The Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) and former WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) completed their final press conference yesterday at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas ahead of their Nov. 21 world championship showdown, which will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.
Cotto vs. Canelo is shaping up to be the biggest fight in boxing this year and the biggest fight in the history of the famed Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry. Below is what the fighters, trainers and dais guests had to say at today’s final main event press conference:
MIGUEL COTTO, The Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion:
“We are hours away from the fight. We had a great training camp in Los Angeles for several weeks. All I have to say is that I am ready for the fight. I know that Canelo is ready too. Let’s give the fans the fight they need from us.
“Freddie brings his best to every day and every session. The least I can do is bring my best too. I think the chemistry between us grows every day.
“We are going to apply our strategy in the best way possible. And I have no doubt that what we worked on in LA for seven weeks is going to be the key for a victory.
“I don’t need a belt to fight Canelo.”
Canelo Álvarez, Former WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Champion:
“Thank you all for the support you’ve given me and this great event. Also, the reception that each and every one of you have given to me, I’m very grateful. I’ve had a great preparation. I’ve worked very hard. I am patiently waiting for Saturday night to have my hand raised in victory once again. It’s going to be a difficult fight, I know that, but that is why I prepared properly, and I am ready to give a great fight.”
FREDDIE ROACH, International Boxing Hall of Famer & Seven-Time BWAA Trainer of the Year Award Winner, Miguel Cotto Trainer:
“Miguel has a great training camp for this fight. We’re 100% ready for this fight, the biggest fight of the year. I’ve never seen Miguel better than this.
“Miguel is stronger. His condition is great. We had about 6-7 sparring partners for this fight. And we’re headed into our last workout today.
“I would love for Miguel to win this fight by knockout, call out Mayweather and then end his career. Miguel always tells me that if he had me in his corner when he fought Mayweather he would have knocked him out. He tells me that story all the time. I think Miguel could pull off the strategy I have to beat Mayweather. I think that would be a good fight for him. I think I could put Miguel in a very aggressive mode.
“We are going to box a lot in this fight. We’re not just going out there looking for a knockout. I don’t want him doing that. I want him using his foot speed and his angles. He’s a more complete fighter now than ever.
“Canelo’s defense is terrible. He follows you wherever you go. He’s like a robot. If you use angles on him, he will be lost. He cannot make adjustment well.
“We need a fight like this. It’s great for the sport.
EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer for Canelo Álvarez:
“We are prepared to win our second WBC title on Nov. 21.”
CHEPO REYNOSO, Manager and Trainer for Canelo Álvarez:
“On the Canelo team we have a saying that, ‘what you do right cannot have a bad outcome.’ We worked very hard with 14 weeks of camp and not one day was without hard work and enthusiasm. We will see Canelo’s hand raised in victory on Nov. 21. After 14 weeks of hard work, we see him just days away with the same enthusiasm to be the champion, to be one of the best. Another saying we have on our team is, ‘the fight is won in the gym. In the ring, they just raise your hand.”
MICHAEL YORMARK, President & Chief of Branding and Strategy Roc Nation:
“The great Sugar Ray Robinson once said “rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that’s in rhythm or you’re in trouble.”
When you think about these two great champions that sit before you – Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez – I think it is fair to say that everything they do comes from their heart. Because when they step into that ring on Saturday night, under the lights of the Mandalay Bay Events Center and HBO Pay-Per-View, not only will they be fighting for themselves and their own glory, but also for the pride and glory of their family, their fans, and their country.
“There are over a million compliments I could pay the champ, Miguel Cotto.But one thing I can tell you is when I visited him in training camp, I walked away literally exhausted by his effort, his passion and his commitment – I came away feeling bad for Canelo. It is clear that Miguel Cotto fights for a purpose well beyond himself. He fights for family and he fights for country. He knows the history of the Puerto Rico-Mexico rivalry, he knows that Puerto Rico currently holds the advantage, and he fully intends to extend that advantage on Saturday night.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez. Puerto Rico vs. Mexico. Puncher vs. puncher. Younger lion against….older lion. This fight has all the makings of an instant classic for the Lineal Middleweight World Championship. And, at least for Canelo, the WBC world championship.
“For Latinos all over the world, this is our Super Bowl. This is an event that not one Hispanic, not one Latino is going to miss. That is how important this event is to us. Puerto Rico vs. Mexico is like no other event for those countries. This is like our Super Bowl, that’s how important this event is.”
HECTOR SOTO, Vice President of Miguel Cotto Promotions:
“This Saturday, all of us will witness probably the best fight in the last 10 years. For the last eight weeks, Miguel Cotto has trained very hard to get ready for this fight. Thank you everybody for your support and we will see you Saturday night.”
MAURICIO SULAIMAN, President of the WBC:
“I am proud to celebrate this highly anticipated match between two icons representing their countries, their legacy and their pride.”
RICHARD STURM, President of Spoorts and Entertainment, MGM Resorts International:
“We are excited to host the clash of two champions who will bring a high level of intensity this Saturday night. They will provide fans with an exciting evening of world class boxing. Thanks to Roc Nation Sports, Golden Boy Promotions, Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, HBO, and Bob Bennet at the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Thanks to all for one of the greatest fights of the year.”
MARK TAFFET, Senior Vice President of HBO Sports Operations:
“This is an outstanding week and one we will remember forever. It’s exciting to be working as a fan on one of the most special events of boxing this year. Cotto-Canelo features the biggest stars in one of the biggest fights of the year.
“Earlier this year HBO was proud to feature events with both Cotto and Canelo. In May Canelo’s fight on HBO World Championship Boxing generated 2.1 million viewers and in June, Miguel generated 1.6 million views also on HBO World Championship Boxing. We can’t wait to bring this fight to all of their fans who tuned in earlier this year. We know that they carry their respective nations on their backs and we know that Cotto vs. Canelo will likely be a fight that will talked about for years to come.”
BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner:
“In any sport, you want to be the best and say you are the best but few prove it. Thanks to Cotto, thanks to Canelo for giving us this mega fight. This fight is why boxing hasn’t been forgotten and never will.”
Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez Grand Arrivals Quotes
The Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) and former WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) made their grand arrivals yesterday at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas ahead of their Nov. 21 world championship showdown, which will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View. Cotto vs. Canelo is shaping up to be the biggest fight in boxing this year and the biggest fight in the history of the famed Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry. Below is what the fighters and their trainers had to say at today’s grand arrivals:
MIGUEL COTTO, The Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion:
“Freddie is the biggest compliment I have in my career. He has made me a better boxer.
After this next fight, you are going to really understand what he has done for my career.
“I am not disappointed by the WBC’s decision [to strip Cotto of his title]. It was all about money. The fee for this fight was absurd to me and I prefer to keep the money in my account. I don’t need to pay attention to Oscar De La Hoya’s opinion. He should take care of his own business. And I will take care of mine. I don’t stick my nose in Oscar’s business.
“The organizations wants four champions in every division just to earn a percentage from
everybody. Then we have to pay for their mistakes. This is not fair to me. The WBC
told me my offer was not reasonable to them. They told me I was not going to be the
champion anymore. I don’t need their belt. I have enough belts in my house and with
the money I saved, I can buy any belt I want. I can be the champion of whatever I
want in my house.
“This fight sells itself. Everybody should know what to expect from Canelo and what kind of fight they can expect from me. I know I have everything I need to beat Canelo.
“I don’t want to be in the sport for that much longer. I see two or three more fights and
that will be all.
“No matter what I have to do on Nov. 21 to beat Canelo, I am going to do because I
prepared myself for war. I prepared myself for a good fight and, I am going to do my
best. This fight cannot be decided by one punch. I am going to use my whole arsenal to
beat Canelo.
“Training is all about discipline. Everyone knows that Freddie has Parkinson’s Disease.
You never hear any complaints coming from Freddie. This man, Freddie Roach, gave me
the tools I needed in my career and he made me work as hard as I can. Freddie made me
look the way I looked during our last few fights.”
Canelo Álvarez, Former WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Champion:
“I understand the magnitude of this fight and what it means for the history of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico. I know this fight will go down as one of the most exciting and explosive nights in the famed rivalry and in the sport of boxing.
“I am very prepared for this fight. I have full confidence in my trainers and their approach to this fight. People can expect a great fight that will be talked about for years to come.
“I am doing this for my fans, for my country and for history.”
FREDDIE ROACH, International Boxing Hall of Famer & Seven-Time BWAA Trainer of the Year Award Winner, Miguel Cotto Trainer:
“Miguel trains with all he has. We’re in the gym every morning at 5:00 a.m. for conditioning work and that lasts for three hours. Then at 1:00 p.m. we have our boxing workout. We work really hard every day.
“Before I go to sleep every night, I run through my thoughts, and make sure I have everything covered. There’s not one aspect of the fight that I don’t think about. We cover all our bases. And we’re 100 percent ready for this opponent. Canelo makes a lot of mistakes. And we’re really going to take advantage of those mistakes. He has youth on his side. But that’s not going to be enough to beat us.
“Miguel is bigger than the belt.”
CHEPO REYNOSO, Manager and Trainer for Canelo Álvarez:
“I have had the privilege to see Canelo grow into the man that he is and I know that he is ready for this fight. He has been preparing for this night his whole life.
“Canelo is a strong, intelligent fighter, with a lot of heart and that will show on fight night. I know he will raise up his hands in victory for Mexico.”
EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer for Canelo Álvarez:
“We are very well prepared for this fight. Canelo is a strong fighter who is getting better every day. On fight night there will be fireworks in the ring.
“We are very confident in Canelo’s abilities. He is someone with no limitations and will go down in history as legend after his victory on Nov. 21.”
COTTO-CANELO PRELIMINARY UNDERCARD ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 FROM THE MANDALAY BAY EVENTS CENTER IN LAS VEGAS
AVAILABLE LIVE ON MULTIPLE DIGITAL OUTLETS
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 17, 2015) –Roc Nation Sports, Golden Boy Promotions, Miguel Cotto Promotions and Canelo Promotions are pleased to announce the preliminary undercard of the Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez event on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The preliminary bouts will be available to view digitally on HBO Boxing’s YouTube Page, TIDAL.com and GoldenBoyPromotions.com, along with other websites and outlets starting at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.
In preliminary undercard action, San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Alberto “El Explosivo” Machado (11-0, 9 KOs) will face Tyrone “Hands of Stone” Luckey (8-4-2, 6 KOs) of Long Branch, NJ in a six-round lightweight bout. After representing his native country in many international competitions, Machado looked to implement his power and style during each match starting with his pro debut on Nov.17, 2012 against Alex Nazario, which resulted in a third-round technical knockout. On Nov. 11, 2014, Machado overtook Alvin Torres with a second-round technical knockout to secure the vacant WBC USNBC Super Featherweight Title. Luckey will look to tarnish Machado’s undefeated record when they clash on Nov. 21.
Making the first defense of his IBF Bantamweight World Title, Randy “El Matador” Caballero (22-0, 13 KOs) will headline the preliminary undercard preceding the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast of Cotto vs. Canelo as he faces off against England’s Lee “Playboy” Haskins (32-3, 14 KOs).
A Silver Medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Zhang “Big Bang” Zhilei (5-0, 3 KOs) of Zhengzhou, China is an imposing figure at 6’6” who continues to infuse excitement into the heavyweight division. On August 8, 2014, Zhang made his professional debut by scoring a first-round knockout
win over Curtis Lee Tate in Fallon, Nevada. On Nov. 21, he faces Juan Goode (6-2, 5 KOs) of Taylor, MI in a four-round heavyweight bout.
Puerto Rican unbeaten favorite Jose “Chiquiro” Martinez (15-0, 11 KOs) joins the preliminary undercard after scoring a third-round knockout victory against Armando Vazquez at Coliseo Hector Sola Bezares in Caguas, Puerto Rico on Aug. 8, 2015. Martinez will look to extend his undefeated record to sixteen fights on Nov. 21 when he takes on fellow undefeated fighter Oscar Mojica (8-0, 1 KO) of Dallas, TX in a six-round junior bantamweight fight.
Opening up the card, San Antonio up-and-coming prospect Hector “El Finito” Tanajara (3-0, 2 KOs) will face Jose Fabian Naranjo (3-1-1, 1 KO) of Uruapan, Baja California, Mexico in a four-round lightweight bout. The eight-time national champion Tanajara made his professional debut as a newly signed Golden Boy Promotions fighter on Aug. 6 and has added three impressive wins to his resume since then. On Nov. 21, he’ll look to add a fourth win with a victory over Naranjo in the ring.
In addition to the great action inside the ring, the event will feature a special live performance by 2015 Latin Grammy nominee Yandel. The performance will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View after the second fight of the pay-per-view telecast.
A limited number of tickets priced at $2,000, $1,750, $1,250 and $650, not including applicable service charges, can be purchased at the Mandalay Bay box office, ticketmaster.com, mandalaybay.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000. Ticket orders are limited to four per person.
Cotto vs. Canelo, a 12-round fight for the Lineal Middleweight World Championship, takes place Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The fight is presented by Roc Nation Sports, Golden Boy Promotions, Miguel Cotto Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra; Mexico, Live it to Believe it!; O’Reilly Auto Parts; Tequila Cazadores and Corporate Travel Made Simple (ctms). Also on the pay-per-view telecast will be Takashi Miura vs. Francisco Vargas in a 12-round co-featured fight for the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship presented in association with Teiken Promotions; Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Drian Francisco in a 10-round super bantamweight bout presented in association with Caribe Promotions; and Jayson Velez vs. Ronny Rios is a 10-round featherweight bout which will open the Pay-Per-View telecast. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Randy Caballero vs. Lee Haskins, a 12-round fight for the IBF Bantamweight World Championship, is presented in association with Bristol Boxing Ltd. and will be featured as part of the preliminary undercards available on digital platforms starting at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.
In addition to the great action inside the ring, the event will feature a special live performance by 2015 Latin Grammy nominee Yandel. The performance will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View after the second fight of the pay-per-view telecast.
A limited number of tickets priced at $2,000, $1,750, $1,250 and $650, not including applicable service charges, can be purchased at the Mandalay Bay box office, ticketmaster.com, mandalaybay.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000. Ticket orders are limited to four per person.
Tickets for closed circuit viewings of Cotto vs. Canelo at select MGM Resorts International properties in Las Vegas are priced at $75, not including applicable service charges, and can be purchased at all MGM Resorts International Ticket Offices, http://www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000.
Video: Cotto v. Canelo 24/7 HBO – Full Episode
HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has received 18 Sports Emmy® Awards, returns for its 21st multi-part boxing series with 24/7 COTTO/CANELO, debuting SATURDAY, NOV. 7 (11:45 p.m.-12:15 a.m. ET/PT), immediately following the “World Championship Boxing” doubleheader that begins at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The behind-the-scenes series follows two elite fighters as they prepare for their blockbuster pay-per-view middleweight title showdown Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Episode #1
Debut: SATURDAY, NOV. 7 (11:45 p.m.-12:15 a.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Nov. 8 (11:45 a.m.) 9 (10:15 a.m., 2:00 a.m.), 10 (10:30 p.m.), 11 (11:00 a.m.), 13 (4:00 p.m., 3:40 a.m.), 20 (midnight) and 21 (11:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Nov. 9 (3:30 p.m.), 12 (11:30 a.m., 8:30 p.m.), 14 (11:05 a.m., 12:45 a.m.), 17 (3:00 a.m.), 20 (6:30 p.m.) and 21 (4:00 p.m.)
Reigning lineal titleholder Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) works with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Cal., while Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) trains in San Diego with the renowned family team of Chepo and Eddy Reynoso.
Episode two of 24/7 COTTO/CANELO debuts Thursday, Nov 19 (11:00-11:30 p.m.), two nights before the high-stakes bout.
24/7 COTTO/CANELO is also available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and HBO Latino.
The executive producer of 24/7 COTTO/CANELO is Rick Bernstein; senior producer, Dave Harmon; coordinating producer, Bentley Weiner; producer, Abtin Motia; writer, Aaron Cohen. Liev Schreiber narrates.
