Thread: Quotes from yesterday's Daniel Ponce de Leon, Abner Mares & Leon Santa Cruz Presser

[Mofo2]

LOS ANGELES (April 12, 2013) - WBC Featherweight World Champion Daniel Ponce de Leon, Two-Division World Champion Abner Mares and former IBF Bantamweight World Champion Leo Santa Cruz participated in a media workout Thursday in Los Angeles in preparation for their upcoming bouts on the "MAY DAY: Mayweather vs. Guerrero" pay-per-view mega-event on Saturday, May 4 at the MGM Grand Garden Arenain Las Vegas, Nev. which will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV®.

A 2000 Olympian, Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico's Daniel Ponce de Leon (44-4, 35 KO's) will make the first defense of his WBC Featherweight World Championship against Two-Division World Champion Mares. Ponce de Leon, who won the title in 2012 with a victory over then-champion Jhonny Gonzalez, has won world titles in the junior featherweight and featherweight divisions while establishing himself as one of boxing's most popular knockout artists. He made six consecutive defenses of his 122-pound title and has knocked out almost 75 percent of his opponents.

The undefeated Mares (25-0-1, 13 KO's) is one of the newest members of boxing's pound-for-pound best list. The 2004 Mexican Olympian who lives in Hawaiian Gardens, Calif. dominated the bantamweight division with four consecutive world title wins over the best boxers in the weight class. In 2012, Mares moved up to 122 pounds and won the vacant WBC Super Bantamweight belt in his first fight in the division against Eric Morelin April. He retained the title against Anselmo Moreno in November. Mares will challenge Ponce de Leon at 126 pounds for a chance at a world title in a third division.

Santa Cruz (23-0-1, 13 KO's) was one of boxing's most active world champions in 2012. After winning the IBF Bantamweight World Championship in June, the Los Angeles resident by way of Huetamo, Mexico, defended the title three times with two knockouts and a commanding unanimous decision. After wiping out the bantamweight division, the undefeated Santa Cruz relinquished his title to move up to 122 pounds. On May 4, Santa Cruz will face veteran Alexander Munoz in a 10-round junior featherweight bout for the vacant USBA Junior Featherweight Championship.

Here's what the fighters and Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya had to say on Thursday:

DANIEL PONCE DE LEON:

"Great fight. Two Mexican warriors. We're expecting a great fight on May 4.

"We know each other. We've been training in the same gym and that's why I'm expecting a great fight, because we've known each other for so many years.

"It doesn't matter, if it's a decision or if it's a knockout. Obviously, a knockout would be best. That's what I'm working for. If the fight goes all 12 rounds, I'm going to win. I feel that I'm going to win the fight.

"I was WBO champion at 122 pounds and I kept it for so many years. Now I have this one, the WBC at 126 pounds, and I don't expect to let it go in my next fight. I expect to keep it for a long, long time.

"I'm used to [fighting] on those [Mexican holiday] dates. Last year, I fought May 4. Now I'm coming back on the same date. I can feel the energy is there. It was a very special moment for Mexico because it was at war at that time, and now I'm going to have another war against Abner Mares on that same day. I'm going to be celebrating my victory with my friends and everybody, and also with SHOWTIME.

"I have only one style - go forward, so I'm going to throw punches down and up, head and everywhere once the bell rings until the fight ends.

"I think the advantage is with me. I was very solid at 122 and now I've been fighting at 126 for many years, so I don't think he'll have that advantage because he's jumping from one division to another division. When he feels my power, he won't know what's going on. I'm going to throw as many punches as I can against him.

"I've had some good, difficult fights, so I don't see this one as the most difficult [of my career]. I've had so many great wars, so this one won't be the most difficult. It's going to be a very interesting fight. I think I am very solid at 126 and I know for a fact that it's difficult when you jump divisions. It's difficult to get power. You have to establish it with some fights in order to get it. I've fought 130-pound fighters, 145-pound fighters, so I know that power. It's kind of difficult for Abner because he doesn't know that power.

"I'm not thinking about who's stronger. I know Mares. He's coming. He's jumping divisions and I don't want to think that he's weak. I want to be focused on me.

"If he wants to get into a brawl, we're going to do it. If he wants to run around, wants to box, then we're going to fight him. I have my plan and I want to stick with my plan. I don't care what he brings or what he doesn't bring. I'm going to be there. I have the experience and, like I said, if he wants to exchange, I'm happy just waiting for him.

"Mayweather is a very solid fighter, a very skillful fighter. However, in boxing, anything can happen. Robert Guerrero might give fans a surprise. I hope Guerrero wins, but you never know because Mayweather is such a good fighter."

ABNER MARES:

"It's going be a great fight - a fight that a lot of fans are looking forward to. It's going to be a difficult fight being that I'm stepping up to a different weight class, a weight class that I'm not familiar with. At the same time, I'm excited to capture my third world title. I plan to steal the show May 4.

"I know a lot about my opponent. I've known this guy for many years. We kind of grew up in the boxing industry, since we were amateurs. He's a good guy, a good friend, but he's got a style that I'm kind of unfamiliar with. I sparred with him before, but I haven't trained or sparred with him in the past three years. I know he's changed, but I've changed too and it's going to be a whole different fight.

(On his friendship with de Leon) "I've forgotten him already. He's not my friend at all right now. He's my opponent. I see him like that. Once I step in the ring, it's just win, win, win, man. I'm going try to tear him up and win this fight because it's a big fight for me. It's going to put me in a great position.

"I have to be straight-forward. He'll be my friend after the fight but now he's just my opponent. He's trying to take away my undefeated record and I can't let that happen.

(On his manager Frank Espinoza who also manages Ponce de Leon) "He's not stepping into my training camp. I don't know if he's going to Ponce's training camp, but he's not coming into my training camp. We stay in touch, but when it comes to the fight, he's not going to be in the dressing room. He's just going to be like any other fan. He's going to go there and just enjoy the fight.

"It's really important to get a knockout and just get a win, no matter what. It's going to be my third world title. I could become one of the youngest Mexican fighters to become a three-time world champion in three different weight classes, so I'm excited.

"Anyone can knock out anybody. I have power. It's not like I have three knockouts. I've got 13 knockouts and if you go back to my last fight, I knocked down Moreno. I've always hurt guys or knocked them down. Going into a different weight class, who knows, with that extra weight, it might give me an extra heavy punch. I do plan on making a statement. If it comes by knockout, so be it. I'm ready. I've been working on my power punches.

"Being a Mexican, I'm from Guadalajara, Jalisco, I can't wait to be in a good fight. Cinco de Mayo, a lot of Mexican flags, a lot of Mexican people, and I'm going to make it my night.

(On fighting on SHOWTIME PPV) "Man, it's everything. I think it's any fighter's dream coming up now, to fight on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather. We know he brings great people, a great number of fans and I can't wait. With that said, I'm more excited to steal the show and make it my night. Not Mayweather's night, my night. I know I'm going to win and I know it's going to put me on a whole different level because millions of people are going to be watching. I'm going to be showcasing my talent."

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[mexfighter]

the three mexicans will probably steal all the thunder from the main even.  i couldnt care less about the main event, actually.  mayweather will try his best to make it boring.  mares, santa cruz, and de leon don't know how to make fights boring.