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Philippines, 10 May 2025 |
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FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE FOR RIYADH SEASON’S LATINO NIGHT EVENT PRESENTED BY GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS IN SAUDI ARABIA PhilBoxing.com Fri, 15 Nov 2024  MAIN EVENT CO-PROMOTED BY BOXXER AND BROADCAST GLOBALLY FOR FREE RIYADH (NOVEMBER 14, 2024) – With only a few days left until Riyadh Season’s Latino Night presented by Golden Boy Promotions, a final press conference was hosted today to promote the inaugural November 16 show. WBA Cruiserweight World Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs) of Mazatlán, Mexico, will square off against WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Chris Billam-Smith (20-1, 13 KOs) of Bournemouth, United Kingdom, in a historic attempt to become the first Mexican-born fighter to unify the cruiserweight division. The world championship unification fight will be the first Riyadh Season event made available for fight fans to enjoy for free worldwide. DAZN will broadcast this blockbuster fight night for free globally, with a number of local broadcasters transmitting the event. Also in action, former U.S. Olympian and Unified Champion Jose Ramirez (29-1, 18 KOs) of Avenal, Calif., will face undefeated title contender and current No.1 WBO-ranked Arnold Barboza Jr. (30-0, 11 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif., in a 10-round super lightweight bout. Also on the card, the unstoppable knockout machine, William “El Camarón” Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) of San Mateo, Mexico, will challenge former American IBF World Champion Tevin “2X” Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pa., in a 10-round lightweight fight for the interim WBC title. The free DAZN show also features a special world championship unification fight for the WBO and WBA Minimumweight World Titles and the vacant Ring Magazine belt, as history-making Puerto Rican WBO Champion Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (10-0, 7 KOs) takes on the longest-reigning WBA Minimumweight Champion Thammanoon “Knockout CP Freshmart” Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KOs). This major minimumweight world championship fight has been slated for 12 rounds of action. Plus, Parral, Mexico’s Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte (27-2-1, 22 KOs) will battle Botirzhon Akhmedov (10-3-0) of Russia in a 10-round super lightweight fight. Ziyad Almaayouf (6-0, 1 KO) of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will face off against Juan Garcia (5-6) of Mexico City in the six-round welterweight opening bout. This is what the fighters and promoter had to say today at their final press conference: GILBERTO “ZURDO” RAMÍREZ “I’m happy to be here! I’m really excited for Saturday night. My team has prepared well for this fight. I think I will represent ‘Noche Latina’ very well. ¡Viva México! Watch me represent Mexico on Saturday. I’m ready for whatever he [Billam-Smith] brings to the table." “I’m eating better and I’m not killing myself [to make weight] in this division. I’m ready, I’m happy, I feel grateful to be here for this big opportunity and I’m ready to take it for myself and for Mexico." “I’ll show everyone that I’m ready for this division. I’m going to prove to myself and to everyone else on Saturday night that I’m ready to take the belt." “I need to throw a lot of punches. That’s it. I need to win every round [to beat Billam-Smith].” CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH “It’s an honor to be here on this stage, these are the fights and shows that are taking over the global audience. It’s amazing to be headlining this night, and while this night is supposed to be Zurdo’s, unfortunately I’m here to spoil the party again and I’ll be doing that Saturday night." “I know the level I’m at. There’s no offense taken [at being referred to as the underdog]. It gives me even more drive and he’ll be eating humble pie on Saturday night." “I want to fight the other champions, and we’ve tried to get in the ring and we weren't able to do it. Obviously, Zurdo did, and I’ve followed Zurdo’s career for many years. He’s had a fantastic career and I know he’s a fighter’s fighter, who will take up any opportunity and take on any challenge. You want those fighters in your division when you’re a champion and looking for those other belts. I was really happy he won that fight and that we can get it on." “Yes, for sure [on his size and experience at the weight class being an advantage] but it’s what you do with the size. It’s no good to be big and strong, it’s about speed, skill, power, and the punch output that goes with that. That’s what I’m able to do and that’s why people can’t live with me in this division.” JOSE RAMIREZ “It’s an honor to see the country of Saudi Arabia find so much interest in Mexican culture. I’m ready for Saturday night. I’ve trained hard. I have amazing coaches in my corner. I feel ready for Saturday. It’s going to be a great fight. I’m going to go out there and do my best to show people that I’m the best 140 pounder in the world.” ARNOLD BARBOZA JR. “I’m very excited, we’ve trained real hard for this fight. This is my title shot. This fight has been important to me for a long time. We’re ready to go out there and have an all Mexican war in the ring.” “We’ll do what we have to do to make a statement. Shout out to Jose Ramirez for taking this fight, I look forward to fighting him on Saturday.” WILLIAM ZEPEDA “I’m feeling incredibly motivated for this fight. My preparation has been intense and focused, and I’ve left no stone unturned to get myself in the best shape possible. I know my opponent is no walk in the park – he’s tough and experienced, and I respect that. But we’ve crafted a strong, smart strategy for Saturday, and I’m ready to execute it.” "Saturday night is shaping up to be a fantastic event. We have an amazing card full of talented, experienced fighters, each bringing something special to the ring. I’m looking forward to putting on a show and delivering an unforgettable performance. My goal is to offer the people of Saudi Arabia a night of boxing they’ll remember, with all the passion, skill, and excitement this sport has to offer.” TEVIN FARMER “Saturday night is going to be a show that nobody will want to miss. They say that William Zepeda is the best in the 135 pound division, which I agree, but you can’t be a top dog unless you beat the top dog. Saturday night he’ll have his hands full with Tevin Farmer.” “I’ve been on social media and I’ve seen Golden Boy and Eddie Hearn promoting this 5v5 with Zepeda vs Shakur, but I feel like that’s crazy when [Zepeda] has a guy like Tevin Former in front of him. You never put the cart before the horse, and I think it’s a bad move because once I beat [Zepeda] Saturday night I don’t know who they’re going to have for Shakur. November 16, tune in. Your boy Tevin Farmer is back. I’m going to show you all how the USA does it.” OSCAR COLLAZO “I’m ready for Saturday. I’ve been waiting for a challenge like this since I started my career. I welcome every challenge that is put in front of me, but this one in particular, because it’s historic.” “Since 1999, the people of Puerto Rico haven't had a champion like this. The last one was Felix ‘Tito’ Trinidad. I want to make history. I want to get this for my people, for my family, to make Puerto Rico proud.” “I feel honored to be representing my land of Puerto Rico in Noche Latina. I’m going to make them proud. It’ll be a memorable night.” OSCAR DUARTE “Batyr [Akhmedov] is a great fighter, I’m not going to take that away from him. I respect him. But I’m also a very good fighter and I had a great camp in California. I’m going to get the win on Saturday night. I’m going to leave my heart in the ring.” “I’m proud to be representing Mexico in this amazing display of Latino boxing. I’m fighting for my people on Saturday night.” BATYR AKHMEDOV “I have a very strong opponent and I believe it should be a very good fight. I expect this fight will be the fight of the night and I want to invite my Muslim brothers to come to this fight and support me.” ZIYAD ALMAAYOUF “I’ve chosen this career to empower, to motivate, to inspire young dreamers. After everything that I’ve gone through and been through, I do it all for them. On Saturday night you will see something magical. I expect it to be tough, but this path has always been tough. It's been hard, but the harder the path, the higher the calling. One day I will be Saudi Arabia’s first world champion. God willing, I will make this happen.” JUAN GARCIA “I hope to put on a great show for the fans here in Saudi Arabia. I have a good opponent in front of me. I’ve prepared well and I’m not going to make it easier for him. He better be ready.” OSCAR DE LA HOYA “We strongly feel that these fighters you see here Saturday night will fight with a lot of passion, utilizing the latino style of boxing. The Mexican style of boxing. There’s something about this card that will bring out the best in every single fighter out here. When Golden Boy Promotions put this card together, we were thinking about making sure every single fight is a main event style fight, evenly matched, tough fights for both sides. We don’t know who’s going to win, only they know. One thing we know is they will fight with a lot of passion, and that’s what this card is all about. That Latino flavor. If it wasn’t for His Excellency, this card would not be possible. He’s facilitating for the whole world to watch for free." BEN SHALOM "Wow, this feels so surreal. When I met Chris Billam-Smith, the dream was to get out of Bournemouth; let's get on our way to a world title. And, wow, the journey has only gotten better and better and better. I want to thank Riyadh Season, it is great to be back in the Kingdom where boxing dream are made now." "Golden Boy have put on an incredible card. But for me, this is the best boxing card fans can have access to for free. It shows a huge commitment to the sport." "What makes me laugh is all this talk from the U.S. media - we have had it our whole career - that somehow Billam-Smith is the underdog and it's somehow a mismatch. Chris Billam-Smith has been an underdog his whole life and every time he is put down, every time he comes through. There is going to be a lot of people embarrassed on Sunday morning, I can promise you." ### For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing.  |
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