GL:  We're on the record, Dynamite Dan.  Just days away from the big fight, Margarito-Williams, tell us about it.  Tell us why you believe Paul's hand is going to get raised. "You know how much confidence we have in Paul.  These are the type of fights, the special fighters, the great ones, rise to the occasion, rise to that level of prominence and superstardom.  The champion, Antonio Margarito, is a man who's held his title for five years.  He's going into his eighth title defense.  We all know he's rugged, tough, big and strong and very much has been avoided by other champions.  We all know him as his promoter Bob Arum described him, as the most feared man in boxing.  What better stage for Paul, The Punisher, to come out and show the world, who's actually going to become the most feared man in boxing."

GL:  Tell us how you feel about Margarito making the mandatory.  Why you feel he made the right decision, by making the mandatory against Paul, instead of fighting Cotto in the Garden?

DG:  One of the things that drove us to the title of the fight, "Pride N' Punishment," was the pride that Margarito put in his keeping the title.  We've seen it too little in this business, champions fighting for their title. Especially when it means having to fight a worthy challenger as your mandatory.  In this case, Margarito had a tremendous opportunity to throw the belt in the trash can, and fight Miguel Cotto on June 9th.  He didn't want to give up his title, and I know we all suspect the reason.  He did not want to avoid a worthy challenger, and I'm sure not walking away from a belt that meant so much to him throughout the years.  Margarito felt he is the most feared man in boxing and wanted to prove it against the very highly regarded Williams.  A very dangerous decision in our mind and the reason we fought so hard to make this fight a reality when no one ever thought it would happen.  Although he's being paid handsomely for this fight, and certainly on the par of what he would have been getting June 9th, there was a lot of pride, Mexican warrior pride, in his decision, and we commend him for that. 

GL:  Commended for getting punished by the Punisher.

DG:  As I said, we've got a lot of confidence in Paul punishing anyone he steps into the ring with.  Margarito's been there, and I know there's a lot of people questioning how Paul will handle the pressure of the big stage where he is one of the featured attractions.  There are very few people who have the ability to jump from high school basketball right into the pros, and be able to deal with the all the other great players on that court and th big stage that goes along with it.  Recently we've seen Kobe thrive in this situation and Lebron James defying all logic.  We'll probably see it this year with the #1 pick, Greg Oden with Portland.  These ballplayers are special.  We see it in all the other sports also.  There's no rule that says you have to have experience at a certain level to be great.  These big events show everyone that these are athletes that are great going into events that would otherwise command experience for you to be successful at. Come Saturday night, we believe Paul will excite the sports industry with his offensive firepower and professional performance.

GL:  Robert Guerrero has a fight coming up with Rocky Juarez.  Tell us about that fight.

DG:  We're in discussions with all the parties right now to try to make this fight happen.  It's a good fight for boxing, it's a good fight for the fighters, both of whom have overcome recent setbacks, with good wins.  With Robert reclaiming the world title in Denmark, he grew tremendously in stature and confidence knowing he regained his title in a foreign country and now knows how to hold his championship for years to come.  Rocky certainly has big fight experience, especially with the Barerra fights.  When we have these competitive type of mandatory matches, as the mandatory with Margarito and Paul Williams, its best for all that it involves deserving fighters, and ones that the fans, networks and media want.  We certainly have been saddled at times with mismatches for mandatories, which hurt everyone.  In this case, the mandatory of Rocky Juarez against Robert Guerrero is a win for all of us, including the organization.  Everybody comes out a winner when we do what's in the best interests of the fighters and deliver the best matchups to the fans.

GL:  I understand James Toney wants to contest the recent ruling in the commission for steroid tests coming back positive.  Do you stand behind James on this?  What's Goossen Tutor's position going to be throughout the situation?

DG:  We're always going to be behind James Toney.  He's always been someone that has been the consummate warrior throughout the years.  Blood, sweat, and tears was always given to the boxing fans and the networks.  I'll always be behind James, this is something that hopefully as time unfolds, I'd love to see James exonerated.

GL:  Obviously you feel that he's still got what it takes to have the hardware wrapped around his waist.

DG:  We'll take the first steps that are immediately in front of us, Greg, and go from there.

GL:  What else is shaking with GTP?

DG:  We're excited about the event Saturday night.  With a little over 2,000 tickets remaining, the atmosphere should be electric.  When fans and the television audience see the The Home Depot Center, they will recognize it as one of the best sites for boxing under the stars. People are going to love it, being an open air tennis stadium.  The capacity is a little over 8,000, with current ticket sales leading to a sellout.  Andre Ward will be fighting Francisco Diaz, a tougher fight than what I would normally give Andre, based upon the fact that it's not a main event on TV.  His fight will be taped, along with Cristobal Arreola's 10-round bout, and clips of both fights will be shown on the HBO telecast.  We wanted to make a statement in Los Angeles with Andre, and show the progress that he's made as a fighter and his readiness to pursue the next step in his career to being a world class fighter.  The route that we put him on in the beginning of his career was a tough one, but I believe one that will pay tremendous dividends as he moves forward.  He really has a professional sense of what it takes to become a world champion, and what to expect at the top.  We have always placed our fighters with opposition that would give them a fight rather than just a win, especially in the early stages of their careers.  We felt that this prepares them for the level of competition they're sure to meet as they climb toward that world championship caliber fighter.  They know that when they've got an undefeated record, it's based upon having the talent to beat qualified opposition, and not beating someone that had no business to be in with them in the first place. 

GL:  That's what's up Dan, that's more than enough.  We'll talk...

DG:  Hold on, dude. What about Cristobal Arreola?  I'm telling you, don't blink when he's in the ring!   I've talked to you for the past few years about Cristobal, I'm going to say something that I had never said before now, we, Al Haymon (his manager), his trainer Henry (Ramirez) and especially Cristobal believe he will make history in the boxing world and become the first Mexican heavyweight champion in our great sport.  This Saturday he fights Derrick Berry with many of his fans in attendance and I know what will be many new fans at home when they see clips of him on HBO.  He's one of the most exciting fighters in any division, but being in a heavyweight body will just add more interest in his path to success.  Mark my words, he will capture the attention of all fans, not only in boxing, but will cross over to even the casual sports fan.  With his fighting style and down-to-earth personality outside the ring, he is on his way to big things. His defense is an offense that fans drool about seeing.  Seek and destroy attitude with an all-out offensive war.
 
In closing Greg, congratulations on the great job you are doing for our boxing fans and especially the voice you give to our fighters.

M

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