FightHype.com

ANDRZEJ FONFARA: "EXPECT HEAVY PUNCHES, KNOCKDOWNS, AND A GREAT FIGHT"

By Press Release | April 16, 2015
ANDRZEJ FONFARA:

Popular Mexican superstar and former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and dangerous brawler Andrzej Fonfara participated in the final the final press conference Thursday at Crowne Plaza Hotel LAX, just two days before Saturday's SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader.

Chavez (48-1-1, 32 KOs) of Culiacan, Mexico, and Fonfara (26-3, 15 KOs) of Chicago by way of Radon, Poland, will meet in the 12-round light heavyweight main event live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT) from StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.  Chavez will make his eagerly awaited return to the ring and first start for new trainer Joe Goossen.

Also participating in today's press conference was undefeated top 10-ranked super lightweight Amir Imam (16-0, 14 KOs), of Davie, Fla., by way of Albany, N.Y. who will put his unblemished record on the line against fellow power-puncher Walter Castillo (25-2, 18 KOs) (25-2, 18 KOs), of Managua, Nicaragua, in the 10-round co-feature on SHOWTIME.

On SHOWTIME EXTREME® (8 p.m. ET/PT) this Saturday, WBA Interim Super Bantamweight World Champion Oscar Escandon (24-1, 16 KOs), of Tolima, Colombia, will make the first defense of his 122-pound title when he faces undefeated Moises "El Chucky" Flores (22-0, 1 NC, 16 KOs), of Guadalajara, Mexico.

In the SHOWTIME EXTREME co-feature, Omar "El Businessman" Chavez (32-3-1, 22 KOs), of Culiacan, the younger brother of Chavez, Jr. and son of legendary Julio Cesar Sr., will face Richard Gutierrez (28-15-1, 17 KOs), of Arjona, Colombia, in an eight-round middleweight fight. Also featured on the telecast, time permitting, will be a six-round match between unbeaten Argentine welterweight Fabian "TNT" Maidana, of Santa Fe, Argentina, the brother of former world champion Marcos Maidana, who'll be opposed by Cory Vom Baur (2-2, 0 KOs), of Vancouver, Wash.

Tickets for the event co-promoted by Goossen Promotions and Chavez Promotions are priced at $200, $150, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and service charges, and are on sale online at AXS.com.

What the fighters, trainers and executives said Thursday:

ANDRZEJ FONFARA, World Title Challenger

"I'm prepared very well and I'm ready for this fight. It's been a great camp like always. I train hard for each fight.  I'm a tough boxer who is feeling great. The weight is good and everything is perfect.

"I must put everything into Saturday night and I will win the fight.

"I must look even better than I did against Stevenson. Everyone said I looked good, but I lost the fight. I didn't want congratulations because I did not win the fight. But this time I will win the fight.  I'm ready for a decision or for a knockout.

"I'm ready with a couple of plans. I don't want to run around the ring, I want to fight tough. I'm going to use my jab and my right hand, which is my best punch.

"I'm not worried about what his father said about not fighting me. Chavez Jr. wants to fight and I will show him that his father was right.

"It doesn't matter how I win, I want to win this fight and get my rematch with Adonis Stevenson.

"Chavez Jr. is a great fighter. He uses a lot of combinations and has a powerful punch that I must be ready for. I want to show the whole world how good I am when I win this fight on Saturday.

"If I get the chance, I'm going to knock him out. It's boxing so you never know what will happen. I want to box round-by-round and win this fight.

"I lost the fight with Stevenson but I showed that I was a good boxer. I'm a much smarter fighter now because of that experience. That was a fight at the top championship level.

"It doesn't matter what Chavez Jr. says at a press conference, we'll be in the ring Saturday and everything will happen there.

"Fan's can expect heavy punches, knockdowns and a great fight."

WALTER CASTILLO, Super Lightweight Contender

"I'm coming here to fight. I can tell you one thing, Amir Imam made a big mistake by taking this fight.

"I've fought a lot of tough fighters; my two losses were by decisions where I feel I was robbed. I've fought better fighters than Amir has.

"Come Saturday, I'm going to announce to the whole world that Walter Castillo is here to stay and he's going to be a world champion."

SAM COLONNA, Fonfara's Trainer

"Fonfara could turn it up whenever. He could be down on the scorecards and one punch he throws could change someone's world. He's proven in the past that he has power in both hands.

"The styles in this fight are perfect for each other. When people ask about the fight I say it could go either way, it depends on who catches the other first.

"I'm looking for Fonfara to dominate, but Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is a warrior, he comes to fight, he knows how to go to the body like his father used to, so we've been working on all of these strategies.

"A knockout win would be a dream come true to me. That's what I've been looking for all these years. Winning this huge fight would change everything for Fonfara and myself.

"This camp that Andrzej had was the best we've ever had. He worked hard, he had time to train and there's no excuses.

"We're coming to fight a war. Don't forget that wars are won by strategy.

"People say to listen to your father. His father told him not to take this fight, but he took it anyway and that was a mistake.

"I see this fight not going past 10 rounds,  with us getting the knockout."

# # #

"Chavez Jr. vs. Fonfara" is a 12-round bout that takes place at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jcchavezjr1, @andrzej_fonfara, @StubHubCenter and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #ChavezFonfara, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.

MARCH 18, 2024
MARCH 17, 2024
MARCH 14, 2024
MARCH 12, 2024
MARCH 11, 2024
MARCH 07, 2024
MARCH 04, 2024
FEBRUARY 29, 2024
FEBRUARY 27, 2024
FEBRUARY 22, 2024
FEBRUARY 19, 2024
FEBRUARY 15, 2024
FEBRUARY 12, 2024
FEBRUARY 08, 2024
FEBRUARY 05, 2024
FEBRUARY 01, 2024
JANUARY 31, 2024
JANUARY 30, 2024
JANUARY 29, 2024
JANUARY 25, 2024
JANUARY 22, 2024
JANUARY 18, 2024
JANUARY 15, 2024
JANUARY 12, 2024
JANUARY 11, 2024
JANUARY 08, 2024
JANUARY 04, 2024
JANUARY 01, 2024