On Wednesday morning the final press conference for the vacant WBC Featherweight Championship between Juan Carlos Burgos (25-0, 12 KOs, WBC #1) and Hozumi Hasegawa (28-3, 12 KOs, WBC #2) took place at the Nagoya Kanko Hotel in Nagoya, Japan. Both fighters kicked off the event with the ceremonial signing of their respective bout contract overseen by the Japanese Boxing Commission as well as the official choosing of the gloves that will be used during the 12 round fight in what will be the first world title fight in Nagoya’s history. A crowd of 10,000 fans is expected at the Nihon Gaishi Hall.
Burgos vs. Hasegawa Photo Gallery
JUAN CARLOS BURGOS
About his arrival to Japan and his preparation for the fight
“I am happy to be in Japan, they have treated my team and me nicely and made us feel at home. This has been a tough camp for me since I really made the necessary effort to be ready for a world title fight, but it was a great training camp and I have to thank my team for getting me fight-ready.”
His thoughts on Hasegawa and the fight itself
“To me Hasegawa is like any other fighter: two legs, two feet, two hands, and one head. But he has a huge heart. I know that because he recently lost his mother and I take my hat off to him for never backing down from this fight. He is an inspiration to us all for doing something like that and I have expressed my deepest condolences to him and his family, but at the end of the day we are both professional boxers and we must compete.”
“I have all the desire to become world champion and Hasegawa will not shatter my dream. He won’t take that away from me. I have waited my whole life for an opportunity like this and it’s only a matter of hours until I can make it a reality.”
About the fans and the type of fight he expects
“Hasegawa was a great bantamweight champion but I want to leave a lasting impression in Japan. I want to show the fans that I can be a great boxer and I want to impress them. I know that having a name on my resume like Hasegawa’s will speak volumes of me and I can guarantee to those attending the event that we will give them their monies worth.”
HOZUMI HASEGAWA
About his preparation and his opponent Juan Carlos Burgos
“Training was great, tough and arduous. I long to have the green belt around my waist once again (Hasegawa lost his WBC bantamweight title to Fernando Montiel on 4-30-10), chances like this don’t come around too often. I am happy.”
“I know Burgos is brave and strong like all Mexican fighters but I am also brave and I have a big heart. I will show in on Friday night and I will take the belt back and keep it to myself.”
About his family and his mother
“After my last fight my family was not happy with the result and the sport but I have to show my daughter that I am strong and show my wife my will power. I am not thinking about my mother right now. I am thinking about the fight.”
