and at Ticketmaster ticket centers including
Wherehouse Music, Robinsons-May, Tower Records and Ritmo
Latino locations. Tickets are also available at STAPLES
Center box office and the box office at TEAM LA at Universal
CityWalk.
Opening Comments
Karmazin: I've been training very
hard, and I'm taking this fight extra seriously, not only
because I have a tough opponent in front of me, but also
because my trainer, Boris Zykanov, recently passed away.
I’ve dedicated my next fight, this fight, and my title run
for a new title to my late trainer. I'm training very hard
and very seriously to make him proud.
Messi: I trained in Italy for
two months. I've been in Miami, or I will be in Miami, for
about five weeks in total, for sparring. I'm happy. I feel
very good, and the heat is making me get acclimated to the
hot weather.
Question: Roman, what do you know
about of Luca Messi?
Karmazin: I haven't had a chance to
study some film yet. I plan on studying him. I've just
been working more on getting ready for the fight and
sparring a bit. But I don't take him for granted. I heard
he's a very good fighter with a good pedigree. On this
level, fighting for what we're fighting for, I don't expect
him to be anything but world‑class.
Question: Luca, it’s been a little
over a year since you fought and lost to (Michelle)
Piccirillo. What have you been doing to stay sharp?
Messi: I continue to train. I
have my own gym in Miami and have my own trainer. I had
problems with my promoter. I was with him and then with Don
King. Now I'm back with Don King Promotions. So I had some
legal problems. That’s why I didn't fight.
Question: Luca, will you make a
prediction on the fight?
Messi: The only thing I'm going
to say is I am coming to win and I'm going to win. That's
enough.
Question: Roman, what is your
prediction?
Karmazin: The results of the fight;
only God knows what the results are going to be, but
anything can happen in boxing. But I only come out to win
and that is my plan. I intend to win.
Question: Luca, what is your
background?
Messi: This is only my second
fight in America. I was an Italian 154‑pound champion. I
came over as somewhat of an unknown on Aug.13, 2005 and
fought Alejandro Garcia, who was like 24‑1 and had 22
knockouts and it went to decision. I surprised everybody. I
was tenacious and did a nice job. That was my only title
shot. And the rest of it is explanatory on my record.
Question: Roman, if triumphant,
would you like a rematch with Cory Spinks, who dethroned you
two fights ago?
Karmazin: I would very much like a
rematch with Spinks; that's actually all I want right now.
Question: Luca, despite your
inactivity the last few years, do you think a victory over
Karmazin can make you a major player in the 154‑pound
division?
Messi: Exactly, which is why
I'm fighting a tough fighter like him. I know he's
classified and very highly regarded and I want to show (what
I can do). I know that when I win it will place me in the
highest possible position for a title fight.
Question: Luca, even if you lose,
are you going to get back into the ring again?
Messi: I am sure, absolutely sure, that
Don King will put me back in the ring for a title because I
came to America because I was promised this by Don King, and
I'm here for that reason. Don and I are very good friends.
It was my Italian friends and I who invited Don over and
facilitated the visit where you saw Don meeting and shaking
hands with the Pope.
My brother is a priest and my good friend,
a parish priest, sings in the choir in the Vatican. It was
through my brother and Don Gilberto that got us in to see
the Pope.
I'm from Bergemo, Italy. That's why I'm
known as the “Bergemo Bomber.’’ I want to change my name
from the Bergemo Bomber to Miami Made in Paradise
(Laughter).
Question: Luca, so you got Don
hooked up with the Pope?
Messi: Yes. I've got the
Victoria Gym, a youth program there. It's a huge gym. It
has a swimming pool and everything. And the priests are
always invited free there. All the priests, the monsignor,
the bishop, they come and work out; they swim in the
wintertime because it's cold where I come from. It was easy
for me through my brother and Don Gilberto, the monsignor,
and the bishop to hook it up because of that.
Question: Roman, how has the loss
of your trainer impacted the atmosphere of your training
camp?
Karmazin: Losing Boris is a very big
loss to me on many levels. But right now I've been working
with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym (Hollywood, Calif.).
That's where I trained before with Boris. I'm in the same
atmosphere I have been in the past.
Question: Freddie’s now in the
Philippines, is he going to be coming back Sept. 8 to work
your corner?
Karmazin: Yes, absolutely, he
assured me he'd be there.
Question: Luca, what is it about
Miami that you like in terms of being able to train down
there?
Messi: Because of all the
beautiful women. (Laughter) I like it because of the
sparring partners. I have terrific sparring partners. I
don't have that in Italy. Sparring partners are too easy in
Italy. Here they are tougher; also my trainer is here. I
love and hate him so much.
Question: What part of Italy are
you from?
Messi: I'm Neapolitan. My
mother is from Naples. But I was raised in Bergemo, Italy,
which is near Milano, a very wealthy suburb of Milano.
Question: Luca, is your family all
very religious; and if so, how did you end up fighting ‑‑
were you an altar boy to begin with?
Messi: It's very interesting,
my family is not that religious. But it's really strange,
my brother became a priest and I became a boxer. I'm the
first boxer in my family. My brother, Alejandro, is the
first priest.
Question: Was your family against
you fighting?
Messi: I grew up poor. Even
though we're from the south, from Naples, which is poor, I
worked at 13 and 14 years old in the foundry area where they
make the steel and stuff like that. It's very dangerous and
very hard work, so they didn't care if I was boxing or
working with hot metal. It's very dangerous. So they never
gave a second thought about me being a fighter.
Question: Is your brother, the
priest, younger or older?
Messi: He's older.
Question: Luca, is it important for
you to win this fight or do you need to win it
impressively?
Messi: I feel it's important to
win, and I don't care how I win.
Question: Roman, you said Cory
Spinks is a top priority to fight again. But being this is
for a WBA Intercontinental title, would you turn down a
fight for the WBA title, right?
Karmazin: No, of course I wouldn't
turn it down. I would take that fight.
Opening comments
Cintron: First of all, I want to
thank Main Events and Don King and also SHOWTIME for giving
me the opportunity to be able to defend my title one more
time. Feliciano is a great fighter. Seems strong from the
fights I've seen of him. He comes to fight. He never backs
up. Always forward. He's a fighter that tries to win his
fights. And I'm getting ready for the fight and I'll be
ready for Sept. 8 to defend my title one more time
successfully.
Feliciano: My thoughts are, man, I
can't believe I got this shot. I've been waiting for this
all my life. And now that I have it, I'm going to give it
all I've got. I am a true warrior. And I'd like to thank
Kermit Cintron for letting me get this shot and Main Events
and Don King and Star Boxing. It’s going to be a tremendous
show. Cintron is there to defend his title and he comes to
fight as well. Once we put our gloves together, it's going
to be a major war. It's not going to be a Mayweather
fight. It's going to be the real deal.
Question: What was your initial
reaction when you found out that you had the opportunity?
Feliciano: I was very excited. I
didn't think I would get this shot so soon. I thought maybe
next year. But I'll take it however I can get it. I'm ready.
I've got nothing to lose. I am going all out.
Question: Kermit, what do you know
about this guy? Is there any chance you might overlook him
to move on to bigger and better names?
Cintron: No, not at all. I take
my fights seriously. They're putting Jesse Feliciano in
front of me for a reason. They're giving him the
opportunity to fight me for my title. And like I said, he's
a fighter that comes to fight and I know he has three good
wins under his belt. So I'm not taking this fight lightly.
Just going to go in there and do what I do best.
Question: Kermit, how tough was it
to get over your knockout loss to Antonio Margarito?
Cintron: It was a fight I wasn't
well prepared for. Just a loss, it just happened. And not
being well prepared for that fight, only having four weeks
of training and only two weeks of being able to hit with my
right hand, I just wasn't well prepared for the fight. But I
took the fight like a warrior. The loss did me good -- I
think that it got me stronger mentally, physically and
emotionally.
Question: Why were you only able to
train four weeks and what was the matter with your hand?
Cintron: I just had a ruptured
tendon. Took cartilage and had no blood flow going to my
middle knuckle so my bone was dying. I had to get that
fixed, and finally they got it fixed and it's been 100
percent since.
Question: Were you surprised you
were able to recover that quickly from that first loss? A
few fights later, you we're fighting for a championship.
How exciting was that for you to be able to be right back in
the thick of things?
Cintron: Definitely not
surprised. I knew I could do it. It was just the fact of
having the proper training and the proper trainers around
me. I was not surprised at all. I decided to go back in
there and fight, win fights. I knew that eventually I was
going to get my title shot again.
Question: The welterweight division
is pretty awesome right now. What kind of a mark would you
like to be able to leave on this division in the next few
years?
Cintron: Just want to definitely
be myself in and outside the ring. And I definitely want to
unify the titles. One of my biggest goals is to being able
to win all titles and be the undisputed welterweight
champion of the world.
Question: Would you want to fight
Margarito again, only this time if you were healthy and with
a two‑month training camp?
Cintron: Yes, I definitely would
love to fight Margarito again, to avenge that loss, and move
on to better things.
Question: Kermit, can you talk
about your last fight and how, after a couple fights not
using it, you have been able to utilize the jab? Do you just
think you're just a better, more well‑rounded fighter now?
Cintron: I think that I
definitely am. I just needed the proper training and having
the proper trainer. I've been improved a lot ever since
I've been with Emanuel (Steward), and it's going to
continue. I'm going to continue to look better and better
as fights goes on.
Question: Everyone seems to have
made a big deal of how you were working the pads before your
last fight. Was that a factor?
Cintron: The pads, just in
general, I had a perfect training camp in Austria, getting
ready for the Walter Matthysse fight. I had no complaints
at all. I had no injuries. I was 100 percent. I was ready
to go. I was focused mentally, physically and emotionally, I
was ready.
Question: Kermit, coming off such
an impressive knockout, do you feel the need to ‑‑ is it
possible for you to top that performance?
Cintron: It was a great
performance. Like I said, Emanuel and I have been working
hard together. I'm still young in the sport, still
learning. I've been boxing seven years. I know I'm going to
be better. And as fights, as time goes on, as fights go on,
you're going to see that Kermit Cintron will improve more
and more.
Question: Jesse, obviously fighting
for the title is big and obviously is what you fight for.
But Kermit is a much different fighter than, say, Delvin
Rodriguez and even Alfonso Gomez. Do you approach it
differently, or do you just do what you normally do?
Feliciano: A little bit of both.
Like he said, he's not just any regular fighter or any other
fighter at that. He's at a whole other level, a whole other
stage. I can't go in there like I did in other fights all
big-headed. I have to maintain and focus and mentally be
ready as well as physical.
Question: Jesse, what do you credit
for your resurgence in the sport?
Feliciano: I credit my father.
He's been there for me. He's my boxing manager,
baby‑sitter/caretaker. He's been everything, taking care of
me and helping me. And also credit goes to my son, Jesse
James. If it wasn't for my son, I would never have been in
this game still. I won that USBA title for my son, rest in
peace. He died on June 11th. I dedicate my life to my son.
Question: What happened to your
son?
Feliciano: The veins in his lungs
were obstructed and his heart only had three chambers
instead of four. So he didn't have a good chance of making
it. He was alive for about 13 hours. I got to hold him and
bathe him before he passed away.
Question: Kermit, didn't your arm
turn black in the Margarito fight?
Cintron: My knuckle was turning
black.
Question: Did doctors say you would
never fight again?
Cintron: The doctor did say that
if what they did wasn't going to work, then that would have
been it for me.
Question: Kermit, what do you think
about (WBO welterweight champion) Paul Williams?
Cintron: I'll fight Paul Williams
any day. Everybody keeps saying I'm avoiding Williams. I'm
not avoiding him. I think Paul Williams is avoiding me. I
think the fight with Paul Williams; it would be a perfect
match for me and a great win for me.
Question: Kermit, how important is
it to get your revenge against Margarito as opposed to
getting a shot at unifying the title against the other
champions?
Cintron: Both. I want to fight
everybody. I want to fight Margarito. I want to fight
every other champion out there in the welterweight division.
Question: Kermit, what has been the
reaction following your last fight?
Cintron: A lot of people have
been calling. A lot of people have been impressed about it,
the way I look, the way I stopped him. Everybody's been
impressed. It's a good feeling that a lot of people are
opening their eyes and seeing that the fight against
Margarito was a difference Kermit Cintron.
Question: Kermit, how do you see
this fight playing out?
Cintron: I'm just going to go in
well prepared. Feliciano is a fighter that comes to fight
and never backs down. I see it a win for me.
Question: Prediction?
Cintron: I don't have any. As
long as I win the fight, that's all that matters.
Question: Kermit, last few fights
you've been training in Europe and over the place. Where
will you concentrate your training camp for this fight?
Cintron: I'm in the Poconos. I'm
here with Jermain Taylor.
Question: You've been talking about
unifying the titles. Will you wait and see what happens in
the next (Miguel) Cotto fight?
Cintron: I think that any
possibility I can get to unify the titles I'll take. I'm
here. The plan is to keep me busy. That's what we're doing.
Eventually by 2008, we'll be unifying the titles.
Question: Specifically what things
do you need to learn in order to continue to be successful?
Cintron: I think in boxing you
never stop learning. Emanuel Stewart knows every trick in
the book about boxing and little by little we've been going
one‑on‑one with it and learning.
Question: Kermit, it seems as
though regardless to what you've done since the loss to
Margarito, you still get questions regarding that fight.
Does it bother you?
Cintron: No, it doesn't bother me
at all. It's a fight that I looked bad in. I lost a fight.
And who cares. I moved on. Everybody's still, I guess,
still on that date back in '04. I moved on with my career.
I'm a world champion now.
Question: Why would you come back
to fight a guy like Jesse Feliciano, who is on such a roll
in these last few fights?
Cintron: This is a fight that
Main Events and SHOWTIME gave me. It's just through a fight
to keep me busy with what I do. I think the busier I am the
better I get.
Question: Can you motivate yourself
to fight a guy moving up in weight after the tough fights
you’ve had?
Cintron: I don't take any fight
lightly. Every fighter that steps in there is trying to hurt
me. They're trying to win against me of course they want to
get the title away from me. That's not going to happen. I
train hard for every fight, if not harder, and you will see
Sept. 8.
Question: This is the biggest fight
of your career, Jesse. Can you continue your level of
success?
Feliciano: I'm raising the bar, as
you can see. I'm on a whole other level. I'm on a winning
streak; I'm not losing. But I think it's going to last. Good
things are going to happen to me.
Question: Kermit, what are your
thoughts on fighting Floyd Mayweather?
Cintron: It's a fight that every
fighter in the welterweight division wants. That's a fight I
would love to have, but that's his decision. With my style,
Mayweather would be a great fight for me.
Question: Your style is going to
pose problems for all the other champs; do you think it's
going to be a stumbling block in regards to you unifying?
Cintron: It's up to the other
champions. If I don't get the opportunities I will continue
to defend my title successfully until I get a chance to
fight for the other titles. I think that there are
champions they'll fight me.
Question: Were you sparring with
Wladimir Klitschko?
Cintron: Yes.
Question: How did it go?
Cintron: It was a totally
different experience but it was a great experience for me.
Question: Fighting somebody that
tall is getting you ready for Paul Williams, right?
Cintron: Yeah.
Question: Jesse, some regard you as
a stay-busy fighter, someone that others fight to stay
busy? What do you think about that?
Feliciano: I think it motivates me
more to do a better job.
Question: Kermit, you're fighting
less than two months after knocking out Matthysse. Is there
added pressure to come back so quickly?
Cintron: Not at all, no pressure
at all. These are the things I like. I like to stay busy.
The sooner I get back into the ring, the better it is. The
more fights I get, the better I get.
Question: Jesse, why do you think
you have the advantage in this fight especially after the
spectacular knockout that Kermit had in his last fight in
July?
Feliciano: Everybody thinks I'm the
underdog. Everybody wants to fight me because they think it
will be an easy fight. I’ll be ready. I'm training hard.
This fight is the real deal and we're both coming to fight
and we're probably going to steal the show.
Question: What specifically did you
see in the fight that Kermit won against Matthysse that you
think you can take advantage of?
Feliciano: I'm not really too sure
if I can answer that question. But all I saw was a good,
pinpoint sharp-shooting assassin right there. He just took
that guy out. I don't know, man. It's going to be all‑out
war is all I can say. I'm not going to go down in the second
round.
Question: Kermit, have you gained
more respect since the Matthysse fight?
Cintron: People are still talking
about my loss against Margarito, but I've moved on. That
was the past. I'm in a better position than I ever was back
then. But I do get some props as well.
Question: Did you feel when you
first started working with Emmanuel that you had to prove
yourself to him?
Cintron: Yeah, definitely and I
did prove myself sparring with a kid named Dominic Dawson,
who is an extremely fast, good boxer, who is going to be
probably making the Olympic team. That's who I've actually
been sparring with right now. But, yeah, I definitely felt
that I needed to prove myself.
Question: Are you disappointed a
guy you called out, Shane Mosley, is fighting Cotto
instead?
Cintron: I wasn't disappointed.
I just see how fighters are. They try to avoid big
punchers. They see what I did to Matthysse and they see and
saw that Kermit Cintron is no joke. He's a totally
different fighter than he was against Margarito. There are
always fights out there -- big fights against other fighters
willing to fight me. As long as I stay busy I'll be fine.
I'll get that big fight.
Question: What is it that makes you
confident you can beat Paul Williams?
Cintron: People keep saying I'm
avoiding Williams. I've never avoided anybody. I never
backed down, never said no to a fight. Williams is just
another fighter. He's more an amateur than a pro, a fighter
that throws a lot of punches but with no power. It's a
fight that I definitely want. People think I'm avoiding him
but I'm not.
Question: So you would love to
fight Cotto?
Cintron: I think that the fight
would definitely be a fight I would love to have. It would
definitely be a great fight.
Question: Will you knock him out?
Cintron: It will be definitely a
tough, rough fight. And I know if I connect him with my
hard shots that, yes, I think he will go down. And the
record for ticket sales at Madison Square would be broken.
It will definitely be a big fight.
Question: Jesse, do you see
anything in Kermit, any weaknesses, that you can capitalize
on?
Feliciano: I don't really see any
weakness, especially in his last fight. The Margarito fight
is the past. This is a new Kermit Cintron. He's dangerous
and nobody to take lightly.
Question: Kermit, what do you think
if you never get the fight with Margarito. What is it going
to take for you to get rid of that in everybody's mind? Do
you think a good fight with Williams would erase that from
everybody?
Cintron: I think getting a win
over Paul Williams would definitely erase the Margarito
fight. But everybody keeps asking me that question. I've
moved on from that loss. You can never go back to that.
There are a lot better things in the near future for my
career.
Closing Comments
Cintron: I want to say thanks to
Main Events, Don King and SHOWTIME and Pay Per View for
giving me an opportunity to get in a fight and defend my
title successfully. I'm looking forward to Sept. 8.
Feliciano: I'd like to thank Star
Boxing most of all and everybody for putting this fight
together, SHOWTIME and Pay Per View and all the fans out
there. You're very greatly appreciated, and thank you for
sticking around and here we go for the fight. Thank you.
