{"id":158507,"date":"2018-12-28T04:20:43","date_gmt":"2018-12-28T04:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.soulcentralmagazine.com\/?p=158507"},"modified":"2018-12-28T04:20:43","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T04:20:43","slug":"gervonta-davis-vs-abner-mares-los-angeles-press-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/28\/gervonta-davis-vs-abner-mares-los-angeles-press-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Gervonta Davis vs. Abner Mares Los Angeles Press Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two-Time Super Featherweight Champion Davis<\/strong>
Defends Title Against Three-Division Champion Mares in <\/strong>
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING\u00ae<\/sup> Main Event <\/strong>
Saturday, February 9 from StubHub Center <\/strong>
(Soon to be Dignity Health Sports Park) in Carson, Calif.<\/strong>

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LOS ANGELES <\/strong>(December 27, 2018) – Two-time super featherweight champion Gervonta \u201cTank\u201d Davis <\/strong>and three-division world champion Abner Mares <\/strong>went face-to-face for the first time Thursday at a press conference in Los Angeles as Davis defends his WBA title against Mares on Saturday, February 9 live on SHOWTIME\u00ae<\/sup><\/strong> in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions from StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, TGB Promotions and Ringstar Sports, are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING main event promises fireworks and high-stakes action as both men bring their fan-friendly styles to the ring. Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from the Conga Room at L.A. Live:
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GERVONTA DAVIS<\/strong>

\u201cI believe that Abner Mares is a future Hall of Famer because he\u2019s fought so many top-level guys. This is big for me because this is my first time being a main event in the U.S. and I just feel blessed to be here.

\u201cIn 2019, I want to make a big statement not only in the ring but by letting the boxing world know that I\u2019m the next star. I\u2019m aiming to headline a pay-per-view by 2020 if everything goes right. I have great fights lined up for next year, without looking past Abner.

\u201cAs soon as I got off the plane, I went straight to the gym and got some work in with some guys there. We\u2019re not taking Abner lightly. I\u2019m excited and blessed to be in this position. February 9, I\u2019m confident it will be sold out and I\u2019m confident that I will be that next boxing star. \u00a0

\u201cI\u2019ve always known that you can\u2019t underestimate anyone in the ring. You have to look at your opponent like they\u2019re equal to you. I understand exactly what I have in front of me.

\u201cI don\u2019t know what Abner sees, but he was sure he wanted to take this fight so obviously he sees something. I have power, speed, movement and really a blend of everything. I believe that I\u2019m a better fighter than him.

\u201cIt\u2019s all about being focused in that ring and doing my job. I\u2019m coming to get Abner Mares out of there.\u00a0

\u201cI wanted to fight Abner Mares out here in Southern California. Floyd Mayweather fought Arturo Gatti in his hometown and that\u2019s basically what I\u2019m doing here.\u201d
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ABNER MARES<\/strong>

\u201cOne day I just thought to myself that this fight against Gervonta Davis would be a great matchup and that I can win it. There are other big fights at featherweight that I could have gotten. I\u2019m taking this fight because of the challenge that it brings. I\u2019m all about that.

\u201cI\u2019m coming off of a great close fight against Leo Santa Cruz. I\u2019m a winner every time I fight. I come to prove people wrong and perform. Not too many people do that these days.

\u201cWe\u2019ll already have 50 percent of the fight won just by having a good corner, a good team and<\/g> a great plan. The other 50 percent is up to the fighter to perform. One thing is having the game plan in your mind but it\u2019s another thing to go out there and perform that game plan.

\u201cWe\u2019re not just going into this fight blind. I\u2019m not stupid. I\u2019m taking this fight because I see something in this guy. It\u2019s a tough fight, no doubt. All fights are tough. He\u2019s in for a good fight. At the end of the day, you guys have to stop worrying about my weight and if I\u2019m too small. You guys are going to get a great fight and that\u2019s all that matters. Sit back, look pretty and enjoy the fight.

\u201cYou can\u2019t compare Jesus Cuellar to Gervonta Davis. I know some people wanted to compare how I did against Cuellar and how Davis did against Cuellar, but he fought him two years after I did. It makes no sense. Gervonta Davis has a different style than Cuellar and it\u2019s going to be a good fight. He\u2019s an exciting fighter and he\u2019s a boxer. He\u2019s a boxer that trades punches so it makes for an exciting fight.

\u201cPeople are going to recognize me as someone who took on everyone. People say this will be a new style for me, but I\u2019ve seen them all. This is team<\/g> \u2018no fear\u2019 and we\u2019re going to make this happen.\u201d

CALVIN FORD, Davis\u2019 Trainer<\/strong>

\u201cThis is a great chance for us to go up against the great team that Abner Mares and Robert Garcia make. We\u2019ve been watching them for a long time and we\u2019re looking forward to it.

\u201cWe\u2019ve been doing this for many years. We know that when it\u2019s time to lock in, we\u2019ll be locked in. Sparring has been going well. We\u2019re just taking our time and doing what we have to do to get ready. We have a great team and everybody is doing their part. It\u2019s our time to show what we\u2019re capable of.

\u201cOn February 9, that\u2019s when Gervonta Davis is going to step up and show the world what he truly is. I can\u2019t wait for everyone to see it.\u201d \u00a0 ROBERT GARCIA, Mares\u2019 Trainer<\/strong>

\u201cAbner is very motivated. We have very strong sparring partners and he\u2019s doing a great job in the gym already. Come February 9, everyone is in for a surprise. I respect Gervonta Davis and his team, but I think Abner is hungrier and looking to make history.

\u201cThis is going to be a great fight. We\u2019re excited to see a great crowd of fans out there to enjoy a fight that\u2019s going to be full of action.

\u201cWe know that this is a tough challenge. I think of this like the Adrien Broner vs. Marcos Maidana fight. Just like Davis, they said Broner is flashy, dangerous and this and that. But you all know what happened. Same<\/g> thing is going to happen this time around.\u201d

LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO of Mayweather Promotions<\/strong>

\u201cThis is a fight the fans wanted. These two guys have gone back and forth on social media and I\u2019m excited that they\u2019re going to finally get in the ring on February 9.

\u201cDavis vs. Mares is a thrilling matchup between two very skilled warriors. You can\u2019t expect anything but great fireworks from this fight.

\u201cYou can\u2019t say enough about Gervonta Davis. He\u2019s young, exciting and when he comes into the ring, he doesn\u2019t play games. That style is going to make this an electrifying matchup.

\u201cYou don\u2019t see fighters like Gervonta Davis very often. He has all the ingredients it takes to be a huge star. He knows that he has room to improve and he truly wants to get better. He has a tremendous skill set and you\u2019ve only gotten a glimpse of what Gervonta Davis brings to the table so far.

\u201cAbner Mares really wanted this fight. Any time a boxer goes out of his way to say \u2018I want that guy\u2019, the biggest and baddest<\/g> guy in the division, that speaks volumes to the confidence that Abner Mares has. He\u2019s exhibited this in all of his fights and he always performs at the highest level.\u201d \u00a0 RICHARD SCHAEFER, Chairman & CEO of Ringstar Sports<\/strong> \u00a0 \u201cThis is a fascinating matchup taking place at the perfect venue. This is a great fight to get 2019 going. It\u2019s youth, strength and<\/g> size against experience, will and desire. May the best man win.

\u201cI want to thank both fighters for coming together to make this fight happen. This is one that had been brewing for a while. Gervonta Davis is the best fighter in his division and he\u2019s one of the guys who can talk the talk and walk the walk.

\u201cAbner Mares has always sought out the most difficult challenges in front of him. He is a legend in this sport and one of the best fighters to ever come out of Mexico. These are the kinds of challenges that make Abner what he is in this sport.

\u201cGervonta Davis is one of the rising stars of the sport and Mares is one of its legendary champions. When you put those two together, the ones who are going to win are the fight fans.

\u201cPeople are excited about this fight. Fans know that you never want to count out a great champion like Abner Mares. This is of course<\/g> a dangerous fight for Mares, that\u2019s how good Gervonta Davis is, but he obviously sees how he can win this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Two-Time Super Featherweight Champion DavisDefends Title Against Three-Division Champion Mares in SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING\u00ae Main Event Saturday, February 9 from StubHub Center (Soon to be Dignity Health Sports Park) in Carson, Calif. LOS ANGELES (December 27, 2018) – Two-time super featherweight champion Gervonta \u201cTank\u201d Davis and three-division world champion Abner Mares went face-to-face for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":158509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_review":[],"enable_review":"","type":"","name":"","summary":"","brand":"","sku":"","good":[],"bad":[],"score_override":"","override_value":"","rating":[],"price":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"jnews_post_split":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,480,53,515],"tags":[1238],"class_list":["post-158507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-post","category-sports","category-sports-news","category-uncategorized","tag-gervonta-davis-vs-abner-mares-los-angeles-press-conference"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158507\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soulcentralmagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}