Video By Darren Nichols Transcribed By Jose "OnFire" Aguirre

Oscar De La Hoya: "It's always a pleasure to be here in Los Angeles, my hometown, where I grew up. Especially at the Staple Center where I had a beautiful experience and having the honor to fight here at this wonderful arena. The outcome wasn't my favorite but it was a very pleasant and wonderful experience that I would hopefully one day want to experience again. I want to thank Tim Week for believing in us, Golden Boy Promotions, and we are looking forward to a great relationship for the future. And the Staple Center for having the vision and knowing that boxing here in Los Angeles is not only here to grow but here to stay for a very long time. To have a boxing card means, not only a boxing card but an exciting, big boxing card here in Los Angeles means having the best fighters in the world. Not only present but also future. We have put together a card that consist of six very exciting fights for the public to watch. All the fans will be cheering and the place will go berzerk because they will be cheering on their local hero. Now without futher ado, let me introduce to you the man not only of the hour, of the moment but of all time. The best pound for pound champion in the world today Mr Bernard Hopkins."


Bernard Hopkins: "I want to thank Golden Boy and Schaeffer and the team behind the Golden Boy who made a statement by not only winning the right to promote me, as you all agree. It in your columns, it's on ninety nine percent of every website. Pound for pound, something that every fighter that becomes a fighter don't achieve, let alone a world championship. To me coming out of the gate, coming out of the first year, coming out of our first business dealing with my career first, before we signed Demitrius, before we sign other fighters that are waiting to come on board on the east coast. He showed me his loyalty and spent a few extra dollars. I'm aware of that. No, as he said, disrepect to me but we paid him extra to have the right to be first. To be in charge. To bring him from England over here where he has to speak my language and understand what goes on over here with these (showing his fist) not the judges. So Eastman had less words but I'm the opposite I have alot of words. But as one thing that nobody can deny. Everything I say ninety nine point nine percent of the time I deliver. That's the credibility issue. Whatever you think about me outside of the ring si your preference. Most of you keep it to yourselves anyway. But in that ring I show that I didn't get here by politics. God knows, even mine enemies. Even the naysayers can say that no one has done me a favor by putting me in a position to be undisputed. First title April 10th, 1995. This is 2005 and April is right around the corner. That's a decade. Just with one title alone. And that one title of years and years of being patient. See I'm going to give him (Eastman) a patient butt whipping. He's going to fight. He's not going to run. Eastman is a fighter. Alot of them have came and they went fast but I'm still here for a reason. Some will say by luck if you're in denial. Some will say well maybe the middleweight division isn't as it used to be like it was in the eighties. Not only the middleweights are not like in the eighties but you don't look like you used to look when you were twenty. Or the seventies or the eighties. This is my time. This is going to be a fight that's going to have people saying to themselves we wish he would stay another year. We wish we could see more. We have new contenders coming up. I have a timetable and I want to be clear so that Eastman and all these guys can understand I'm not underestimating this man. That's not my style. Everyone knows I have nineteen title defense. I got up for Morrade Hakkar, remember that english fighter. He's not a Morrade Hakkar but I got up for that. I got up for every fight because it's not about exclusively fighting for the money. Yes I like to take big checks to the bank but it had to be more to keep this fourty year old athlete, as of Saturday, on a Jerry Rice level. On a Barry Bond level. On a Bernard Hopkins level. I love what I do. I want to set my history aside from the ordinary. See when Bernard Hopkins' name is mentioned ten, fifteen or twenty years from now you're going to have to seperate me whether you like it or not. From just being a champion. Oh, there's going to be a story behind me. It's going to be a Curt Flood type of story. It's going to be a Bill Russell type of story. Muhammad Ali type of story. Some type of legacy. Not only was he good but he had the balls to stand up. When he didn't have four titles. When he wasn't the undisputed middleweight champion of the world. When he never made a million dollars but he stood up anyway when he had nothing. Do you think that I'm going to let this man, as hungry as I know he is, I was in that position. When I fought Segundo Mercardo and I went to Ecuador and got a draw. I know his hunger. I experienced that. So I know his thinking. That keeps me up. That keeps me running and saying in my head at four thirty in the morning he's probably sleeping. And most of you are. You all going to see a twenty year old man come Feb 19th. Someone in here is going to ask that an investigation be made on my birth certificate. And I'm willing to give it to you. 1/15/65. One fifteen. A great man was born on that day and I have part of that spirit in me. Martin Luther King. I respect all my opponents. I respect Eastman. He's bonifide and certified. He's the legitimate number one contender. He's going to bring the best out of Bernard Hopkins. He says that Bernard Hopkins is not the best in his eyes pound for pound. I really believe he thinks that so I have to change his thinking. But he's not a Morrade Hakkar. I watch him he watches me. I'm looking for a real good fight and I hope everybody supports the fight. Come out. If you need your tv fixed do it before the weekend. No matter what happens feb 19th because anything can happen it's up to me to prove Eastman wrong. And it's on Eastman to prove me wrong. Twenty defenses. Take your personal feeling and take your bias to me or for me. Put that to the side for ten seconds. In the day of athletisicm of big money athletes getting millions of dollars. Getting comfortable. Getting relaxed. Keeping their weight down. Five pounds a month before the fight. Fourty years old. Twenty defenses. In todays world with all those distractions is right at your beck and call. Twenty defenses. HBO is going to do a great job. To make sure once they start running their commercials. Once they start to convince you all that twenty defenses is going to be nonety ninety percent of that marketing. That twenty defenses is very rare, unique and extraordinary. Feb 19th coming out the gate with Golden Boy Promotions. It's going to be a great fight. I'm going to give it my all, Eastman's going to give it his all. And after the fight do you know what we're going to do? We going to shake hands. That's what we do. We're going to shake hands and say great fight."