Joan Guzman v Humberto Soto: Final Press Conference Quotes [TONIGHT!]

[ClickClack]

WHO DO YOU GUYS GOT IN THIS FIGHT?? I'M HOPING FOR SOTTO WITH A DECISION...I DIDN'T KNOW THIS FOOL SOTTO GREW UP IN A CARDBOARD SHACK IN MEXICO

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=13268&more=1

by Teddy B. Blackburn/ Golden Boy Promotions - After nearly one year of inactivity, WBO junior lightweight champion Joan Guzman (27-0, 17 KOs) makes his highly anticipated return to the ring when he battles the veteran Humberto Soto (43-5-2, 27 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., on HBO “Boxing After Dark” at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. The 12-round championship bout is for Guzman’s WBO junior lightweight title. The fight is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Top Rank. Guzman and Soto addressed the media in the promotions’ final press conference, Wednesday, Nov. 14 at the Old Homestead Restaurant in New York City. Here is what they had to say:

JOAN GUZMAN - “I am anxious and ready to get in the ring. I am very happy and excited and it’s my time now. Soto is in the same position as me. He’s coming up like I am looking for the big fights. We hold the key for each other..

“I have spent the last four months training in Las Vegas and the only thing on my mind during camp has been this fight.

“I know I am a dangerous fighter. No one wants to fight me either. I keep wining titles but nobody wanted to fight me at 126 (lbs.), and now I move up in weight and won title at 130 pounds. I won’t run away from anyone. I’ve said it time and time again that I will fight anyone, anywhere.

“Soto presents a tough challenge but I feel I have what it takes to beat him. I feel like I can beat any 130 pound fighter out there.

“Its going to be a great show and also I am glad the Dominicans will be able to see me on regular television on HBO.

“We are both hungry fighters who want to show the boxing world what they’ve got. Every fight is emotional, but for whatever reason, the emotional level for this fight has been kicked up a few levels.”

“Soto is a powerful fighter coming forward. The fans are going to see a great fight I think it is going to be like Leonard and Duran (Soto interjected “Camacho vs Chavez”.) Guzman responded “Don’t forget who’s Champ.”

HUMBERTO SOTO - “I am a man of few words. I just want to thank everyone for being here today at the final press conference.

“We’re ready for a great battle with Guzman. Why I haven’t gotten the opportunity before I don t know but there’s a lot of opportunity now. I know there’s a lot of guys are there way out and the new generation is here. We want to show the new generation just as good as the old with a great fight.

“A lot of people have asked why I haven’t fought someone like Guzman before. This division is retiring a lot of its legends and the new ones need to step up.

“Guzman is a great fighter. He is a lot of skills and as far as I am concerned, he maybe the best 130-pound fighter out there.

“I love a challenge and that’s why I took this fight. I want to be world champion.

“This is my second opportunity against an undefeated fighter. A lot of people didn’t expect me to beat Rocky Juarez the first time. He had Olympic credentials and no one gave me a shot, but I proved everyone wrong. Maybe Guzman is the favorite for this fight, but that doesn’t mean much to me because I have been scratched off before and I’ve succeeded.”

The November 17 HBO Boxing After Dark telecast will be headlined by WBO World Junior Lightweight Champion Joan Guzman defending his title against former WBC Interim Featherweight Champion Humberto Soto, while the telcast’s co-feature bout will include undefeated 2004 Olympian Abner Mares making his HBO debut in a bantamweight fight against Argentinean Damian Marchiano. The event, which isbeing promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Top Rank Inc., and will air live from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ, will air on HBO’s Boxing After Dark starting at 9:45 PM ET/PT.

Tickets for this event are priced at $225, $175, $145, $115, $95, $75 and $45 are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 866-900-4TIX (4849) or online at www.theborgata.com.

For more information, please visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sycuan.com

For more information on Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, please visit www.theborgata.com.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Goin for my boy Guzman. By UD.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

World champion Joan Guzman and Humberto Soto both weighed in inside the 130 limit in advance of Saturday's WBO junior lightweight title fight in Atlantic City. With New Jersey's acting boxing commissioner Sylvester Cuyler presiding, Guzman and Soto both initially weighed 130.2, however, twenty minutes later Soto came back at 130 even, while Guzman weighed 129.6. HBO will televise.

 

[Thir$ty B]

Soto

 

[4fifteenRolla]

all my predictions been shot 2 hell so far except for a few so im not even gonna try n attemp. i swear some of these fighters scared to dig deep, well really run the chance of gettin KO'd

 

[2-0-Sixx]

wow, just wrote a reply but it's gone for some reason.

Anyways, Soto impressed me, he was quicker than I thought, but Guzman took control of the fight pretty early and landed big shots at will. It really wasn't close on my score card....the only thing though, is that it's easy to criticize guzman for not having power. If he did, he would be a superstar. Regardless, I think a Pacman/Guzman fight would be sick as fuck!!!

Joan Guzman: "I Want Manny Pacquiao Next"

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – WBO junior lightweight champion Joan Guzman out-boxed, out-slicked and out-worked challenger Humberto Soto en route to winning a 12-round unanimous decision, Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Borgata Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. on the acclaimed HBO series “Boxing After Dark.”

The one-sided scores were 117-111, 118-110 and 117-111. It was Guzman’s second title defense.

The 12-round championship bout was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in associate with Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Top Rank Inc.

Guzman (28-0, 17 KOs), dug deep into his bag of tricks unveiling his entire arsenal as the defensive wizard stymied the veteran Soto (43-6-2, 27 KOs) with blistering combinations and sported a defense that was close to indestructible.

“I was too fast for him,” Guzman said. “He never hurt me. I want Pacquiao next.”

Guzman looked like the complete package tonight, at times making Soto look foolish with his repeated failed attempts to land any effective combinations. Throughout the night, Soto had a better chance of hitting the air than hitting Guzman.

“No one has been able to hit Guzman consistently,” said Scott Woodworth, vice president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions, the San Diego, Calif. based promotional company that promotes Guzman. “That is what makes him so dangerous.”

“He is just too fast and quick for anyone. He is like a blur; you can’t hit what you can’t see. Even when Soto forced Guzman to the ropes, he still couldn’t hit him. Soto would just swing at air. Guzman put on a boxing clinic today. He looked unbeatable.”

Often times Guzman would stalk Soto with his hands down, unafraid of what Soto would be throwing since Guzman knew it had little chance of finding its intended target.

“Soto had good combinations, he just couldn’t land enough of them,” Guzman said. “He is tough though. He wouldn’t go down.”

Soto is considered by many boxing pundits to be one of the top junior lightweights in the game and Guzman walked right through him.

“Guzman looked flawless tonight,” said Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Guzman’s new trainer. “He made a very good fighter look like he doesn’t know how to fight. This is only the beginning. Guzman has bigger fights waiting for him.”

Guzman, from Brooklyn, N.Y. by way of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, again showed why he is one of the most feared and respected boxers at 130 pounds.

To be recognized as that in the same division that includes such greats like Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera is quite an accomplishment.

“Sycuan Ringside would love to match Guzman against Manny Pacquiao,” said Sean Gibbons, matchmaker for Sycuan.

“If Pacquiao won’t fight us than we would be happy to fight Juan Manuel Marquez. If these guys don’t want to fight Guzman we will go up in weight to 135 pounds so Guzman can become a three-division champion.”​

 

[4fifteenRolla]

i dont think a Guzman Manny fight would be entertaining. I think it would be a let down of a fight, not to say it would be slow n boring. I just dont think the 2 styles compliment each other. This cat should be called Floyd Mayweather Jr Jr cuz he str8 stole his style. anyhow that 1st fight was damn good.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I'm telling you, this fight needs to happen:

MERCHANT SAYS GUZMAN MADE CASE FOR PACQUIAO FIGHT

Veteran HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant says undefeated WBO junior lightweight champion Joan Guzman has “made his case to fight (Manny) Pacquiao" after an impressive twelve round decision over Humberto Soto hours ago.

In a post fight interview monitored by Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Merchant however said “I’m not sure that he (Guzman) is high on Pacquiao’s list in the immediate future.”

Merchant also noted that since Bob Arum of Top Rank and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions reached a truce some months ago, Guzman’s victory over Soto was the first by a Golden Boy fighter against a Top Rank opponent since Pacquiao had beaten Marco Antonio Barrera and Miguel Cotto defeated Sugar Shane Mosley last week.

Filipino ring idol Pacquiao is scheduled to fly to the US next week for a thanksgiving dinner with Arum at which they will decide on who Pacquiao’s next opponent would be in a fight scheduled for March 15 on the HBO calendar. De La Hoya himself has been pushing for a rematch with Marquez and has received the wholehearted support of WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman and even Games and Amusements Board chairman Eric Buhain has said he will support such a rematch.

Arum and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer discussed a possible Pacquiao-Marquez rematch when they were in New York last weekend and Golden Boy Promotions vice president Eric Gomez told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that the talks were going well. Gomez said “if anyone can make this fight happen its Richard (Schaefer)” who has made some big fights in the past.

Pacquiao didn’t watch the Guzman-Soto fight which was not shown on Philippine television. Besides he was busy shooting a movie in Nueva Ecija according to close friend and confidant Rex “Wakee” Salud.

Guzman won 117-111 on the scorecards of two judges and 118-110 on the third. In terms of punch stats, Guzman landed 302 which was 110 more than Sotto and in terms of percentages he landed a high 44 percent. In power punches the WBO champion also dominated with 54 percent.With Floyd Mayweather Sr in his camp Guzman honed his defensive skills to look much like Floyd Mayweather Jr, the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world today.

Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis who was on the HBO panel said Guzman’s performance was “great in the sense that he was able to stay away from Sotto’s power punches and he was really one step ahead all of the time and it was virtually an easy fight for him. He didn’t display anything that he hadn’t displayed in his past fights. He showed that his hands were still good and right now he needs to go to the next step” which is what Merchant believes could be a fight with Pacquiao.
​

 

[2-0-Sixx]

i dont think a Guzman Manny fight would be entertaining. I think it would be a let down of a fight, not to say it would be slow n boring. I just dont think the 2 styles compliment each other. This cat should be called Floyd Mayweather Jr Jr cuz he str8 stole his style. anyhow that 1st fight was damn good.

Yeah, I don't think it would be a fight of the year or anything like that, BUT more importantly I think it will be the two BEST of the division fighting each other (which to me is exciting!)

 

[gabe559]

Damn Guzman looked so ready for this fight. I was rooting for Sotto though. Does anyone know if Zab Judah won his fight at 154?

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I heard Zab won by decision and the Peterson brothers both won by early KO.