Sep
5
Guzman-Campbell Interview
Tags: Edner Cherry, Joan Guzman, Nate Campbell, Timothy Bradley l 497 views
In a terrific fight in the second-half of an excellent world championship doubleheader, International Boxing Federation/World Boxing Organization/World Boxing Association (IBF/WBO/WBA) lightweight champion Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) of Jacksonville, Fla., will make his first defense against undefeated two-division world champion Joan Guzman (28-0, 17 KOs) of, Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast)..
The event will be promoted by Don King Productions in association with Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss. The Campbell-Guzman main event will be presented in association with One Punch Productions and Sycuan Ringside Promotions. The Bradley-Cherry fight is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions.
Opening Comments
George Corchis: On behalf of Beau Rivage Resort and Casino and our nearly 3600 employees in the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast we welcome this event to Biloxi. We welcome showcasing our facilities and world championship boxing to the world.
Beau Rivage is part of the MGM Mirage Resort family, and we’re pleased to bring such a big card to the Gulf Coast and to be partnered with Don King and SHOWTIME, names synonymous with championship boxing.
As you’ve seen, Hurricane Gustav blew through this area this week, and it didn’t carry as much of an impact as Hurricane Katrina did three years ago. But we did close the resort as a safety precaution because we had an evacuation. I’m pleased to say not only is the Beau Rivage opened, but the whole Gulf Coast region of the country is reopened. We’re making preparations for this big event happening later on next week.
We’re extremely excited about it. We’re obviously closely monitoring all the other storms, as we do each year. We feel confident that the event will take place as planned. And we are extremely excited for a week from this Saturday to put on a world class fight here in Mississippi.
That being said, I’ll pass it on to Gary Shaw.
Promoter Gary Shaw: I want to thank SHOWTIME and Don King for allowing us to put on this Tim Bradley/Edner Cherry championship fight.
On behalf of me and Tim Bradley, I just want to say our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the entire Gulf Coast region, and we pray for them and pray that there’s not further devastation there.
It’s going to be a great fight. Nobody thought that Timothy Bradley can go to England and beat Junior Witter. He did and he proved what a great champion he is.
I know Edner Cherry. He’s fought on my cards. He’s a very, very tough opponent. It will be a wonderful, wonderful fight under the Guzman/ Campbell fight, which is going to be a fantastic fight. It’s going to be a great night for SHOWTIME, a great doubleheader, and on behalf of Team Bradley I know Timothy is ready.
He’s on weight and we’re expecting to walk back with his first defense belt on us. On behalf of Team Bradley, I thank you.
Promoter Don King: First of all, I want to thank George Corchis. He’s a dynamite guy and the President of Beau Rivage. I want to thank Governor Haley Barber, who I talked to a couple of days ago. And I echo Gary, the whole Gulf area is in our prayers. Governor Barber told me we missed it. It was a blessing he said that they weren’t hit as hard as they were with Katrina. My heart goes out for all of them and we pray for the recovery of those who have been dislocated. Governor Barber said there was no deaths, so that’s a blessing in itself.
I want to thank Kelly Hiser, noted sponsor on this program, who also works out of Mississippi. We are all praying for them them and we’ve got a great, great fight coming up. Haley Barber is really the governor who directed and guided them in Katrina and post?Katrina. He did a great job of helping the people down there working while everyone else was hollering about who was in control. So God bless Haley Barber, the governor of Mississippi. We are thankful that we can be there on September 13 to put on a show. Hopefully those other hurricanes won’t come in and get us with Ike and Josephine because it’s a terrific place to be at the Beau Rivage.
As you know, it’s a fantastic fight. We’ve got a fight that’s going to reach the heights of what we have to deal with, and that is Nate Campbell, three?time champion, with Joan Guzman. It’s going to be a super extravaganza.
We’re looking forward with great anticipation to have everyone come down and see it. The site is going to be terrific. SHOWTIME will truly have the best show that evening. It’s going to be a great, great show for all the boxing fans around the world. I’m looking forward to it with great anticipation.
George Corchis: Campbell, Bradley, Guzman and Cherry, we’re excited you’re coming down here to spend some time with us.
Opening comments
Campbell: First, I want to thank SHOWTIME for having me. I want to thank Don King and Gary Shaw for putting this together and making things go pretty smoothly on the card. I want to say my prayers for the people on the Gulf Coast. It’s been a rough time for you guys for the last few years.
I hope everything is okay for you guys and my prayers go out to you. For me, nothing has really changed except people call me champ now. Everything is the same in my life. I still train hard. John Davidson gives me no breaks in the gym and he busts my chops every chance he gets. I do my job every day.
For me this is another hard fight. I want to fight this fight like I’m not the champion. You can expect me to be the same Nate Campbell but more intent on winning this fight.
Guzman: First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who is on this call and who made this possible. I’m very glad that Nate gave me the opportunity to fight him and to challenge him in a world championship fight where three titles are on the line.
We prepared well. We prepared hard, and we we’re just really excited to get in the ring September 13.
Bradley: Everything’s great. I’m right on weight. Preparation has been going well. I’m just focused and ready to take care of business. That’s pretty much it with me. I’m all business.
Cherry: I just want to thank SHOWTIME for giving me the shot and the chance to be on. Timothy Bradley, he’s a good guy and a tough fighter. I want to thank Timothy for being there September 13, for fighting for the world title and for training. I’ve been training hard and getting prepared the best way I could for this fight. I’m going to give it my all on September 13.
Question: How long did it take you to realize after winning the title what you just did? That you’re a three division champion?
Cherry: I’m still having a hard time taking it in. I’m not respected by a lot of people. Before I fought Diaz, he was a god. Now that I’ve fought him he’s overrated.
With me it’s about my respect. Period. I’m going to do damage to whoever they put in front of me because I want my title.
Question: Nate, what in particular do you see in Guzman that you feel will make it an easy night for you?
Campbell: Just the fact that he fights the way he fights. Guzman does what he does. You can’t take away what he’s done. His record speaks for itself, but for me, I look at guys and I break them down on almost on a cellular level as far as boxing is concerned.
I don’t see him being any easier than anyone else, but, for me, I just think the style works. I think his style works for me. I think my style works for him. At the end of the day, we both know how to put our best stuff in the ring and we’ll see what happens.
Question: Does it get to you at all that you don’t get respect? Does it make you hungrier to go in there as a guy that no one has given a lot of respect to?
Campbell: Well, I came up the hard way. I’m one of the only fighters that you can truly say came up the hard way. All these other guys came up with easy opposition, they became champions the easy way. I had to come up the old?fashioned way. I came up with losses and heartbreak and heartache, and I had to deal with it. You don’t have to give me my respect. I’ll take it the hard way. I’m not upset with anybody. I’m not angry with anybody. I just want what I believe I deserve.
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