On the eve of the Evening of Champions which will be held on April 29 at the Donbass Arena they held a press conference, which also included the official boxers’ weigh-in.
It should be noted that the event was attended by all boxers who will take part in tomorrow’s fights:
- Stas Kashtanov (Ukraine) v Jorge Oliveira Rodriguez (Uruguay);
- Andriy Kudryavtsev (Ukraine) v Samir Ziani (France);
- Volodymyr Kravets (Ukraine) v Abdoulaye Sukuna (France);
- Oleg Efimovich (Ukraine) v Sergio Carlos Santillana (Argentina);
- Iago Kiladze (Ukraine) v Pero Julien (France).
The main participants of the press conference ahead of tomorrow’s title fight were Vyacheslav Senchenko, four-time WBA world title holder, and the official challenger for the title – American boxer Paul Malignaggi. Their fight will be the main event of the evening.
The press conference was attended by Oleksandr Lukyanchenko, Mayor of Donetsk, Yuriy Ruban, president of Union Boxing Promotion, Dmytro Eliseev, General Manager, Roberto Diaz, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, a lawyer of the company Steven Bash, as well as world-renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer.
Senchenko and Malignaggi highlighted each other’s strengths, and expressed the hope that the best fighter will win. Vyacheslav was generally taciturn. Ukrainian boxer noted that such top fights have never been held in Ukraine.
Senchenko: – I want to defend this title and please the fans. I will do my best to win this battle.
Malignaggi: – Throughout my career I have had a lot of major fights. Tomorrow’s battle will be one of the most important fights in my career because I have a chance to beat the current holder of the WBA title. I can again become what I used to be before – a champion! I will do everything possible to win. I think I have everything it takes to win the fight – it’s my personal opinion.
There were also traditional quips, which usually accompany the boxing events. However, in this case, they came from the boxers’ representatives. Roberto Diaz said: “I think Paul can beat Senchenko and claim the title.” Yuriy Ruban immediately retorted: “Thinking is not seen as something bad” – after translation into English his words caused excitement in the Malignaggi camp.
- I would like to thank the Union Boxing Promotion for inviting me here, – said the legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer. – It is my third visit to Donetsk and now I see great changes that have taken place in the city: the infrastructure, the airport. Donetsk is becoming more beautiful! I know that Senchenko travelled a few thousand miles to train in the U.S. with Freddie Roach, one of the best coaches in the history of boxing. His opponent is Paul «Magic Man» Malignaggi, who during his career has seen many things and has faced very strong contenders. I am looking forward to an outstanding fight.
After just a few seconds, the press-conference room saw an appearance of Evander Holyfield, who had just arrived from the Donetsk airport. Legendary boxer, with a smile on his face, came into the conference room, although he could not hide his fatigue. Evander’s appearance was accompanied by the characteristic “golden vocal chords” of Michael Buffer.
A little later you can find out on our website what Holyfield said in Donetsk. We move on to the weigh-in of the boxers who will take part in tomorrow’s main event of the evening. The weigh-in showed that Senchenko (66.5 kg) was 350 grams heavier than Malignaggi (66.15). Senchenko is still undefeated. Vyacheslav claimed 32 victories, winning 21 bouts by KO.
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