrien Broner

“I really didn’t come here to talk trash, we did enough of that. We’re two days out. It’s really fight time for me. It’s about business. I really wasn’t going to come up here, honestly. I really wasn’t going to come up here and talk, but that would have been disrespectful to my fans, even the ones who hate me. They’re still my fans because they want to see me lose, so I came up anyway.

“All I want to say is, I HAVE to put on a hell of a show on Saturday night. Like I said before, I’m not here to bad (mouth) Paulie. You’re a great champion, you’re a great Italian, I’m dead serious.

“I’ll be a three-time world champion on Saturday at the age of 23. With that being said, let Paulie talk his little BS. At the end of day, I’m knocking him the (expletive) out. He’s never been knocked out.

“I just say to you Paulie, who I know is a very good commentator, you asked a lot of questions about Adrien Broner. You said, ‘how is he in big fights? Can he punch? What’s going to happen when someone punches him back?’ I’m just asking you man to man if he comes in and proves this to you, as a great commentator make sure you tell the world how good this kid is. He’s not getting his accolades.

“I went from 120 to 135 pounds. I’m moving up to 147, two weight divisions, and that has not been done. I’m looking to make history and be the first current American three-time champion, so make sure you [Malignaggi] tell the public he is truly a good fighter.

“I’ll see you all on Saturday night. It’s going to be a hell of a fight…a hell of a fight.”

Johnathon Banks

“I want to thank K2 Promotions, SHOWTIME, Golden Boy Promotions and, once again, the respect, honor and the hard work of Team Mitchell. I definitely respect him as a fighter and his whole team.

“Saturday night is going to be a good night. It’s going to be a night of fireworks from the main event and I think the whole card. With all the talking that’s been done at the press conference, the telephone calls, the media workouts and all that stuff, I look forward to Saturday.

“This is what I do. This is my life. This is what I always have done and this is what I’m going to be doing.

“I want to thank my team, my coach, my cut man. I want to thank everybody for helping me prepare for the fight. We’ve had a good camp and we’re just looking forward to Saturday night.”

Seth Mitchell

“First and foremost, as always, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me strength to endure some trying times in my life. I want to thank SHOWTIME for giving me this opportunity. I’m very fortunate and very blessed considering what happened in the last fight to have this opportunity to redeem myself on this level.

“This sport is very unforgiving and I understand that. I want to thank my team, Andre Hunter, my trainer, Al Haymon, who’s my advisor and I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for sticking behind me and giving me this opportunity.

“The first fight was a tough loss for me and it took me a little while to get over it, but I truly believe everything happens for a reason. We went back to the drawing board, we did a couple of things and I’m very excited about this rematch.

“I’m thankful that Johnathon Banks gave me this rematch. He’s a class act, but this Saturday we’re not going to be nice to each other in the ring. He’s well-prepared. I’m prepared. I’m just excited. I want to thank all my fans for continuing to stick behind me. Just know that I have truly learned from this loss. I don’t talk about it much because no matter what I say I have to go out and show it on Saturday.”

Sakio Bika

“Thank you to everyone at Barclays Center. I want to say thank you to God and thank you to my trainer, Kevin Cunningham, for putting me in this position. I’m very happy to be here.

“It’s going to be a very good fight on Saturday. If you don’t have your tickets, you need to go get some tickets. This fight with Marco is going to be very entertaining. I know he’s coming to fight and I’m coming to fight too. I’m very confident that I can win this belt.

“I want to thank you to my family back in Australia and my new baby girl. She’s going to be very happy to see me come home with the belt. I’m really sure I’m going to be a world champion on Saturday.”

Marco Antonio Periban

“It’s a pleasure to be here. I want to thank all the people from Brooklyn for giving me the opportunity to come over here and fight. I’m here to put on a great fight, enjoy myself and win the world title.

“I want to dedicate this fight to a trainer of mine who passed away recently, Rudy Perez. Most of you in the boxing business know him as the great trainer of Marco Antonio Barrera.

“I look forward to seeing you all at this great event. It’s going to be a hell of a fight.”

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions

“Weekend after weekend, fight after fight, SHOWTIME has really stepped up to the plate and has brought the best boxing has to offer to fight fans here in the United States. The man responsible for that is Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports and it is a pleasure to introduce him.

“There are different ways to get to the top. Some go straight and some take a detour. Actually, most take a detour and I think that’s what Team Mitchell experienced when they fought their last fight against Johnathon Banks.

“Seth Mitchell wanted the rematch right away. He didn’t want to take another detour. He wanted to go for the rematch straight away and so did his team and us as his promoter.

“Of course, Johnathon Banks was happy to get into the ring with Mitchell again and show what he is all about. He is going to try to repeat and Seth Mitchell is looking to correct and learn from the mistakes he made in the first fight.

“The captain of the ship, Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell, with a record of 25-1-1, is really one of my favorite people outside of the ring as well. He is polite, he’s kind, he’s well spoken and a great representative and ambassador of the sport of boxing. He has been a successful athlete before as a former Michigan State linebacker who found his true calling in the ring and has torn through his opposition leading up to the Johnathon Banks fight. Many felt he was the next great hope for the American heavyweight title. We still believe he is, and I’m excited to see Seth Mitchell on Saturday night.

“Adrien is an amazing fighter, an amazing talent, very charismatic, a great self-promoter as well. He’s really the kind of fighter who evokes emotions and there are very few fighters who have that talent to evoke emotions, good ones or bad ones, but he does evoke emotions, and as a result people watch. People want to see him win, or they want to see him lose, but people watch. Adrien Broner is one of those few, few talents who might come around once in a lifetime, once in a generation. He is one of them.

“Paulie has been counted out many times, but has always found a way to turn back the doubters and prove the people wrong. He moved up to 147, a lot of people thought he was done and he proved them wrong. He went to the Ukraine, everybody thought he was crazy, that he was never going to win and he proved them wrong. Now he wants to prove wrong all of those people who think that it’s going to be a walk in the park for Broner.”

Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions

“There’s not much to be said about the main event, they speak for themselves. It’s a terrific main event, but as Richard said, the first heavyweight title fight here at Barclays Center is really something special.

“The first fight only went two rounds, but it was an electric two rounds. Seth Mitchell was targeted as the number one ranked heavyweight at that time, so with Johnathon beating him, we believe that he is the best heavyweight right now here in the United States.

“With the fight coming up on Saturday, both fighters are very respectful and very well-spoken, but you will see in the ring there will be fireworks.

“One additional note with Johnathon, he is the only fighter that I know of in history to be a trainer of heavyweight champions and also compete at the championship level at heavyweight.

“Wladimir Klitschko, the boxer that he trains, is coming to support him Saturday night.”

Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center

“We are thrilled to hosting our fourth night of world championship boxing here at Barclays Center.

“Brooklyn is known for its great champions such as Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Zab Judah and we have a great Brooklyn champion fighting Saturday night in Paulie Malignaggi. We’re proud to have him back at Barclays Center defending his title against Adrien Broner.

“We are thrilled to be hosting our first ever heavyweight title bout at Barclays Center with Johnathon Banks versus Seth Mitchell. We’re happy to have three title fights here Saturday night, but we also look forward to continuing to launch the careers of other Brooklyn fighters such as Juan Dominguez and Frank Galarza.”

Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports

“With all the attention that the main event has gotten, deservedly so, it’s easy to forget that this is a tripleheader. It’s not just any tripleheader, it’s a tripleheader of evenly matched, competitive fights, and that’s what we at SHOWTIME want to become known for and, quite honestly, have become known for this year…evenly matched, competitive fights.

All three fights on this card are 50-50 toss-up fights. They’re the type of fights we’ve been showcasing all year. Our card on June 8 from The Home Depot Center was probably the most exciting card of the year…again, evenly matched, competitive fights.

“Periban-Bika is a fight that quite honestly for which you could flip a coin. It’s a very tough one. Banks-Mitchell, one of the most exciting fights of year in the heavyweight division, is a fight not to be missed as well. Of course, you can’t say enough about Paulie and Adrien and the battle that they’ve been waging outside the ring and finally will be waging inside the ring.

“I also want to acknowledge Brett Yormark and Barclays Center staff. One of the things that we’ve been trying to do is continually innovate. One of the newest innovations that Brett has been pushing is BarclaysCenter.com and the featuring content there. This press conference is being streamed on SHO.com as well as BarclaysCenter.com. The same is being done for tomorrow’s weigh-in. If you can’t make it out to Borough Hall, you can watch it on SHO.com or BarclaysCenter.com. We look forward to working with the Barclays Center and developing more content going forward.

“Finally, we are very pleased to be welcoming Bernard Hopkins in as our color commentator. The future Hall of Famer will be a temporary replacement when our normal color commentator is otherwise occupied on Saturday night.”

# # #

ABOUT “MALIGNAGGI VS BRONER”:
Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi’s WBA Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, June 22, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions’ sponsors Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell as he defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight World Championship. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are on sale now at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

They may find Jimmy Hoffa before America finds another great heavyweight. It’s almost redundant to call the search futile. Yet it continues Saturday, mostly because Seth Mitchell and Johnathon Banks are good guys. They respect each other, their craft and their audience.

Thank you, gentlemen, for a rematch that serves as a refuge from a main event preceded by the indulgent trash talk that Adrien Broner has spewed without shame or end in the build-up to his welterweight debut against Paulie Malignaggi at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The temptation is to boycott Broner. Not because he figures to win. His talent speaks for itself. It’s just all the speaking Broner promises to do after the victory. Anyway, I’ll watch him fight, but skip Showtime’s post-fight interview.

“To each his own,’’ said Mitchell, a former Michigan State linebacker who picked up some of dipolomacy’s finer points while majoring in football and criminal justice. “I’m big a fan of both of them. Adrien Broner and me have a personal relationship. I know Paul Malignaggi but not on a personal relationship level. Both of them are helluva fighters. I can’t speak on how they feel about their fight. That’s just what they do. To each his own. But I know I’m looking forward to a good fight.’’

Banks agreed when asked about rhetoric that has taken on a garbage-like tone in pre-fight proceedings for Broner-Malignaggi.

“Well, it’s almost the same thing that Mitchell said: To each his own,’’ said Banks, who inherited some of the calm-in-the storm poise from his late teacher, trainer and father-figure, Emanuel Steward. “This is their personalities, and I think no matter what, when you have two fighters, you must show their personalities. These guys’ fans, they’re talkers. It’s what they do. It’s their personalities. So, that’s what they’re doing.’’

Mitchell and Banks agree on a lot. It’s as if they understand instinctively that they’re partners in a business that dictates they fight each other. It’s not personal. It’s just punches.

Banks displayed superior instinct for those punches in a surprising second-round stoppage of Mitchell last June. It was a sign, perhaps, of what will happen again Saturday in a sequel postponed in February because Banks fractured a thumb in training. Banks grew up in boxing at Detroit’s Kronk Gym. He moves around the ring like its home. Mitchell is a newcomer. If not for a knee injury at Michigan State, he might be an NFL linebacker today.

But their respective personalities create a compelling rematch. Mitchell understands that he’s still a student. In Banks, he lost to a fighter who also learned the trainer’s trade from one of history’s all-timers in Steward. Banks, who succeeded Steward as Wladimir Klitschko’s trainer, is a teacher.

Their rematch is about how much the student learned in a loss to the teacher.

“I just have to go out there and show you what I’ve learned from that fight, what Johnathon Banks has taught me from that fight,’’ Mitchell said.

Banks, who said he has two different and distinct roles, says he won’t be working as the teacher in the rematch.
“I wear two different hats,’’ Banks said “I wear a training hat and a fighter’s hat. When it’s time for me to prepare for my fight, the training hat goes off and the fighter hat comes on. So, the two don’t connect with one another.’’

They don’t insult anyone either, which on Saturday night’s card stands as pretty good lesson for everyone.

JOHNATHON BANKS, NABO & WBC International Heavyweight Champion

“I’m very excited to get back in the ring against Seth on June 22. Boxing is my life and you can see by my smile how I feel.

“The thumb is fine. No problems at all with it for this camp.

“It’s been an easy transition back to boxing from my role as a trainer of Wladimir Klitschko.

“I expect a smarter and very well prepared Seth Mitchell for this rematch.

“[On his birthday falling on June 22] I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than in the ring on June 22.

“[On the fan turnout at his open workout at Ecorse High School in Detroit] I’m very active here in a mentoring role at the school and they’ve been very supportive of me. It’s great to see so many members of the community, family and friends turn out.”

SETH MITCHELL, Former NABO Heavyweight Champion

“I’m excited. It’s the first time I’m going up to Barclays Center. It’s a rematch. It’s a good fight for me. It’s pressure, but I’ve got to channel it and I’m not letting it overwhelm me. I’m excited to put the loss against Banks behind me and get this chapter of my life over with.

“I’m not even looking at it like revenge. I look at it as I took a hit and I learned from it. I came to the gym, I worked extremely hard to try to get my prep, to work on my things and to learn from my mistakes.

“I want to win, so if you want to call that revenge, then that’s revenge.

“I’m still going to bring some heat. I tell people I don’t see myself in a boring fight, I’m just going to be smarter and have a smarter approach.

“God blessed me with size, speed and power, so I just have to go out there and be more defensively responsible. That’s my motto.

“When I watch the first fight, I realize that I made so many mistakes, but they aren’t things I’m going to repeat.

“I’ve been fighting for only six and a half years. It’s not long, but I consider myself a quick learner.

“If Johnathon Banks would’ve out-boxed me for six or seven rounds or out-classed me, of course the fighter in me would’ve wanted a rematch, but I wouldn’t have taken the rematch right away. I believe that I’m a better fighter than him and I didn’t show everything that I’m capable of. That’s why I want a rematch.

“I went to my team and I said I wanted a rematch. I’ve got a smart group of people around me and if they’ve felt that I couldn’t beat him, they’d have talked among themselves and come out with a different game plan.

“I truly believe I’m better than Johnathon Banks and I will show it on the 22nd.”

###

Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi’s WBA Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, June 22, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions’ sponsors Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell as he defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Super Middle weight World Championship. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are on sale now at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

Kelly Swanson
Thanks, everybody, for joining in. I’m so excited about this particular show in general, Saturday, June 22nd at the Barclays Center featuring as its main event, Paulie Malignaggi against Adrien Broner, but I’m really excited about this fight we’re going to talk about on this call today.

Joining us with have Johnathon Banks, the NABO and WBC International Heavyweight Champ as well as Seth Mitchell. We are also joined by Dave Itskowitch and Tom Loeffler who’s the managing director of K2 Promotions, and everybody knows Dave, Chief Operating Officer of Golden Boy, and we will be hearing from both fighters who are on the line at the same time. So, without further ado, I’m going to turn it over to Dave to make the introductions. So, Dave, go ahead.

David Itskowitch
Thank you everyone for being with us this afternoon. June 22nd Barclays Center in Brooklyn, we’ve got a great show, our main event Paulie Malignaggi versus Adrien Broner in a 12-round fight for the WBA Welterweight World Championship. Of course, we have Johnathon Banks versus Seth Mitchell for in a 12-round fight for Banks’ NABO and WBC International Heavyweight Championship. This is actually going to be the first heavyweight fight in the history of Barclays Center by my calculations, so that’s a little added piece of history for the show, and then, opening the Showtime broadcast will be Sakio Bika versus Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the WBC Super Middleweight World Championship.

The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. Banks versus Mitchell is presented in association with K2 Promotions. We’re sponsored by Corona and AT&T. We’ll be live on Showtime Championship Boxing at 9:00 Eastern Time with preliminary fights airing on Showtime Extreme at 7:00 Eastern Time, and the event can be heard in Spanish using second audio programming.

Those of you who are in the New York area, no excuse not to be there. We have great seats still available, but they’re going fast and very reasonably priced starting at $25 and ringside $250, which is again, in this day and age, two world title fights and a great heavyweight fight, you really can’t go wrong. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or at the American Express Box Office at the Barclays Center.

Now to say a few words, I’d like to introduce a young man who’s a former standout Michigan State University linebacker who found his true calling in the boxing ring. In the first four years of his career, he tore through all of his opposition, beating Taurus Sykes, Timur Ibragimov and Chazz Witherspoon, all those by knockout. He’s extremely eager for the opportunity to avenge his only pro loss when he faces Banks and he’ll look to show the resilience of a champion when he attempts to even the score on June 22nd. He has a record of 25, 1 and 1 with 19 KOs. From Brandywine, Maryland, Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell. Seth?

Seth Mitchell
First and foremost, I want to thank my team for giving me this opportunity. I want to thank Al, Sharif Salim, Lorin Chvotkin, and everybody that’s involved on my team. Thanks Johnathon Banks for giving me this opportunity to avenge this loss.

I’m very excited about this fight. As Dave said, this is my first pro loss and it was a hard loss. It took me about a week to get over the loss, but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.

Everybody that knows me, they know that I went back to the drawing board. I’m preparing diligently. I’m very focused for this fight. I know Johnathon Banks is preparing hard as well. It’s going to be a great fight.

Again, I don’t do a lot of talking. I just go back to the drawing board and work hard. I’m very confident in my abilities. I’m very confident in what I can do, and there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to come out victorious this time.

I’ve watched the fight numerous times. I saw a lot of mistakes that I made. I’m not taking anything away from Johnathon. He did what he was supposed to do that night, but I promise you it’s going to be a different outcome from June 22nd. I just want everybody to tune in because I will be ready.

I was ready to fight on February 16th and I was really disappointed when the fight got cancelled, but again, I go back to my belief that everything happens for a reason and that just allowed me to hone my skills to get better and to be more prepared for this fight. I’m definitely a better fighter. I’m not going to keep saying that. I just have to go out there and show you what I’ve learned from that fight, what Johnathon Banks has taught me from that fight, and you will see that on the 22nd. I’m very prepared for this fight and very focused and just excited that I’m back on this big stage and on Showtime.

It’s not too often you get, not only do you lose, but you get stopped in the second round and have the opportunity to come back and fight on a major network, and I’m very fortunate and very blessed for that, and I’m definitely going to take advantage of this opportunity. Again, I want everybody to tune in. I want to thank everybody that’s a part of this, and making this happen. I want to thank my family, my friends, everybody that’s praying for me. Continue to pray for me, and on the 22nd, I will be victorious. Thanks.

Itskowitch
Before I introduce Tom, I just wanted to mention one thing. These two fighters are, in case you didn’t notice in listening to Seth, are kind of a stark contrast from Paulie and Adrien in terms of the way that they conduct themselves, and I was around them when they first fought. I just couldn’t believe how they’re just such gentlemen and really, really two nice, good guys, respectful athletes, and that’s always a breath of fresh air.

So, now to introduce Johnathon Banks, I would like to turn it over to the managing director of K2 Promotions, Mr. Tom Loeffler.

Tom Loeffler
We’re really excited to be a part of this promotion. As was already mentioned, it’s a great main event, but you couldn’t get a better co-feature fight to complement that type of a main event, and you got two tremendous heavyweights in there before the first fight. Seth was clearly considered the best American heavyweight leading up to-there was a lot of talk of him fighting the Klitschkos down the road, and with everything that Johnathon went through at that point, training Vladimir with the death of Emanuel Steward, everything like that and then just being able to be victorious in that fight, I think he proved there’s a lot more to Johnathon Banks than people had known previously. So, we’re looking forward to his fight again just to prove that the first fight wasn’t a fluke. Johnathon, I know has been training really hard for this fight as well.

So, with that, I want to introduce him. He’s in Detroit, Michigan right now, the WBC International and NABO Champion, Johnathon Banks.

Johnathon Banks
There’s not much to say. Seth said it all. I’m not a talker. He’s not a big talker. There’s not much to say.

I’m looking forward to the fight. I wish that I wouldn’t have broken my thumb preparing for February 16th because I was also looking forward to that fight, but things happen. This is out of your control. It was out of my control. That’s the first broken bone I ever had, never had nothing broken on me before, but I ended up breaking my thumb. So, the fight was postponed, but now we have a new day, June 22nd.

I am preparing just like I always have been. Looking forward to the fight. I just always believed that Seth Mitchell was one of the best heavyweights out there and I still think so. So, I would never underestimate a guy like that. I look forward to the fight.

I know it will be a big challenge, but challenges are all a part of life and I accept every challenge that ever comes my way. I’m not walking away from a challenge. I accept it. I accept it as it comes, and I really believe that the heavyweight division is going to be-it’s going to be filled up with excitement again because this heavyweight fight is going to be a good fight.

Loeffler
Thanks a lot, Jonathon. I guess we can now turn it over to media for questions.

Q
Seth, I know one of the things in watching your tape and in talking to you, I’m sure you looked at the things you got away from in the biggest fight of your career, and my question is how do you practice patience? How do you practice executing and also being loose at the same time without being robotic?

Mitchell
You have to-I’ve been working on just being relaxed and it not being anxious. Even though when I fought him the first time I didn’t feel anxious, I didn’t feel nervous, when I went back and watched the tape, I could see that I was tight and that I was tense. So, it’s just repetition, repetition in the ring, and repetition in sparring. I know sparring isn’t fighting, and I wouldn’t ever say that sparring is fighting, but it’s just the more repetitious you get and making a conscious effort of just trying to do the right thing and not being over anxious and just take your time, so that’s just what we’ve been working on.

Q
Obviously, instruction and executing your trainer’s instructions under fire, is that something you guys are doing? I don’t know if you just recreate the situation that got away from you in this fight, or how is that going, the communication thing?

Mitchell
The communication is going well, and I always consider myself a good listener. I don’t think I know it all. I just didn’t do what my trainer instructed me to do going into the fight. We knew a lot of things that Johnathon does, things that we couldn’t do and I went out there and did those things, not saying that I was being hardheaded or anything, but I don’t know, maybe it was experience, but I definitely showed that I’ve learned from it, and like I said before, I definitely feel that that loss made me a better fighter, and I just can’t wait to show it.

Q
So, I guess the same question-being a boxer and a trainer, can you imagine how difficult must it be for Seth to do what he’s doing, and as a fighter who’s going to be in the ring with him, is that something you’re going to try to exploit that maybe that potential that he might be questioning himself after the loss?

Banks
Well, I don’t believe and no interview anywhere have I ever heard Seth question himself. Seth Mitchell, he admitted that he could listen. I made a mistake. ‘I’ve done a couple things wrong and other Banks have capitalized on it.’ That’s all he ever said. He never really questioned himself, so therefore, I’m still seeing the strong confident heavyweight that I saw the first time. He’s just he’s coming back stronger, and he may be a little bit bigger because he’s eager to prove himself to the world again, and I just think that’s what’s going to make this fight a good fight, two fighters trying to prove theirselves to the world that they are number one or a good fighter or different things like that.

So, I just don’t believe that he has any doubt in himself or in his abilities. All his comments, all of his concerns has been just correcting the little mistakes that he made. That’s all his concerns has been. So, okay, I just don’t see him having no lack of confidence in his self. I think he’s fully confident in his ability and I just think he’s coming out stronger, bigger and ready to take the world by storm again.

Q
Last question for you-getting into the head of another fighter as a trainer, what must he be going through, and as a trainer, what is the key to getting a fighter to execute in the heat of battle?

Banks
Well, I don’t think Seth Mitchell has a problem executing in the heat of battle because he’s been in the heat of battle before so he hasn’t had too many problems executing in the heat of battle. No matter who you are as a fighter, you get away from certain things that work, no matter who you are, and if you have a chance to correct it, then that’s all the better. So, I don’t think he’s going to have a problem executing whatever he has, but as a fighter, my particular job is to stop him from executing what he wants to do and his job is to stop me from executing what I want to do. So, that’s the reason we coming together to for one to stop the other and the other to try to stop the one. So, that signals what it’s all about.

As far as the training part, it’s difficult for me because I’m not thinking as a trainer. I’m only thinking as a fighter. I took my training hat off when I left Germany. When I get back from here, I’ll pick that hat back up and put it back on, but right now, my thoughts are simply either as a fighter and I let my trainer think as himself.

Q
My last question to you is Tom mentioned earlier when he opened the call that you want to prove that your win over Seth wasn’t a fluke. Is that something that you feel has been out there because I know Seth has given you full credit for executing and I’m just kind of wondering where Tom might be getting that, where you might-have you heard anything like that that makes you …?

Banks
You see a lot of things from public. I’ve heard different things here, well, he just was a hyped-up individual. Well, none of that is really-that doesn’t matter to me because I know Johnathon Banks. I know that I was prepared and that I was just going out for a fight.

So, people may say that I was hyped up over the death of Steward, that this was a fluke, this … happen to happen, but the rest of it, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve heard it. It plays no effect on me. It doesn’t bother me because like I say, I know what it was and I know what it is, and the thing about it at the end of the day, there’s still going to be a fight.

So, I don’t believe in flukes. I don’t believe in it just so happen become this or that. I prepared for the fight and I became victorious and this is fight … begin. We both have to train for the fight and only one here can be victorious. So, as always, I always wish my opponent a healthy training camp and I wish myself a healthy training camp so we can get in there and perform in front of the world.

Q
My last question for both of you-who is the pressure most on in this fight? Is it on Seth because he lost, or is it on you because you won a fight that some people thought you were going to lose and now you have to prove it’s not a fluke? To both of you, who’s got the most pressure on them or who’s, in your perception, who’s under the most?

Mitchell
Me personally, I think the pressure’s on me. The pressure’s on me. It’s one thing to lose, but it’s another thing to lose back to back to the same fighter. So, I believe the pressure is on me, but I’ve said this from day one-I want to be in a situation where the stakes are high. That means you’re headed in the right direction. So, I think the pressure is on me. I accept it. I relish the challenge and the June 22nd, we’re going to get it in.

Banks
I think the pressure’s on me. I do. I think the pressure’s on me that they’re saying he came on TV, he did this and let’s see if he can do it again. I think the pressure’s on me, and just like he said, I accept the challenge too. I’ve never ran from pressure. I accept it. I embrace it. So, I really believe the pressure is on me and I’m happy to hear how-I have no doubt that Seth will accept the challenge. I accepted the challenge, and like I say, June 22nd, we going to get it in.

Q
I’ll start my first question for Seth. After the first fight, I know you had the right to ask John to give you the immediate rematch and I’m sure that you spent some time thinking about it and talking with your trainer and your team, but was there any discussion or thought either in their minds or in your minds about the prospect of possibly taking some interim fight first rather than going right back in with the guy that had stopped you?

Mitchell
Not at all. This is a true story. When I went back into the dressing room, I was devastated that I had lost. It was a tough loss for me, but my first question is to Al. I asked him two questions. I said how far did this set me back and when can we get the rematch. That was my first two questions to Al, and I just wanted to get back in there not because I didn’t think-I just wanted to get back in there because I’m a fighter and I lost.

When stakes are high, this is a very, very important fight for me, and I understand that and I don’t tend to bet with my heart. When I’m betting, I bet with my head, and I truly believe that I can beat Johnathon Banks. He beat me the first fight, but I truly believe that I’m a better fighter and I have to show better than what I showed and that was just my mindset.

I wanted to get in there and correct this wrong, and I know he’s going to come to fight, but I’m going to come to fight as well. Like I said, man, I am truly a better fighter. I keep saying that, but I don’t like to really talk a lot, man, I just got to go out there and show and that’s why I want everybody to just tune in on June 22nd and they’re going to be in for a shock. They’re going to be like wow, this cat really did go back, look at his tapes, see what he did wrong and this loss definitely made him a better fighter.

Q
Seth, when you asked Al those two questions in the dressing room, what were his answers about how far did this set you back and when can we get the rematch?

Mitchell
He said not long. Actually, he answered the question probably about two or three days later, and he said it probably was about a seven to eight month setback but we’ll get that rematch and you’ll just take care of business.

Q
I understand you as the athlete, the competitive spirit to desire and go make things right in your mind and get the revenge and all that, but that’s why boxers pay their advisors and their trainers and the people that work with them to try to take a step back and look for the betterment of the guy’s career in the long term. Did anybody on your team, Al, Sharif, whoever, talk to you about maybe taking an interim fight, trying to convince you otherwise even though you were going to be very adamant about wanting to do the immediate rematch? Did anybody on the team think that maybe it was best to take the interim fight?

Mitchell
There was no talk about an interim fight. The only time that came up is when Johnathon got hurt, and once Johnathon got hurt, honestly I didn’t want to wait seven months, another four months to fight him. I wanted to stay active and fight, but things happen for a reason. That didn’t happen, and June 22nd, it’s going to be Johnathon Banks.

Q
When you were getting ready for the second fight and you had the thumb injury, obviously that’s not the type of thing you can go into a fight and fight with, but can you talk about the circumstances of what happened with that and then what your feelings and thoughts were when that happened and you knew that there’s no way you can go in there and this was going to have to be postponed?

Banks
Well, actually I was going to fight with a broken thumb because I wanted to fight, and I don’t like to, me personally as a fighter, I don’t like preparing for a fight-preparing for a fight, you’re spending your money. Preparing for a fight and then you call the fight off, I don’t like doing that, and I was going to go through with the fight. Vladimir Klitschko called me and asked me not to go through with the fight. He said, dude, you broke your thumb, why would you take the risk going to a fight handicapped.

I wasn’t thinking with my mind. I’m thinking with my heart because I just wanted to fight. That’s just me. I’m saying regardless I want to fight.

So, I sat down, thought about it and it was bandaged up, I couldn’t use it. I was just going to use my left hand to finish up the training, but no matter what, I listened to what he said and that’s why I went on and called off the fight, but I mean, I didn’t want to do it because I mean, no fighter likes to be hear about this … a week or a week and a half, two weeks before the fight.

Q
So, you took a call from Vladimir Klitschko to convince you not to go into a fight on this caliber, this significance with a hand that you would obviously not be able to use very well?

Banks
Yes because that’s just-I just wanted to fight. Right. I’m a fighter. I just want to fight. So, I figured if I could walk, if I could talk, if I could throw it, I said let’s fight, but like I say, he talked to me,. That’s why once again, that’s why you surround yourself with people that are knowledgeable about the game so when you not thinking knowledgeable, they can bring you back to reality.

Q
So, now in retrospect, the way that it ended up going down, I have to imagine that you feel as though you made the right decision to postpone it?

Banks
Definitely, definitely. I definitely made the right decision because as I said once that night, once I sat and thought about it and I said you know what, he’s right, why will I go into fight handicap because I don’t like to say okay, Johnathon Banks, you lost the second fight, what happened, I said well, you know, I don’t know. I want to be 100%. If I lose, let me lose at 100%. I can live with that, losing at 100%, but I can’t live with being halfway ready and then I lose. I don’t want anything like that to happen.

Q
Also, if you do lose in that situation, then you’re in a position of do I just keep my mouth shut and I got the loss or do you say something and have guys like me say all you’re doing is making excuses?

Banks
Exactly. I would just keep my mouth shut. You would never know it unless somebody else came and told you or unless somebody came and whispered in your ear, you wouldn’t know because I wouldn’t have said anything.

Q
Do you think that just from a pain threshold and a physical aspect of making the fight that you could have actually gone and fought with a broken thumb?

Banks
I know I couldn’t. I couldn’t even ball my fist up. It was too swolen for me to ball my fist up, but I’m just talking to you about the will of a fighter that wanted to fight. That’s how I’m coming to you from. I wasn’t thinking as an individual saying do you know what, I shouldn’t fight because it could be long-term damage, it could be nerve. I wasn’t thinking like that.

Q
So, how is the thumb now? Are you perfectly back to normal? There’s no issues?

Banks
Everything is fine.

Q
Well, I’m glad to hear that. Tom, are you there, Tom Loeffler?

Loeffler
Yes, I’m still here.

Q
Are you the one that called up Vladimir and told him talk to Johnathon he’s acting crazy?

Loeffler
No, actually Johnathon had let him know ahead of time once he went to see the doctor and everything like that and I think he was just looking at letting Vladimir know. I naturally agreed with what Vladimir explained to him because in a fight like this, at this caliber and at so much at stake, it just doesn’t make sense to go into it. Every fighter is never really 100% after sparring and little nicks and bruises and things like that, but to have a broken thumb and to go into a fight like this just wouldn’t really have made sense, although it did take a little while to convince Johnathon of that, I know that.

Q
I know that in your last fight with Johnathon, you were on your way to a professional title shot against one of the title holders, and I know you were hurt against Chazz Witherspoon. You recovered in that fight. Was it more difficult to recover against Johnathon Banks because of his experience?

Mitchell
I guess you could say. He did the right thing. I guess Chazz Witherspoon when I got hurt and he had got close, he allowed me to grab him and gave me the time to recover whereas in that instance when I had got buzzed and tried to grab Johnathon, he stepped back and he kept his hands going and didn’t allow me to fully recover and that allowed me to get knocked down two more times and the ref stopped the fight. So, I guess that could be attributed to his experience, but it is what it is. It’s something that happened and I just had to learn from it and I believe I have.

Q
Do you think in your last fight that you were overconfident going into this since you dominated some of the other opponents?

Mitchell
I wouldn’t necessarily say that I was overconfident. I never underestimate any of my opponents. I train extremely hard, and I don’t go out there trying to take everybody head off, but when you look at my record, before this fight, I had knocked out I believe either 12 or 13 or 13 of my last 14 opponents and then when I went back and looked at the tape, even though I don’t in my mouth I don’t say that I’m trying to go out there and destroy my opponent, that’s what my actions showed, and it caught up with me that night.

Q
Yes. My last question for you is-obviously Johnathon being a trainer and also a fighter, he got to see different tactics that fighters use to the ability to beat another opponent. Do you think him obviously being a trainer and a fighter, that helped him to adapt to your styles since you have a little less experience than him?

Mitchell
I think just his experience in general definitely might have helped him out, but he’s a fighter as well. Like he said, when you get in that ring, a lot of times you take that training hat off and you become a fighter and he did what he was supposed to do. I have no excuses. I just got to get better, so better, and I definitely plan on doing that on the 22nd.

Q
Now, obviously since you beat Seth in your last fight, I know that you trained the Klitschkos, was that something that you were looking for before having a rematch with Seth?

Banks
What do you mean?

Q
No, were you actually looking to fight a Klitschko because there’s a couple of rumors that you might fight a Klitschko even though you trained them before?

Banks
No. I wasn’t looking to anything actually before the fight. I was looking for Mitchell. I wasn’t looking to fight-I wasn’t beefing with any other fighter, but him.

Q
Would you ever fight one of the Klitschkos though for the title?

Banks
Who knows? I don’t know. That’s a question that really can’t be answered because the question really is null and void if I can’t be successful on June 22nd.

Q
That’s true. Now, your training style, do you think that helped you in the fight against Seth Mitchell last time, having that training mentality and then like Seth just said, the training mentality kind of goes out the window and then the fighting mentality takes over?

Banks
Well, I wear two different hats. I wear a training hat and a fighter hat. When it’s time for me to prepare for my fight, the training hat goes off and the fighter hat comes on. So, the two don’t connect with one another.

When I’m a fighter, I’m a pure student of the game, and I’m listening to my trainer. When I’m a trainer, that’s when I’m a pure trainer, I’m a teacher of the game. So, it’s just two different situations. So, to answer the question, I don’t think-it didn’t hurt me, but I don’t necessarily say it just helped me out to be also to be a trainer in boxing.

Q
Obviously, having Emanuel Steward in your corner for a while, that obviously rubbed off on you. How did his training tactics help you as a fighter and also as a trainer?

Banks
Well, most of all, you got to understand that for literally for 15 years, I traveled with him. I’ve been around him and lived with him. I learnt a lot from this man. So, like I say, everything that I’ve accomplished in boxing that the majority-a lot of the things I accomplished in boxing I owe to him because he taught me so much, and he was a big influence.

Q
One question for both you guys, same question. Just talk about some of the challenges mentally and physically you have in such a long layoff. It’s been seven months since you’ve fought. What are the difficulties of waiting so long in between fights and how do you manage that?

Mitchell
Well, for me I just-once the fight got made-I was back in the gym. We fought November 17th, I believe. I was back in the gym the first week in December, not training like really hard but just getting back into the gym, and once the fight was scheduled, I went into my training camp, and then once the fight got postponed, I just stayed in the gym but then I wasn’t killing myself in the gym because you don’t want to over train or peak too soon, and that’s just how I handled it. I’m always in the gym. In six and a half years, I’ve never been out of the gym longer than three and a half weeks.

I always go to the gym. I just starting so late, I have to stay in the gym to continue to learn and I believe that’s why my learning curve has grown so rapidly, but it’s just staying in the gym, not overtraining, not sparring all the time because your body-mentally and physically, you can get worn out, at least I can, but just stay in the gym and stay sharp and try to learn from my trainer Andre Hunter. That’s just how I approached it, but I’m ready to go though.

Q
Johnathon, same question to you. Obviously, you had the injury to heal from, but just the long layoff and how do you expect that to affect you if at all?

Banks
I’ve had longer than this, so it doesn’t affect me at all. You talk about I’ve been in boxing for quite some time now. So, a long layoff, a short layoff, the preparation is the same. So, no, I don’t feel that it will affect me at all.

Q
This one’s for Seth and I want to ask a similar question to Johnathon. When title shots at heavyweight are often handed out to fighters after just a few solid wins, it’s fairly easy to get a world title shot at heavyweight sometimes compared to other weight classes, do you think victory over Johnathon will get you close to a world title shot, and do you think you’re ready for one?

Mitchell
I definitely think that a victory will get me closer, hopefully a title eliminator or somewhere in that caliber, and I definitely feel that I’m ready. I’ve grown a lot and this fight has definitely made me better, and on the 22nd, the world will see that I’m not calling the first fight a fluke at all. I’ve said from day one, Johnathon did what he had to do, he did what he was supposed to do, but he also made me a better fighter, and I definitely feel that I want the big fight, and after this fight, I have to go out here and take care of business, but after this fight, I definitely want the big fight, and I definitely think it’ll move me closer to a title shot not only because I just won my next fight but it says something to accept the challenge and fight the person that just not only beat you but stops you in the second round to not fight anybody else, go back, take care of that business and it just shows the character, shows the type of fighter and the type of person and man that I am.

Q
Before you lost to Johnathon, you were quite frankly, the highest-ranked prospect in America in heavyweight boxing and that loss set you back somewhat, but would you say that victory over Johnathon would just put you say back where you were anyway? It would basically just delete your loss on your record?

Mitchell
I believe it will, I believe it will, and that’s why I’ve trained very hard. I’m ready to fight now actually. I’m just maintaining now, but I’m excited about the fight and I definitely think that within this fight it might even put me higher than what I would have been if I hadn’t loss because like I said before, it says something about a man’s character, it says something about a fighter to not take any tune-up fights and just go back in there and win the fight. It shows something about the kind of fighter that you’re made of.

Q
This one’s to Johnathon. It’s a similar question. I hope it’s not too controversial for you. If you’re victorious over Seth for a second time, you would surely be in the line for a world title shot, but do you think you could ever step in the ring with Vladimir, and if you did get a world title shot, would you probably go after the Vitali instead?

Banks
That is a little difficult question to answer because I really I can’t adjust my vision to see past June 22nd. So, that’s what’s on my radar. That’s the biggest-I don’t know if you saw Seth Mitchell, but he’s a big guy. So, I’ve got a big old guy in front of me. So, that’s all I’m looking at.

So, it’s kind of difficult for me to try to look past that particular date and say, for instance, for the future, do I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world? Yes. Will I be? I definitely believe so, but like I say, all of that is really null and void if I can’t put on a good performance and be victorious on June 22nd.

Q
Well, talking about performances, going into your first fight with Seth, did you believe that you could possibly pull of the KO win because you had an early knock out? Was that your plan, and do you think a similar thing could happen in the rematch?

Banks
Well, going in the fight, I knew that I’m in the heavyweight division, and I know that one punch can turn the whole fight around. Did I plan to stop him in the second round? No. Did I think that was going to happen? No. I was prepared for 12 rounds.

Right now, I’m prepared to go 12 rounds. I’m not just jumping in looking for a rush and hurry to get a knock out. I’m prepared to go 12 rounds, and when the bell rings, we’ll see what happens. But no, I didn’t try to predict-I’ll be lying to say if I predicted the fight would end early or it would end by knockout. No, I had no clue that it would.

Q
Okay. I’ve got one final question for you. We often see a heavyweight especially in recent years, naming no names, but we all know who we’re talking about, we often see a lot of animosity between fighters especially at heavyweight. Would you say that there’s any animosity between the two of you or do you have nothing but respect for each other, and why would you say that your characters are like that and not so fiery like other fighters?

Banks
Me personally, I can’t speak for any other fighters, but what I will say is the situation that we’re-I don’t feel that you have to have animosity against an opponent to fight them. Also, you have to have animosity against an opponent to go up against them or defeat them.

This is a business that we’re in and me and Seth Mitchell both have a job to do. So, his job is to beat or knock out his opponent, and my job is to beat or knock out my opponent. We both have a job. What happens in this particular job is we’re facing each other. If he was facing someone else or someone else, I believe his job would be the same and my job would be the same.

Mitchell
I definitely I feel that to say I look at it like this-this is a business. My opponent’s going to prepare. I’m going to prepare. I want everybody to do what a lot of fighters out there, they hate all other fighters because they’re doing this and they’re doing that. The bottom line, when you get in the ring, you have to do what you’re supposed to do. If you take care of what you’re supposed to do, then everything will be all right, and I truly believe that if I hate on somebody else and don’t want them to succeed, God is not going to continue to bless me and that’s just how I look at it. That’s just my nature.

Q
Because of the way the first fight ended, do you feel that you need to not only win this fight but win in a really explosive way?

Mitchell
I need to win the fight. That’s my mindset. Obviously, I always want to go out there and I want to look impressive, and my style resonates with the fans and with the people, but at this point in time, these days in my career especially with this fight, the victory is most important. I’ve got to get the W.

Q
You were just talking about being professional and doing your job. What do you think about the way that Malignaggi and Broner are approaching their fight in the main event?

Mitchell
To each his own. I’m big fans of both of them. Adrien Broner and me have a personal relationship, but I know Paul Malignaggi but not on a personal relationship level, but both of them are hell of a fighters and I can’t speak on how they feel their fight. That’s just what they do. To each his own, but I know I’m looking forward to a good fight.

Q
Okay. For Johnathon, you stopped him early in the first fight, so you already have kind of a blueprint on how to do it. Are you going to be looking to just go out and land something big again? Is that the way to beat Seth Mitchell?

Banks
I think going out trying to land something big is the way you get some big. So, I didn’t plan that the first fight. I didn’t go out trying to land something big, and I’m not going to go out there this time trying to look smack-down big. I’m a boxer, that’s what I do, move around the box. So, if I see an opening, I’ll try to capitalize on it, but like you say, it’s going to be a couple battles, it’s going to be a tough fight, but am I looking to go out there, start winging punches and see what happens? No, that’s not what I’m going to do.

Q
Same question for you about Malignaggi and Broner. What do you think of the way they’re approaching the fight in terms of the way that you and Seth are approaching the fight?

Banks
Well, it’s almost the same thing that Mitchell said. To each his own. This is what they-these are these guys’ personalities, and I think no matter what, when you have two fighters, you must show their personalities. These guys’ fans, they’re talkers. It’s what they do. It’s their personalities. So, that’s what they’re doing.

Q
Okay. Just one last question for you-are you still sparring at all with Vladimir when you’re training him now or do you just leave that to the other people?

Banks
I leave it to other people. I haven’t seen Vladimir in a little while, so I leave it to the other guys. I leave it to the other guys to do so.

Swanson
That’s the end of our call. You guys, if you want to make one last quick comment and we’ll let you go back to the gym, I imagine. Why don’t we start with Seth?

Mitchell
I just want to just thanks everybody again for being on the call. It’s been a long time coming. I’m well prepared. I know Johnathon and I know you’re prepared, but just be ready for a good fight because I’m going to bring it. June 22nd is going to be a good fight and I definitely plan on being victorious.

Banks
Thank you, Kelly. I wish Seth Mitchell a good training camp, a good finishing of the camp, hopefully no injuries and I wish myself the same thing. Once again, I am really I’m excited. I look forward to Jun 22nd. It’s going to be a very good show.

Swanson
Awesome. Thanks you guys. Thanks, everybody, for joining us and we’ll see you on the 22nd and we’ll also have an update on the 22nd as far as tight league information, soon to be distributed to the media. Thank you so much. Bye.

END OF CALL

Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi’s WBA Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, June 22, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions’ sponsors Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell as he defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Super Middle weight World Championship. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets, priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning on Saturday, April 27 at noon ET. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com or www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/paulmalignaggi, www.twitter.com/AdrienBroner, www.twitter.com/BanksBoxingEnt, www.twitter.com/sethmayhem24 www.twitter.com/barclayscenter and www.twitter.com/SHOSports, follow the conversation using #PaulieBroner or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOSports.

BROOKLYN (April 25, 2013) – Since the beginning of their professional careers, Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi and Adrien “The Problem” Broner, two of the biggest talkers in all of boxing, have never been afraid to speak up. Now, the time has come to put up or shut up as Malignaggi will defend his WBA Welterweight World Championship against undefeated Two-Division World Champion Broner on Saturday, June 22 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® main event. Plus, the heavyweight rematch the world has been waiting for is set as Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell in the co-feature for Banks’ NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles.

Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi’s WBA Welterweight World Championship is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T with Banks vs. Mitchell being presented in association with K2 Promotions. The SHOWTIME Championship Boxing telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets, priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, go on sale Saturday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m. ET and will be available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning on Saturday, April 27 at noon ET. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

“This fight was the main motivation for winning my second world championship last year,” said Malignaggi. “I wanted be in a huge main event at Barclays Center. This is a blockbuster event and I can’t wait to make a successful title defense in Brooklyn where my roots are.”

“Paulette better be in some shape,” said Broner. “On June 22, I will be a three-time world champion in three weight classes at just 23-years-old.”

“I feel very good about this fight,” said Banks. “I expect a more determined and a more powerful Seth Mitchell for the rematch and I look forward to the challenge on June 22nd. I’m excited to be fighting and intend to put on a terrific performance for those in attendance at Barclays Center as well as those watching on SHOWTIME.”

“I’m excited about my opportunity to rematch Johnathon Banks on June 22 at Barclays Center,” said Mitchell. “I was disappointed with my last performance against him and look forward to meeting him in the ring once again. My team has been working extremely hard in preparation for this fight. I’m confident that my performance on June 22nd will properly showcase my abilities and will reignite talks of me competing for the heavyweight championship of the world.”

“Once again, we’re lookingforward to bringing a blockbuster fight to Brooklyn at Barclays Center,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “Paulie Malignaggi is the type of fighter that is not going to let anyone take his belt from him on his home turf, but he has his work cut out for him against one of the most talented fighters in the sport in undefeated rising superstar Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner. Add in the rematch between Johnathon Banks and Seth Mitchell and it’s safe to say that the fireworks will be flying a few weeks before the Fourth of July.”

“All of us at the network are thrilled to have Adrien in his SHOWTIME debut, especially in a tough fight against the very smart and crafty world champion Paulie Malignaggi,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “When this fight first came available, I jumped at the chance to have it on SHOWTIME. This fight was one of the most talked about match ups of the year before it was even announced.”

“We are proud to host Brooklyn’s own Paulie Malignaggi for his second fight at Barclays Center,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets. “Paulie is a true pro at captivating audiences with his quick boxing skills, flashy style and invigorating personality. He is Brooklyn. While Paulie will certainly be the crowd favorite, we expect Adrien Broner to give him a great fight in what is sure to be another memorable night of championship boxing at Barclays Center.”

“All of us at the network are thrilled to have Adrien Broner in his SHOWTIME debut, especially in a tough fight against the very smart and crafty world champion Paulie Malignaggi,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “When this fight first came available, I jumped at the chance to have it on SHOWTIME. This fight was one of the most talked about match ups of the year before it was even announced.”

One of Brooklyn’s favorite fighting sons, Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KO’s) is a two-division world champion known for his lighting fast hands and even faster mouth. He first made his mark in the 140-pound weight class when he defeated Lovemore N’dou in 2007 for the IBF crown. In 2010, Malignaggi made the move up to welterweight and in April 2012 he captured the WBA welterweight title, traveling to the Ukraine to stop Vyacheslav Senchenko in his hometown. He has defended his belt once thus far, decisioning Pablo Cesar Cano at Barclays Center last October. Also well known for his role as color commentator on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, the 32-year-old who has faced the likes of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz, will look to stop the rise of Adrien Broner a few miles from his home in Brooklyn.

At 23 years old, Adrien Broner (26-0, 22 KO’s) has captivated the boxing world with his work inside the ring and flashy charisma outside of it. Unbeaten as a pro, with a skill set that allows him to box or bang, and possessing a warrior’s attitude and heart, Broner won the WBO junior lightweight title in 2011 with a third round knockout of Vicente Martin Rodriguez. After knockouts of Eloy Perez and Vicente Escobedo, he moved up to 135 pounds, winning the WBC title with a thoroughly dominating eighth round technical knockout of Antonio DeMarco last November. Most recently, Broner stopped Gavin Rees in five rounds in February, and on June 22, he will make the leap from 135 to 147 pounds to challenge “The Magic Man.” Should he win, he will join Roberto Duran, Roy Jones Jr. and Robert Guerrero as the only fighters to win a world championship in their first fight after jumping a weight class.

The owner of one of boxing’s most inspirational stories, Johnathon Banks (29-1-1, 19 KO’s) captured the hearts of fight fans last fall. Shortly after the death of his mentor and trainer, Emanuel Steward, Banks took over for the legendary Hall of Famer as the trainer of Heavyweight World Champion Wladimir Klitschko in his title defense win over Mariusz Wach in November. A week later, the 30-year-old from Detroit stepped into the ring himself, and stunned the boxing world with his second round technical knockout win over Mitchell. On June 22, he’ll look to do it again.

Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (25-1-1, 19 KO’s) is eager for the opportunity to avenge his only pro loss when he faces Banks at the end of June. A former standout Michigan State University linebacker, Mitchell tore through his opposition in the boxing ring for over four years, most notably beating Taurus Sykes, Timur Ibragimov, and Chazz Witherspoon, all by knockout. Now he’ll have to show the resilience of a champion as he attempts to even the score on June 22.

A full undercard will be announced shortly.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com or www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/paulmalignaggi, www.twitter.com/AdrienBroner,www.twitter.com/BanksBoxingEnt, www.twitter.com/sethmayhem24www.twitter.com/barclayscenter and www.twitter.com/SHOSports, follow the conversation using #MalignaggiBroner or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOSports

After the fallout of the Jonathon Banks – Seth Mitchell co-feature for this Saturday’s HBO World Championship boxing card featuring WBC Lightweight champion Adrien Broner battling Gavin Rees, HBO has decided iy will air the WBC Super Middleweight elimination bout between Sakio Bika and Nikola Sjekloca according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I think it’s terrific,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. “It is a fight which I was hoping get televised anyway and I didn’t have a spot, but the fight had to happen [because it’s an official eliminator] so we put it on the card and it wasn’t going to be televised. Bika is a come-forward guy who makes good fights and my matchmakers tell me that Sjekloca is an exciting come-forward guy as well, so it should be a terrific fight and I am happy HBO is picking it up.”

The winner of the fight is due to become a mandatory challenger for super middleweight champion Andre Ward, already an owner of a lopsided decision win against Bika, who has won two fights in a row since that defeat.

“Obviously, since HBO is deeply invested in the 168-pound weight class, I feel this is the right spot for this fight to air,” Schaefer added.

PLUS CHARLES WHITTAKER VS. DEMETRIUS HOPKINS,

VICENTE ESCOBEDO VS. EDNER CHERRY AND

2012 UNITED STATES OLYMPIANS RAU’SHEE WARREN AND

JAMEL HERRING SET FOR UNDERCARD

ATLANTIC CITY, February 13 – After a broken thumb forced Johnathon Banks to withdraw from his February 16 rematch with Seth Mitchell, Golden Boy Promotions has announced that a pivotal 12-round WBC super middleweight title eliminator between unbeaten number one rated contender Nikola Sjekloca and number two rated contender Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika will move into the HBO World Championship Boxing co-main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey before Adrien Broner defends his world title against Gavin Rees.

Plus, the stacked non-televised undercard will feature a USBA Junior Middleweight title fight between Charles Whittaker and Demetrius Hopkins, a junior lightweight bout pitting Vicente Escobedo against Edner Cherry and appearances by 2012 United States Olympians Rau’Shee Warren and Jamel Herring.

Budva, Montenegro’s Nikola Sjekloca (25-0, 7 KO’s) is a skilled boxer whose long hours in the gym and the ring are finally starting to pay off as he makes his way to the ring in Atlantic City for his first fight in the United States. A professional since 2006, the 34-year-old Sjekloca has been dominant while fighting in Europe, winning the WBC International and WBC Mediterranean titles along the way. His quest won’t be complete until he adds a world title to his resume and a win over Bika will put him one win away from that goal.

A punishing puncher whose aggressive style has stopped 21 foes in their tracks, 33-year-old Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika (30-5-2, 21 KO’s) has been among the best in the world for years, with the only thing eluding him being a world championship belt. A 2000 Olympian for Cameroon who also won NBC’s hit boxing reality show “The Contender” in 2007, Bika’s list of vanquished opponents includes Sam Soliman, Jaidon Codrington and Peter Manfredo Jr. The winner of two straight and coming off of a 10th round technical knockout over Dyah Davis last June, Bika is fired up for his February 16 showdown with Sjekloca.

Back in a fighting rhythm after a layoff of over a year, Philadelphia’s Demetrius “The Gladiator” Hopkins (32-2-1, 12 KO’s) has looked sharp in his new weight class of 154 pounds, shutting out Doel Carrasquillo and stopping Joshua Snyder in his first two fights in the division. However, the truest test of his ability to challenge the elite at junior middleweight thus far will come on February 16 when he meets up with Miami’s Charles Whittaker (39-13-2, 23 KO’s). A hard-hitting late bloomer who has won 15 of his last 16 bouts, the 39-year-old Whittaker will push Hopkins hard for 12 rounds if necessary in defense of his USBA Junior Middleweight title, but the “Killa” would love to end matters sooner than that.

2004 United States Olympian Vicente Escobedo (26-4, 15 KO’s) will make his first start since a July 2012 title fight loss to Adrien Broner on Saturday night and the 31-year-old Woodland, California native can’t wait to score a win and get back on track for another shot at a world championship. Standing in his way will be Miami veteran Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry (30-6-2, 16 KO’s), a former world title challenger at 140 pounds whose return to his optimum weight class of junior lightweight has seen him go unbeaten in his last seven bouts.

Three-Time United States Olympian Rau’shee Warren (2-0) has left the amateur game behind as he searches for professional gold and he’s off to a good start thus far wins in both of his bouts. On February 16, the bantamweight prospect will join his fellow Cincinnati native Adrien Broner on one of the most highly-anticipated cards of the year in a four-round battle against Wharton, Texas’ Richard Hernandez (0-5).

Rockville Centre, New York’s Jamel Herring (1-0) proudly represented the United States at the 2012 London Olympics and after his professional debut win over Puerto Rico’s Jose Valderrama on December 8, the lightweight prospect will seek his second victory the weekend against Carlos Lopez (4-2) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a four-round.

In lightweight action, Toledo’s Robert Easter Jr. (2-0, 2 KO’s) will meet up with the aforementioned Valderrama (3-3, 3 KO’s) from Manati, Puerto Rico in a four-round fight and opening up the show will be Philadelphia’s Wahid Rahim (3-0, 1 KO) facing Allentown, Pennsylvania’s Ismael Serrano who will be making his professional debut.

Broner vs. Rees, a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, February 16 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, R & R Promotions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City and Corona and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be a 12-round WBC super middleweight title eliminator between undefeated number one rated contender Nikola Sjekloca and number two rated contender Sakio Bika

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/AdrienBroner,www.twitter.com/ChenteEscobedo, www.twitter.com/RausheeWarren, www.twitter.com/RobertEaster_Jr, www.twitter.com/JamelHerring, www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and www.twitter.com/HBOboxing, follow the conversation using #BronerRees or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/HBOboxing.

LOS ANGELES (February 6) – Due to a broken right thumb suffered by Johnathon Banks during training, his fight against Seth Mitchell, scheduled as the co-main event of the February 16 HBO World Championship Boxing telecast, has been postponed. A new date for the bout is currently being scheduled and will be announced shortly. The February 16 event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City will still take place as scheduled.

# # #

Broner vs. Rees, a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, February 16 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, R & R Promotions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Philadelphia, PA—Undefeated heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings, with his sights set on a world heavyweight championship fight, now is willing to step in for the injured Jonathon Banks and take on once-beaten Seth Mitchell on Feb. 16 in Atlantic City, NJ

Jennings, who beat then-undefeated lefty Maurice Byarm on six days’ notice one year ago, stays in shape and will gladly fight Mitchell on the HBO-televised card, according to his promoter, J Russell Peltz.

“If we cannot get (Wladimir) Klitschko, we’ll keep calling out all the other heavyweights until one of them decides to fight Bryant,” Peltz said. “Today’s fighters have to get in shape. The old-timers stayed in shape and Jennings trains like the old-timers—he’s always ready.

“I spoke with Eric Gomez (Golden Boy matchmaker) today and told him Jennings was ready, willing and able.”

Jennings, 28, of Philadelphia, is ranked No. 3 by the IBF and No. 22 by the WBC. He turned pro in 2010 and is 16-0, 8 K0s, and he holds the USBA heavyweight title.

An unknown at this time last year, Jennings broke into the heavyweight picture by winning five fights in 2013.
In addition to beating Byarm, he also K0d ex-WBO champion Sergei Liakhovich and he won the vacant USBSA title by pitching a shutout against iron-chinned Steve Collins, of Houston, TX.

In his last fight Dec. 8 in Philadelphia, Jennings defended the USBA crown by knocking out Bowie Tupou, of Tonga, in five rounds.

All of those 2013 fights were televised as part of the NBC Sports Network Fight Night series.

“Let them (Golden Boy) put the money on the table they gave to Chazz Witherspoon or to Jonathon Banks and we’ll be happy to accommodate them,” said Fred Jenkins, who manages and trains Jennings. “We’re right here in Philadelphia and we’ll bring plenty of fans to the fight.”

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (February 5) – When it comes to Valentine’s Day, even the toughest guys can be softies. This is the case with WBC Lightweight World Champion Adrien Broner, NABO & WBC International Heavyweight Champion Johnathon Banks and heavyweight contender Seth Mitchell. Despite being deep in training camp for their respective February 16 fights at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City which will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, Broner, Banks and Mitchell took time to discuss their Valentine’s Day memories, secret admirers and their special some ones for this year.

Even Broner, whose ring name is “The Problem,” offered his recipe for a successful relationship saying, “If you feel like you have somebody special, hold on to them, don’t let them go and fight for them.”

VALENTINE’S DAY Q&A:

Q: Do you remember your first Valentine? If so, what grade were you in and why was she your Valentine?

Adrien Broner: Should I name all eight? I was in first grade and they were all cute. I have had all types of Valentines. I even had teachers as Valentines.

Johnathon Banks: My first Valentine was in the third grade. I thought she was pretty. She was in the same class as me and was the smartest girl in the class. Brains and beauty, I fell for her like a sack of rocks.

Seth Mitchell: My first real Valentine was in the 10th grade. She was my first Valentine because we were actually dating at the time. I didn’t have a car, so her mom came, picked us up and dropped us off at Red Lobster. We ate dinner and then went to a movie. Then her mom came and picked us up and dropped me back off at home. I was able to sneak in a hug, but that’s about it. It was a fun night though.

Q: What was the nicest Valentine you ever received?

Adrien Broner: I have gotten too many to count. I got a huge heart shaped cake once, which was pretty tasty. Other than that, I would rather not say…

Johnathon Banks: The nicest Valentine I received was a teddy bear, candy and a card with money from a girl when I was 15. She became my girlfriend after that. She knew that I liked her and I knew she liked me, but I was too shy at the time.

Seth Mitchell: When I was a junior in college, my girlfriend at the time invited me over. When I walked into her apartment, slow jams were playing. I could smell something good cooking in the kitchen. I sat and watched her put the final touches on the meal she was making for me, while she wearing my favorite pumps. It was the beginning of a very romantic evening…let’s just say that girl ended up being my wife.

Q: What was the best/most exciting Valentine’s Day gift you have given someone?

Adrien Broner: I am usually in training camp so that’s tough, but I always send gifts. This year, I am sending my girlfriend a huge teddy bear, it’s as big as a couch. All I can say is when it comes to Valentine’s Day presents, you have to go all out, every time. Every year, presents should be better than the year before.

Johnathon Banks: I gave my mom a large sum of cash on Valentine’s Day a couple of years back. The smile on her face was priceless.

Seth Mitchell: When I’m with my wife, I pay attention to comments she makes about things she likes while we are at the mall or out and about. I make mental notes of these things and Valentine’s Day is one day out of many days of the year, where I try to surprise her by getting her a gift to make her day special.

Q: Did you ever have a secret Valentine or crush that you always wondered about?

Adrien Broner: All the girls that were cute back then have kids now and are all out of shape…so no.

Johnathon Banks: I don’t remember having a secret Valentine, but I have always had a crush on [actress] Halle Berry.

Seth Mitchell: Growing up, [actress] Nia Long was my wish for a Valentine. I thought she was beautiful and I have a thing for dark-skinned women. I thought she was a natural beauty.

Q: When was your first kiss? Who was she and how did it happen?

Adrien Broner: Whew. I don’t know. I can’t think that far back. It was like really early. I was a ‘baby kid.’

Johnathon Banks: It was in the fifth grade, after a choir assembly in an after school program. I was scared and shaking-I kissed her on the lips.

Seth Mitchell: My first kiss was when I was in the second grade. The girl I kissed was in the fourth grade. She lived next door to me. It happened on her porch. We were just talking and one thing led to another. I was scared and I didn’t know what I was doing. It took a few more years to perfect my technique.

Q: Even though it will be two days before your fight, who is your Valentine this year and why?

Adrien Broner: My girlfriend. We are going to celebrate Valentine’s Day after the fight. It’s going to be good.

Johnathon Banks: I don’t have one this year, I’ll send flowers to my mom like I do every year.

Seth Mitchell: My Valentine this year is my wife. She’s my best friend. She knows what makes me happy. She has given me my children, who are my two most precious gifts. I trust her and I can confide in her. She makes me feel special by just being around me.

# # #

Broner vs. Rees, a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, February 16 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, R&R Promotions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be a 12-round heavyweight rematch between Johnathon Banks and Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell for Banks’ NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles which is co-promoted by K2 Promotions.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Detroit, Mich. (January 28) – NABO and WBC International Heavyweight Champion Johnathon Banks hosted a media workout at Bad Boy Gym in Detroit on Tuesday, January 22 in preparation for his upcoming rematch against Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell on Saturday, February 16 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City which will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. He also hosted a roundtable discussion last Saturday, January 19 in New York City during which he discussed his upcoming fight. Here’s what Banks had to say about his upcoming fight at those two media gatherings.

JOHNATHON BANKS ROUNDTABLE QUOTES

“Seth Mitchell has contradicted himself. Right after the fight he was very humble, gave me respect for the win and said he was going to have to go back to the drawing board, work his way back to the position he was in. Now I hear him saying things like ‘I didn’t win the fight or knock him out because I was the better man that night’ and that it was his mistakes that were the cause of the loss. I find that to be out of character for this guy who seemed to be humble and respectful of me as a fighter prior to the first fight. When I lost to Adamek as a cruiserweight, I lost.

“I can see him coming for the knockout this time. He says he is going to be different this time. I believe he will be.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and it is a lonely man’s sport. I’ve experienced the bottom, middle and top. I experienced hunger and what it really feels like to sacrifice to have your dreams come true.

“I had a great night that night [November 17]. I had a lot of confidence and a special motivation. Once you feel your reason for being there, you get out there, find your rhythm and go to work. It was a great night and I do wish Emanuel [Steward] were there physically to see it happen. He would have been so happy. I miss him everyday still but know he is happy for me and will continue to lend me his spirit when I am training or getting ready for a fight.

“After I won I was in a great position and thought, okay, let’s move on. It took so long for the first fight to happen as it was pushed back, postponed and now here we are again. I just said to myself ‘I’m just going to have to stay here a little bit longer.’ I’m fine with that because I’m confident the results will be the same as the first fight in the sense that I will come out victorious.

“For me to be fighting back on HBO so soon after the first fight is a great opportunity. If your goal is to become the heavyweight champion of the world, you should be fighting on the world network, which for me is HBO.

“I think fans look at the heavyweight division differently now. I feel that I can knockout anyone I catch. I feel very strongly I can do that.

“I think the American heavyweight division is crawling back from the hole it found itself in these past few years. There are a lot of talented fighters right now on the scene and that makes the division very exciting.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve trained for a fight at home in Detroit instead of overseas, but it’s been exactly the same. I do what I need to and get ready for the fight in a very quiet, professional atmosphere, just like it’s always been. I’ve got a job to do and it doesn’t matter where it’s at.”

JOHNATHON BANKS WORKOUT QUOTES

“Like all of my camps, I’m working on my balance, my speed and on my defense, making sure the little things are taken care of.

“I like a quiet camp, even here in Detroit, no time for socializing with friends leading up to the fight. Just Sugar (Hill) and I like it always is. Wladimir calls all the time so we talk a great deal as we would at his camps.

“I did two weeks of conditioning in Los Angeles and now we’ll have four weeks in Detroit until fight week.

“My schedule is up at 5 a.m., run for an hour, breakfast at 8 a.m., nap, lunch at noon and gym at 2 p.m. It almost feels like I should be doing something else because I was so busy in my last camp training Wladimir while also preparing for the first bout with Mitchell. Like my plate is only half full.

“After my first professional loss it took a little while to regain my confidence, but I’m sure Seth will have his. I’m preparing for the very best, focused Mitchell. I expect him to be much better this time and I’ll be ready.”

Kelly Swanson
Thank you, everybody, for calling in. We appreciate you participating in this conference call. We are here on the line with a wonderful card that we’re going to be announcing February 16th. It’s really kind of a return of three of the participants that were in Atlantic City on November 17th last year, again, bringing a lot of relief to the residents of Atlantic City because it had just happened after the hurricane.

So, the guys did a great job. It was a wonderful fight night and now we’re back again. And we’re going to just start the call with the heavyweights and then move into the lightweights. I’m going to go ahead and introduce Oscar de la Hoya who is going to talk a little bit about the fight and then make the introductions. Oscar.

Oscar de la Hoya
Yes, I’m here. Thank you very much. We’re extremely, extremely excited to once again return back to Atlantic City where first and foremost we were able to raise a big amount of money that went towards the Boys and Girls Clubs there in Atlantic City.

In our last outing with Adrien Broner, with Banks, also with Seth Mitchell, so it was an exciting, exciting event and a very successful event in terms of giving back to Atlantic City.

The main event, as you know Adrien Broner vs. Gavin Rees will be at WBC Lightweight World Title fight and we also have the co-main events, which will be a 12 round, NABO and WBC Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship fight, which will feature Johnathon Banks vs. Seth Mitchell. This event is being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T.

We are very pleased to be televising this event live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. eastern time and the tickets are priced relatively cheap, with ringside being at $200, going down to $150 and you can watch this incredible event for only $25.

At this moment I would like to take the opportunity to introduce one of the participants who will be fighting on the co-main event. His record is 25-1 with 19 knockouts. He is from Brandywine, Maryland. He’s a former standout at Michigan State University, where he was a linebacker. And he’s become relatively quickly one of the fighters in the heavyweight division to bring back excitement to the heavyweight division here in the United States.

He is no stranger to Atlantic City. People, the fans there love him. He brings an exciting style. He’s a puncher who definitely brings a lot to the table when it comes to excitement. Let me introduce to you Seth Mitchell.

Seth Mitchell
Thanks, Oscar. Appreciate that. First and foremost I’d like to say Happy New Year to everybody that’s listening on the call. And I want to thank my promotional company, Golden Boy. I want to thank my team, Al Haymon at HBO for just providing me with this opportunity again. I also want to thank Johnathon Banks for accepting the rematch and fighting me again.

It was a tough defeat for me. Mentally and physically I was fine after the fight, but just experiencing that first loss it was a tough pill to swallow, but I tell people it’s a gift. I’ve been in the game for, actually, yesterday was six years all together amateur and pro, so I’m learning on the job, but I’m a quick learner and I definitely learned a lot from that fight. And a lot of people said Emanuel Steward had a lot to do with the fight and things of that nature.

I don’t really look too much into that because I said if I had gone out there and I had blown Johnathon Banks out in the first round people would have said, well, he had a lot on his plate and things of that nature, so I learned a lot. I’m excited for this fight. I’ve been in training camp basically since December. I’ve been training so I’m very focused for the fight.

Again, I want to thank Johnathon for accepting the fight and I’m definitely looking forward to the fight and looking forward to a difference. I tell people I’m fighting at the same time, same venue, same opponent, just a different outcome this time. So, I’m definitely looking forward to putting on another great fight for the fans and I’m excited.

De La Hoya
Thank you very much, Seth. And just to add, Seth Mitchell is the one who wanted this rematch and it goes to show you the character, it goes to show you the hard work that he’s putting into this rematch. I strongly believe we will see a stronger, faster and, most importantly, wiser Seth Mitchell, one fighter who was on the canvas, got back up and is going to fight even harder, so this is one fight that we’re really, really looking forward to live on HBO Championship Boxing.

So, now it is my pleasure to introduce to you, who will introduce Johnathon Banks; he is a managing director of K2 Promotions, to introduce his fighter, Tom Loeffler.

Tom Loeffler
Thank you, Oscar. We’re excited to be working again with Golden Boy on this fight and with the rematch. As everybody saw in the first fight it was a very exciting heavyweight fight. Seth Mitchell was touted to be, at that time, the fastest rising American heavyweight and he had a lot of exposure on HBO, had tremendous knockouts in his career, so what Johnathon accomplished in that fight with training Wladimir Klitschko the week before and then going through the funeral services of Emanuel Steward and then coming back and having his win on HBO again. So, Seth Mitchell was a tremendous accomplishment.

We’re looking forward to the rematch. I’d like to at this point introduce Banks. He’s rated number three right now in the WBC and number five in the WBO, America’s Heavyweight right now, Johnathon Banks.

Johnathon Banks
Thanks a lot, Tom. First of all, I want to say hello to everybody who is on the call. I look forward to the fight February on HBO. I look forward to the rematch. As always, my hat continuously pulls off to Seth Mitchell because he always shows a lot of character, which is something I personally admire in fighters because a lot of fighters don’t do that. So, I personally just want to take my hat off to him, as always.

And I know he’s going to come back stronger. I know he’s going to come back even more prepared than the first time and I’m really looking forward to a good competitive fight.

Q
Seth, can you just kind of give us an idea of what you learned from the last fight against Johnathon Banks and what you want to do differently this time to get a different outcome?

Mitchell
We had a great game plan going into the fight, but as I watched the fight tape, even though hands down I won the first round, my balance and my distance were terrible in that fight. And I got a little overzealous, audacious, so just patience and I’m definitely working on my balance and my distance and it’s just a learning process, but I’m a sponge, man, and learning lessons sometimes you’ve got to get knocked down to grow.

In my case you’ve got to get knocked down three times. And I’ve got to say it was a tough pill to swallow, but it definitely made me a better fighter and we’ve just been working on my eyes and my balance and my distance, just not being so aggressive naturally. If you know me, when it comes to competing I’m a pit bull; I’m very aggressive, but I’ve just got to learn how to channel that and use it and do it at the right time.

Q
Seth, I just want to ask you, I heard what you said about it’s a learning experience and the things you said you were working on with the balance and the distance, but I think you know as well as anybody that if you go into a big time, any kind of fight, but especially a big fight on network like HBO with a lot of people watching, fans, media, etc., and you lose a second time in a row, it’s extraordinarily bad for somebody’s career.

How much pressure do you feel that this is a, they’re all must wins I guess in this business, but even more than your must win fight?

Mitchell
Well, absolutely. I like to be where the stakes are high. When I went back in the dressing room after the fight, when I talked to Al Haymon I asked him two questions. I asked him how much did this set me back and when can I get a rematch.

So, I just want it to be known that I wanted this rematch. It’s not like I was forced into the rematch. Not taking anything away from Johnathon Banks, but I feel that I can beat Johnathon Banks and that’s just the type of person I am. That’s my character. It’s not me being arrogant or anything. But I would be lying to you if I didn’t know that this was a vital fight in my career, not to say that it’s a career ending fight, but it definitely would set me back.

I want to be where the stakes are high. This is the classroom that I want to be in and I understand that I’m young in the game and I’m learning, but I’ve got to learn and win at the same time and that’s something that I know and I’m very focused and I definitely expect to win the rematch.

Q
Seth, could you just address also that when the fight was over and you’re back in the dressing room and it’s starting now to sort of set in what happened, what were you thinking about? Were you like I can’t believe what just happened or were you just in shock? What was your emotion at that time because, no disrespect to Johnathon, it was considered to be a major upset because of what happened. And not only that you lost, because we knew that John was also a good fighter, but it was the manner in which you lost that was probably most surprising.

What were you feeling? Were you just dumbfounded, like you couldn’t believe that that just happened?

Mitchell
The first two days, it was like you just said, did this really just happen? Did I just lose this fight? But actually, it was better that it happened that way than if I’d have went out there and just got totally outclassed with four, five, six rounds and then got knocked out.

So, I’m an optimistic person. I try to look at the glass as half full, but it was difficult. Like I say, thanks to Johnathon I didn’t enjoy my Thanksgiving. Even though, it was funny, I’m looking at my wife, she’s cooking dinner and everything and the kids are running around, all of the blessings that I have around me, but I still had that sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

So, it’s just going to make me a better fighter and a stronger fighter, but it took me about a week to get over the fight. But then, after that, it was just you got to get better. It’s a learning experience and that’s how I took it.

Q
John, a question for you about the fight. You won the fight. It was a resounding victory. You scored a bunch of knockdowns and stop a highly touted guy in the second round. You know, it’s pretty definitive. So, my question for you is he had a rematch clause that he exercised, obviously. You were contractually bound to take this fight and you’ll be once again on HBO. I assume you’re getting a better payday than you got the first time around.

But after scoring such a big victory, are you a little disappointed maybe that you have to go back in with him as opposed to moving on to something bigger and better?

Banks
You said, am I disappointed?

Q
Yeah, because when you score that kind of win in a resounding fashion, most times guys, it’s not like it was a close decision or it was controversial, or was a draw. You went out there and basically did what you had to do. You got rid of him in two rounds and most guys after that move on. But he had the rematch clause, so now you really didn’t have a choice, I suppose, to take this.

So, some guys might be a little resentful of that because you might have had an opportunity to move on to something bigger and better, unless this is the better fight for you?

Banks
Yeah, I mean, I definitely wanted to move on to something different or, I wouldn’t say bigger or better any time. But I would have wanted to move on to something different, but you’ve got to go with what the paper, what’s in black and white. And he chose to exercise the rematch clause. That’s what he wanted so that’s what we’re going to do.

I think that I can’t stop taking my hat off to the dude because I would have done the same thing if I was in his position. He’s a true fighter at heart and that’s what fighters do. So, I wasn’t shocked about it, but I thought I would have been there doing something different, but it didn’t totally shock me because I knew going into the fight, I knew what type of guy I was facing.

I knew I was facing an extremely relentless dude that was all straightforward, that was coming for a victory. No matter how he was going to get it, I knew he was coming for that. So, I wasn’t surprised that he wanted that. So, it’s no resentment as far as I should be doing something else. This is what’s in front of me and that’s basically what I’m focusing on.

Q
And you just expect to do the same thing once again?

Banks
In my opinion I look forward to a victory. I don’t know how. I didn’t know how the first one was going to come and I don’t know how the second one is going to come, but I’m confident about Johnathon and I do believe I’ll be victorious.

Q
Seth, I was looking up, I know you haven’t used the word revenge or anything like that. But you did talk about the sick feeling, so I looked up a word, redemption, and I came up with a couple of definitions. And I wanted to see how you thought this applies to you.

It says, “to make good, to get over or to win back, to change for the better or to eliminate blame or doubt.” Does that word apply to you in this situation and, if so, how?

Mitchell
I want to get this nasty taste out of my mouth, I want to win the fight. This is what I do to support my family as of right now and I have to continue to win. So, I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s redemption because Johnathon, he came out there and he did what he was supposed to do and that’s what I plan on doing this time.

I plan on coming out victorious. But I definitely want to; I’m the type of person, I don’t get too high off the praise and I don’t let the criticism bring me down to much. So, when you say that I want eliminate doubt, just like he said, he believes in himself, I believe in myself. I believe in Seth Mitchell.

And I just want to go out there and not prove to myself because I believe in myself already. I just want to go out and get this victory, I want to right this wrong, that’s basically what I want to do.

Q
Johnathon, one of the things that you said about Seth and you also I think mentioned about Travis Walker kind of goes along with some of the things that Evander Holyfield once told me and he said that he really appreciates when a bigger fighter comes to him because he feels like he can set him up and he feels like there’s a lot of real estate to hit.

You kind of implied that one of the best things about Seth is that he’s going to come to you. Can you characterize what you mean by that and why that was, I don’t know if we want to call it an advantage, but preferable to you possibly?

Banks
Well, it’s not an advantage of any kind, but it’s just my particular style, that when a guy comes forward a lot of times it’s almost you can see or not too much see, but you almost know. If someone’s coming forward you pretty much know they’re coming forward to punch.

So, that’s basically the situation. But that’s what happened, I guess, the first time around, but what I’m understanding and the reality of it is that happened the first time around, but I’ve really got a big guy feeling that I’m going to get a different opponent the second time around because like the dude said, he said he’s a sponge and he soaked up a lot of knowledge and he’s forever continuously learning so I believe the second time around everything will be really different on his side.

But that’s usually what I mean when I say about someone coming forward towards me is that’s just me; I see things a little different.

Q
When you say you think he’s going to be different, how do you fathom him being different as a fighter and you’re a boxer? I’ve seen fights where you will just go ahead and box your way to victory. So, how do you imagine this being a different fight?

Banks
The only thing we can do, especially as fighters and trainers actually, too, the only thing we can do is assume how this guy is going to be. The difference is knowing that you’re going against a top level guy, knowing you’re going against someone who’s, like he said, you want to right a wrong that’s done, he has to look at himself; he already said he knew what he did wrong. So, that’s already being corrected as we speak.

So, therefore the way I just figure that when I say I’m facing a different guy, I think he’s going to come at me a little different and I have to come at him different because we’ve been in a square circle once before. So, we’ve both got to come at each other a little different. It would be very ignorant of me to walk on this fight thinking the same thing, that I’m fighting the style of guy, same type of guy I fought the first match. I’m not going to do anything like that.

Q
How difficult has it been to recharge your battery since a loss that can be described as stunning no less. Was it tough for you to get back in the gym and have you worked harder than you did before or have you pretty much been the same?

Mitchell
It wasn’t hard at all. The eighth of this month has been six years total that I’ve been boxing and I’ve never been out of the gym longer than three weeks. And so we fought November 17. I was back in the gym on December 1, I was back in the gym training. I hadn’t started a training camp yet.

I start my training camp usually about two months out, but I never underestimate any opponent before I get into the ring and I’m always in shape when I get into the ring, so as far as me training harder and getting in better shape, I was in tiptop shape when I fought Johnathon the first time and we definitely have just made a conscious effort on some technical things as far as balance and things of that nature, so we’ve really been focusing on that.

But I’ve been getting good work and just learning. Like I said, I definitely learned a lot from this fight and I think the people and the fans, they’ll see a better Seth come the 16th of February.

Q
So, you had no problems regaining the vigor that you had previously as an undefeated fighter? Were you at all despondent at all after that loss or did you just say, okay, it’s in the past, I’m moving forward?

Mitchell
I mean, to say it didn’t hurt I would be telling a bold faced lie. I didn’t want to eat for three or four days. It took me a week. We fought on Saturday and I didn’t stop having that sick feeling in my stomach until Friday. But I never was discouraged like, oh, shit, I’ll continue boxing. That never crept into my mind at all and physically I was fine right after the fight.

But that competitor inside of me, that was hurt. And another thing I think it’s easier for one to overcome something like that. Before this fight I never once said that I’m the best, I can’t be defeated. I believe that any time somebody steps into that ring, they can be defeated, especially in the heavyweight division. It only takes one shot.

So, my mentality was there before the fight as well as afterwards. It was a tough pill to swallow. It took me about a week to get over it, but then after that it was back to the gym and you look at the fight and you learn from it and I just try to grow as a fighter. And I think I’ve done that and I believe it’ll show on the 16th.

Q
But was it hard to watch the fight again?

Mitchell
It upset me because, like I said, even though I felt that I won the first round, when I watched the first round some of the technical things that I was doing in my lunging and my reaching, it could have been over in the first round.

One time I threw a right hand and I just reached with it so bad and Johnathon stepped back and threw a little chopping shot and it just missed me and that happened. Even though I won the first round and I felt I was winning the second round, but eventually my mistakes and my lunging and reaching caught up with me, caught me with a shot that I didn’t see, equilibrium shot and the rest is history.

But it was just frustrating to watch the fight because I don’t feel that Johnathon beat me necessarily. I think that my technique and my stuff was so bad that it wouldn’t have been hard for anybody to beat me that night if they could.

Q
All right, thanks. Johnathon, you, obviously, won’t have the distractions that you had first time around. Is that going to help you do you feel?

Banks
Well, I didn’t feel I had any distractions the first time around.

Q
You didn’t? Training Wladimir and then flying to Detroit and then coming back for the fight, you didn’t look at that as being distractions?

Banks
No. It was the situation that I had to handle, but it wasn’t a distraction.

Q
Did you talk to Wladimir after the fight and did he see it and did you discuss the fight at all?

Banks
Me and Wladimir talked and yes, he saw the fight.

Q
What were his thoughts?

Banks
He just said congratulations.

Q
Seth, you indicated that you’re much like a sponge. Part of the problem with that is you seem to absorbing yet not handling very well some of the power of the heavyweights that you’ve fought before. The Witherspoon fight was an example and Johnathon taking you out like that. Does that cause you any concern going in and as you move up, assuming a victory here against some of the bigger heating heavyweights in the division and what do you to counter that?

Mitchell
No, it doesn’t concern me. With the Johnathon Banks fight, when I watched the fight, I was like wow, that shot didn’t even look that hard or whatever. But when you don’t see shots coming and by me lunging and my eyes weren’t on my target and when you don’t see shots coming, they affect you a lot more.

It’s like if you’re scared of spiders and you see a spider across the room it doesn’t affect you that much. You might still have those nerves, but you’re not as scared versus you coming into the room and I tell you, stop, there goes a spider. You know what I’m saying? You’re going to jump and you’re going to move because you don’t know where it’s at and when you don’t see shots coming, it can affect you even if they’re not that hard.

And that’s what happened in the fight. My eyes weren’t on my target. I was lunging, I was leaning over. I actually have a picture that I keep in my phone. It was right before I got knocked down and my legs were spread so far apart and I was lunging so bad and it was right before Johnathon knocked me down. I just keep that as a reminder.

But the shots that you don’t see affect you a lot more. But I’m not worried about it. You can’t let that fester in you. You’ve just got to work on getting better and doing better the next time out. That’s what I plan on doing.

Q
Coming into this fight and I know that you’re both professionals, you never overlook an opponent. Two questions for you really. One is do you think that Mitchell’s inexperience contributed to the win and will contribute to another win? One of the things that I thought I noticed was that on the inside you got the better of him. Do you expect him to change his strategy and try to keep you at the end of his punches a little bit more this time?

Banks
Well, first of all, a lot of people said something about Mitchell’s inexperience. I didn’t see, even on his previous fights, a few of them, I didn’t see his inexperience that everyone says that he has. In my opinion, what I said was, they said how can you go up against a guy – this was all before the first fight, how do you feel going against a guy that don’t have as much experience?

I said it doesn’t matter. If he catches me with a punch that first round I can’t come back from it. Experience no longer matters at that point. So, I’ve never seen Mitchell’s inexperience. Every fighter makes mistakes. We have to learn and we grew from them.

Mentally, that’s not even in my mind because all I’m looking at is there’s a big guy, he’s a big heavyweight, he can punch and he’s coming for a victory. That’s all I’m seeing. So, I don’t see no inexperience.

Q
And lastly, assuming a win in this fight, which I know you will not assume the win, but should you prevail, moving forward is a fight with Klitschko something you would consider or how difficult would that be given your familiarity and your training of Wladimir?

Banks
That’s a question that I really, really have no clue to the answer. Yes, I am the trainer of Wladimir Klitschko, so a fight with him would be so less likely. But all I can think about is Mitchell. So, to be honest about it, I can’t see past that because if I don’t go past that then everything is irrelevant.

Swanson
Okay, great everybody. Thank you so much. Heavyweights Johnathon and Seth, we appreciate you being on the phone. Any last comments before we get to the lightweights?

Banks
See you on February 16th.

Mitchell
Yes, I’ll just see everybody February 16th and I’m looking forward to putting on a good show and I’m just thankful to have this opportunity again and thankful that Johnathon accepted it.

Swanson
Okay, great. Thank you, guys. Now, if you could drop the phone, go ahead and get off the line because we have now our main event feature Adrien Broner vs. Gavin Rees for 12 rounds of WBC and Lightweight World Championship. And, again, as we mentioned at the top of the call, the card is set for Saturday, February 16th Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City promoted by Golden Promotions and RR Promotions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona, AT&T, televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. eastern and pacific.

Tickets are available. Price $200, $150 and $25 and you can call Ticketmaster or call Boardwalk Hall box office. Now, for this segment of our call we are going to hold the champion, Adrien Broner, and do the introductions. We certainly welcome this young man from across the pond and we appreciate him staying up late because we know it’s late over in the U.K.

So, to join us now is Anthony Weaver. He’s the director of PR for Matchroom, Gavin Rees’ promoter.
Anthony Weaver
Hi, how are you doing?

Swanson
Good. Do you want to make an opening statement and introduce Gavin for us and then Gavin can make a quick statement and then we’ll introduce Adrien and then we will open it up for questions from the press.

Weaver
Sure. Thanks very much. Thanks for inviting us on the call first of all. It’s not a secret these two guys are going to meet and it’s great that we’re formalizing everything now and ready to talk about the fight.

I know, from our point of view, Matchroom Boxing we’re delighted to be working with Golden Boy again and I know also with Gavin as well, you’ve got someone who’s on the cusp of something big and something that Adrien, who we’ve got massive respect for, is an incredibly talented fighter and I know Gavin is chomping at the bit to go over and cause a problem in itself.

We’re really excited. The part we’re very excited about, we think it’s going to be a great fight for North American fans and I know one that U.K. fans will stay up for because these two guys. So, thanks for having us on and let’s bring Gavin on.

Swanson
Okay, Gavin, go ahead if you want to make an opening statement and, please, somebody needs to mute their line because it’s really hard to hear. So, if you’re in a location that you could get to a quieter spot, it’s really hard to hear. So, Gavin, if you want to make an opening statement? Then we’ll introduce Adrien. Thank you. Gavin.

Gavin Rees
Hi, all. Hi to everyone who is listening. We’ll put on a good show on the 16th of February and cause a massive upset. Adrien’s a great fighter and I can’t wait for the meet.

Swanson
Okay, thank you so much. Great accent. Okay, now I’m going to go ahead and introduce Dave Itskowitch from Golden Boy Promotions who is going to make the introduction for Adrien “The Problem” Broner. Dave.

David Itskowitch
Thank you, Kelly. I am once again honored to be introducing one of the most talented fighters in the world, a rising star who is gaining recognition and notoriety with every fight as he gets better and better and more aggressive with every fight.

Most recently he captured his second world championship in his second weight division with an immediately dominant performance and knocking out Antonio DeMarco in Atlantic City in November. He’s known for his charisma, having his hair brushed in the ring, rapping himself into the ring, but he’s also known for his unbelievable talent.
It’s my pleasure to introduce to you now, from Cincinnati, Ohio with a record of 25-0, 21 KO’s, the current WBC Lightweight World Champion, Adrien “The Problem” Broner. Adrien.

Broner
Hey, what’s going on everybody? You all know what to expect. I know I’m going against a guy who’s just exciting, 140 or something like that. I really haven’t heard too much of him, but I know he’s going to come and fight. Everybody comes to win a world title when they fight for a world title.

So, I’m going to train like I always do, like it’s the biggest night of my life. It is what it is. I’m a two time world champion, two time at the age of 23. There aren’t too many people who can say they’re a two time world champion. And we can fight today. I’ve been training. Training camp has been going well. After the DeMarco fight I was right back in the gym on Monday.

So, February 16th I want Gavin, Gavin, Gavin, like I said, I really don’t know this guy. I just want him to bring his A game because if you want to get things just right you have to bring nothing but you’re A game, so I just hope he’s ready and I hope he is in shape because it’s going to be a long night.

Rees
It’s going to be a long night for you, Broner.

Broner
It’s going to be a hell of a night and I just want him to bring his A game and I want to thank him for taking this fight, too.

Rees
Well, thanks for keeping my belt warm.

Swanson
All right, fighting words already.

Q
Thank you very much. Hello, everybody. Hey, Gavin, it’s good to talk to you. I’ve had a chance to see you on video several times during your career, but I don’t think many people in America have gotten a chance to watch you. Could you just describe your style for those who have never seen the type of fighter that you are?

Rees
I think I heard a bit of that coming forward, boxer fighter. I know it will be a great and fight that’s why I’m confident of winning.

Q
You held the world title at 140 pounds and then a few years ago you dropped down to 135. Could you talk about just for a minute what was the decision-making process to do that and do you feel that because you have had experience against bigger opponents that that set you up nicely against Adrien who has only had one title fight in the lightweight division since he came off junior lightweight.

Rees
I was never a 140 fighter, but going down to, yeah, 135, I’ve seen no titles being offered and they offered the 140 so I obviously took it. I won that title and defend and lost it. I liked the party life so I didn’t train. Didn’t really like boxing at the time, so I knuckled down after I lost and I came down to 135 and I won at the next level.

Q
And you feel like, after seeing the way Adrien disposed of DeMarco, who at the time was considered to be maybe the number one fighter in the lightweight division, you felt like even after seeing that that you would stack up well against Adrien’s abilities?

Rees
Yeah, of course, I’m a fighter. I’m a real fighter, I’ll fight anybody. I’ll go in there to fight anybody. I know he’s a great fighter. I’m going over there to give out the fight of my life and I know it’ll be one hell of a fight. So, I’m fully confident. I’ve got a game plan, so we’ll see on the night what happens.

Q
Adrien, question for you, when the process was going on where your promoter and your management and everything, they were looking for a good opponent for you to take on, Gavin’s name didn’t exactly come to the foreground right away. It took a little while to try to go down the list and talk about him and see if he would take the fight.

During that period of time, did you ever at that point contemplate about maybe going right up to junior welterweight to find a name that was maybe more known to the American fans?

Broner
Negative. That’s what everybody wants you to do. They’ve just seen me dominate and put on a great performance, a hell of a performance that I certainl don’t want to downgrade on my performance against the world champion, he was the world champion, DeMarco, and they want me to just automatically go up to 140.

No, I just moved up to this weight. I still make the weight eating steak and potatoes every night at training camp. I make the weight comfortably, so I’m going to stay here for a lot of good fights that I still can have at 135 pounds. So, I’m going to flush out this lightweight division and then we can go up to the light welterweight and crush their dreams. So, we’re going to stay here for a while.

Q
Okay, now one thing you said, I don’t know who’s downgraded your performance against DeMarco. Everything I’ve heard and read and seen with my own eyes was that you got a lot of credit for the way you took him apart and because it seemed like to many of us that watched that fight or that covered that fight that you did it in such a dominant and pretty easy fashion, quite frankly, I wonder from your point of view because it did seem like it was such an easy win for you, how do you keep that hunger to make sure you’re in the best possible shape and that you are as focused and hungry to do that because you were able to take out the number one guy so easily, how do you get yourself up for somebody like Gavin, who’s not that big a name in this country, even though he’s been a world champion in a different weight class, been the European champion, but has no particular reputation in the United States?

Broner
Like I said before, he’s a former world champion so he has to be somebody, even though I really don’t know him that much, I have to keep throwing that in there because I really don’t know these guys. I just fight whoever they put in front of me. People come to me and they’re like you’re handpicking fighters.

I don’t pick my fights. I just fight whoever is weighing in on the time it’s to weigh in. Sometimes I don’t even know, sometimes I don’t even know until three weeks out or a month out. So, this is new to me. I know Gavin’s not just a walkover. He was a world titlist and he’s got to have a record, 37-1 or something like that with a draw. That’s a hell of a record on the professional level.

I just prepare like it’s the last fight of my life. I put my heart on the line and I’m one who does take the chances because I believe in myself, so if he’s coming to fight it’s going to be a hell of a fight.

Q
I just have one other question for you, Adrien. I saw the video of you hanging out with Mayweather. I believe you guys were in Las Vegas and I think there was some discussion on that video about you saying that, or maybe him saying it; I forget who said it, about you wanting to fight on his undercard when he goes back in the ring on May 4th and I’m wondering that if you’re able to take care of this title defense against Gavin Rees on February 16th is that something that’s actually possible or were you guys just messing around that maybe you could be back in the ring as soon as May and beyond that in big mega Pay-per-View undercard?

Broner
Listen, with Adrien Broner anything is possible. I don’t get hit that much. I don’t. I’m just being honest, I don’t get hit that much and my fights don’t last that long. I’m not saying that I’m coming in looking for a knockout, but I’m just blessed with the best of both worlds. I’ve got the speed and I’ve got power in both hands, so it only takes one mistake.

And that’s for both fighters, that’s for me and him. And in boxing it only takes one mistake and a fight can be over, so with that being said if I do come out of this fight untouched there is a great possibility that I will be on the May 4th card.

Q
Okay. Thank you, very much, Gavin. I appreciate your time. Thank you, Adrien. Look forward to seeing you guys duke it out. Thanks.

Q
Listen, I do this a lot with you because you get a lot of people comparing you to Floyd and to other fighters of other eras and so what I find myself doing is talking to those fighters from other eras and one of which I talked to today, I just posted a story with Sugar Ray Leonard. I talked to him about you, I talked to him about Canelo, Gary Russell, Brandon Rios and Danny Garcia.

And with everyone but you he had kind of a caveat. With you he said he has everything, talent, he’s offensive, he’s defensive, he’s got a lot of power. When you hear someone like Sugar Ray Leonard say that without qualifying anything, does that mean anything to you? What does that mean?

Broner
It means a lot. But honestly, he told me that when I was 10 years old at the national tournament. He probably doesn’t even remember. He took me up to his room, he let me play the game, he signed my picture and everything. He’s a real down to earth guy. I remember meeting him. He probably doesn’t remember, but like I said, I’ve got a hell of a memory.

Just for him saying that, it brings a smile to my face. I work hard and now I’m really getting to show the world who Adrien Broner really is and honestly, I still haven’t showed everything I have. So, just tune in. You’ll see a lot more.

Q
When and where was that, you said you were ten years old, when was that and what competition was that?

Broner
Yeah, yeah.

Q
When was that when you met Sugar Ray Leonard and in what competition was that, where was that?

Broner
I was ten years old so it was the national tournament in Kansas.

Q
The last question I wanted to ask you, you made a reference to the fact that you’ll take chances, you’ll stand and fight. And I think that’s another thing he commented on is that you’ll fight. Why do that if you have, just playing devil’s advocate, if you have the ability to not get hit, why take those chances? Is that something that is a fighter in you or is that to please the fans?

Broner
No, it’s not about the fans. It’s just different strokes for different folks. Like I said, I can still stand in front of a guy and not get hit. You don’t have to move just to not get hit. There’s a lot of certain ways, you can do certain things that you just won’t get hit and I was blessed with the talent and I can do it all.
Like I said, I can brawl like a bang, but at the end of the day, people don’t hit me much.

Q
Hi, Gavin. You were supposed to fight somebody at the end of last year. Was it a blessing in disguise now that that didn’t work out?

Rees
Yeah, of course, the fight got called off just before Christmas and New Year and the fight is now getting confirmed and we’re in great shape and looking forward to the fight. I think Adrien is a great fighter, so we’ll both bring our A games to the table and it should be a great fight.

Q
And I’m glad that you have no hesitation to accepting the fight, you didn’t want to get very much money or anything like that, which is surely what boxing is about for you, it will surely be your biggest fight yet.

Rees
Yeah,the guy said we’ll discuss the money. I said don’t worry about me, get in the fight. I’m a real fighter. I’ll fight anybody, like I said, I’ll go anywhere. So, the fight first, money second to me. It’s a massive fight and a massive opportunity for me so I’m looking forward to it.

Q
You’ve had 39 fights. Do you think you’ve yet to get the recognition you deserve?

Rees
I will get it after this fight, no problem, that’s for sure.

Q
And Adrien said he hasn’t seen much of you, he doesn’t know much about you. Do you think he’ll underestimate you?

Rees
Maybe, I don’t know. I’m sure he’s got a great team going into it, so I am not worried.

Q
Will you be doing anything different with your training? You’re staying in well?

Rees
Well, we’ve gone out about three weeks before, something like next week sometime, just sorting that out. So, it’s going well that’s about it really.

Q
And just finally, we know about Adrien’s boxing. He’s also got his own style outside the ring, brushing his hair. What do you make of all that?

Rees
I’ll brush if for him if he wants.

Q
Thanks for doing this. Adrien, I’ll come to you in just a second if that’s okay, if you’re there?

Broner
I’m here.

Q
Awesome, thank you. Gavin, I was curious. You’re fighting outside of Europe for the first time I think and also that you’re nearly ten years older than your opponent. So, I’m curious as to how you think you’re going to overcome those challenges.

Rees
Yeah, no challenges. I’m a better fighter than I’ve been in last two performances, my best was where I went to Paris, went over there and beat the European Champion. And back at home in my early career everyone knows I didn’t live the life of a true fighter, partying a lot and didn’t live the lifestyle and I’ve turned it round now before it’s too late.

Q
And the fact that you’re fighting in the States, you must find that exciting, I guess, or glamorous?

Rees
Yeah, every kid’s dream, every person’s dream to box in a big show in America and fight the champion. And, obviously, a dream come true to win a title off him. He’s a great fighter, as I said, and come home victorious and be a world champion myself.

Q
He’s said, hasn’t he, on this conference call that he doesn’t know an awful lot about you and your style. Do you think that will be an advantage to yourself?

Rees
Like I said, I’ve certainly got a great team and they can all look into it and have a game plan themselves. But, like I say, he’s a great kid so it should be a great fight.

Q
How much do you know about he fights?

Rees
Oh, a fair bit. There’s loads of videos. I see him box all the time, he’s always on Ringside. He’s, obviously, a very talented boy for his age, even for anybody’s age. He’s a great kid, so I’m really looking forward to the fight and just glad they’re giving me this chance to prove how good I am.

Q
We’ve heard an awful lot, haven’t we, from these American journalists joining on this call about how this Broner guy is. From what you’ve seen, from what you’ve read how are you going to combat what he does and how are you going to beat him? I appreciate he’s listening in, by the way, so you might not want to give too much away.

Rees
I’ll just go in with my own game. And I’ll let him worry about that. He’s a tricky customer. I’m not only too daft, you know he’s clever. So, we’ve got a plan, okay, no problem.

Q
All right. Thank you for your time. I’m curious about the fact that you said that you don’t know an awful lot about Gavin’s style. How, between now and the evening of the fight how are you going to get acquainted with what it is that he’ll bring?

Broner
I don’t need to get acquainted with nothing he’s going to bring because whatever he brings to the table I’m going to be ready for. Like I said before I don’t watch tape of fighters. I don’t study their best move. I don’t study their best punch because at the end of the day if you got your best punch or if you’ve got your best move, all of it means nothing if you can’t land a shot.

So, my main focus is just staying sharp, staying focused and be mentally and physically prepared for this fight and I will be.

Q
Do you think that this fight against Gavin, and everyone has been talking about how you’re the favorite, are you looking upon this as a stepping stone to bigger fights?

Rees
No fight is a stepping stone because in any fight you can be knocked out or beaten. So, like I said before I’m going to make this real clear for everybody who’s listening. Every fight I train for it like it’s the last and the biggest fight of my life, so just because I don’t know much of Gavin Rees, I really don’t know him, I don’t know him. Just because I don’t know much of him that makes him even more dangerous because I don’t know what he can bring.

I don’t know if he hits like Mike Tyson and got more speed than me. I don’t know, I just don’t know much of him. What I’m saying is whatever he brings to the table I’m going to be ready for it.

Q
Is there, in any of what you’ve just said, a certain arrogance, the fact that you don’t know anything about the fighter you’re going to be taking on?

Broner
No, it’s not arrogance, it’s just the truth. Like I said, I’ll fight anybody. I’m here to fight anybody. Whoever comes inside that ring when it’s fight time, I put my heart on the line, I put it out on the line and I leave it all in the ring.
Q
Hey, guys, how are you? Good. Gavin, a quick question for you, have you been to the States before, vacation, recreation, anything like that or will this be your first trip?

Rees
No, I went to Las Vegas and New York to see Hopkins and Jones.

Q
Oh, so you’re somewhat familiar with the travel. You think that shouldn’t be any issue for you at all?

Rees
No, that’s okay. I’ll be out three weeks before, two and a half, three weeks before, something like that so I’ll be acclimatizing already.

Q
Hey, Gavin, I’m sorry I didn’t get to you earlier. When you hear Adrien say that he might stand and fight you what do you think of that? Is that better for you? Does it make a difference?

Rees
It’s whatever he brings to the table and I’ve got the same, too. I’ve got a great guard and fast hand, so I have seen a lot of videos and things like that so he might not admit it now, but they know what they’re doing.

Q
Going into his last fight DeMarco by a lot of us was perceived to be the best lightweight before Adrien beat him, what do you think, did he do anything wrong or was Adrien just that much better than him in every possible way? Is there anything you can capitalize on?

Rees
Loads of them after he lost.. What I would say he was in for a great fight, put on a great display, and he beat him easily. Surely won’t be doing that.

Swanson
Let’s get final comments from the fighter. Gavin, if you’d like to go first. Any final thoughts and we’ll see you in America soon?

Rees
Yeah, you’ll see me on the 16th and put my name on the world map when I become two weight world champion. Thanks very much.

Swanson
Thank you. And, Adrien?

Broner
All right, Gavin, welcome to America. Train hard, man.
Rees
You, too.

Broner
You can come and watch training camp. I’ll help you out.

Rees
I’ll be over tomorrow.

Broner
Okay. I’ll see you in February.

Swanson
Okay. Thanks, everybody. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate the opportunity to have all the fighters on today’s call. Thank you so much. Bye, everybody.

END OF CALL

Broner vs. Rees, a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, February 16 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, R&R Promotions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be a 12-round heavyweight clash between Johnathon Banks and Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell for Banks’ NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles, which is presented in association with K2 Promotions.
Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Atlantic City, January 10 – Boxing’s brightest star and one of the sport’s most eagerly anticipated rematches will both take center stage on Saturday, February 16 when HBO World Championship Boxing telecasts a doubleheader from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey featuring the WBC Lightweight World Championship fight between Two-Time and Two-Division World Champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner and former World Champion Gavin “The Rock” Rees and the second showdown between heavyweights Johnathon Banks and Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell.

This event marks Golden Boy Promotions’ return to the boardwalk after a stellar card on November 17, 2012 that saw Broner capture the WBC Lightweight World Championship with an eighth round stoppage of former World Champion Antonio DeMarco and Banks scored one of the biggest upsets of the year with a second round technical knockout over previously unbeaten Mitchell.

Broner vs. Rees, a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, February 16 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R&R Promotions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be a 12-round heavyweight clash between Johnathon Banks and Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell for Banks’ NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, go on sale on Friday, January 11 at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

“We’re pleased to bring fans another exciting night of boxing live from Atlantic City in the beginning of 2013,” said Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya. “We are witnessing the emergence of Adrien Broner as a superstar in the sport and now he faces his next test in Gavin Rees who, with his ring experience and already proven tenacity, should give Adrien a very tough fight. With Johnathon Banks vs. Seth Mitchell we are going to see if Seth can overcome defeat and disappointment and avenge his loss to Johnathon in the same ring they fought in this past November. I’m looking forward to a great night of fights and a great show.”

“Atlantic City here we come again and it will be great to have my first fight of 2013 in the same ring and place as my last fight of 2012,” said Broner. “I see the outcome of this fight against Rees being similar to my last fight as I plan to knock him out in too. I am a two-time world champion now, feel great at this weight and can’t wait to show the world why I am the best boxing has to offer. A new year, a new era and it starts on February 16.”

“I didn’t think twice about taking this fight,” said Rees. “Broner is a fantastic boxer and a huge talent, but I am confident I can upset the odds on February 16th and become a Two-Division World Champion. I’ve got the edge when it comes to experience and under my trainer Gary Lockett, I have a new lease of life. I believe that besides DeMarco, I am the toughest opponent he’s faced and I think I will cause him plenty of trouble, especially if he underestimates what I can do. This is a massive opportunity for me and it would be a dream come true to do it in the United States. I am going to be putting it all on the line to make my dream a reality.”
“Here we go again. Same thing, different day,” said Banks. “I’m looking forward to putting on another terrific performance for the fans in Atlantic City and those watching on HBO. I will prove again that I’m the best at what I do.”

“I’m very excited and motivated for this rematch against Johnathon Banks,” said Mitchell. “My training is going well. This is the first time I’ve been away from my family during training camp. I’m very fortunate and blessed to be back on this stage for my next fight.”

“We are excited to launch an all new season of World Championship Boxing with Adrien Broner meeting Gavin Rees in a 135-pound title showdown in Atlantic City,” said Kery Davis, senior vice president, programming, HBO Sports. “Along with the rematch between Johnathon Banks and Seth Mitchell as the opening bout in a high-stakes heavyweight fight, it is a night fight fans are going to enjoy.”

“Caesars Atlantic City is once again pleased to work alongside Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and elated to sponsor an event-card of this magnitude,” said Daniel Brockdorf, Regional Vice President of Marketing for Caesars Entertainment Atlantic City. “Last November, I had the pleasure of seeing, first hand, the level of excitement a fighter like Adrien Broner generates. This February 16th world-class event at Boardwalk Hall is proof that championship boxing is not only alive and well in Atlantic City, but thriving.”

Breaking into the spotlight in a big way in 2012, Adrien “The Problem” Broner (25-0, 21 KO’s) made statements in two weight classes last year en route to a 3-0 record. Kicking off 2011 with a fourth round technical knockout over previously unbeaten Eloy Perez in February, the Cincinnati native ended his championship run at 130 pounds with a fifth round stoppage over former world title contender Vicente Escobedo in July. He closed the year at Boardwalk Hall with a dominant November win over former World Champion DeMarco that earned him his second divisional world title. On February 16, the charismatic 23-year-old plans on extending his five-fight knockout streak against Rees.

One of the United Kingdom’s top competitors, 32-year-old Welshman Gavin “The Rock” Rees (37-1-1, 18 KO’s) is unbeaten in 11 fights since the lone loss of his career in 2008 against former World Champion Andriy Kotelnik. Now firmly established at 135 pounds after years of fighting bigger opponents, Rees, a former WBA Super Lightweight World Champion, has proven with European and British lightweight title winning victories that he’s clearly in the best form of his 14-year professional career. All that’s left is to bring another world title back home to Newbridge.

The owner of one of boxing’s most inspirational stories, perennial contender Johnathon Banks (29-1-1, 19 KO’s) captured the imagination of fight fans around the world last fall. After losing his mentor and trainer with the passing of Emanuel Steward, Banks took over for the legendary Hall of Famer as the trainer for World Champion Wladimir Klitschko (who was also trained by Steward) for his title defense win over Mariusz Wach in November. One week later, the 30-year-old from Detroit stepped into the ring himself and stunned the boxing world with a second round technical knockout win over the hot and then-undefeated contender Mitchell. On February 16, he’ll look to do it again.

A thrill a second heavyweight with the power to end a bout with a single blow, Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (25-1-1, 19 KO’s) is eager for the opportunity to avenge his only professional loss against Banks. A former standout linebacker at Michigan State University, Mitchell tore through his opposition in the boxing ring for over four years, most notably beating Taurus Sykes, Timur Ibragimov and Chazz Witherspoon, all by knockout. Now he’ll have to show the resilience of a champion as he attempts to even the score on February 16.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/AdrienBroner, www.twitter.com/SethMayhem48, www.twitter.com/BanksBoxingEnt, www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and www.twitter.com/HBOboxing, follow the conversation using #BronerRees or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/HBOboxing.

DETROIT, MI (November 19, 2012) In less than two rounds this past Saturday night, the global landscape of the heavyweight boxing division was given a much-needed shot in the arm. World ranked heavyweight Johnathon Banks proved himself to be “The Best Heavyweight From The United States” with a devastating second round knockout of undefeated and highly regarded Seth Mitchell at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Broadcast LIVE on HBO’s World Championship Boxing, the replay will be shown Tonight at 12:15AM ET/PT and Tomorrow night, Tuesday, NOVEMBER 20 on HBO2 at 11:00PM ET/PT.

Along with training for his own heavyweight showdown with Mitchell, the 30-year-old Emanuel Steward Protégé was preparing World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko in Austria for his defense against world ranked challenger Mariusz Wach. Klitschko’s fight took place on NOVEMBER 10 in Hamburg, Germany where won a dominant twelve round decision with Banks in his corner.

“My training schedule was hard but I’ve been a boxing person my whole life. I trained twice each day for my fight with my trainer Javan ‘Sugar” Hill (Steward’s nephew) and I trained Wladimir twice each day for his fight” said the Detroit native.

“Having Wladimir win his fight and then beating Mitchell on HBO a week later made it completely worthwhile” said the classy and humble Banks who was tabbed by Klitschko to lead his training camp and work his corner upon the untimely passing of Hall of Fame trainer Steward.

“Emanuel was my trainer, friend and mentor since I was 15. All the time I spent with him over the years in and out of the Kronk Gym prepared me for this time. I’m glad it worked out so well for Wlad and myself, just as Emanuel said it would go. We both felt his spirit in our fights and he was definitely still giving instructions from above.”

Added Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, “For a long time fans and media have looked for the next great heavyweight from the United States. Johnathon decisively added his name to the top of the list with his devastating stoppage of Mitchell. He had a terrific camp with the team in Austria and he was fully prepared for this fight.”

“This win opens a lot of doors now for Johnathon and there are many great matches for him in the heavyweight division. It’s a true testament to him as a person and his talents in the ring that he could overcome the adversity he’s faced over the last two months and put on such a great performance.”

“Never before has a fighter trained and worked the corner of the World Heavyweight Champion and then won his own highly significant title fight the following week. “

ABOUT K2 PROMOTIONS

K2 Promotions currently promotes the unified heavyweight champions, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko along with WBA middleweight champion, Gennady Golovkin, WBO Interim Cruiserweight World Champion Ola Afolabi and NABO/WBC International Heavyweight champion Johnathon Banks. Over the last decade, K2 Promotions has promoted the most heavyweight championship title bouts of any promoter worldwide. K2 Promotions is one of Boxing’s most respected promoters showcasing boxing’s biggest events in the US and Europe at some of the world’s premier venues.

For more information, please visit their website at

www.K-2Promotions.com

Adrien Broner won the WB Lightweight title with an eight round beatdown of previous titleholder Antonio DeMarco at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

It was a good fight for Broner as DeMarco obliged him by fighting on the inside which gave Broner the opportunity to show off his blazing handspeed that started to carve up DeMarco as early as round two. DeMarco had a good land three as he landed some solid hooks to the body. That was short lived and Broner started to rev up the engine and started to rip hard shots to the head of DeMarco. Broner had dominat round’s four and five and it became appear-ant that it would be a Broner crowning.

The fight was stopped after Broner landed a big left hook that sent DeMarco down to the canvas and the fight was waved off by DeMarco’s corner at 1:46 of round eight.

Broner, 134 1/2 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is now 25-0 with twenty-one knockouts. DeMarco, 134 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 28-3-1.

Johnathon Banks scored an upset second round stoppage over previously undefeated Seth Mitchell in a scheduled twelve round Heavyweight bout.

Mitchell had a good first round as he buckled Banks with a good right hand. In round two, Banks landed a right that set off a turbulent second round for Mitchell. Mitchell went down from a follow up punch and was clearly shaken. With both guys swinging wildly, Banks landed a big right hand. Mitchell was in a heap of trouble when Banks ended things with hard left hook and referee Eddie Cotton stopped the bout at 2:37

Banks, 218 1/2 lbs of Detroit is now 29-1-1 with nineteen knockouts. Mitchell, 242 1/2 lbs of Brandywyne, MD is now 25-1-1.

ADRIEN “THE PROBLEM” BRONER, Undefeated Former World Champion
[On visiting the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City on Wednesday.] “It’s very important to have an affect on kids. I’ll do anything to make a kid’s day better.

“As my career is going on, I’m starting to become a lot more of a busy man.

“Once someone sees me on TV, they always think that ‘he is just a cocky brat,’ but I’m not. Once you get to sit down with Adrien Broner, you will fall in love with me. I don’t want the world to dislike me in any way. I just want you accept me.

“You can probably catch me in my sleep and I’m dancing or throwing a hook. That is just me.

“I’m not looking past anybody. I just feel like there is nobody in this game that can beat me.

“You never know how you are going to win, but I know I’m going to be victorious.

“I’m mentally strong and physically strong. I’m just a special guy and I understand that you have people that know they have the talent, but sometimes they get scared when success is in their face. I’m ready to go to the next level.

“DeMarco is a great champion. He’s a world-class fighter. He has the talent to bring something out of Adrien Broner that the world hasn’t seen yet.

[On traveling to California to watch the 2012 U.S. Olympians turn pro this past weekend.] “Rau’shee Warren is my big brother. I knew how much it meant to him. I know how much it meant to me. I would have felt bad if I had to watch him on TV. I was in the gym two or three times a day out there. It doesn’t matter where I am. As long as I have a pair of boxing gloves, a pair of boxing shoes and a cup, I’ll give 120 percent. I’m always focused.

“Once that bell rings, I make my adjustments and usually with a couple of adjustments the fight is over.

ANTONIO DEMARCO, WBC Lightweight World Champion

“It’s an important fight for my career.

“My fight with Edwin Valero will help me get in the ring with more confidence.

“I know it’s a difficult fight for both of us. Because of his talent and my heart and hunger, it’s going to be a great fight for the fans.

“Broner is very elusive and he’s an intelligent fighter, but we came prepared for that and more.

“A very difficult fight in my past that I can compare to this one is my fight with Kid Diamond [Almazbek Raiymkulov]. He also was elusive, but I won that fight by knockout and got a lot of exposure with the victory.

[On whether or not his weight gives him at an advantage.] “It’s a little bit of an advantage for me because I’m the world champion and I’ve been fighting at this weight a little bit longer, but I’m ready to go and if he wanted to fight at welterweight then I’d fight him there as well. It’s not a problem either way.

“It’s amazing what has happened in my personal life and my professional career. Every day I feel better and now I believe I can become anything I want to if I believe in myself. I wake up every morning and know I’m a world champion and that brings me great comfort.

“Every fight is different and we don’t know until we get in the ring, but don’t be surprised if you see me box.

“I’m well prepared and my mind is on winning. I have ‘The Solution’ for ‘The Problem.’

“Because my family is so important to me, I’m very hungry. I always fight for the people of Mexico, my team, my fans and especially my family.”

SETH “MAYHEM” MITCHELL, Undefeated NABO Heavyweight Champion

“I think having a strong jab is critical in any fight. I’ve been varying my jab since my last fight. I am trying to bring it from different angles.

[On a recent injury keeping him out of the ring.] “Ever since starting in this sport, I’ve always been in the gym. I just want to stay in shape and stay sharp. I’m used to fighting three or four times a year. This is the second time this year so it was very important to stay in the gym.

“When I look back, I wish I would have had a relationship with my father. Through football and basketball, I had a lot of father figures in my life. I had a lot of role models that helped and guided me. Looking back knowing the relationship I have with my son and how I cherish that, I do wish I would have had a relationship with my father.

[On being a stay-at-home dad] “I get up in the morning and I fix breakfast. I take the kids to school. I run, go to the gym and then I pick them up from school. My wife works, so we are a team.

[On visiting the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City] “Once you’re put in a certain position, I think it’s good to give back. Nobody has made it without somebody. No matter how successful an individual becomes, he or she didn’t get there by themselves. When I speak to kids, I know nine times out of 10 I’m not going to reach 100 percent of them, but if I can inspire one or two, then it’s worth it.

“I’m a competitive person by nature. If we were playing tic-tac-toe, you would see that same aggressiveness. My wife gets mad at me because I don’t let my six year old daughter win at anything.

“I believe including this fight, Lord willing, if I do what I’m supposed to do, I believe I’m two or three more fights away from a title shot. I don’t think I’m that far away at all.

[On Washington Redskins rookie Robert Griffin III] “I think RGIII is special. The reason I think so highly of him is that he’s a tremendous athlete and he thinks about the pass first. He’s very humble which is another characteristic I admire about him. I think in the next few years, the Redskins are going to be a force to be reckoned with.

“It feels good to be here in Atlantic City. This is like a home away from home. I love fighting in my hometown and in Vegas too, but I had like five or six busloads of people drive in from Maryland for my last fight here. You’re going to hear a lot of people screaming for me Saturday night.”

JOHNATHON BANKS, Top Heavyweight Contender

[On stepping in to serve as trainer for Heavyweight World Champion Wladimir Klitschko this past weekend.] “The only thing I had to do was be his trainer. It didn’t affect me in a bad way. If anything, it motivated me in a way that I’ve never been motivated before.

“Training him was not an advantage or disadvantage, but it enhanced something inside of me. My family has even noticed it. My mother said ‘There is something different about you. Something I haven’t seen before.’

“This is my time. Whatever happens, let it happen.

“Do you think last November I thought I would be here talking to you all this November? If you don’t see something in your future, you don’t think about it, but the position I’m has been wonderful.

“I started working with Wladimir Klitschko in 2004. When I met him I was 1-0. I just turned pro and we were training in California. Wladimir and I clicked right away.

“Emanuel [Steward] turned me pro. I was on his amateur team. Once I turned pro, I traveled with him wherever he went.

“James Toney called Emanuel and said that he wanted a ‘real Detroit guy’ on one of his undercards. He put me on his undercard and that was my second fight.

[On his experience being a sparring partner.] “You can’t say ‘I am just a sparring partner.’ I sparred guys when I was coming up in this sport and I sparred guys as a grown man. Mentally, I was never a sparring partner, so there is nothing to put aside. I am always looking to learn.

“I am expecting a really, really tough fight. I expect him to be as aggressive as he always is and I expect him to be as aggressive as he can be. It’s going to be a spectacle.”

# # #

Broner vs. DeMarco, a 12-round fight between Adrien “The Problem” Broner and Antonio DeMarco for DeMarco’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, November 17 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be a 12-round heavyweight clash between Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell and Johnathon Banks for Mitchell’s NABO title and the vacant WBC International Heavyweight title.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.randrpromotions.net, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/GaryShawBoxing, www.twitter.com/AdrienBroner, www.twitter.com/De_Marco07, www.twitter.com/SethMayhem48, www.twitter.com/BanksBoxingEnt, www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and www.twitter.com/HBOboxing, follow the conversation using #BronerDemarco or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/HBOboxing.

Kelly Swanson
We are delighted to have with us today two unbelievable American heavyweights, both in Seth Mitchell and Johnathon Banks, who are gearing up to fight each other this Saturday as the co-main event of the Adrien Broner vs. Antonio DeMarco WBC Lightweight World Championship. Both of the fighters are on the phone, as well as Dave Itskowitch from Golden Boy Promotions and Tom Loeffler from K2 Promotions.

David Itskowitch

Thank you, Kelly. Thank you, everyone, for joining today. We’re very excited about the show this weekend at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Our main event is Adrien Broner versus Antonio DeMarco for the WBC Lightweight World Championship. And of course our co-main event is Seth Mitchell versus Johnathon Banks, a 12-round fight for Mitchell’s NABO and the vacant WBC International Heavyweight Championship Saturday, November 17th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and R&R Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions, sponsored by Corona, AT&T, and Caesars Atlantic City. We are going to be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.

We have great seats still available starting at just $25. We’re extremely excited to be back in Atlantic City, especially in light of recent events. And in that vein, in an effort to raise funds for Hurricane Sandy relief Golden Boy is going to be donating $2 for every ticket sold and $1,000 per knockout registered during the event to the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City. Oscar De La Hoya and Caesars Atlantic City are going to match those funds. So we’re happy to be doing something for the community, happy to be bringing a big event to Atlantic City. They had a Carrie Underwood concert this weekend, and from what I understand the turnout was great, so Atlantic City is up and running and open for business.

Now to turn things over to the fighters. Now to introduce Johnathon Banks I’d like to introduce Tom Loeffler, who is the Managing Director of K2 Promotions, who is Banks’ promoter. Tom.

Tom Loeffler

Thank you, David. We’re really excited to be involved with this event. I think you have two great, young American heavyweights fighting each other. Seth Mitchell obviously has gotten a lot of exposure recently on HBO. Johnathon has been fighting quite a bit on our big Klitschko events over in Europe, although he did come up through the Kronk system in Detroit, an outstanding amateur career, and I think the winner of this fight can clearly be considered the best American heavyweight out there. It’s an exciting complement to the main event, which Adrien Broner is clearly one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the lightweight division.

So we’re excited about it. Johnathon had a really big night last Saturday where he got a lot of publicity, actually more publicity as a trainer than as a fighter, where he trained Wladimir Klitschko for his successful world championship defense last Saturday. So with all that being said, want to introduce Johnathon Banks from Detroit, Michigan.

Johnathon Banks

Okay. Thanks, Tom. Hello, everybody. Once again, like Tom said, this is Johnathon Banks. I look forward to this fight. It’s been a long time coming, keep backing up, backing up, backing up, kept changing the date, but hey, I’m just looking forward to it. I know Seth is looking forward to the fight. And he’s a fighter, I’m a fighter; we just really happily, like I said for both of us, we both just really looking forward to Saturday night.

Itskowitch

Okay. Thank you, Johnathon. Now to make a few statements, I want to introduce a fighter that all of us at Golden Boy are very proud to work with. We believe he is the future of the heavyweight division. He’s a former standout Michigan State University linebacker who found his true calling in the boxing ring. He’s quickly becoming the kind of fighter that we believe can reinvigorate the heavyweight division in the United States and around the world. Recently he blasted through top contenders Timur Ibragimov and Chazz Witherspoon in a combined five-rounds Showing that he not only has the power, but the heart to succeed. With a record of 25-0-1 with 19 knockouts from Brandywine, Maryland, Mr. Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell.

Seth Mitchell

Thanks, Dave; thanks for the introduction. I want to thank everybody that joined in on the conference call. Obviously I want to thank Golden Boy; I want to thank my team for allowing me to have another opportunity to perform on this big stage.

I’m excited. Like Johnathon said, this fight has been postponed for a while; the first time it was due to a hand injury that I had gotten in my fight against Chazz Witherspoon. But, on record, my hand feels great. I’ve been training very hard, again very excited for this fight, very motivated. It’s going to be a good fight. I respect Johnathon Banks, he has a lot to bring to the table, but at the end of the day I truly believe in my heart that I’ll be victorious. Whatever he comes to the table with I’ll be able to respond by training. We have about three to four game plans, and it’s going to be a great fight. I don’t know if you can tell by the excitement in my voice, but I’m ready to show up on the 17th.

This is the stage that I want to be on. I believe it’s my time. I think that I don’t talk much, I’m very humble, but I’m pleased with myself and I’m pleased that I have the capability and the tools to become heavyweight champion in the world, and on the 17th Johnathon Banks is just another step, another hurdle that I have to get over. I’m not underestimating him; I expect him to bring his A game, and with the unfortunate passing of Emanuel Steward, may his soul rest in peace, that probably is going to bring more excitement and more enthusiasm out of Johnathon Banks, which is only going to make for a better fight. But at the end of the day my hand will be raised.

Again, I want to thank everybody who has joined in on the phone call, and tune in; if you can’t be there on the 17th definitely tune in, because it’s going to be a hell of a night of boxing.

Q

Seth, it’s kind of an interesting situation you’re in; you’re getting another fight on HBO, but your opponent, Johnathon Banks, is now the trainer for the Heavyweight Champion, Wladimir Klitschko, a man that has mentioned you as a possible opponent, somebody that you and your team have talked about in the future fighting some day, and being able to step up to that challenge. How much do you think a victory over his trainer is going to get his attention to put you in a position to be one of his challengers in the near future?

Mitchell

I think, well it’s funny, I was thinking the same thing as I was watching the fight this Saturday. But I think a victory over Johnathon Banks will ultimately get me closer to my title shot, whether it’s Klitschko or whoever it is. But it’s still I think it will still be at the latter part of 2013. My team and I we have a plan, and we had a plan since day one, and the latter part of 2013 had always been that plan. But to answer your question, I think I’m looking at first to get Johnathon Banks would definitely increase those chances and Wladimir would probably want to fight me.

Q

Would want to fight you if you knock off his trainer. Is that what you mean?

Mitchell

Yes

Q

More so than he does already.

Mitchell

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Q

Okay. And Johnathon, I know we spoke before you had the fight that you trained Wladimir for this past Saturday against Wach, but I’m wondering for you how difficult of a process was it to go back and forth mentally from being the guy that has to be the trainer for the heavyweight champion, because I know you were doing the double duty of training for this fight as well as getting Wladimir ready, to go back and forth mentally from okay now I’m getting the champ ready for his fight, and then when you go into your own training with your own trainer, Sugar Hill, to then mentally go to the point where okay now I’m a fighter now the trainer. How difficult was that, and now how are you dealing with it that your Klitschko fight is behind you and now you can focus 100% on getting reading for Seth?

Banks

Okay, first of all … it’s wasn’t as big issue as-well I guess what I want to say it sounds bigger than what it really is, the issue is what I’m talking about. It wasn’t a big issue at all. It’s all a part of boxing; I’m a fan of boxing, I love boxing, and it’s just all a part of it, it’s all a part of boxing. I didn’t have to step outside my box one time, I didn’t have to step outside the sport … one time; it was all inside in boxing. It actually sounds harder than what it really was. It wasn’t an easy task. It had a little difficulties because, like I said, I had a big fight coming up and I also had to get Wladimir ready for his big fight. But I thought that I handled it pretty well. I’m glad his fight is over with, and I’m looking forward to mine.

Q

Can you just talk a little bit about your experience in being the head man in his corner for the first time on Saturday; how did it go for you, how did you feel about it, and were you a little concerned when Wladimir got touched in the fifth round there? It looked like he might be in a little bit of trouble at the end of the round, and you maybe had to-I mean you did do a good job staying calm in the corner, but how you were handling that emotionally when you saw what happened?

Banks

Like I said, it was all a part of boxing. I saw that Wach touched him with the right hand, but the thing about it is Wladimir I didn’t see him getting in trouble; his knees wasn’t getting buckled, it wasn’t a sign of he was going down. Wach I don’t believe he had any energy to turn it up if he wanted to anyway, so it wasn’t a problem. I mean my whole thing was I know Wladimir and I know if he get caught with a clean shot he’d want to rush and get it back, and my job was to keep him as calm as possible, to let him know everything was cool, and to continue to fight.

Q

How comfortable were you being the guy that everybody looked to in the corner for the first time? That’s a pretty big spot never having been in that position; now all of sudden it’s not just training any old guy, you’re training the heavyweight world champion.

Banks

Well it was comfortable, because it wasn’t my first time training someone, because I have been doing that off and on for a very long time anyway. So it wasn’t my first time out, but it was my first time on the highest stage in boxing, so that made it a little-I mean it was a little nervous starting out, but it is what I do. Boxing is what I do, it is my life, so I just went right into it. The same as if a reporter, like you as a reporter, you just write the big story or small story. The format is the same. You just have to do. So it’s the same thing.

Q

Johnathon, I was just wondering will you go to Emanuel Steward’s memorial service tomorrow? Will you be able to do that or what is your plan for the rest of your week?

Banks

Yes, the memorial service is right here in Detroit tomorrow, and yes, I will attend it.

Q

Okay. Can you comment, just let us know what Emanuel meant to you? Obviously he meant a lot to your life; can you elaborate on what he did for you?

Banks

Okay. You’re talking about going back to a 15-year-old kid that looked up to this guy who kind of start growing up in and around Lennox Louis training camps, him finding Big Bear to training Oscar, and then later on coming and training. I mean he kept me in boxing, he kept me around boxing, and I really, really learned a lot from him as far as life, as far as a man, as far as a fighter, and as far as actually the fundamentals of training about boxing. Because I used to even live with him for a few years at one point, so I mean there was that one point for years and years we were together every day, we traveled together. Even when he went to Germany I would go with him a lot of the time. So as far as what he meant, I mean everything I guess what a father would ever mean to a kid, so he meant a lot to me. Because I mean the guy was a great mentor, he was a great father figure, he just was a great overall person, and for me and to be a part of his life was nothing but a blessing for me.

Q

On Saturday night, obviously, it’s a big night for you, a huge fight for you, and obviously an emotional time the last couple of weeks after Emanuel passed away. How do you kind of channel that in a positive direction and not allow yourself too become too emotional when that fight?

Banks

It’s all basically like this; if you really think about I really think about a lot of things Emanuel told me, when it comes to fighting you have to shut everything out. Fighting is like going to war; you have to shut everything out and you got to go to war. No matter what’s going on at home when you got to go you got to go, and that’s just the situation that it is at hand. Saturday night I have to go. No matter what’s going on this week, no matter what’s going on last month, on Saturday night I have to be prepared to go.

Q

Thank you, Johnathon. I just have one question for Seth. Seth, I was just wondering what you feel you got out of your fight against Chazz Witherspoon where you were in a little bit of trouble and obviously fought through it and won the fight. How much did that help you develop as a fighter?

Mitchell

I believe it helped me develop a lot. I tell people all the time if they were to ask me how I would respond to adversity I would have told them I would have responded how I responded in the Chazz fight, but until you get put in that situation you really don’t know. For me to get put in that situation and come through as I did I think that it showed signs of a true champion, somebody that definitely has the heart, has determination, and show recovery. I wasn’t over anxious, I stayed composed, I stayed calm, so I think it helped me out a lot and let me know that I can fight through adversity when in trouble. At the same time, I don’t want to continue to put myself in those situations. It let me see why I got in that situation and things that I need to work on. So overall I think it helped me out a lot.

Q

I wanted to talk about your defense. You obviously had trouble when you first started fighting Chazz, and is your defense something you’ve been working on since that fight?

Mitchell

Definitely. As a fighter I definitely don’t think I know it all. I’m only just been boxing almost six years now, and I just don’t think I know it all. I continue to be a sponge. I’m still, even though I’ve kind of accomplished a lot in a short amount of time, I still consider myself wet behind the ears. There’s still more to learn, and that’s what’s exciting to me. When I come to the gym I still I want to learn, I’m thirsty for knowledge. My trainer, Andre Hunter, I think he does a great job. We sit and we talk, we go back to the fundamentals, and we just work on becoming a better fighter, and most definitely, definitely working on my defense.

I don’t really get hit with too many combinations, but in that fight Chazz was able to man the right hand, and I was just glad that I was able to overcome it. But to answer your question, I’ve definitely been working on my defense. We’ve been working on quite a few things, and hopefully on the 17th you’ll be able to see that come out, see that show that night.

Q

You have like 10 knockouts in a row. My question is will your experience against Witherspoon make you a more patient fighter or will you come out looking for that knockout right away or how do you handle that? I guess it’s different for every situation, but can you talk about that?

Mitchell

It may look that way, but to be honest I don’t necessarily go out there looking for knockouts. I consider myself an aggressive box of punches. I come to fight, I’ll tell you that much, I do come to fight. But I just try to put my punches together at a high work rate for a heavyweight, and I just point that behind my jab and the knockouts have just been coming.

But if I need to change my style for this particular fight I’m capable of doing that. A lot of people they think that I’m just a bull, but if I have to be a matador I definitely can do that. I believe that I possess all the skills; I have decent power in both hands, good speed, I’m very athletic. I just have only had to show one or two things, and if I only have to show it in that fight that’s what you’ll see, but if I have to show something else you’ll see that as well.

Q

What about Johnathon concerns you most at this point?

Mitchell

Johnathon, he’s a good fighter. He’s had a lot of tutelage, he’s been around a lot of good fighters, trained with Emanuel Steward, he’s sparred with Lennox Lewis, he’s sparred with the Klitschkos, so he has a lot of experience. And he knows his way around the ring and he’s definitely showed that he can get off the canvas and get up and win it, so he shows that he has heart. And he’s a good counter puncher; he likes to set traps and he has a nice little tricky right hand. We’ve been watching him, so I’m well prepared for Mr. Banks. But at the end of the day I truly believe in my heart that my hand’s going to be raised at the end of the night, whether it goes one round or whether it goes twelve rounds.

Q

Hey, Johnathon, I wanted to ask you, about mentally the transition from being trainer to fighter during the course of the day. I wanted to know mentally and physically, first of all, how you did that. Did Wladimir come in in the morning and you trained him and then you trained after him, or was it vice versa? And then physically how was that for you at the end of the day; were you worn out, how did you feel? Because nobody does that.

Banks

Yes. Well our schedules I set my schedule to train when Wladimir trained in the morning I trained before he did; by the time he got in the gym I was just there ready, waiting on him. And the afternoon was the same schedule; I just trained before him so by the time he got there I was dressed for him and ready to go. At the end of the day, yes, I was completely exhausted. I slept like a baby every single night.

Q

So it was instead of two-a-days it was four-a-days for you.

Banks

Four-a-days. Yes, it was four-a-days. Yes.

Q

Seth made a reference to this that you’ve sparred with Lennox, you’ve sparred with the Klitschkos. Does that give you any kind of advantage in terms of assessing your opponents and enduring what they bring to the table in the course of a fight? And that’s one question. The other question is as a trainer cerebrally does that give you an advantage in assessing your opponents?

Banks

Well to answer the first question, I’m going to say no. Sparring with those guys it doesn’t give me an advantage, because none of those guys are Seth Mitchell. And, first off, I just want to say I take my hat off to Seth Mitchell, because I think he’s a hell of a fighter. My personal opinion about him I think he’s a hell of a fighter. And like I say, no, it doesn’t give me an advantage at all. All the opponents that he fought and all the opponents that I fought that was good at those particular times. Seth Mitchell brings a whole different energy to the ring than most opponents and I feel I bring a different rhythm to the ring than most opponents, so I think that’s what’s going to make this fight a hell of a fight. So to answer that first question, no, working with those guys doesn’t give me an advantage.

And could you please repeat the second one?

Q

Second one was more or less being a trainer, having a trainer’s mind and a trainer’s acumen, does that give you any upside to assessing your opponents from a trainer’s mental standpoint?

Banks

I’m not going to say an advantage, but it definitely equips you with another piece of equipment besides being prepared for different things. Looking at it from a trainer standpoint, usually a trainer will say, a trainer obviously his job is to speak and give directions; that’s pretty much it. So I try not to look at it from a trainer’s point, because I can’t speak to nobody and give them directions, except myself.

But it gives me a different outlook about boxing, which is really good, and it’s a part of it that gives me the outlook that really keeps me motivated, got me really excited about fighting all the time, just because that particular different outlook I have as far as the trainer. But I don’t see it as no type of advantage.

Q

Okay. And the last question for you is that your last loss was as a cruiserweight to Tomasz Adamek, and since you’ve been a heavyweight you’re undefeated in nine fights. Was there a reason you moved to heavyweight after that fight, number one, and then number two, to what do you attribute your success as a heavyweight?

Banks

I’m going to answer the first question, but I’m going to ask you to repeat the second question when I finish answering the first one. The loss was to Adamek, but the move was to heavyweight simply because I was killing myself too much to make the 200 pounds. And I could make the weight, but I couldn’t perform at the weight; that was my problem. I could make the weight, but I couldn’t perform at the weight. I was too weak trying to get down to 200, and it just took its toll on me, it took a toll on me in a big way. Not taking nothing against Adamek, he did what he was supposed to do. But I mean I really had nothing left to fight cruiserweight.

Q

And then my second question was I’m assuming that because you moved to heavyweight its easier. To what do you attribute your success in the heavyweight?

Banks

Just my willingness to work hard; that’s really what it was. Same with cruiserweight, I’m just trying to work as hard as I can and to fight to the best of my ability. That’s really that’s what it’s all about.

Q

Hey, Seth. Good seeing you last week. You talked about more or less his craftiness and you talked about a lot of things; you obviously have done a lot of homework on him. How does he rank in some of the categories that you mentioned with your opponents? How does he rank in terms of those categories with your opponents?

Mitchell

I think with the Chazz Witherspoon and Timur, as I said before, I think my team is doing a great job in moving me. He brings something different than my last two fights, though. I think Chazz was more busy a fighter, but he wasn’t as slick. Johnathon he’s a slick fighter; he has little subtle things that he does when he steps to the side and come over with the right hand and things of that nature. He’s a boxer that he doesn’t run, I mean he doesn’t use his legs a lot to move around the ring and run and make it a boring fight, but he definitely knows his way around the ring and taking small steps, economizing his movements to get the punches that he wants. Those are some of the things that we noticed and those are some of the things that we definitely worked on to try to alleviate some of the things that he wants to do.

But I’d say this is a solid test for me, it’s a different style of opponent that I’m facing thus far in my career, and I’m excited about it and I’m ready.

Q

Last question for you, do you think that this is a fight, a reference was made to the fact that you’ve been knocking everybody out and I know you box your way into position to score those knockouts, but is this one that you could see going the distance and maybe testing you in ways in terms of your boxing IQ and your ability to make adjustments and actually settle into a boxing match? You think that is a possibility more than say in your last 10 fights?

Mitchell

Definitely, I mean but I felt that way in my last two fights. I didn’t think that I was going to stop Timur in the second round or Chazz; I felt both of those fights was going to go about six or seven rounds. And I’m going to say you’ve seen me train before, you know I prepare for the distance; I go out there, I’m definitely in shape when I get in the ring. I know a lot of people that are waiting to take me into deep woods, because I haven’t been past eight since 2010. But conditioning is the last thing that’s on my mind when I step into the ring and I’ll be ready. I don’t expect this fight to be a short fight. Mentally I’m prepared to go twelve rounds, and that’s what I think this fight’s going to go. Whatever happens happens, but I’ll be ready mentally and physically.

Q

I wonder if you could share with us a little bit about your training regimen over the last couple of months and what that looks like and what you actually had to do to prepare yourself in the event this fight goes into the deeper rounds?

Mitchell

Well I don’t want to give away too much of my secrets, but just know that I trained very hard. I take my craft very seriously, and when it’s about two months away from the fight I cut back on a lot of things, I eat extremely healthy and I’m working twice a day, I’m working six days a week and twice a day five of those days. But we’re prepared all right. We do certain things in the gym as far as my sparring, punch count, things of that nature, high reps, we just we prepare well. But I know I’m not giving you too much, and that’s definitely intentional; I don’t give away my secrets. But we train extremely hard and we’re very prepared when we get into the ring, when we step into the ring.

Q

Okay. And my next question is in the past you have talked about coming into the ring not necessarily looking to knock the opponent out, but you’re coming to fight, you’re prepared whatever comes your way. I’m just wondering what are you expecting from Johnathon Banks; are you expecting a boxing match, are you expecting to have to go toe-to-toe, are you expecting to go the distance? What’s your expectation going into the fight?

Mitchell

Whatever it takes. One of the reasons why I personally don’t watch tape that much of my opponent because each fight is different. If I’m thinking that Johnathon’s going to come in and try to box my head off and that’s my mind set and then he comes out like a raging bull all up in my grill during the fight I think that could just throw me all off track and get me discombobulated, and mentally you have to be sharp.

So I don’t really know what he’s going to do. I would expect him to probably try to box me and take me into the deeper rounds, but we’re prepared. Like I said earlier, we have about three or four game plans that we’re really ready to go with depending on how Johnathon comes out to fight. But I can’t answer that question. I just know, and I expect, Johnathon Banks to be at 100% ready to fight come the 17th. He knows I’ll be–he knows I’ll be ready, and I hope and I expect that he’s ready to fight and be 100% on the 17th.

Q

Johnathon, I’m just wondering, given the fact that Seth hasn’t gone deep into many of his fights, is it one of your primary objectives coming into the fight to get him into the later rounds? And secondly, do you think that getting him into the later rounds will increase your chance of winning the fight?

Banks

I think what increases my chance of winning the fight is me getting in shape before the fight. But with him not being in the later rounds I think that has nothing to do with the fight at all, because as anybody knows he’s a big puncher. A big puncher has a chance from bell one to bell twelve; I don’t care if he’s dog-tired, he has a chance to win the fight because he’s a big puncher. So I think the longer the fight goes it’s not like it’s getting safe for me. No, it’s getting more and more dangerous. You know what I’m saying? So I don’t see it being an advantage at all. I don’t look at the rounds he’s been, or no, he hasn’t been this amount of rounds. I don’t get off into that, because it really doesn’t matter. You know what I’m saying, it doesn’t matter, because you don’t have to go twelve rounds every fight to be able to go through a round for one fight. You know what I’m saying? And like I say, he knows that I know that he’s coming and to be in good shape. He’s always in good shape and ready to go, so that’s what, in my mind, so you know that he’s in good shape. And once again, like I say, no, I don’t think there’s going to be an advantage if the fight goes past six or past eight or past nine rounds.

Q

Have you felt overlooked in terms of what you’ve been doing in the ring as a heavyweight?

I was wondering if you felt overlooked as a fighter because you’ve been getting a lot of attention as Wladimir’s trainer or as the Klitschko sparring partner for so many years? Have you felt overlooked in terms of what you’ve been doing in the ring?

Banks

A little bit. Sort of a little bit. It’s no bearing on me; it’s not like it’s a burden on my mind at all–I’ve been overlooked all the time and now they want to give me some attention. It’s nothing like that. I feel like a little bit I’ve been overlooked, but that’s how it is sometimes. I don’t worry about it. I’m sort of in the spotlight now, happy to be in the spotlight, and I’m going to work my butt off so I can stay in the spotlight really.

Q

Do you think it’s helped you given that, and obviously this is a big advantage on HBO, but you’ve been fighting in Europe in front of 40,000 people, do you think that helps you in terms of handling the pressure that comes with a big fight like this?

Banks

I think so. You have arenas that seat 62,000 people and it’s actually sold out for 62,000 people, you have another 2,000 people outside the arena trying to grab your clothes as you enter the arena. So you know what I’m saying. It definitely was a help as far as a pressure builder, you know what I’m saying, fighting in front of a lot of people. So in that aspect, in that sense fighting in front of a lot of people I’m totally comfortable with it.

Q

And finally, Johnathon, it’s been a little while since there has been a Detroit born and bred heavyweight from the Kronk that has gone on to really be in the big stage in the heavyweight division. Can you talk about that? And who were some of the guys that you looked up to growing up in Detroit, Detroit fighters that maybe you looked up to?

Banks

Actually, of course, the guys I looked up to in Detroit as far as Detroit fighters, Joe Louis, he was from Detroit; Sugar Ray Robinson was from Detroit; and of course there was Thomas Hearns; the Milt McCoys; the Jimmy Farr’s; a lot of these guys; Hilmer Kenty was one of the first park champions ever, and of course Emanuel Steward. I have to say I looked up to all these guys, and I was able to talk to a majority of these guys. I was able to talk to a lot of different trainers that trained Joe Louis, a lot of different trainers that worked right next to Sugar Ray Robinson. So I was able to talk to a lot of these guys, just get a little techniques or stuff like that, learning different things from a lot of old-school people.

Q

Seth, with Eddie Chambers apparently moving down to cruiserweight you look poised to take on the role of the best American heavyweight out there. I was wondering if you could tell me how important is that to you and how important is bringing the heavyweight championship of the world back to the U.S.A., how important is that to you?

Mitchell

It’s very important. As I say all the time, I never proclaim myself to be the great American hope, the great American heavyweight. Honestly now I just try to work hard, to stay humble, stay focused, and try to reach my goals. I believe in myself and I believe that I have the ability to become heavyweight champion of the world. And Johnathon Banks, he’s standing in my way to achieve that goal, and I’m not taking it lightly. I’m ready to go. But it definitely would mean a lot to me to become heavyweight champion of the world, just to be the best. Whenever I get into something I want to become the best at it, and becoming the heavyweight champion of the world would definitely solidify that.

So I’m anxious, I’m excited, I truly believe the future is bright for me, and it’s exciting for me right now. When I lay down at night and I just think about the future, and it’s just bright. And the next step, again, is the 17th, I know I keep saying it and it sounds redundant, but it’s the truth. Where I’m trying to go Johnathon Banks is in my way, and on the 17th there’s going to be a fight, and again I definitely plan on being victorious. But to wear that strap, to claim those belts back from the Klitschkos; they’re champions right now, they’ve been champs for the last six, seven, eight years, and rightfully so, they deserve all the credit that they’re getting. They’re consummate professionals inside the ring as well as outside. But the heavyweight division needs some more excitement, and I do believe that I possess those tools to bring it back.

Q

Seth, is there a current or a past fighter that you admire and/or model your style after?

Mitchell

Not really. Like I say, I literally just got involved in boxing six years ago. There’s nobody that I really looked up to as a fighter, and you probably ask Johnathon this question and he probably could say well I used to look up to so and so in the boxing, but that wasn’t my thing. I wanted to be a football player. I really looked up and admired and wanted to play like Ray Lewis, middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. But as a boxer I like a lot of people. I watch tape on fights just to pick up different things to add to my boxing craft. My favorite fighter right now is Miguel Cotto.

Q

Did you happen to see the Wladimir Klitschko vs. Mariusz Wach fight, Seth?

Mitchell

Yes I did.

Q

What did you think about Wach’s chin and do you think that you could have held up like that against Wladimir?

Mitchell

Well, man, hopefully I wouldn’t have got hit too many times flush like that. I thought he had a hell of a chin. I thought Johnathon did a hell of a job in the corner in the fifth round when Klitschko got touched and it looked a little-he wasn’t hurt at all, but it flustered him a little bit, and I thought Johnathon did a great job. I thought Wach had a hell of a chin, but he was standing there taking a lot of shots. If I were to take those shots hopefully I could stand up to them, but hopefully I will have better defense when my opportunity comes.

Q

And for you looking forward professionally over the next few years does your future in boxing more as a trainer or more as a fighter? So I guess what I’m asking you is what is the number one priority right now?

Banks

The number one priority right now is just boxing, but whether it’s training or whether it’s actually fighting it’s all inside of boxing, so I don’t have to take a break on doing anything. The transition that you take to fight and to train is just the mental defense; okay I train this guy, okay I have to fight this guy. So it’s no problem. The whole ideal of it is boxing, so that’s the number one goal is just boxing right now.

Q

If boxing is the number one goal, but being the trainer of the heavyweight championship of the world, it would seem that your path to the heavyweight title is blocked. Would you ever fight Wladimir Klitschko?

Banks

To the naked eye it does seem like that, doesn’t it? I mean I don’t know, honestly. I’m not the type of guy, I never really said too much too soon about the future, you know what I’m saying. That’s one of those bridges that you have to wait to cross when you get to it. So the focus right now is to just keep training and keep fighting, so we’ll see what happens when we get to it.

Q

I know we kind of whipped a dead horse today with asking you about your training duties between Klitschko and your personal training. In the event that you’re not victorious in your fight this weekend, will you continue to battle on or would you want to shift more into the direction of training?

Banks

Once again, that’s really a difficult question to answer, because as once again it’s one of them bridges that you have to cross when you get there. As of right now my plan is to continue to train Wladimir as he needs me, because he asked me to be there so my plan is to be there for him. And also my plan is to be there for Johnathon, which is to fight. Johnathon is a fighter; I’m a fighter, I love to fight, so that’s my job as of right now.

Q

Okay. And then I have a quick question for Seth. We’ve also touched upon the point that your right hand is ready and ready to battle with Johnathon this weekend. Do you feel any type of uncomfortableness mentally about using your right hand? Even though it’s medically healed do you feel uncomfortable launching any power shots when you get into the ring this weekend?

Mitchell

As of right now my hand is 100 percent. The doctor said it takes six to eight weeks to rest, and by the fight getting pushed back and postponed I actually rested it for eleven to twelve weeks, so about three months. And for the last three months I’ve been hitting the heavy bag, I’ve been sparring, and not holding back at all, and so it’s ready to go, it’s 100 percent. Now who’s to say I could go in there and throw the first punch and my hand starts hurting, but as of right now my hand is 100 percent. I have no ill effect from previous fights and I’m ready to go, and you won’t see me holding back any punches come the 17th.

Swanson

Okay. Great. That calls it. And, you guys, we look forward to seeing Saturday night compete in the ring together, because you sure competed on the phone today. Thanks, everybody, for joining us. See you Saturday in Atlantic City.

END OF CALL

Broner vs. DeMarco, a 12-round fight for DeMarco’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, November 17 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be a 12-round heavyweight clash between Seth Mitchell and Johnathon Banks for Mitchell’s NABO title and the vacant WBC International Heavyweight title.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

“Mayhem” Mitchell held an open workout at The Dream Team Boxing Gym in Clinton, Maryland today as Mitchell prepares to face top contender Johnathon Banks on Saturday, November 17 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Seth Mitchell, NABO Heavyweight Champion

“It would mean a lot to become heavyweight world champion. It remains to be seen, but I am definitely working hard toward that goal. I’m not trying to underestimate anybody, but I am just trying to stay focused and have tunnel vision toward that goal.

“A lot of people don’t believe me that the day I decided to box, I knew I was going to be successful in this sport. I believe in myself. I believe that athletics is my gift. The only thing that has surprised me during my career is how quickly I signed with Golden Boy Promotions.

“I never watch my opponents’ film. My trainer Andre Hunter does that and then we train based on what he learns from the footage.

“Every fight from here on out is a really big fight for me. I truly believe in the latter part of 2013, I will be ready for my opportunity to fight for the heavyweight world title.

“[On hailing from the Washington, D.C. area] The DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia region) is a hotbed for boxing. I’m glad to be able to represent this area. I’m happy to have a lot of former champions and athletes come support me.

[On HBO’s “2 Days: Seth Mitchell” episode] The thing that was funny for me to see was how they showed my wife’s reaction ringside, her expressions and her emotions watching me fight. I could still see her nerves when we watched it together. I thought they did a great job.

“I am fortunate that my style resonates with the people. All of the fans on Twitter and Facebook are reaching out and telling me they are excited to see me fight.

“It feels good to be recognized as an American heavyweight. I know why everyone is saying it and it is because of what I am doing in the ring.”

# # #

Broner vs. DeMarco, a 12-round fight for DeMarco’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, November 17 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions, sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Caesars Atlantic City and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be Seth Mitchell vs. Johnathon Banks in a 12-round battle for Mitchell’s NABO title.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com. When ordering online at ticketmaster.com, fans wishing to be seated in sections with other Seth Mitchell fans can use the code MAYHEM (in all caps).

TRAVIS POMPOSELLO: First off, I would like to send our condolences to Wlad, Johnathan and everyone at K2 for your loss [Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward] a couple of weeks ago.. We are proud and honored to have Wlad back on EPIX again for the third time this year. We will have aired all of his fights in 2012 as the year concludes. We at EPIX feel that Wladimir is one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time and it has been a real privilege to have him on our network this whole year. As always we will be streaming the event live on all of our platforms and devices as well as our television channel. We are really looking forward to this one and Wladimir breaking the record.

TOM LOEFFLER: We are real excited about this fight. It is in a sold-out arena with about 15,000 people at the O2 World Arena in Hamburg. We got a great response from the Polish boxing fans and of course whenever Wlad fights in Germany the arenas are always full. This is an unusual situation where Wladimir is fighting a taller guy – a first for Wlad. Mariusz Wach made a good impression at his public workout today. He is a very tall, very strong, very confident fighter. It will be a great night and we appreciate all the support we have gotten from EPIX. I know simulcasting live on the EPIX Times Square jumbotron [Broadway between 44th and 45th Streets] is a great marketing tool EPIX has come up with and we hope a lot of people watch again. I would like to introduce Johnathon Banks who has been with Wladimir the entire time Wladimir has been with Emanuel. It’s a touchy subject but I will put Johnathon on the line and he can tell you about how training has been going.

JOHNATHON BANKS: Camp has been going really good. We had a few setbacks or maybe a disappointment by losing one of the greatest trainers of all time, in my mind, in Emanuel Steward. Outside of that camp is good. Everyone’s spirits are high and as always we look forward to a beautiful fight.

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: Good afternoon everybody in the States. Wladimir Klitschko speaking. I would also like to share my feeling about Emanuel Steward. He was a great-great friend and one of the geniuses in boxing. He is not here, but we know his spirit is with us and around us. He is laughing and enjoying himself and also looking forward to that fight – I know that for sure. On the other hand, I would like to congratulate all of the Obama supporters and congratulate President Obama for winning the election. I understand politically people can be divided but it is what it is in politics. It has been on TV all day in Germany – all of the people have been following and the outcome everyone knows,
Of course, regarding the fight – I have been going through the camp which has been a little bit different by losing Emanuel. On the other hand he is with us in spirit. I also want to mention something about Johnathon Banks. Of course everyone has been wondering who is going to be my next coach. I knew from the beginning that it was going to be Johnathon Banks. The man has learned a lot from Emanuel Steward – I met them both on the same day over nine years ago. Johnathon has been learning a lot from the Kronk spirit. Of course Johnathon Banks is not Emanuel Steward – he is Johnathon Banks. Everyone has their own way of doing things and I think, considering everything, the camp went well. I had some good sparring partners … Dante Wilder was one of the greatest sparring partners I have ever had. He gave me a lot of speed and is a really talented guy. We enjoyed those sparring sessions that we had. I am also looking forward to this challenge in the ring. My opponent is undefeated, younger, heavier, taller, and has a longer reach, and everything like that. We had today an open workout with Maruisz Wach and his coach making a little fun by putting my face on the pads and hitting my face many times. It was something that was entertaining to watch. However, in the ring on Saturday, November 10, he will face the real Wladimir Klitschko, not just images on the pads. I think it is going to be a real exciting fight because Wach has the spirit of a young man that wants to become world champion. He is very self-confident and I am expecting him to be better than he usually can be because that is his motivation – his chance to be world champion and I am expecting a very good fight from Wach.

What was it about Emanuel that when you met him nine years ago you decided to put your career in his hands?

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: I had been working with a lot of guys and coaches in the States — well known and experienced coaches. My advisor Bernd Boente called Emanuel Steward and asked him if he could imagine working with me. Do you really want to try and work out with me because I do. You know how he is, ‘yea, yea, yea, let’s try it out and see how we do.’ I was in Marina Del Ray. So we had this first pads work and conversations and all that and it clicked. It clicked from the beginning. The relationship between Emanuel and me was very special – not just a regular relationship between a coach and a boxer, I assure you of that because he respected my experience inside and out of the ring. I respected his experience outside of the ring as a coach. Our first work was not successful – it was the first time I fought Lamon Brewster in 2004 – a fight that I lost. After which we both broke down in tears (laughs) because we couldn’t believe what happened to us. Emanuel Steward has been known for his strength to pick up the fighter when he is not on the top – when he is on the bottom. That was the situation when Emanuel started to work with Lennox Lewis. He was not in Lennox’s corner when he fought Oliver McCall then he started to work with Lennox. It was something that I believed in the coach and he believed in the boxer, in this case with me and in that case with Lennox and that made Emanuel a very special man. I have mentioned it before- Emanuel Steward is a genius in the ring and it is something and it makes me feel privileged to have worked with him for many years and be a friend with such a legend and a genius that we have in boxing.

Is there anything tactical you can say that he made you better from 2004 to today?

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: It is very complicated to explain everything. It is a lot and it would be impossible to mention it all on this conference call. But I’ll tell you one thing, maybe what he has changed in me? What’s amazing – Emanuel Steward hasn’t changed anything in me. He said “Wladimir, be yourself.” The thing I learned in the amateurs is about technique and balance, strategy that he has been improving on that. We basically write a script in the preparation and the script was played out in the fight exactly the way we wrote it. We were analyzing everything – the way the opponent talks, the way the opponent walks, what he has done before, what was the most common thing he repeated on the strong side of the opponent and on the weak side of the opponent. And we used it. That is what in general I am telling you.

We talked a lot. We actually talked more than we did pads work — making combinations or anything like that. We talked about boxing and we talked about life because life is like boxing. There are certain things that are comparable and one of them is life and the sport of boxing.

How do you train for a fight next week and train a fighter for the heavyweight world championship?

JOHNATHON BANKS: Amazing is what it is. It is an amazing situation on both sides. I don’t feel any added weight. It is the situation at hand. I am in boxing. I love boxing. I love what I do. As far as me training then turning around and training Wladimir – there is no pressure, because boxing is what I’m into. It’s not like I’m training a guy for a golf tournament and I’ve got a fight coming up. I am with a fighter that has a fight and I have a fight coming up so it is definitely not a problem.

How were you able to get Wladimir’s respect and what was the process like?

JOHNATHON BANKS: In the words of Wladimir, I was just being myself. I approached him with a great deal of respect and I will always have that great deal of respect for him. I feel that through the wonderful sport of boxing I earned his respect. Then I earned it more once I got to be around him.

What is your brother’s political situation in politics and are you involved at all?

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: Of course, Ukraine had Parliamentary elections and he is going to represent his party and also his people that were elected and voted for in Vitali’s party. Vitali has always been interested in politics and his goal is to change the way of Ukrainian politics. I can’t really be proud of Ukranian politics. Vitali has been living in different counties, United States, Germany and he sees Democracy. He knows that we have corruption in Ukraine and that is the main point — where to fight corruption. There are no rules like in boxing. I was a part of his campaign from the beginning of August until October and I’m not into politics and I’m not in his party but I am politically aware and politically active but not a politician. I also represent the majority of the country that are not politicians. I shared my experience that I have had with the people that were watching the elections and was motivating them to go vote. Because a lot of people just lost any hope that they could change anything in the country because corruption in the No. 1 disease in the Ukraine. It is like a cancer taking over the whole body, and we have to fight. The fight is not easy. There were fights for the votes and it is still going on actually. I am happy for my brother and proud of my brother that he was elected and is going to protect the interests of the people.

When was the last time you spoke to Emanuel and what did you talk about?

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: The last time I spoke to Emanuel was 2½ weeks ago and the only line that I got to hear from him was “Hello, hello, how ya’ doing?” Unfortunately that was the last words that I heard from Emanuel. His voice was very strong and his wife Marie held the phone. He wasn’t able to speak too much but that was the last line I heard from Emanuel – a strong, happy and clear sounding voice.

It was very sad and it is still sad. I am probably going to go over after the fight and of course there is going to be a memorial on the 13th of November. I can tell you that the real spirit of Emanuel Steward is with us. I am very happy there is a fight so we can stay focused and continue to do what he was excited about. We are doing a job we love doing and we are very excited about it. I see excitement in everyone on my team and in the man that replace Emanuel Steward – Johnathon Banks.

What kind of impact has Emanuel had on you as a human being?

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: I have spent more time with Emanuel in the last nine years than I have with my own father. My father shaped me as a person and Emanuel did a lot for me inside the ring. What shaping Emanuel did for me outside the ring was he was always flexible and trying to figure out how people acted. He was not a conservative person. In is 68 years he has been around young people all of the time. His spirit was young and he was always learning and he never stopped. He said one line that ‘You know Wladimir, fighters are smarter than trainers.’ Trainers are not able to listen to their fighters but they have to actually listen to them. He’s right about it. You have to be flexible. As a trainer you tell a boxer ‘this is the way you do it and you do it.’ I would express my point of view and he would express his point of view and we try to work it out to get to one solution. He was incredibly flexible in his way of understanding things. And in life you have to be flexible also. Every person has certain qualities: see it, use it and don’t kill it. That is a description of Emanuel – exactly what he was.

Do you think you can help with the future of Kronk Gym?

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: I saw a picture of the Kronk Gym, which has been destroyed. It made me really sad to see what happened. Kronk Gym has existed for a long time and it will continue to exist. I will do my dedication to that. Fortunately there are a lot of people in Detroit, boxers as well and boxers who have worked with Emanuel. Speaking for all of us that have worked with Emanuel and I am taking this responsibility to speak for all of us will unite to proceed with the existence of the Kronk Gym an existence of strategy of the spirit of Emanuel through the Kronk Gym. It has been taking care of a lot of young people and keeping them away from drugs and crime or anything else. Whoever will run it after Emanuel that is something we will think about after the November 10th fight. Of course I am dedicated and I will make sure all of the fighters that have worked with Emanuel are on the same page as me.

JOHNATHON BANKS: My feeling about the Kronk Gym – the name alone is my upbringing as far back as being an amateur fighter. Seeing the gym now is really hard to look at. Seeing pictures of the outside and the inside is really hard. As Wladimir said, all the fighters that have trained under Emanuel definitely want to keep that legacy going.

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: I will be at the memorial service on November 13. I am pretty sure that Vitali is going to come to the memorial service.

I want to say thank you very much for all the questions and the participants on today’s conference call. I want to thank you, EPIX, for broadcasting the fight in the United States. I know the Klitscko brothers have a lot of fans in the United States. I am looking forward to getting back in the States, not just as a person, but as a person to perform, as well. Everybody watch the fight on EPIX because I am very excited about the fight and I think you guys are going to be too.

JOHNATHON BANKS: Like Wladimir said, it’s going to be a very good fight. Both big guys are motivated for the fight. It’s going to be very exciting fight. As far as my fight, tune in on November 17 on HBO because that is also going to be a very exciting fight.

TOM LOEFFLER: This just proves how fragile life can be. On July 7 three men were celebrating their birthdays in the ring and now we are here without Emanuel. I just want people to realize that and appreciate people who are in their lives. Everyone is using this for motivation for Wladimir’s performance on Saturday night.

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Heavyweight championship boxing makes an EPIX on Saturday!

World Heavyweight Champion WLADIMIR “Dr. Steelhammer” KLITSCHKO (58-3, 51 KOs), of Kiev, Ukraine, will defend his unified titles This Saturday! November 10, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT, exclusively on EPIX, the multiplatform premium entertainment service. EpixHD.com will stream the fights live as part of a special free trial offer for boxing fans.

Klitschko, the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super heavyweight / International Boxing Federation (IBF) / World Boxing Organization (WBO) / International Boxing Organization (IBO) / The Ring heavyweight champion, will battle 6’7 1/2 undefeated world-rated contender MARIUSZ “The Viking” WACH (27-0, 15 KOs), a native of Poland who fights out of North Bergen, NJ, at the O2 World Arena in Hamburg, Germany. It is the first time the 6’6 Klitschko has ever rumbled with a taller opponent. It will also be the first fight since 2004 that Klitschko will not have Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward in his corner. The telecast will include a tribute to Steward who passed away on October 25.

The telecast and live stream will also feature ROBERT “The Nordic Nightmare” HELENIUS (17-0, 11 KOs), a native of Finland who fights out of Berlin, Germany, risking his undefeated record and his march to a world title shot against battle-tested veteran SHERMAN “The Tank” WILLIAMS (35-11-2, 19 KOs), a native of the Bahamas, who fights out of Vero Beach, Fla., live from the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland.

These four gladiators boast a combined record of 137-14-2 (95 KOs) – a 90% winning percentage and a 69% victory by knockout ratio.

As has become the custom, EPIX will once again present the closed-captioned simulcast of this world championship rumble on its jumbotron in Times Square in New York City (Broadway between 44th and 45th Sts.)

About EPIX
EPIX is the newest premium entertainment network delivering the latest movie releases, classic library titles, plus original films, comedy, music and sports events on TV, on demand, online and on devices. Launched October 2009 as the first multiplatform premium network with online accessibility for subscribers through EpixHD.com, EPIX pioneered the development and proliferation of TV Everywhere for American consumers. EPIX was the first premium network to launch on Xbox consoles, first on Android tablets and phones, first on Roku® players and is available to authenticated subscribers on hundreds of devices including Apple® iPads®, iPhones®, Samsung® Smart TVs and Blu-ray™ players and more. Today EPIX remains the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up from new Hollywood hits to original programs on all platforms and provides more movies than any other premium network.

EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EpixHD.com. Follow EPIX Sports on Twitter (@EPIXsports) and on Facebook.

Close friend and currant Heavyweight contender Jonathon Banks will train Wladimir Klitschko for his November 10th title defense with Maiusz Wach.

Banks replaces the late Emanuel Steward who passed away on Thursday.

NEW YORK, October 10 – On Saturday, November 17 boxing’s most electrifying young star, Adrien “The Problem” Broner will step up in weight to challenge the hard-hitting WBC Lightweight World Champion Antonio DeMarco at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the main event of HBO World Championship Boxing®.

In the co-main event, two of the United States’ top hopes for heavyweight world championship glory will clash when undefeated Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell takes on once-beaten Johnathon Banks in a 12-round bout for Mitchell’s NABO heavyweight title. The fight was originally scheduled for July 14, but was rescheduled when Mitchell suffered a hand injury forcing him to withdraw from the original date.

“I’m not coming just to win this fight, I’m coming to knock DeMarco out,” said Broner. “This fight is speed vs. power and it’s going to be just another day in the ring for me. Going up in weight is going to be different and I know he can hit, but you can’t hit what you can’t see and I’m too fast and furious for him. Power is nothing if you can’t connect; it’s like moving a sack of rocks.”

“This is another tough fight that has been presented to me and I’m going to do everything to keep my WBC title,” said DeMarco. “Broner talks a big game but he’s never been in the ring with a hungry Mexican fighter like me. I wanted this fight from the moment it was offered to me because I know I’ll be the first person to beat Broner and put him in his place. When I put my hands on him, he’ll regret his decision to move up to my division.”

“It’s taken a while, but I’m happy to finally be back in action and fighting a great opponent like Johnathon Banks,” said Mitchell. “I love fighting in Atlantic City because I know my fans from Maryland and the D.C. area will be out in force cheering me on. I am going to give them all a great fight.”

“I’m looking to steal the show on November 17” said Banks. “I’ll prove what a true boxer at the highest level can do against a football player. The winner of our fight should be next in line for a title shot. I plan on making sure that winner is me.”

“This is the perfect doubleheader the week before the Thanksgiving holiday because I guarantee that when it’s over, you’ll be thanking these four boxers for two great fights,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “Broner vs. DeMarco is a great mix of styles and we’ll see how Adrien handles the move up to lightweight against a hard and accurate puncher like DeMarco. The heavyweight fight between Mitchell and Banks should produce an American heavyweight ready to fight for a world title, and I can’t wait to see who prevails.”

“I applaud HBO for making this fight a reality because this is the type of fight that boxing fans around the world can appreciate,” said New Jersey based promoter, Gary Shaw. “My fighter, world champion Antonio DeMarco, is a warrior and a proud champion who brings nothing but pure excitement to the ring. Broner has never face a fighter like DeMarco or his level of competition. For Antonio it’s another fight in which the challenger talks about upsetting the champion, but DeMarco knows what he needs to do to retain his title.”

“Atlantic City’s reputation was built on hosting boxing’s most talented and feared fighters competing in mega-championship bouts that are still talked about to this very day,” said Don Marrandino, Eastern Division President for Caesars Entertainment. “Boardwalk Hall is synonymous with legendary names like De La Hoya, Hopkins, Gatti, Holyfield, Tyson, and on November 17th Broner, DeMarco, Mitchell and Banks will add to that traditional.”

“Fight fans from coast-to-coast should circle November 17 on their calendars because we have a terrific night of boxing programming lined up,” said Kery Davis, Senior Vice President, Programming, HBO Sports. “A lot of questions will get answered, including will Seth Mitchell continue to fast-track through the heavyweight division and can Adrien Broner move up in weight to the 135-pound division and capture a world title belt? The competition in Johnathon Banks and Antonio DeMarco, respectively, will be formidable and we look forward to an exciting night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.”

Broner vs. DeMarco, a 12-round fight for DeMarco’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, November 17 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions, sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Caesars Atlantic City and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at, $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, go on sale on Thursday, October 11 at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.

Unbeaten, charismatic and getting better with each fight, 23-year-old Adrien “The Problem” Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) has already won a world championship at 130 pounds, knocking out Vicente Martin Rodriguez in three rounds in November of 2011. He then defended his belt with a fourth round technical knockout victory over then undefeated of Eloy Perez in February and stopped Vicente Escobedo in July. Now, the Cincinnati phenom looks to close out an exciting year on November 17 when he will introduce his improved speed, power and dynamic style to the lightweight division staring with Antonio DeMarco.

Despite Broner’s fast start in the fight game, Tijuana southpaw Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KO’s) believes he will be the first man to solve “The Problem” in the ring. A professional for over eight years, the 26-year-old banger first won the WBC Interim Lightweight World Title in 2009, but lost the belt to Edwin Valero in 2010. Since then, he has looked unstoppable, winning the WBC crown in October of 2011 with an 11th round stoppage of Jorge “El Nino De Oro” Linares and then defending the title twice, knocking out Miguel Roman in five rounds and John Molina in just 44 seconds.

A former standout linebacker for Michigan State University, Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (25-0-1, 19 KO’s) found his true calling in the prize ring and he has quickly built a reputation as the kind of fighter that can reinvigorate the heavyweight division. The 30-year-old is soft spoken outside the ring, but a ferocious competitor between the ropes, and the Maryland resident has blasted through top contenders Timur Ibragimov and Chazz Witherspoon in a combined five rounds, with the latter bout showing that Mitchell not only has the power to succeed, but the heart as well.

Three-time national amateur champion Johnathon Banks (28-1-1, 18 KO’s) has earned a PhD in the ring thanks to his work with Emanuel Steward and Wladimir Klitschko over the years and now he’s ready to make his run for the heavyweight title. A professional since 2004, Banks’ only loss came in a cruiserweight title fight against Tomasz Adamek in 2009 and after that fight, the 30-year-old from Detroit has put together an 8-0-1 record, the perfect way to lead into the biggest fight of his nine-year career.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/GaryShawBoxing, www.twitter.com/AdrienBroner, www.twitter.com/De_Marco07 www.twitter.com/SethMayhem48, www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall, www.twitter.com/HBOboxing, follow the conversation using #BronerDemarco or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.facebook.com/HBOboxing.

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