{"id":678,"date":"2021-05-13T18:06:52","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T18:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/?p=678"},"modified":"2021-05-13T18:06:52","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T18:06:52","slug":"buatsi-vs-dos-santos-undercard-press-conference-quotes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/?p=678","title":{"rendered":"BUATSI VS. DOS SANTOS + UNDERCARD PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport:<\/strong>

“We’re back in Manchester, hopefully the final event behind closed doors. Last Saturday, I’m not getting bored of telling you 73,000 fans were in the unbelievable AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas for the huge Canelo vs. Billy Joe Saunders fight. This will be the last time we’re behind closed doors. It’s been fun, the bubbles have been great, they’ve thrown up some unbelievable upsets and great fights as well. We will keep the bubble moving forward, but you will be allowed out – so good news for the fighters!”

Joshua Buatsi \u2013 Croydon, England \u2013 13-0, 11 KOs \u2013 defending his WBA International Light-Heavyweight Title against Daniel Blenda Dos Santos:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m ready to fight. The thing is there may be a target on me Eddie, but I\u2019m really from the bottom so the build-up is great but that\u2019s not my mentality. I started from nothing as well, moved from Ghana to England, I\u2019ve also come from nothing. I always tell people when I fight, I\u2019ve got nothing to lose, I\u2019m gaining everything and when I go in there the mentally is different. I\u2019ll be there to fight to, I\u2019m there to fight and protect the little that I have.
 
\u201cI keep laughing when I say this, prior to a fight you say you\u2019re willing to do anything, but when it was time in the ring when that happened, I had to show up for it and I felt I gave a good account and got the win. Saturday night I\u2019ll be there to do whatever it takes to win because I\u2019m in here to fight. We\u2019ll see how it goes.
 
\u201cI think if you ask anyone, and they don\u2019t say it, they must be thinking differently. You\u2019re Eddie Hearn right, you\u2019re sitting here, and I think you feel like you\u2019ve signed the best Light-Heavyweight in the country \u2013 that speak for itself. For the others, they\u2019re doing well, I\u2019m doing what I\u2019m doing and hopefully one day we can all get in and fight to see. For now, my man next door is who I\u2019ve got to deal with, that\u2019s what I\u2019m concentrating on.
 
\u201cIt\u2019s been good having Virgil on board, amazing, I said I could have 100 coaches in my corner but when that bell rings it\u2019s just you. Nevertheless, having this man here added to the team, we\u2019ll see how to goes \u2013 it\u2019ll be good.”

Virgil Hunter, trainer of Joshua Buatsi:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m back here in the UK, a place I like to think of as home. I’ve been exposed to some of the UK’s greatest fighters that I\u2019ve had a chance to meet as well as work with. Joshua Buatsi is no exception to that, I think he\u2019s a major talent, I think he has a tremendous upside, I\u2019m hoping I can do everything to cultivate that and turn him into a World Champion.
 
\u201cI think Joshua will apply some of the thing we worked on and show Saturday night that he\u2019s been a good student.
 
\u201cAnytime that you have the opportunity to fight a medallist from the Olympics, that medal has a bullseye on his back. He\u2019s going to get a hungry opponent, that opponent is going to be dead serious because he knows it can change the trajectory of his career. We don\u2019t have much footage on Dos Santos, but we take him serious on what we have seen, that he is a good fighter and to be taken serious, that\u2019s how we\u2019re approaching the fight.\u201d

Daniel Blenda Dos Santos \u2013 Pont-Sainte-Maxence<\/strong>, France \u2013 15-0, 8 KOs \u2013 challenging Joshua Buatsi for his WBA International Light-Heavyweight Title:<\/strong>

\u201cThis is the opportunity of my life; we know Joshua is a great champion and for me it\u2019s a great opportunity \u2013 I appreciate the chance of being here.
 
\u201cBoxing saved my life, a guy like me is supposed to be in jail or dead. Thank God I had the opportunity to leave prison, make a real change in my life and become a professional fighter. I changed 100% of my life, my city, everything, now all this work and dedication I\u2019m in this place right now. I have to enjoy the moment.
 
\u201cI have to be the best version of myself to beat Joshua Buatsi. That\u2019s what I\u2019m going to try Saturday night.\u201d 

Lerrone Richards \u2013 New Malden, England \u2013 14-0, 3 KOs \u2013 fighting Giovanni De Carolis<\/strong> for the vacant European Super-Middleweight Title:<\/strong>

\u201cLike I\u2019ve always said, I want to conquer Europe and being the European Champion has always been a big thing for me \u2013 ticking everyone single box. I won the British, Commonwealth, European is the next step and I\u2019m very excited for this fight.
 
\u201cHe [Giovanni De Carolis] brings a lot of pedigree, he\u2019s very experienced and a very good fighter. But this is a fight I believe I\u2019m going win and win very well.
 
\u201cThis division is very sexy and I\u2019m glad to be a part of it. I can\u2019t wait to win this European Title and step on to bigger and better things.”

Giovanni De Carolis \u2013 Viterbo, Italy \u2013 28-9-1, 13 KOs \u2013 fighting Lerrone Richards <\/strong>for the vacant European Super-Middleweight Title: <\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m proud to represent my country here, I\u2019m happy. Two years of inactivity for me is bad but this is the situation and for me there isn\u2019t any problem. I\u2019m ready for Saturday and I\u2019m happy to fight.
 
\u201cI am happy because when I fight out of my country my heart in the ring is stronger. I would like the people to see my boxing.\u201d
 
Gamal Yafai \u2013 Brimingham, England \u2013 18-1, 10 KOs<\/strong> \u2013 defending his European Super-Bantamweight Title against Jason Cunningham:<\/strong>

\u201cI had a horrible two years, but it was good to go to Italy and win the European Title. It\u2019s good to back home defending it in the UK.
 
\u201cI thought to myself this isn\u2019t the end of me, I knew I was going to come back, win the European Title and go onto big things. That\u2019s what I plan on doing and we start on Saturday night.
 
\u201cHe wanted the opportunity and I\u2019ll give him the opportunity. The best man will win and I\u2019m by far the best man, I\u2019ll show that on Saturday night.\u201d 

Jason Cunningham \u2013 Doncaster, England \u2013 28-6, 6 KOs \u2013 challenging Gamal Yafai for the European Super-Bantamweight Title:<\/strong>

\u201cMassive opportunity, another Yafai as well. Like I said, we were begging for the opportunity, I always stay ready. I kind of had an idea it was happening, I had to be prepared, be ready, I am. You\u2019re going to see the best Jason Cunningham Saturday night, I\u2019m ready for him and take that title.
 
\u201cI got offered a few fights during the lockdown but I\u2019m so glad I was patient because this is the opportunity I wanted. This is the biggest fight to date; this is my World Title fight. I\u2019ve got all this experience, I\u2019ve took my setbacks, I\u2019ve come back, I\u2019ve had plenty of success as well. They\u2019ve all put me in good stead, there\u2019s no starting again from here so everything is going into Saturday night. I\u2019m very confident, I\u2019ll be expecting the best Gamal Yafai but you should expect the best Jason Cunningham as well.\u201d

Tommy McCarthy \u2013 Belfast, Northern Ireland \u2013 17-2, 8 KOs \u2013 defending his European Cruiserweight Title against Alexandru Jur:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019ve been saying all week I\u2019m expecting a tough test, as you say he\u2019s got all the experience and boxed at the championship level for some time. He looks in good shape, it seems like he\u2019s had a good camp and he seems like he wants to do his talking in the ring so I\u2019m even more nervous.
 
\u201cI was prepared for a tough fight but when I saw him [Bilal Laggoune] at the weigh-in he looked like he hadn\u2019t trained properly so I kind of switched off a little bit. When it came to fight night, he was ready to go so he pushed me. There are no easy fights when you\u2019re fighting for the European Title, at the time he was number seven in the world. It was a big win for me, a big confidence boost and I\u2019m delighted I came out the winner.
 
\u201cThere\u2019s so much potential for a massive future ahead of me, I need to put all of that in the back of my mind. James Tennyson, were from the same place, everything was set up for him to go onto bigger and better things but it didn\u2019t go his way. That\u2019s made me switch on even more, put anything past this out of my mind because this is going to be a tough fight on Saturday, and I can\u2019t afford any slip ups.”

Alexandru Jur \u2013 Oradea, Romania \u2013 19-4, 7 KO<\/strong> \u2013 challenging Tommy McCarthy for the European Cruiserweigh<\/strong>t Title:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m already ready for the fight, I\u2019m in good form. It\u2019s a big opportunity for me.\u201d

Dalton Smith \u2013 Sheffield, England \u2013 7-0, 6 KOs \u2013 fighting Lee Appleyard for the vacant English Super-Lightweight Title:<\/strong>

\u201cIt\u2019s starting to get exciting. When the fight fell through before I knew we were going to get it back on because it was a fight I wanted. It\u2019s a fight I know I\u2019m going to look good in, Lee and I have sparred before so I\u2019m glad we could get it back on.
 
\u201cWhen I win, I can turn round and say there\u2019s no excuses, they\u2019ve had a full camp. I\u2019ve got a 100% prepared Lee Appleyard and that\u2019s what I want \u2013 that\u2019s what will bring the best out of me. 
 
\u201cPeople forgot the World Series of Boxing, even though it\u2019s not championship rounds. I\u2019ve been in there with tough guys \u2013 the Kazakhs and Russians. Experience for me is the championship rounds, I\u2019m confident in that and I believe Lee will take me to those rounds and that\u2019s what I need.
 
\u201cWhen it comes to pressure, there\u2019s no pressure for me in this fight because each fight I take will be a step up \u2013 there\u2019s always going to be pressure there. There\u2019s more pressure on Lee\u2019s shoulders because where does he really go after this fight. This is his World Title shot, this is where he can push on.\u201d

Lee Appleyard \u2013 Rotherham, England \u2013 16-5-1, 5 KOs \u2013 fighting Dalton Smith for the vacant English Super-Lightweight Title:<\/strong>

\u201cThis is a massive opportunity, it\u2019s a pleasure to share the ring with Dalton. He\u2019s one of the biggest prospects but we took the fight on three weeks\u2019 notice last time and believed we were going to win. We\u2019ve had nine weeks now and we have no doubt.
 
\u201cIt\u2019s a hard fight, everyone\u2019s writing me off, the bookies are writing me off. There\u2019s no pressure on me whatsoever, all the pressure is on Dalton, and we\u2019ll see how he deals with it on the night. When the fight goes into the later rounds, that\u2019s where I\u2019ve been and what I known, and I\u2019ll come into my own.
 
\u201cWhen I boxed for the Commonwealth, that was only three and a half weeks\u2019 notice and I think that made the difference on the results on the night because I didn\u2019t have time to properly prepare. It was a bit of a blessing getting Covid, having nine weeks preparation and getting sponsors behind me.
 
\u201cI\u2019m in the best shape I\u2019ve ever been in and I\u2019m coming to win on Saturday night, there\u2019s no doubt about it, Dalton\u2019s got a tough night ahead of him.
 
\u201cYou can\u2019t buy experience, there\u2019s nothing between us, he\u2019s a respectful lad and I\u2019m respectful to him. It\u2019s a pleasure to share the ring with him but I know what doors this can open; I want those doors open and keep moving on \u2013 fighting for the British Title. Respect to Dalton for taking the fight, this probably wouldn\u2019t be happening if we weren\u2019t in the COVID situation. This is a cracking fight for the fans, they\u2019re in for a treat.\u201d

Solomon Dacres \u2013 Birmingham, England \u2013 Professional Debut \u2013 fighting Mladen Manev in a six round Heavyweight contest:<\/strong>

\u201cIt\u2019s long overdue, I thought I was going to get out March 20th<\/sup> on the Okolie card. Long delays, I\u2019ve been training overtime for the fight \u2013 I\u2019ve had about three training camps worth of training just for this one fight. It\u2019s all in the bank and I\u2019m ready to let it all go Saturday.
 
\u201cI don\u2019t have to go too slowly; I can build myself up because I\u2019ve got more experience so I can take little steps quicker than other fighters. Sam Jones and my coach will pick opponents where I\u2019m being tested and improve all the time. We won\u2019t go at a snail\u2019s pace and look to pick things up in the next twelve months.
 
\u201cAll that experience, guys that have been then and done. Joshua, Joyce, Dubois, sparring those guys they\u2019re 15\/20 fights into their professional careers and well established. I\u2019m sparring, gaining confidence, and knowing my own level. I haven\u2019t had my first fight yet, but it gives you confidence seeing them fighting on big titles and gives me confidence knowing that I\u2019m going to go forward and what I can do.
 
\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since there\u2019s been a Heavyweight from Birmingham, and we haven\u2019t never had a World Champion in the Heavyweight division. Hopefully I can emulate that and get the city behind me. We need to get that support in Birmingham and get behind me.\u201d 

Mladen Manev \u2013 Sofia, Bulgaria \u2013 3-8, 3 KOs \u2013 fighting Solomon Dacres in a six round Heavyweight contest:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m ready to fight, I\u2019m ready for a boxing match Saturday. I feel very good to be here in Manchester, it\u2019s a nice city. I\u2019m ready.\u201d 

Ellis Hopkins \u2013 Leicestershire, England \u2013 Professional Debut \u2013 fighting Borislava Goranova<\/strong> in a four round Super-Welterweight contest:<\/strong>

\u201cIt\u2019s a massive time to come into female boxing, the last few years female boxing has gone from strength to strength and I\u2019m excited to be a part of it and make my debut this weekend.
 
\u201cEveryone looks up to Katie Taylor, you can\u2019t get better than that, she\u2019s won everything and done everything. The likes of Terry Harper and Natasha Jonas, they\u2019re all big inspirations as well.
 
\u201cI can box, I can fight, so whatever happens on the night happens on the night, we\u2019ll see.\u201d

Borislava Goranova \u2013 Sofia, Bulgaria \u2013 11-64-4 \u2013 fighting Ellis Hopkins in a four round Super-Welterweight contest:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m happy to see Ellis, I\u2019m happy to be here and I feel strong. I\u2019ll show you my boxing on Saturday night.\u201d<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport: “We’re back in Manchester, hopefully the final event behind closed doors. Last Saturday, I’m<\/p>\n

Continue readingBUATSI VS. DOS SANTOS + UNDERCARD PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[182,181],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=678"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":680,"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678\/revisions\/680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}