WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora and his unbeaten challenger Ermal Hadribeaj went face to face at the final press conference on Thursday before they headline “The Fight” live on TNT and DAZN this Saturday, October 17th at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, presented by Premier Boxing Champions. The press conference also featured WBA featherweight champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa and former bantamweight champion Tomoki Kameda, who duel in the co-feature, all-action former title holder Armando “Toro” Reséndiz, who battles Australia’s Koen Mazoudier in a ten-round super middleweight showdown, plus rising star Marco Romero and Uruguay’s Matias Ferreira, who meet in the eight-round super middleweight opening attraction at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The fourth installment of the live monthly boxing series will be broadcast in the U.S. on TNT, truTV and DAZN.
TNT Sports and DAZN today announced an all-star announce team for Saturday’s event with Todd Grisham hosting studio coverage alongside undefeated five-division champion Terence Crawford, International Boxing Hall of Famer Tim Bradley Jr. and former two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter. Corey Erdman will handle play-by-play duties alongside analysts Sergio Mora, a former champion, and veteran boxing journalist Chris Mannix. Tickets for the live event are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com.
Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas:
SEBASTIAN FUNDORA
“This Saturday we have everything on this card. Make sure to tune in, because we’re gonna make it a knockout of a weekend.
“He’s an undefeated fighter. He’s hungry, but we’ve seen that before. We’ve fought champions. This is the major leagues of boxing and we’re here to prove again why we’ll remain the champion.
“I’ve been in this sport for a while. I’ve been fighting for 22 years. It’s been a lot of learning and now we’re showing you guys.
“This is gonna be a great fight. He’s undefeated and he only knows how to win. But we’re here to break him.
“Losing to Brian Mendoza made me realize some things. Obviously if you make mistakes, you’re gonna get hurt. It’s not just about realizing the mistake, but learning from it.
“Future fights only get in my mind because of everyone asking us about them. We have Ermal in front of us and we’re not overlooking him at all. You can’t overlook anyone. After Saturday, you can ask me all the questions.
“I’m very comfortable making weight. I ate breakfast today. This is Fundora fight week and we’re ready to go.”
ERMAL HADRIBEAJ
“I want to show that I’m an exciting fighter that people are going to want to watch Tell the fans around the world that ‘The Albanian Sniper’ is coming for Sebastian Fundora.
“I met Fundora three years ago and I want to shake his hand and let him know that the respect is there. We knew that we’d want to fight him, but I wasn’t ready at that moment. Now I’ve proven that I belong here.
“We worked a lot in training camp and I think we have the key. If that key doesn’t work, I have another key in my pocket. I have everything I need. I’m fast, I’m strong, I work hard and I have punch resistance. Everyone thinks he has the advantage, but his only advantage is that he’s tall.
“I’m able to out box him and I have the power to hurt him as well. I’m very unpredictable so I can’t say now how it will happen.”
BRANDON FIGUEROA
“I’m just ready. We prepared 110%. Just like what I did in the UK, going out there against all odds, nothing is gonna come between me and keeping this belt. I’ve lost it before and gained it back, now I don’t plan on losing it again.
“I will give the best of me in every fight. I can’t wait to let my hands fly and do what I was born to do.
“I wanted to get to the top level and fight the best of the best, that’s why I teamed up with Manny Robles. We went over there with all of the odds against me. But as a champion, you take it on the chin and figure it out. You have to overcome obstacles.
“I’m just getting better every fight. Everyone is going to see on Saturday everything that I’ve worked for. This belt isn’t going anywhere. I promise you that.
“He’s got a lot of experience and he’s been in there with a lot of champions. But I’m a hungry, young fighter and I’m strong. I’m going in there with everything and ready to showcase what I have in the tank.
“Everyone is on my hit list. Line them up. I want all of them. That’s what I’m here for. The belts are nice, but I want the names. I want people to say I fought the champions and beat them all.”
TOMOKI KAMEDA
“’El Mexicanito’ is back once again. I’m very thankful for this great opportunity. I’m so happy to be back here in Las Vegas once again. I’ve had a great training camp and I’m ready to be world champion once again.
“I’ve been training for nine months now. Now I’m here and more ready than ever. I can guarantee you that.
“I learned a lot from the loss to Angelo Leo. I was able to use those lessons in my preparation for this fight. On Saturday I’m going to show that I’m the superior fighter and come out on top.
“On Saturday night I’m going to prove that in boxing, anything is possible and that I’m willing and able to come out on top.
“I have to take advantage of this great opportunity. Chances like this don’t come around too often so I have to be 100% focused.”
ARMANDO RESENDIZ
“I’m always ready for a challenge. I just want to seek out the best. It makes me really proud to be on a prestigious card like this. I’m always in the gym so this was an opportunity I’m 100% ready for.
“There is a lot that I want to accomplish. I want to keep getting into the ring and being the best version of myself that I can be.
“It’s been a roller coaster for me, but I’ve proven that I will always get back up. There’s always a next chapter.
“I have full confidence in myself and my team. After Saturday night we’re going to look to move closer to becoming a world champion again.
“He’s a strong fighter who has a lot of heart. He’s very tough. The fans are going to end up being the true winners of the night.”
MARCO ROMERO
“I’m excited to be fighting alongside these champions and put on a great performance. He better live up to his words, because if he doesn’t it’s gonna be a long night for him.
“He thinks he has more experience than me, but with my amateur experience, that’s more than he’s had. He says he’s gonna come in and play my game, but I don’t think that’s a good game plan. You’re gonna get bit by the shark.
“He can believe whatever he wants. I’m going to go in there and do my job. I’m gonna let the shark go on the hunt. When I get the opportunity for the kill shot, don’t blink.
“I’m progressing and heading towards the top 10 and get to the world title level. A lot of guys I fight tend to move more, but if he comes in and brawl, that’s perfect for me. I’ll be ready for sure.”
MATIAS FERREIRA
“I’m going to be out there showing my speed from the first minute of the fight. I’ve been training hard for months now and I’m coming to knock him out before the fourth round. The fans are going to be in for a show.
“He’s a really good fighter, but he’s not going to be able to keep up with my speed. He doesn’t have the experience yet. I’m gonna come out and smother him from round one. I’ve trained hard and I know what I’m capable of.
“He struggles with the distance. I’ve seen how he likes to engage from short distance, but I’m going to play his game and make my speed count more.”
TOM BROWN, President of TGB Promotions
“We’re all very excited to be here promoting ‘The Fight’ on TNT. This card has a little bit of everything on it.
“With our main event, you have Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora taking on his mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj. He can’t look past his opponent who’s young and undefeated. The scary thing about Fundora is that he’s just getting better and better. His fights are always exciting and he’ll give fight fans everything they want in a fight night.”
“In the co-main event we have Brandon Figueroa, who went over the UK to win his WBA Featherweight World Title and upset Nick Ball. Now he’s back with a strong veteran fighter and former world champion in Tomoki Kameda.
“Plus we have a former world champion in Armando Resendiz returning for the first time since losing his title and he’s got a tough Australian in Koen Mazoudier to deal with. And we open the night with one of the top prospects in boxing today in Marco Romero. He’s definitely someone to keep your eye on.”
BRITTON HARDIN, Head of Boxing, North America, DAZN
“This is the perfect time for us to be bringing in new boxing fans with the partnership with TNT and this is an exciting card to do that with. You get the full gamut of what boxing has with these matchups that we’re able to put together.
“I’m really excited for Saturday night. Everyone up here knows the level of competition and I can’t wait to see what we have.”
