On Wednesday, February 8,2012, the four fighters who will be fighting on the Showtime Championship Boxing telecast on Saturday, February 18, live on Showtime (10 p.m. ET/PT delayed on the West Coast) and their promoters held a media conference call.
Paul “The Punisher” Williams (40-2, 27 KOs) will be fighting for the first time since his majority decision and what many people thought as a controversial victory over Erislandy Lara, in the main event when he faces Nobuhiro Ishida (24-6-2, 9 KOs). Ishida is coming off back to back first round KO’s with one of them being against then undefeated, James Kirkland.
In the Co-feature of the night, Unbeaten Tavoris Cloud (24-0 19kos) will put up his 175 IBF title against Gabriel Campillo (21-3-1 8kos). You can also watch the preliminary bouts live on Showtime Extreme.
CHRIS DeBLASIO, Vice President, Sports Communications, SHOWTIME Networks Inc.
“I want to thank the press for being on the call. Before we begin I wanted to announce a couple of programming notes. On behalf of Stephen Espinoza, our new General Manager and Executive Vice President for SHOWTIME Sports, we are proud to present this Feb. 18 edition of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. This will be our first ShoChamp boxing show of what promises to be a really big year in 2012 for championship fights on SHOWTIME. Cristobal Arreola and Eric Molina will play a special role for us on this night as it will be the first of a new boxing series on SHOWTIME EXTREME. Arreola and Molina will fight in the third of three bouts from that night that will air on the SHOWTIME EXTREME platform which is going to be hosted by Barry Tompkins and analyst Steve Farhood.”
Paul Williams:
“I’m excited to be given this opportunity and to be able to prove myself again. I love that because it’s just more motivation and that come Feb. 18 I’m going to put on a hell of a show for my fans and the people who aren’t my fans, will have something to talk about and say this kid is something to reckon with.”
In regards to being inactive:
“It’s not us. We always want to fight. It’s finding the right opponent to say yes. A lot of times we don’t know who we are going to fight until the last month or the last couple of weeks.”
Williams talking about Ishida:
“That was his night (against James Kirkland). You can’t fault anybody for coming in there like he did and he won and he knocked him out. I have to give him his props for that. He did what not a lot of guys have been able to do. Coming up on this fight on the 18 I know he’s in the best shape and he’s going to try and go out and repeat that again.”
“I’m going to show my fans that I’m not done. They will always try and write you off but I will show them that I’m not done.”
“Every time I get into the ring I try and make a statement.”
Nobuhiro Ishida:
“Thank you for the opportunity to fight this fight. I appreciate it very much. Paul Williams will fight anyone and I thank him for that.”
“I didn’t expect to get a knockout against Kirkland . You never really expect that. I’m not sure about a knockout against Paul Williams, but I think I will get the win. I’m going to make it a very long night for Paul Williams.”
Tavoris Cloud:
“This fight will be a defense of my IBF title. Come Feb. 18 I will have been in camp some four months so I’m in great shape and I’m ready and willing to deal with all challenges. I’m going to come and put on a great show just like I always do. There ain’t going to be no ducking and dodging. I’m going to go straight to my opponent. I just hope my opponent is ready which I believe he is. On Feb. 18 I’ll be there doing my thing.”
Cloud on his passed potential opponents calling off the fight due to “injuries”
“When I fight heard that (Zsolt) Erdei wasn’t going to be able to fight I thought bull (crap). He didn’t hurt his hand. He just doesn’t want to fight. He ain’t prepared to fight and he’s just looking for a way out. At first I was depressed about it but I got over that. We got another fight. We got Campillo and he’s stepped up to the plate and I’m glad he did. I’m just here to do my job and to take out anyone they put in front of me. I’m not going to over think the situation. My goal is to get into the ring on the 18th and do my job and then go home to my wife and kids. Campillo has stepped up and taken the fight. SHOWTIME stepped up and stayed true to their word and they gave us a new date. I appreciate SHOWTIME for that. I’m not thinking about the past, I’m thinking about the future. I’m just going to keep on winning fights.”
When asked if he would be a favorite in a tournament style format for his division:
“If anyone could get a tournament and get everyone together I would be impressed and happy to be a part of it. Maybe we do need to do a tournament like a Super Six or something like that for the light heavyweight division.”
“I just don’t give a damn. I don’t care how hard they train. I don’t care who their trainer is. I know I’ve trained harder than them and my trainer is better than theirs. They are trying to come and take something that people have tried to take from me several times. It’s like I’m defending my house and I’ve got thieves trying to break in. I’ve gotten pretty good at it. I can’t put it into words what I plan to do to my opponent. I’m going out there to win and put on a good show.”
“It’s always important to put a stamp on the fight because I’m a person who just believes people respect knockouts more than they respect decisions. Those are the types of fights the fans like.”
Gabriel Campillo:
“I feel very lucky to be on a SHOWTIME fight and fighting against Tavoris Cloud. I’ve been training really hard and I’m ready for the fight. I’ve been waiting my entire life to fight a big fight like this so I will be ready. I’m preparing everything with my coach and trainer Pablo Sarmiento to come up with a game plan to win this fight. I’m going to show on the day of this fight how fast I am and how hard I have trained for this fight.”
Don King (Tavoris Cloud Promoter):
“We are going to have a sensational show on Feb. 18. It’s going to be a day that will be marked by friend and foe alike as a battle of the ages. I think Tavoris Cloud is the best light heavyweight in the world and we intend to prove that, so we are calling every one out on this night. After he diminishes this great young fighter, Gabriel Campillo, we will then move on to greatness. I was talking to Bernard Hopkins and he was saying how we should start a light heavyweight tournament and I said by all means, and that he and Tavoris can open it up. We take anyone and everything as quickly as possible, right after one another. We haven’t been getting the TV dates and we haven’t been getting the fighters we’ve wanted to fight because everyone is afraid to face us. So what we will do to stop that is put up a ground swell of public support and opinion that Tavoris Cloud is the best in the world, and if you don’t believe that you better come and disprove that.”
“I would like to see him fight Bernard Hopkins if he can get Bernard. That’s the best name out there and the oldest name out there.”
Dan Goosen (Williams promoter):
“You look at a fighter like (Miguel) Cotto and It’s really a shame that two losses in our sport and people are writing you off. Media, the experts, all these people think that you’re through. Cotto as we know suffered two losses to Pacquiao and Margarito and obviously he has shown that he isn’t through. I have the same impression after the Sergio Martinez and Lara fights for Paul. I heard the broadcasters halfway through the Lara fight say that Williams should retire. But I didn’t see a fighter against Martinez or Lara who I thought was through. I saw a fighter that’s ready to go out there and prove himself to these naysayers that believe he’s still the Punisher. He’s a three-division fighter the same as Cotto was. He’s got two losses as Cotto and he will be back as strong as Cotto after the 18th.”
Eric Gomez, Vice President and Matchmaker- Golden Boy Promotions:
“I want to thank Paul Williams for coming forward and taking this fight. He’s always been one of the few fighters who will fight anybody. Paul Williams does what he preaches and he was the only guy who would take this fight. We even approached Kirkland about a possible rematch and he’s our own guy. Paul Williams stepped up and said, ‘I want to fight Ishida. I don’t care who he is or who he has beaten.”
“Ishida has never been knocked down before. This is going to be a great fight.”
Sampson Lewkowicz (Campillo’s promoter)
“I really appreciate that no one believes in my boxer and I think that everyone is underestimating my fighter. I will see you on the 18th and it will not be the first time that one of my fighters will come out victorious when everyone in the press says that my guy has no shot. Thank you very much.”
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