AGUASCALIENTES, MEXICO (May 5, 2010) — Three time world welterweight champion ANTONIO “Tony” MARGARITO and ROBERTO “Amenaza” GARCIA promised a great fight at today’s tension-filled final press conference touting their main event rumble headlining Saturday’s “Latin Fury 14.” Promoted by Top Rank, Latin Fury 14 will be televised Live on Pay-Per-View to the U.S., This Saturday! May 8, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Margarito and Garcia will go mano-a-mano in a 10-round super welterweight battle.
“I am really looking forward to this fight like it was my first. I am still very hungry and still have a lot to accomplish in my career,” said Margarito to a packed house at the Tecate Boxing Tour on the grounds of the San Marco Fair. “This fight Saturday against Garcia is very important because I want to come back and give the fans a great fight.”.
“I have no pressure on me here. I have everything to win and nothing to lose. I have come to win and make a name for myself by beating Margarito and that’s what I intend to do this Saturday night,” said Garcia who lives in McAllen, Texas. “The biggest difference between Margarito and me is that I can fight in the United States and he can’t.”..
Margarito took it in stride and said: “Your fight with me will be your five minutes of fame. Enjoy it. I have big plans for you on Saturday night.”
The co-main event will feature World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super featherweight champion Jorge Solis defending his title against Mario Solis.
“I have prepared very well for this fight and will give it all I got. As a world champion I have a big responsibility to the fans to come ready to fight and I will be ready,” said Solis, who is also the brother of former world champion Ulises “Archie” Solis.
“I believe the fight between Solis and me, will be the fight of the night,” said Santiago. “I had a great training camp and I feel very confident that I can win this fight here in Mexico and take the title back to Puerto Rico.”
Margarito-Garcia Workout Photos
AGUASCALIENTES, MEXICO (May 5, 2010) — Three-time world champion ANTONIO “Tony” MARGARITO was welcomed by hundreds of fans for his public workout yesterday in Aguascalientes. The “Tijuana Tornado” worked for nearly an hour under the hot sun in the Tecate Box Tour ring before signing autographs and taking pictures with fans for over one hour.
“I can really feel the support of the fans here in Aguascalientes. And I have promised them a great fight. I can’t wait to get into the ring Saturday night,” said Margarito, after the workout at the site of the San Marcos Fair.
Margarito will take on ROBERTO “Amenaza” GARCIA in the main event of Latin Fury 14, Top Rank’s championship extravaganza which will be seen in the U.S. Live on Pay-Per-View this Saturday night beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“I feel good and I am ready to get back to work. It’s been a long time away from the ring and I am very happy to be back,” said Margarito, who has not fought since January of 2009 after losing his world title to Shane Mosley.
After Margarito’s workout, Garcia had his own workout and was also well received by the fans as he worked with his trainer Eric Brown.
“This is my championship fight. I have worked very hard to get to this point and will not let this great opportunity pass by. I have come to win this fight and that is what I will do on Saturday night,” said Garcia.
The pay-per-view undercard will feature World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super featherweight champion Jorge Solis (38-2-2), of Guadalajara, Mexico, defending his title against top-10 contender and one-time world title challenger Mario Santiago (21-2-1, 14 KOs), of Ponce, Puerto Rico; top-five contenders Urbano Antillion (27-1, 20 KOs), of Maywood, Calif., and Rene “Super Chiroz” Gonzalez (27-1-1, 21 KOs), of Managua, Nicaragua, battle it out in a WBA lightweight title elimination bout; and the pay-per-view debut of flyweight sensation Alfonso López (4-0, 2 KOs), of Mexico City, Mexico, the son of legendary world champion and Mexican icon Ricardo López.
Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs), of Tijuana, Mexico, captured his first world title in 2002, winning the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title with a tenth-round TKO of Antonio Diaz. He reigned as WBO champion for five years, successfully defending his title seven times – five by knockout – including victories over world champions Kermit Cintron, Andrew Lewis and Joshua Clottey. After losing the title to Paul Williams in 2007, Margarito dethroned International (IBF) welterweight champion Cintron in a rematch, knocking him out in their 2008 fight. Margarito claimed his third welterweight title when he stopped undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in the eleventh round of their July 2008 battle, arguably the fight of the year.
Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs), a native of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico who fights out of Weslaco, Texas, enters this fight riding a five-year, 14-bout unbeaten streak. Garcia possesses impressive power in both fists, where 75% of his victories have come by way of knockout and many of those stoppages produced by devastating body shots. During his impressive streak, Garcia has captured the Caribbean Boxing Federation interim welterweight title and the Texas welterweight title.
Aguascalientes organizes the largest festival held in Mexico, the San Marcos Fair, which takes place from the middle of April to the beginning of May. The celebration was held originally in the San Marcos church neighborhood, and its magnificent neoclassical garden; since then, it has greatly expanded to cover a huge area of exposition spaces, bullrings, nightclubs, theaters, performance stages, theme park, hotels, convention centers, and other attractions. It attracts almost 7 million visitors to Aguascalientes every year.
The suggested price for the Latin Fury 14 pay-per-view is $39.95.