{"id":928,"date":"2021-07-29T18:20:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T18:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/?p=928"},"modified":"2021-07-29T18:20:42","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T18:20:42","slug":"fight-camp-week-1-press-conference-quotes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gosportsandentertainment.co.uk\/?p=928","title":{"rendered":"FIGHT CAMP WEEK 1 PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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XU Can vs Leigh Wood Final Press Conference ahead of their WBA Featherweight World Title fight on Saturday Night. 29 July 2021 Picture By Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport Chairman:<\/strong>

\u201cThanks Chris, thanks Darren and thanks to everyone for joining us here as we look outside to Fight Camp. Just two days to go, with the most incredible experience to come for fighters, for fans and for viewers on Saturday night as Fight Camp returns.

“As Chris said, we do have some sad news to bring you, the fact that Conor Benn tested positive for COVID-19 this morning. He will be off the card on Saturday night. That fight will be rescheduled as soon as physically possible and when it is safe to do so.

“Leigh Wood against Xu Can for the WBA World Featherweight Title will main event here on Saturday night. A chance for Leigh Wood to become only the second person from Nottingham to become a World Champion.

“We have a great co-main event \u2013 the European, British and Commonwealth Title showdown \u2013 Tommy McCarthy against Chris Billam-Smith. Jack Cullen against Avni Yildirim now elevated to that main card as well. Anthony Fowler against Rico Muller. Anthony Fowler, Campbell Hatton, Sandy Ryan \u2013 a huge night of boxing to come.\u201d

Adrian Granados:<\/strong>

\u201cIt\u2019s just the nature of the world we live in now. It\u2019s unfortunate, Conor and I were very gun-ho about this fight, excited about it, chomping at the bit. It\u2019s the day and age we live in, anything can happen now \u2013 this unfortunate disease that\u2019s conquering the world right. I\u2019m upset and frustrated but what can we do.
 
\u201cThis says Benn vs. Granados, let\u2019s go. This was the fight that was supposed to happen, Benn\u2019s being talking a lot of stuff. I\u2019ve said some things, but I just wanted to get it on, ready to rumble. It\u2019s unfortunate but I\u2019m hoping for a speedy, 100% recovery for him, no excuses. The 14th<\/sup> August or the 14th<\/sup> September we\u2019ll be 100% ready.\u201d

Xu Can \u2013 Beijing, China \u2013 18-2, 3 KOs \u2013 defending his WBA Featherweight World Title against Leigh Wood:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m in the best state, I wasn\u2019t able to fight in the last 20 months. I\u2019m fully prepared and looking forward to the fight on Saturday night.
 
\u201cNow I want to focus on this fight, Leigh Wood is a great fighter and I\u2019m taking this really seriously. I will think about the other fighters after Saturday night.
 
\u201cWe will show the fans a big show on Saturday night. For the fans, I will take the victory back to my family and country. Nothing can stop me.\u201d 

Pedro Diaz, trainer of Xu Can:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m very happy to be here, thanks for the opportunity in Fight Camp. I think Saturday will be a very good fight, I see this big fight starting fast, Leigh has big power and an experienced corner. However, Xu Can has a great defence against the big power.\u201d

Leigh Wood \u2013 Nottingham, England \u2013 24-2, 14 KOs \u2013 challenging Xu Can for the WBA Featherweight World Title:<\/strong>

\u201cIt\u2019s the thing you dream of stepping into the gym as a kid, fighting for a World title. It\u2019s not going to be good enough to fight for one, I need to win. I\u2019m 100% confident in getting the win across the line on Saturday night. I\u2019ve worked really hard, my testament in being in the gym and staying ready, ticking over, and improving with Ben is the reason I\u2019ve got myself ready in short notice.
 
\u201cMy last fight for the British title I only had a short time with Ben, I was working on things and just did as I was told, I just trusted him, and it worked. Now I\u2019ve been back in the gym after that fight, picking things up and now I understand what I\u2019m doing. It\u2019s going to be key for a victory on Saturday night.
 
\u201cAfter my last fight I was looked at pursuing one of the champions, but there\u2019s so many names at Featherweight \u2013 the division is red hot. I can\u2019t look too far ahead; I\u2019ve got to be extremely focused on Saturday because all of that can dissolve into the abyss. I need to be 100% focused on Saturday night, I am, and I truly believe I will win this fight.\u201d 

Ben Davison, trainer of Leigh Wood:<\/strong>
 
\u201cI believe Leigh can do this. We\u2019re very confident, like you said Eddie it\u2019s very random but fortunately Leigh was in the gym \u2013 he\u2019s look after himself all year round. He\u2019s very well prepared, this is the best prepared I\u2019ve seen him physically, emotionally, tactically, we\u2019re ready to go.
 
\u201cLeigh\u2019s been in with other good punchers as well, the hardest punchers don\u2019t always become the best fighters, so you need a little bit more than that. But like I said before Leigh is very well prepared, tactically. Anybody that knows Xu knows he\u2019s got phenomenal output and it\u2019s up to us to deal with that. We believe we know what to do to solve it.\u201d
 
\u201cI believe 100% Leigh Wood will become World Champion on Saturday.\u201d

Tommy McCarthy \u2013 Belfast, Northern Ireland \u2013 18-2, 9 KOs \u2013 fighting Chris Billam-Smith for the European, British and Commonwealth Cruiserweight Titles:<\/strong>

\u201cThere\u2019s no real size difference, he\u2019s 6\u20193 and I\u2019m 6\u20192\u00bd, we\u2019re the same weight so it\u2019s not a major factor. Nothing concerns be about Chris, I\u2019ve got better boxing skills, I\u2019m elusive, I\u2019ve got more experience, all those cards are stacked in my favour. 
 
\u201cChris is just rolling the dice here, it\u2019s a big mistake to take this fight in this stage of his career. I\u2019ve said it before, he isn\u2019t ready for such a big jump, he hasn\u2019t been fighting at a good level and he\u2019s coming up to my level. I\u2019m going to prove that on Saturday night.
 
\u201cI will fight anyone but to fight Chris Billam-Smith to get the clean sweep and go for a World title after, you couldn\u2019t have picked a better opponent. Some people have World title eliminators against killers, and I\u2019ve got Chris, I couldn\u2019t say no.
 
\u201cChris is a good fighter but he\u2019s not on my level. That\u2019s not an opinion that\u2019s looking at the facts, he hasn\u2019t got my experience or boxed at my level. Saturday night I\u2019m going to thump him all over the ring.
 
\u201cHe\u2019s been saying he\u2019ll KO me; he\u2019s been saying the exact same one-liner in every interview \u2013 I think I\u2019ll stop him in the mid to late-rounds \u2013 somebody is saying it to him. He is saying what Shane is saying. I\u2019m coming in here to smash him to bits.\u201d

Mark Dunlop<\/strong>
 
\u201cThis is the triple crown of British and Irish boxing; we\u2019re delighted that we\u2019re facing Chris for all three belts. Chris seems like a nice guy, but I feel he\u2019s being pushed to say the things he\u2019s saying. At the end of the day, when you get into that ring there\u2019s only going to be one winner and that will be Tommy McCarthy.
 
\u201cI’ve never seen Tommy so dedicated, he hasn\u2019t been out of camp since the last fight and that\u2019s why he\u2019s in incredible shape. He\u2019s chomping at the European level and kicking the door of a World title \u2013 he\u2019s number three in the IBF. Tommy\u2019s going for everything, all the belts and World title. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here, not for the money but for the glory.\u201d 
 
Chris Billam-Smith \u2013 Bournemouth, England \u2013 12-1, 10 KOs \u2013 fighting Tommy McCarthy for the European, British and Commonwealth Cruiserweight Titles:<\/strong>

\u201cIt\u2019s been exciting, it\u2019s a fight you can really get up for with everything that\u2019s on the line. The chat and interviews between us have been good and I\u2019m excited for Saturday.
 
\u201cThis is the right steps at the right time for me, with the British, Commonwealth and European titles being on the line this is another step on the ladder.
 
\u201cI\u2019ve said it all along, I believe I\u2019ll stop Tommy in the mid to late rounds. That\u2019s what I said at the beginning and that\u2019s what I still believe.\u201d 

Shane McGuigan, trainer of Chris Billam-Smith:<\/strong>
 
\u201cCredit to both guys for taking the fight, it\u2019s a domestic title but they\u2019re both highly ranked by the governing bodies at world level. They could have sat and waited for an opportunity at the top but it\u2019s fantastic, it allows Chris to win the European and British title, while defending his Commonwealth title.
 
\u201cIt\u2019s exactly what he\u2019s in this sport for, big fights, domestic fights that we can get up for. It\u2019s a competitive fight, after Riakporhe it\u2019s probably Chris\u2019 hardest fight to date.
 
\u201cI think Tommy\u2019s not the biggest Cruiserweight, he\u2019s very skilful, got good movement, sits back well, is very elusive but I think close mid-range size is going to tell as the fight goes on and I can see Chris stopping him in the later rounds.
 
\u201cThis is a massive step for Chris. He wasn\u2019t touted to be the best, he didn\u2019t go to the Olympics, he wasn\u2019t on the national set-up, but we\u2019ve been working together now four years and he\u2019s been progressing gradually. He\u2019s maximised him as an athlete throughout and I think this will be a real defining fight for him and will put him on the world scene.\u201d 

Campbell Hatton \u2013 Manchester, England \u2013 2-0 \u2013 fighting Jakub Laskowski in a four round Lightweight contest:<\/strong>

\u201cThis is a step up, he\u2019s tricky and a tall fighter, it\u2019ll take a big of figuring out \u2013 it\u2019ll be a bit awkward. It\u2019ll be a good learning experience for me.
 
\u201cI showed big improvements from my second professional fight to my first, just because of how much more relaxed I was. I showed a lot more composure, kept my shape better just because I was handling my nerves better. It\u2019s getting more and more the norm to me now; I\u2019ll be even more relaxed, and we\u2019ll see even bigger improvement on Saturday.
 
\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to box at the Manchester Arena which I did last time, but it was empty. I can\u2019t wait to do it with a full crowd, we\u2019re getting back to normal now. My minds on the job this weekend but it\u2019s another motivator to look good on Saturday and move on to the next.\u201d

Jakub Laskowski \u2013 Siemianowice Slaskie<\/strong>, Poland \u2013 4-4-1, 2 KOs \u2013 fighting Campbell Hatton in a four round Lightweight contest:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m excited for a good fight. Campbell Hatton get ready!\u201d

Anthony Fowler \u2013 Liverpool<\/strong>, England \u2013 14-1, 11 KOs \u2013 defending his WBA International Super-Welterweight Title against Rico Mueller:<\/strong>

\u201cI was a bit worried on Monday\/Tuesday because I wasn\u2019t boxing at all, I had the baby in my hand \u2013 I was thinking I better switch on here. I knew as soon as I got back in the gym with Shane and the lads I\u2019d switch back on and I\u2019ve got to. It\u2019s a fight, one shot can change a fight.
 
\u201cI\u2019m back in the gym now, I\u2019m on weight, my life is on the line every fight \u2013 I can\u2019t think about the baby. I need to worry about my opponent which I am doing.
 
\u201c<\/strong>I left no stone unturned at camp, I\u2019m really focused, I never have an off say. I\u2019m switched on all the time, and I will be on Saturday night. I look at him as a 5\u20199 orthodox boxer, we prepared for that style. Whatever he does I\u2019ll have an answer for.
 
\u201cIf I lose this fight, all the plans go away. I\u2019ve got to win, and I will win.\u201d  

Rico Mueller \u2013 Eberswalde<\/strong>, Germany \u2013 28-3-1, 19 KOs \u2013 challenging Anthony Fowler for the WBA International Super-Welterweight Title:<\/strong>

\u201cUnfortunately, with Conor Benn it didn\u2019t work out but when I got the call about Fowler, I knew I wanted to take the fight. This is the first time I\u2019ll step up in weight but I\u2019m confident and on Saturday there will be fireworks.\u201d 

Avni Yildirim \u2013 Istanbul<\/strong>, Turkey \u2013 21-3, 12 KOs \u2013 fighting Jack Cullen for the vacant IBF International Super-Middleweight Title:<\/strong>

\u201cFirst of all, thanks to Matchroom and my promoter for the great opportunity again. I don\u2019t want to talk too much but I need a great comeback.
 
\u201cAfter the Canelo fight, I opened a new page, I have a new division, a new target. Hopefully everything will go good.\u201d 

Jack Cullen \u2013 Littler Lever, England \u2013 19-2-1, 9 KOs \u2013 fighting Avni Yildirim for the vacant IBF International Super-Middleweight Title:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m just grateful that I\u2019m back out there and what an opponent I\u2019m fighting. Yildirim is a tough, strong lad and he\u2019s going to come for it \u2013 it\u2019s going to be a great fight.
 
\u201cThis is it, if\/when I get past him where does it put me. At the end of the day, it\u2019s all about fighting the best and he is what one the best \u2013 I appreciate that.
 
\u201cYou\u2019re going to see the same Jack Cullen, but I\u2019ve got a lot of stuff we\u2019ve been working on and it\u2019s going to pay off. There\u2019s no reason why I\u2019m not winning this fight.\u201d

Sandy Ryan \u2013 Derby, England \u2013 Professional Debut \u2013 fighting Kirstie Bavington in a six round Super-Lightweight contest:<\/strong>

\u201cRespect to Kirstie for taking the fight, we know she\u2019s going to come to win. Let\u2019s go.
 
\u201cMy former GB teammates are out in Tokyo, what a week this is going to be \u2013 them securing medals for the country and me making my debut on Saturday. I can\u2019t wait, right in it with 6 rounds, Kirstie coming to win, let\u2019s go.
 
\u201cShe [Kirstie] said she\u2019s going to take me to the trenches, so let\u2019s see. I hope she brings that energy Saturday night.\u201d 

Kirstie Bavington \u2013 Pensnett, England \u2013 3-1-2, 2 KOs \u2013 fighting Sandy Ryan in a six round Super-Lightweight contest:<\/strong>

\u201cI\u2019m excited and ready to go. I\u2019ve been training hard all through lockdown and waiting for this opportunity to come. I\u2019m going to give it all I\u2019ve got and take her to the trenches.\u201d 
 
\u201cI\u2019m just going to enjoy every moment here, enjoy the whole experience and do the best I can \u2013 hopefully make people proud at home.\u201d<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport Chairman: \u201cThanks Chris, thanks Darren and thanks to everyone for joining us here as we look<\/p>\n

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