NABO Super Featherweight champion Alberto “El Explosivo” Machado (17-0, 15 KOs) and NABA Super Featherweight champion Carlos “The Solution” Morales (16-1-3, 6 KOs) hosted a press conference today ahead of their 10-round super featherweight unification fight that will headline the Aug. 18 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN. Catch the live coverage of Machado vs. Morales on ESPN Deportes starting at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST, and on ESPN2 beginning at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT.
Below is what fighters on the Friday, August 18 Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN main event had to say at today’s press conference:
ALBERTO “EXPLOSIVO” MACHADO, NABA Super Featherweight Champion:
“Thank you all for coming today, and I give thanks to God for giving me the opportunity to be here. I am super happy and gracious to my team, especially to Freddie Roach, Marvin Somodio, and Miguel Cotto for helping me in my preparation for this great fight.”
“I know I am prepared not only just physically, but mentally for this fight. I would like to thank Golden Boy and their entire team, and welcome them to the island. I know that Morales has prepared well, and is ready to give a tough fight. I know he has had difficulties before in his career, and he has slowly come up the ranks. However, I had the great career opportunity to train with Miguel Cotto, and I have learned so much from his discipline so that I can one day become Puerto Rico’s next world champion.”
CARLOS “THE SOLUTION” MORALES, NABO Super Featherweight Champion:
“Thank you to everyone for the support. I am extremely happy to be here, in the island of enchantment, to be able to continue my goals and dreams in becoming a future world champion. I know I am facing an extremely strong opponent in Alberto Machado. We are going to provide a great war, as there always is between the Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry.”
“I know Machado prepared very well, as he was training in Los Angeles with Miguel Cotto and Freddie Roach. I trained out of Los Angeles as well – the boxing world is a small one. We have come to take everyone by surprise – something that I have always done in my career in coming as the opponent and coming out victorious. We will be giving Machado “The Solution” come Friday, August 18.”
ROBERTO DIAZ, Matchmaker of Golden Boy Promotions:
“We are very excited and happy to be back again in Puerto Rico, and be working with one of the best boxers the island has produced – the great Miguel Cotto. This is the first of many, many more shows, and we wanted to jump start our partnership with a great show, with two great fighters, with the always warlike Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry.”
“This is a very important fight for both fighters. There is a lot at risk here – the winner of this fight will most definitely be fighting for a world title soon. Morales came to us as a rival opponent three times, in which he beat three of our guys. When I asked him, ‘Why are you beating my guys? He responded with, ‘I want to be a Golden Boy Fighter, I want to be a world champion.’ All eyes will be on Puerto Rico this Friday, with the ESPN coverage reaching 50 countries.”
HECTOR SOTO, Vice-President of Cotto Promotions:
“Good afternoon, thank you to all the press for attending this final press conference for our Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN event held at Complejo Ferial de Puerto Rico. We are very excited about the top, worldwide quality level event we have put together. I would like to thank our sponsors and Golden Boy Promotions for helping us put together such an event. We are presenting a grand total of eight fights come Friday, that are sure to entertain.
“Machado comes from training with Miguel Cotto and Freddie Roach in Los Angeles in preparation for this fight. We tasked ourselves with the homework to make little tweaks in Machado, and convert him into a great star. We are excited that our great prospect will have a platform like ESPN to show his talent to the world that we have always known he has.”
Machado vs. Morales is a 10-round fight for the NABO and NABA super featherweight titles, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD and Hennessy, never stop, never settle. The bout will take place on Friday, August 18 at Complejo Ferial De Puerto Rico in Ponce. The ESPN 3 and ESPN app will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT and coverage will air live on ESPN Deportes starting at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and on ESPN2 at 11 p.m. ET/ 8:00 p.m. PT.
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