Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico looks to unseat Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 KOs) on Saturday, Jan. 25. Both camps participated in a media workout from New York earlier today. Here are the photos and the quotes from the event.
Garcia camp is talking about fighting Pacquiao – your thoughts?
BURGOS: I know they are talking about him, but it is not a reality. He is not there yet. Pacquiao? Gamboa? He is not there yet. He has a long way to go.
Would you be interested in Gamboa and Pacquiao if you get by Garcia on Saturday night?
BURGOS: I would like to face them, but I am a realist and I have a long way to go. I am still maturing as a fighter. I am still a young fighter and I have a lot to learn.
You got a draw in your last fight. Do you feel you need a knockout to win?
BURGOS: I am not going to go for a knockout, but the knockout may come. I am well prepared and I am in the best condition of my life so I will just go in the ring and fight my fight.
Does the talk of Garcia fighting Pacquiao motivate you?
BURGOS: It motivates me and I am here to prove that he is not ready for that yet. Garcia first has to beat me before he can think about guys like Pacquiao and Gamboa. I respect and admire Garcia as a fighter, but he has to try to get by me first before he can think about fighting those other guys.
What are the deficiencies in Garcia’s game that makes you think you can beat him?
BURGOS: I think Garcia is a good fighter and he has all the qualities to become a great fighter. In the Martinez fight, where he got knocked down, we saw some things we can exploit. I have power – more power than Martinez – and I am going to use that to my advantage. Martinez showed us something when he knocked Garcia down and I have a lot more power than Martinez does.
What was your reaction when you saw Garcia get knocked down by Martinez?
BURGOS: I saw something that was in my favor because he got knocked down by a shot that was not solid. It was a good shot and he went down. I know I have the power that can take him down too.
GARCIA: I think I have the skills to beat him but, I know he as trained very hard to beat me so it will only make for a better fight.
Do you feel a need to make a statement fight at the Garden?
GARCIA: I want to make sure I win first. You know I’ve got to win. I am going to try to please the fans, but I have to win as well. A win is most important for me right now and being that I am in New York – last year was a great year for me, winning my first world title and this year I want to defend my title several times. So we start right here in New York.
Burgos said he saw you go down against Martinez and he feels he can capitalize on that – your thoughts?
GARCIA: He probably could. Anyone can drop an opponent with a good punch. In that fight he caught me, and Martinez has a decent punch as well, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Burgos feels that because Martinez dropped me he could do it too. He can feel that way but we will see Saturday night.
Has your bother, Robert, told you not to think about Gamboa and Pacquiao and that stuff?
GARCIA: We don’t pay attention to that. That’s just back-and-forth talk here and there. That talk about Gamboa and Pacquiao doesn’t affect me. Right now I am concentrating on Burgos – that’s who we have to beat and that is our focus, on Juan Carlos Burgos.
Does the name Pacquiao excite you?
GARCIA: Yes it does. It means that I am in consideration for that, but that’s not right now. It will take come time to get there before it could happen.
What about Gamboa?
GARCIA: Why no? If the fight gets put together and all parties agree to terms of a fight, of course we are never going to say no to an opponent. They would have to put it on paper with his promoter and he can talk to my promoter. Gamboa can talk all he wants in Instagram and social media but that’s not going to get him the fight.
You were in Macau so what is your opinion on Pacquiao?
GARCIA: He looked good, he looked sharp. He was bobbing in-and-out and side-to-side with good footwork and good speed – it was definitely a good performance for Pacquiao. Down the road maybe I could face him and it would be a good fight was well.
Have you seen any change in Pacquiao over the last couple of years?
GARCIA:
The only thing I can say is that his power may not be there as it used to be. He used to just steamroll over all of his opponents – knockout after knockout after knockout. He has had a couple of fights where he hasn’t been able to hit a knockout, so that’s the only thing. His skills are still there. He has been fighting better guys so that may be why he hasn’t been hurting them.
