ABNER MARES, ANSELMO MORENO, VIC DARCHINYAN & DON KING International Media Conference Call Highlights

Posted on | November 17, 2011 | No Comments

NEW YORK (Nov. 16, 2011) – International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Bantamweight Champion Abner Mares, World Boxing Association (WBA), Bantamweight Super Champion Anselmo Moreno, Two-Division World Champion Vic “The Raging Bull’’ Darchinyan and Hall of Fame Promoter Don King held a media conference call on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event on Saturday, Dec. 3, live on SHOWTIME^® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

In the main event, unbeaten rising star Mares (22-0-1, 13 KOs), of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Bantamweight Championship titles against the boxer he dethroned, former Two-Time IBF Bantamweight World Champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko (28-3, 22KOs), of Accra, Ghana.

In the co-featured world championship bout, Moreno (31-1-1, 11 KOs), of Panama City, Panama, will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Bantamweight Super Championship against Darchinyan (37-3-1, 27 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, by way of Vanadzor, Armenia.

Tickets for Mares vs. Agbeko II, priced at $150, $100, $50 and $25, are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.com, via charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000 and at the Honda Center Box Office.

The doubleheader is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don King Productions and Gary Shaw Productions and is sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T.

Here are some highlights of what the principals had to say on Wednesday.

ABNER MARES:

“I still have something to prove – that I’m a complete fighter. I just can’t wait to get into the ring and beat Agbeko and beat him a different way. I know it’s going to be a great fight and he’s a great ex-champion.

“I’m blessed and honored to have had some great fights against great fighters. The guys I’ve beaten have given me great experience and have done so much for me mentally. It means that I can beat the best and have success at this level.

“I’ve grown and I’ve learned from every fight. Each one I learn a little something new. Fight fans want to come see me because they know what Abner is going to bring and they want to come to see what I’m going to do next. I train to become a better fighter because you never quit learning.

“I’m a fighter that always likes to go to the body. Agbeko is the kind of fighter that leans down but you’re not going to see any of that in the next fight. It’s going to be a tremendous fight and I think people will leave very happy.

“I’m a perfectionist and I’m definitely going to go to the body. I’m going to throw a lot of body punches. If I see that the ref is saying my punches are too low then I’m going to stop doing it.

“I think Agbeko is a more complete fighter than the last two fighters I fought (Yonnhy Perez and Darchinyan). The way he kind of pulls down and the way he hides his head is pretty good.”

“What I tell everyone is that if I would have been penalized or had a point taken away in the early rounds (of the first Agbeko fight), I would have definitely stopped going to the body. I thought most of my punches were right at the belt line. It was not my intention to hit him low like that and I didn’t mean to hit him there. I fought my best and he fought his best and the fans were excited about the fight.

“But, most definitely, I do see where all the controversy comes from. There were some low punches but I tried to correct them. There were times when he pulled my head down and the ref told him not to. I thought at one point I was going to get penalized but I just went to a neutral corner and just saw the ref started counting. It’s not my fault. I can’t tell the ref to stop counting, so you can’t blame me for that. That’s why I have no problem fighting him again and I can’t wait to fight and beat him again.

“All eyes are going to be on me and waiting for me to make the mistakes, but I’m determined to go to the body like I always do. We’re ready. We have plan A and plan B and plan C.

“I can’t wait till Dec. 3, so I can show everyone what Abner Mares is made of.”

ANSELMO MORENO:

“We’ve faced all kinds of fights and styles. Not all fights are the same and not all fighters are the same, so we’re preparing ourselves 100 percent so that on Dec. 3 it’s going to be my night and that everyone will leave pleased with my performance.

“It’s one thing to say something but it’s another thing to go out and do it. We are prepared and we have watched Vic Darchinyan. We are going to do everything to counter him and make him feel uncomfortable.

“I’ve had eight title defenses but I needed a name like Vic Darchinyan to put my name out there on the map. I’m very happy to be with Golden Boy Promotions now and my mindset is all about Dec. 3and coming out victorious. I know after I win I will want to challenge the other winner to unify the titles. Why not fight Abner Mares after this fight, or Agbeko? I want to unify all the titles at 118.

“My style fascinates me; when they are right in front of me and I can make them miss. They miss and I counter them. That’s the art of boxing. Hit and not be hit.

“I’m going to go in there and do my job. I’m going to punch him and attack him and make him miss.

Let the winner be the winner. Whoever wins let the right guy win.”

VIC DARCHINYAN:

“I’m well prepared and I want to show everyone in America and the rest of the world that I’m very fit and ready to go. As soon as I’m done fighting (Moreno) I want to fight Abner Mares and I will destroy him. That’s what I want.

“I think Moreno is an OK fighter. I don’t think he’s a very effective fighter because he just goes round by round. I’m just going to be too strong for him. He’s bigger than me maybe body-wise, but I’m going to be too strong for him.

“I know I have to be patient. I can’t be in a rush like I did against Agbeko. I just wanted to knock him out in the first round and I was very impatient. I had no control in the ring because I wanted to just knock him out. I’m not just going to try and knock (Moreno) out. I’m going to take my time.

“I’m going to show the entire world that I’m a strong fighter and that I’m going to knock him out.

“I know Moreno is a great fighter and wants to take me out but if I win this fight I want to fight the winner of Agbeko-Mares. I just love to fight. Anyone who comes, I’m just going to destroy him.”

Who does Moreno remind you of?

“I think he looks a little like my first world title fight against (Irene) Pacheco, but Pacheco is more aggressive. He’s a southpaw and tall and a good mover, but I think Pacheco is more aggressive than Moreno. They are both good movers and come to fight, so it’s going to be a good fight.

“I’ve seen a couple of his fights. He’s always trying to push his opponent’s around. He comes in not so fit and he gets tired after the sixth round. He’s won his recent fights by split decision and he’s just looking to survive. He wants to win the first six or seven rounds, but I’m just going to come and demolish him and be so much stronger than him.

“I know Moreno is a great fighter and wants to take me out, but if I win this fight I want to fight the winner of Agbeko-Mares. I just love to fight. Anyone who comes, I’m just going to destroy him.”

DON KING (Agbeko’s Promoter):

“It wasn’t Mares’ fault that there was a bad referee in the last fight. Everyone in the world condemned the poor performance he put in, which really changed the outcome of the fight. Hopefully this time the fighters will decide on what they will do and how they will do it in the ring.

“SHOWTIME has got a big winner here and I’m looking forward to it with great anticipation.

“I truly don’t count the last fight and the loss (Agbeko) had because of the faults of Mr. (Russell) Mora and his poor officiating. However, now it’s up to Agbeko to stand up and be accounted for and that he can redeem himself. He knows that he’s the one that has to do this.

“I will be there for the fight in California. I think Mares is a great fighter and he’s really articulated well about what happened in the last fight. However, I think the blemish is a big one because of the low blows that were thrown and there was no rectification by the referee or condolence by the man who was supposed to be watching the referee and telling him what to do.”

About Golden Boy Promotions:

Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar de la Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. In 2007, in its fifth year of promoting, Golden Boy Promotions set a record by selling over 2.5 million in pay-per-view homes in a single night. Also in 2007, Golden Boy Promotions established the record for highest grossing pay-per-view homes in a single year with more than 4 million total. In 2009, the company broke records again by breaking the million mark in pay-per-view homes again with the return of Floyd Mayweather. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing’s most active and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the United States and the world on networks such as HBO, HBO Latino, HBO Plus, SHOWTIME, TeleFutura, Televisa, ESPN2 and Fox Sports Net.

Golden Boy Promotions currently has over 70 fighters under contract, from future Hall of Famers Bernard Hopkins and Erik Morales to current world champions and superstars Devon Alexander, Saul Alvarez, Robert Guerrero, David Haye, Chris John, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Abner Mares, Anselmo Moreno, Victor Ortiz and Humberto Soto. Also included on the company’s roster are top contenders Librado Andrade, Alfredo Angulo, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia, Erislandy Lara, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Seth Mitchell and Peter Quillin as well as highly regarded prospects Randy Caballero, Eddie Gomez, Frankie Gomez, Antonio Orozco, Carlos Velasquez and Deontay Wilder.

About Don King Productions:

Don King Productions has promoted over 600 world championship fights with nearly 100 individual boxers having been paid $1 million or more. DKP also holds the distinction of having promoted or co-promoted seven of the 10 largest pay-per-view events in history, as gauged by total buys, including three of the top five: Holyfield vs. Tyson II, 1.99 million buys, June 1997; Tyson vs. Holyfield I, 1.6 million buys, November 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, 1.58 million buys, August 1995.

DKP has promoted or co-promoted 11 of the top 20 highest-grossing live gates in the history of the state of Nevada including five of the top seven: Holyfield vs. Lewis II, paid attendance: 17,078, gross: $16,860,300 (NOTE: Also second-highest live-gate gross for any event in the history of the world.), date: Nov. 13, 1999; Holyfield vs. Tyson II, paid attendance: 16,279, gross: $14,277,200, date: June 28, 1997; Holyfield vs. Tyson I, paid attendance: 16,103, gross: $14,150,700, date: Nov. 9, 1996; Tyson vs. McNeeley, paid attendance: 16,113, gross: $13,965,600, date: Aug. 19, 1995; and Trinidad vs. De La Hoya, paid attendance: 11,184, gross: $12, 949, 500. Sept. 18, 1999.

About Showtime Networks Inc.:
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, SHOWTIME 2 HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™ and FLIX ON DEMAND®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Channel™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Mares vs. Agbeko II, a 12-round fight for Mares’ IBF and WBC Silver Championship titles taking place on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Don King Productions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. Also featured will be a 12-round bantamweight world title co-main event between Anselmo Moreno and former World Champion Vic Darchinyan for Moreno’s WBA Bantamweight Super Championship which is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions. Both fights will air live on SHOWTIME® at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).