Boxing returns to The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas this Saturday, with Timothy Bradley back in the ring, facing Diego Chaves in a 12-round welterweight rumble. The co-main events will feature Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera against undefeated Top-10 contender Jose Benavidez Jr. and top-rated contenders Matt Korobov and Andy Lee go mano a mano. All three fights will be televised live, Saturday, December 13, on HBO beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
The six main event fighters, plus undefeated welterweight sensation Mikael Zewski and undefeated top-rated light heavyweight contender Seanie Monaghan hosted workouts today at the Top Rank Gym.
TIM BRADLEY
“Chaves in the ring changes so much. He has speed, steps in, gets out, can double up with his left hand. He has a complete arsenal.
“Will he get dirty? I think so particularly when we get close to each other. I have no problem with whatever he brings. I like to brawl and actually look forward to doing it.
“He’s a tough guy yes, but not as mean as Ruslan Provodnikov.
“I am only thinking winning. That’s all that is on my mind – use my skills, beat Chaves, anyway I can.”
DIEGO CHAVES
“Bradley is one of the three best fighters in the world – Pacquiao, Mayweather and Bradley. To beat Bradley it will take intelligence, movement and hard punches to the body which really bothers him. This fight will be a boxing match and not so rough as the one with Rios who is very dirty.”
“I was surprised and hurt when my fight with Rios was stopped. I really thought Rios was disappointed in the way he fought that night and that really caused all of that commotion. What happened to me that night was very unfair.”
MAURICIO HERRERA
“My experience will be a big advantage for this fight. He just has not fought at this level
“He is young and there is going to come a point in the fight where he will either step up or fold and that’s when we test his will
“The Danny Garcia fight changed my life. I finally have a promoter that is looking out for me and all I have to do is train and get ready to fight.”
JOSE BENAVIDEZ
“I heard Herrera was real mouthy today saying he would school me on Saturday night. Let’s see what he says when we get into the ring. I trained in Big Bear which is no joke because of the altitude. We train as if we are going into a 15 or 20-round fight, which means I am in top condition.”
ANDY LEE
“Korobov is a good boxer, technically sound, but the major difference is my experience in the ring. For the first time in Korobov’s career he is taking on a fighter he knows can beat him.
“Korobov is a fast starter and I plan to match him with that. My extra expierence and punching power will be the difference. He’s very much untested. I have faced far more adversity inside the ring
“I will win and thank my greatest trainer, Emanuel Steward, who I dearly miss.”
MATT KOROBOV
“I had over 300 amateur fights so I have more experience than Andy Lee has. In camp we brought in an Irish left hander and I had no problems with him. There’s danger in every fight but I don’t expect Andy to come out and rush towards me. He’s smarter than that. This is my time. Andy knows it too.”
SEANIE MONAGHAN
“As soon as the bell rings it will be my time to attack. I am going right over and blast him out. He’s good but I need this win more than he does. Look for a short fight.”
MIKAEL ZEWSKI
“This is a step-up fight for me, my final exam actually. My opponent is a strong solid fighter. I need to win and get right to the bigger fights. That’s the importance of this fight.”
