All five of the fighters in attendance at Wednesday’s press conference in New York City were confident and ready for fight night as they discussed their upcoming bouts taking place this Saturday, May 18 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J live on SHOWTIME. Check out a collection of presser photos and quotes for the card headlined by Lamont Peterson vs. Lucas Matthysse.
In the main event IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Lamont Peterson (31-1-1, 16 KO’s), of Washington, D.C., faces power-punching WBC Interim Super Lightweight Champion Lucas Matthysse (33-2, 31 KO’s), of Trelew, Argentina, in a 12-round bout at a catch-weight of 141 pounds. In the co-featured attraction on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®, Devon Alexander (24-1, 13 KO’s), of St. Louis, will defend his IBF Welterweight Championship against number four rated IBF welterweight contender Lee Purdy (20-3-1, 13 KO’s), of Colchester, England.
Fights on SHOWTIME EXTREME®, airing beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, will include a scheduled 10-round bout between promising, world-ranked, unbeaten welterweights Shawn Porter (20-1, 14 KO’s), of Akron, Ohio, and Phil Lo Greco (25-0, 14 KO’s), of Toronto, Canada, and a six-round middleweight bout between highly regarded 2012 British Olympic Bronze Medalist Anthony Ogogo (1-0, 1 KO), of Lowestoft, England, who’ll be making his United States debut against Puerto Rico’s Edgar Perez (5-4, 3 KO’s). Haroon Khan (1-0), Amir Khan’s brother, of Bolton, England, will make his United States debut against Vicente Medellin of Riverside, CA in a four round bantamweight bout which, time permitting, will also air on SHOWTIME EXTREME®.
In non-televised undercard action, Anthony Peterson (31-1, 20 KO’s), Lamont’s younger brother and also from Washington, D.C., will face slick veteran Dominic Salcido (18-4, 9 KO’s) of Rialto, CA
See below for what the Peterson brothers, Alexander, Purdy, Ogogo, Golden Boy Promotions COO David Itskowitch and SHOWTIME Sports EVP and General Manager Stephen Espinoza said Wednesday.
LAMONT PETERSON, IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion
“I’m looking forward to a great fight this weekend.
“This is a great card. I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for signing me. This is our first fight and I think we’re going to do great things together.
“If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, you need to. I’m hoping there’s a monitor for me in my locker room to watch the whole card. There are a lot of my friends fighting Saturday night and of course my brother.
“You’ve got Anthony Ogogo, Khan’s brother Harry, the Cincinnati boys and D.C.-native Thomas Williams. I’m excited to see everyone on the card and I encourage everyone to go get tickets.”
DEVON ALEXANDER, IBF Welterweight World Champion
“‘Finally’ is the key word here. My fight with Kell Brook was postponed three times. I was supposed to fight him many times, but now I’m fighting Lee Purdy who’s a very suitable opponent for me.
“I’m ready. It doesn’t matter what Lee Purdy is going to bring Saturday night. He’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m ready to fight. I’ve been ready to fight.
“This fight will lead to bigger and better things with SHOWTIME.”
LEE PURDY, Number Four Rated IBF Welterweight Contender
“I’m a big underdog in a lot of peoples’ eyes. I’m here to fight and put on a good show for the fans.
“Fans are paying their hard earned money for entertainment and they don’t want to see fighters holding for 12 rounds.
“This is a fight that I’ve wanted. I’m coming to bring the upset.”
ANTHONY PETERSON, Lightweight Contender
“I’m excited about my fight, but I’m more excited about my brother’s. He gets to eliminate this so called ‘Boogey Man.’ I know that’s what’s going to happen Saturday night.
“My brother is a solid guy all around, inside and outside of the ring, so that’s going to make a big difference on Saturday night.
“My brother is going to take out his [Matthysse’s] power, and it’s going to be a big problem.
“Matthysse only knows how to go one way, and that’s forward. He doesn’t know how to work the inside and Lamont does, so that’s going to be the difference in the fight.”
ANTHONY OGOGO, 2012 British Olympic Bronze Medalist
“I’m really thrilled. This is why I wanted to sign-up with Golden Boy Promotions, to fight in places like Boardwalk Hall.
“I’m an ambitious young man and I want to get to the top of world boxing. I know that’s a few years down the road, but right now I need to take these opportunities as they come, learn and keep getting better and better.
“I’m looking forward to the future.”
DAVID ITSKOWITCH, COO of Golden Boy Promotions
“This main event is probably one of the best fights that can be made in a very talent rich weigh class.
“Lucas Matthysse is probably one of the most feared fighters on the planet and I think that’s one of the reasons Lamont Peterson wanted to fight him.
“Devon Alexander is a great fighter. That’s all that needs to be said because it is the truth.”
STEPHEN ESPINOZA, EVP & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports
“During the past few weeks SHOWTIME has been showcasing the best fighters in the world in the 140, 147 and 154 pound weight divisions.
“We have been bringing fans not just competitive and exciting fights, but competitive and exciting fights from the biggest names and most skilled fighters in the sport. That is something that, right now, fans are only getting on SHOWTIME. This weekend is no exception.
“Lamont Peterson versus Lucas Matthysse promises to be one of the hardest hitting fights of the year.”
