Each fighter had his own beef and they weren’t afraid to serve it up. Here are their quotes.
TERENCE CRAWFORD (27-0, 19 KOs), of Omaha, Neb.
“I’ve always wanted to fight in New York — at The Garden — even as a small boy. Fighting in New York tells me where my career is really at and where we are going. I can get a big fan base here. It’s very exciting
“I used to watch a lot of old fights until I got older then I wanted to develop my own style, like, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones, Marco Antonio Barrera.
“Best thing about boxing? I get to hit people in the mouth. And I get paid to do it. Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to fight — so why not get paid for it?
“All my kids watch me fight. They see me on HBO and say, “Dad, that’s you – you won that round.
HANK LUNDY (26-5-1, 13 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA.,
“I am going to break you down, Crawford. This is East Coast fighting, you homie. I’ve been a better, tougher fighter since I reunited with my first trainer, the great Charles Ramey.
“You already know what’s going down. It’s my time. Crawford’s going to be going down early and often. I’ve been in there with the best. Nobody flat out beat my ass and nobody will. That’s why I keep getting these fights. That’s Philly fighting –.Broad Street Bullies.
“My kids said, “Dad you’re going to fight Crawford. You’ve been waiting for that.”
The Crawford vs. Lundy world title fight will take place on Saturday, February 27, at the “Mecca of Boxing” — The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The co-main event will feature undefeated Top-Five contender FELIX “El Diamante” VERDEJO (19-0, 14 KOs), from San Juan, Puerto Rico, defending his WBO Latino lightweight title against undefeated Brazilian buzz saw WILLIAM “Baby Face” SILVA (23-0, 14 KOs), of São Paulo, Brasil. Both fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
These four warriors boast a combined record of 95-5-1 (60 KOs) — a winning percentage of 94% with close to 2/3 of their victories coming by way of knockout.
Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, Classic Entertainment & Sports (CES), Diamante Promotions and Madison Square Garden, tickets to the Crawford vs. Lundy / Verdejo vs. Silva championship doubleheader will go on sale Tomorrow! Wednesday, January 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com.
