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SHOWTIME SPORTS MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 24, 2007

Golden Boy Promotions is bringing one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year to Southern Arizona when Juan Manuel Marquez will face Ricardo Rocky Juarez for the World Super Featherweight Championship on Saturday, Nov. 3, at Desert Diamond Casino. The touted battle of super featherweights will headline the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast. The co-main event will be for the World Featherweight Title as Robert Guerrero puts his belt on the line against Martin Honorio.
Tickets are priced at $50, $75 and $150 in advance and are on sale now. They can be purchased at any Ticketmaster location, by calling 520-321-1000, by contacting the Desert Diamond Casino Box Office, or by visiting www.desertdiamondcasino.com. Doors open at 3:30 PM and the first fight begins at 4:30 PM. Tickets priced at $400, $250, $150, $100 and $50 are on sale at the Garden box office and all Ticketmaster locations or by calling Ticketmaster at 212-307-7171, 201-507-8900, 631-888-9000, or 914-454-3388. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to convenience charges.
ITSKOWITCH: Welcome, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to come to the call. I'll be brief. I just wanted to give a little bit of information on the shows. Most of you know the televised portion of this event was originally scheduled for September 15th, and it was going to be a pay-per-view event. Juan Manuel suffered an injury to his right hand, so the events had to be postponed. Showtime stepped up, Desert Diamond stepped up, and I want to thank them for allowing these fights to happen and making it possible. Basically, fans are going to be getting a great show that night. They'll be get a pay-per-view event for free on Showtime. In essence, is what it is. Also want to quickly thank Romanza Boxing, copromoter with Juan Manuel Marquez, Goosen Tutor, Robert Guerrero's promoter. And again, Showtime, Saturday, November 3rd, 10:00 o'clock eastern/pacific. The event's going to be at Desert diamond. Tickets are very, very reasonably priced for $50, $75, and $150, which I believe are sold out. So just $50 and $75 tickets left. They're available at all Ticketmaster locations by calling 520-321-1000 or by contacting the Desert Diamond Casino box office or by visiting www.desertdiamondcasino.com. Won't hold you up any longer. I'll turn it over to Eric, and then turn it over to the fighters so you can get the information that you're looking for from them.
ERIC GOMEZ: Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions. I'll translate in Spanish and make a few comments, and then I'll introduce the fighters. This fight is going to be a very interesting fight, it's a good fight. Robert Guerrero, he is the IBF Champion of the Featherweight Division. He's a very, very exciting fighter. He's been a prospect for such a long time, and, obviously, now he's a world champion. But I think that he's close in crossing the line and being somewhat of a star in the division, because he's a good-looking kid. He can really fight. He's one of the best fighters out there. And Martin Honorio is a tough kid, he's a tough kid. He's recognized for being the only guy to beat Stephen Rubino, who is the WBA Champion, and he's out to become a world champion as well. So he's going to give it his all. It was really easy making the fight. I made the fight with Goosen Tutor Promotions. They were great about it. We were able to make the fight in one day, basically. And like David said, this fight was supposed to be on pay-per-view, and the public's going to get a great fight in this fight as well as the main event. Just one more comment from David Iskowitch.
ITSKOWITCH: I wasn't sure if I mentioned this when I spoke but I want to be clear, the Desert Diamond Casino is in Tucson, Arizona. I wanted to make sure everyone knew.
ERIC GOMEZ: The IBF Featherweight Champion, Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero. Robert?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: I want to say thank you to Golden Boy and Goosen Tutor for putting the fight together, like you said. I'm happy to be on the card on Showtime. I'm excited, I'm ready to go. Martin Honorio had more than enough time to get ready for this fight, and so have I. We've both done our homework. I know he's ready, I'm ready, so it's going to be a great fight. It's going to be a good, tough, rough fight. I'm excited. I'm excited to put on a show on Showtime for everybody around the world. I can't wait.
ERIC GOMEZ: I introduce to you Martin Honorio, the challenger. He's the Golden Boy Promotions fighter. He's got a very good record, 24-3 with 12 knockouts. A few words, Martin Honorio.
MARTIN HONORIO: Yes, I'm very happy. This is my opportunity, what I've been waiting for. I'm very happy about this fight. There are no excuses with regards to preparation on my part, as well as the Champion because of the extra time we had to get ready. It is going to be a good fight. It's going to be a great fight. I'm going to do my best to make everybody happy.

Q. You've managed to regain the title, what do you attribute that to?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: Having a lot of heart. Having a lot of heart and being dedicated to the sport. Not just you get a loss and hang it up and hide yourself. It's about being a champion and wanting to be a great champion. Bouncing back and taking care of business and getting it back.

Q. When you heard that you were going to be fighting for the title, what were your reactions and your thoughts as the fight nears only a couple weeks away from the fight at Desert Diamond in Tucson?
MARTIN HONORIO: Yeah, I'm extremely happy to finally be getting a shot at the title. It is something that I've worked very hard at. So I know that I have to take advantage of this opportunity, it doesn't come around too often. I don't want to be a fraudulent contender. I want to go and give it my all. I have a lot of people behind me, a lot of Mexican people behind me. And obviously, I want to put on a show for the executives at Showtime, because I feel that they're going to be watching and I want to prove to them that I'm capable of being a world champion and making a good fight.

Q. Martin, what skills do you have which will allow you to beat the champ, Robert Guerrero?
MARTIN HONORIO: It's all in the preparation. I've prepared like never before. My preparation has been very good. I just can't say how good my preparation has been. I'm using a lot of smarts, and I'm going to fight intelligent in there. I have to really go back to the preparation, I've prepared like never before.

Q. I'd like to know how you prepare more to learn more about your opponent?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: It was up-and-down. The fight with Rocky Juarez, I was excited to fight Rocky, but that fell out. As soon as we found out we were fighting Martin it was go from there and get ready for him. Whatever the fight before, we put it behind us. We were starting to prep for Honorio, but the whole card got postponed, and just gave us more time to prepare for Honorio and do our homework and really sharpen up what we have to do in the ring.
MARTIN HONORIO: Look I'm a professional, and, yeah, when the date got changed it gave me a little more time to study my opponent and get ready for him. I'm not going to have any excuses. As professionals, these things happen. You have to be prepared for anything, and I'm prepared for anything. So if that's what happened, it got postponed, hey, it gave me more time to get ready. I'm really excited that the fight's happening.

Q. Robert, have you ever fought anybody with Martin's style? Is there anybody you can compare him with?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: Yeah, I have to say Gamaliel Diaz. He somewhat fought like Honorio. He threw a lot of punches, came in great shape, and they're crafty in the ring. I feel that they got somewhat a similar style. Having that experience behind me and the study I did on him got me prepped and ready to go.
MARTIN HONORIO: You know what, no. I really haven't fought anybody. The fight that he had with Gamaliel Diaz, obviously, that was way back. You have to throw that out because that was way back then. I'm sure I'm going to get 100% of Robert Guerrero. He's going to be ready for the fight. But I've fought tough guys before. This is no different. It's going to be a tough fight. I'm going to be prepared. When I'm in the ring it's just going to be me and him, and I'm prepared for anything.

Q. Where and how did you start boxing?
MARTIN HONORIO: When I first started, it was a hobby, it was a sport. Something to do. I started to like it a little more. Once they told me I could fight and make money, it was fabulous for me. I said, Hey, this is great. So I started fighting, and that's how I got started.

Q. Robert, same question.
ROBERTO GUERRERO: I started as a kid. I had older brothers that boxed, and my father was a fighter also my grandfather was a fighter, too. It just runs in the family. We got a taste of boxing. I just didn't get a taste, I took a bite out of it and took it to the next level. Here I am now at IBF World Champ, defending on Showtime against Honorio. I just thank God for the blessings he blessed me with.

Q. For both fighters - what would a win mean for Martin's career as well as for Robert?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: I win this fight, it means a lot. It means a lot. It would be a title defense for me. It will catapult me into bigger fights. Thinking maybe I can get a fight with the main event or a fight with pack tell. Get into bigger fights with bigger names and start making a dent. Like Eric said, get that shot to become a superstar in the sport. That's what a win would do for me.
MARTIN HONORIO: It's very important to me. It's the single most important thing right now in my career. It would signify the beginning of bigger and better things. It would be a beautiful dream come true. With a victory, it will be a flip of the coin towards the better for me.

Q. I'm aware why you picked up the nickname Ghost. Did your father and grandfather have similar nicknames? Who gave you it, and how old were you at the time?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: Nobody had nicknames. Just I had a nickname and I got it in the gym when I first started boxing being so fast in the ring.

Q. How old were you?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: I was 9 years old. One of the coaches said I was like a ghost in there, so quick. Now you see me, now you don't. It stuck ever since.

Q. Is this card almost a card that is sort of a lineup for a shot at Manny Pacquiao?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: Oh, yeah, after this fight everything's open for next year. Hopefully I can get in with one of those big fights and get a shot. Even the main event is a big fight. Maybe a shot with the winner out of that. It would be great. Like I said before, I'll fight anybody anywhere that's what makes boxing is big fights and opportunity, just putting up great shows for all the fans.
Thank you guys, I'm looking forward to November 3rd. We'll put on a great show, and hopefully everyone tunes in to watch.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you very much. Once again, it is a pleasure to be introducing one of the biggest fights of the year. Once again, with Juan Manuel Marquez against Rocky Juarez. It really is going to be a pleasure to be working with Showtime for the very first time. It will be televised November 3rd on Championship Boxing. I can say this, that this fight has fireworks written all over it. Not only do both fighters want to win and win impressively because they know there's a lot on the line, but the fact that they're on the big stage, the fact that they have very bright future for the winner ahead of them. Since Juan Manuel Marquez with a record of 47-3, with 35 knockouts, trained by Matthew Eckstein, knows that there's substantial amount on the line. Never once did he or is he looking past Rocky Juarez, because this fight is a very, very tough fight. We all saw Rocky Juarez give Marco Antonio Barrera the fight of his life. Obviously, with Juan Manuel Marquez coming off that very impressive victory over Marco Antonio Barrera, and having a draw with Manny Pacquiao after coming off the canvas in various moments. It just goes to show you this match is going to be one of the better fights, and a candidate for fight of the year. So without any further adieu, I would like to introduce to you the copromoter of this event. We have been working for many fights together with Juan Manuel Marquez. Before I do that, I would also like to say that November 3rd at the Desert Diamond Casino, the fans will be able to not only watch this fight on free TV, but the fans live there in Arizona will be able to not pay those substantial amounts of moneys, and be able to watch and have a treat to watch four world class fighters for little amounts of moneys. And be able to be in the action up close and personal with possibly one of the all time great fighters in Juan Manuel Marquez. So without any further adieu, I would like to introduce to you a Champion. He's a WBC 130-pound Champion, a record of 47-3 with 35 knockouts, Juan Manuel Marquez.
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: My hand is in incredible shape. I'm ready to go. I'm healed, and I'm looking forward to the fight.

Q. How does all the talk of Marquez and Pacquiao affect you as you train for Rocky Juarez?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: I'm focused on November 3rd. The talks of rematches and the talk about other opponents doesn't matter to me, because I'm 100% focused on Rocky Juarez. I know that the job at hand is a very tough one, and I know Rocky Juarez is a tough and dangerous opponent. That is what I'm focusing on now.

Q. Did you have a chance to watch Pacquiao-Barrera, and what did you think of Pacquiao's performance?
ROBERTO GUERRERO: I think it was a great fight. But they missed that explosion that everybody was expecting on Pacquiao's behalf. I was waiting for that from Pacquiao's end, and it didn't happen. But it was a great fight.

Q. Does this certify Golden Boy is a significant promoter in this sport and will we see more of your fighters on Showtime?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Absolutely. I think it shows that Golden Boy really looks out for our fighters. For instance, we're very loyal promoters. When it comes to choosing the venues or when it comes to choosing the TV networks, we've always done our fights with HBO. We've always done our fights with the MGM Group in Las Vegas. So the fact that we're going to Showtime, it goes to show you that we have an obligation to our fighters. When the fight got cancelled because of Juan Manuel Marquez's hand, we needed another date to make this fight happen. So HBO didn't have the date, they were all booked up. HBO has some great fights coming up. But we needed Juan Manuel Marquez to have that last fight for this year. So we, as promoters, went to Showtime, and we were able to work out a deal. But I think that, yes, our relationship with Showtime can also benefit. Boxing can benefit our fighters and benefit us as promoters. Are we going to do more fights than Showtime? Absolutely.

Q. Are you prepared for Rocky's change-of-pace-type of style?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: I prepare for anything. Every day I wake up I run, I go to the gym. I'm preparing myself for anything that can happen in the ring, like always. I don't prepare for just one style. If he can move, he can run, he can throw punches or stop throwing punches. I know that everything can happen in the ring, and I'm prepared for that. I was ready to fight on September 15th, it didn't happen. I never stopped training. So right now I'm ready for everything. I'm ready for Rocky Juarez.

Q. At what point of your career do you feel you are at right now?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: At this point of my career, I am fine. I feel great. I don't feel like I'm about to retire or nothing. I don't know, I cannot tell you at what time of my career I am. But I'm telling you in these 14 years of experience in boxing, fighting Rocky Juarez is going to be awesome. It's going to be great. It's going to be a hard task to pass. I'm willing to take it. And I'm not thinking about Manny Pacquiao. I know he's there, but I am not going to think about Manny Pacquiao because I've got November 3rd that I need to fight Rocky Juarez, and that's all that matters up to this point.

Q. Do you ever think about the title like WBA, WBO with Edwin Valero?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: It would be great. To have titles, I have to fight Manny Pacquiao. There are many things in the future. I'm just going to keep it there. But the most important thing that I'm concentrating on that and there is nothing else but November 3rd. I need to fight Rocky Juarez, win over Rocky Juarez. Then the negotiations, I'm just going to leave it there for the negotiations. But for me all that matters is November 3rd.

Q. Do you feel you need to win this fight impressively, or is it enough for you to just win the fight?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: Yes. Obviously, I'd just like to tell you that I would like to have a spectacular win or a knockout. I'm motivated right now because I'm going to fight an opponent that is a great fighter with a great name. That is what's going to make a great fight. I cannot tell you how it's going to end up, but, obviously, I'd like to have a spectacular knockout. Rocky Juarez is not the type of fighter that will allow you to get a knockout in any round or something. It's going to be a great fight. I hope I win in a spectacular way. It is going to be a great, great fight. I know that I need to win, and I'm going to win. I am going to win. I don't know in what way. In the gym I am preparing every day for this fight. I'm going to win in a good way and impress people. I cannot tell you how it will end.

Q. In your 14-year career, how did the cancellation of the September 15 fight affect you in your training for this fight?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: Obviously, there are some changes, and you have to make some changes. I had to rest for about a month while I was checking with the doctors, and therapies for my injury to recover. But I'm back on track. I was training hard. I was trying to master my left-hand like many good boxers have. You have a great, great left-hand and you are right-handed, that's how you impress people. That's what I was trying to do. Now that I'm boxing and using my two hands, I feel great. I feel nothing is effected. I feel great for this fight.
Q. How do you feel about Barrera and the post-fight press conference? He mentioned Valero to be the next opponent and he didn't mention you among the other Mexican fighters. Did you feel bad about it?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: I just really don't care about Barrera's comments. I'm preparing for my fight what matters to me is I have a big compromise taking revenge over the Mexican fighters against Pacquiao. It only matters to me what people think about me. People know the quality of a boxer that I am, and the quality that I have. All that matters is what people think of me as a boxer, nothing else.

Q. Can you tell us exactly what happened to your hand that caused the postponement of the fight? How long it took to heal, and if they are now 100%?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: As you know, that ten days prior to the fight my hand was injured. I had a small cut on my knuckle and it got infected. That caused the postponement of the fight. Now I'm at the stage prior to fight my fight with Rocky Juarez, I feel great. I feel 100%. I'm going to therapy to heal my hand. I'm punching with my right-hand right now, and it feels great. I'm ready. I'm ready.

Q. Can you tell us what kind of fight can we expect? Is the layoff more an advantage for you or him?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: It's going to be a big fight. I was being checked by my doctors because of my hand, and I feel great. Conditioning-wise, technique-wise, and preparation-wise, I'm in condition for this fight. I'm ready. Rocky Juarez is going to be ready, and we're going to put a great, great fight together so people will be happy for that.

Q. Does it matter whether you're in a Las Vegas-type venue or a place like here?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: No, it doesn't matter where I fight. I'm a professional fighter. If I need to fight in a small place, that's because it has to be that way, it's no problem for me. It doesn't matter for me which venue. What worries me is to make a great show for my fans. To know that I'm ready for any opponent, and to have a great fight. That is what matters to me. The size of the venue doesn't matter to me at all.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Just to add to it, the venue, obviously, when you have several weeks to put a big fight like this together -- our first show before we postponed it was in the big Las Vegas venue. But, obviously, the time didn't permit for us to stage it once again. Dates were not available. Putting the ticket sales together, a marketing group together. It was time was of essence. The Desert Diamond Casino stepped up to the plate and we were able to accommodate Juan Manuel Marquez.

Q. Oscar, I was just wondering if you had considered putting Robert Guerrero into the spot of Rocky Juarez when Juarez went down? What was the reasoning behind putting the fight of Honorio and Guerrero on to the card November 3rd?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Obviously, Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero is a fighter that has been very intrigued with his discipline and his technique. He's a fighter who is a World Champion and he's been doing a great and wonderful job at it. We had the idea to put on a strong opening bout. It goes to show you the caliber of event. When we had the original show September 15th, we had a great lineup put together on pay-per-view. It was, again, the promoter's obligation to make sure that the fighters are happy and that the fighters are taken care of. Having Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero against Martin Honorio was only fair to the fighters. We already had Panchito Bojado against Steve Forbes pencilled in for another date. So we did this because the fighter deserves it, the champion deserves it. It's going to be a great fight. Putting this fight also means the winners are going to move on to bigger and better things. Even though all fighters have a tough test ahead of them, in the back of their mind they know that there are bigger and better things for them with a win. So can Robert "The Ghost" fight the winner? We'll have to wait and see. Can he fight bigger fights? Absolutely, if he wins.

Q. Do you have a dream of having a big fight in Mexico City?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: Yes, of course. I would like to be able to fight in Mexico City for my fans. It would be a way to say thank you for your support. But the possibilities are not there. It is pretty hard to put a big show together in Mexico because of many things that get involved like television and promoters. But of course, I would love to.

Q. Oscar, what are the chances of promoting a show in Mexico?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, there's a big possibility. Right now, we, as a company, are talking to or we're starting up a great relationship with Televisa in Mexico, where they want to come into boxing in a big way. So the possibilities are hopefully going to present themselves in the near future. Can we stage big fights in Mexico? Absolutely. Absolutely. We know the fans are there. We know, for instance, like a Juan Manuel Marquez or all the other Mexican champions and fighters, the people love down there. In all of Mexico they love these fighters. It's a matter of getting the right partners and that is what we're working on now, starting with Televisa in Mexico.

Q. There are many rumors about your injury on your hand, and your forehead, can you explain to us what happened?
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: Everything is fine with the forehead. I have a scar there, but it might be removed after the fight. Up to this point, nothing is going to change. My hand is healed, my forehead is fine. I'm ready for the fight. That is all I can tell you.

Q. Oscar, will Marco Antonio be the Golden Boy representative in Mexico?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: The relationship with Barrera is fine. Nothing has changed. To make these kind of deals or taking shows to Mexico for Barrera to be in charge, that is something that needs to be negotiated. We need to sit down, my company and his company, to talk and to see what kind of agreement we can get into.

Q. Considering you have two of the best 130 pound fighters in the world, Juan Marquez and John Guzman, what is the likelihood of possibly seeing a unification bout between Guzman and Marquez?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Absolutely. That is exactly what boxing needs, and that is exactly what the fighters want. Whether it's Juan Manuel Marquez, whether it's myself, whether it's Bernard Hopkins, we all want to fight the best because it benefits the sport. When you have all these names out there at 130 pounds and you have all these great fighters, you have to make unifications and tough fight the best. Juan Manuel Marquez and Guzman, and all the other fighters, they have their obligations starting with November 3rd. It's a tough fight with Rocky Juarez, and Juan Manuel is very prepared and Rocky as well. So we'll have to wait and see. There are no talks. There are no plans as of yet. We just have to wait and see what happens in this fight.

Q. Is it true that the fight March 1st is the date for next year? Is it true that it's going to happen in Mexico?
SPEAKER: Yes, the fight is going to Mexico, Showtime is waiting to go to Mexico for television in Mexico, which is tell visa. They are doing all the effort to take the kind of fights into Mexico. Yes, it is going to happen. It will be the beginning of great shows happening in Mexico. It will be great. But it is true that it is going to Mexico.
JUAN MIGUES MARQUEZ: I would like to thank all the media for taking the time for this press conference. I thank Oscar de La Hoya for taking the time to participate here. I just would like to thank all my fans and the media for their support. I invite everybody to support while I win one of the greatest fights that you're ever going to see.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you, Rocky, for being with us. Rocky Juarez has been very dedicated in the sport. He's always prepared and ready to go. Rocky Juarez has had tremendous success in the ring facing a legend in boxing in Marco Antonio Barrera. Being in really close fights and giving Barrera a big scare in one of their fights. I believe this is just the beginning for Rocky Juarez. He's only 27 years old with a record of 27-3, with 19 knockouts. This is another great opportunity to take advantage of. I'm sure that Rocky Juarez has trained hard and is prepared for everything. So without further adieu, I would like to introduce to you from Houston, Texas, Ricardo Rocky Juarez.
ROCKY JUAREZ: Thank you to everyone that is participating in this press conference. As Oscar said, I've definitely trained really hard for this fight, and I am definitely prepared and ready for November 3rd.

Q. Do you look at this like this is your last chance? Is there more pressure on you to win this fight than there might be on any other fight?
ROCKY JUAREZ: Well like I put it, I definitely know this is an opportunity that's not going to come often. I'd like to thank those who made this possible, Golden Boy as well as my manager. We definitely know this is a big opportunity to go against a great Mexican fighter like Marquez. We're ready. We were supposed to be fighting Robert Guerrero at first. When they gave me the opportunity and told me would I like to fight Marquez, it was an opportunity I couldn't resist. I said, yes, and I took it because I'm confident that I can beat him.

Q. How was it training for this fight? Is Shields still your trainer? How was it knowing that he had to train other fighters for this fight?
ROCKY JUAREZ: I think one thing people might mistake is Ronnie Shields has always been in my training camp, only the time he had to leave to go overseas to actually be with Holyfield during his fight. But throughout training, Holyfield trains at the same facility. We all train at the facility. We all have a different schedule as far as times. So once Holyfield is done with his workout schedule, Ronnie stays there at the gym. I come in, and Ronnie is there to train me. So he was never really away from my training camp. The only time he had left was for the fight. Other than that, we have a reserve, Cedric Williams, who is there every day and has seen the workouts with Ronnie Shields where he's working with me. It was no different from when Ronnie left to when Cedric was there watching me train.

Q. Do you have the same training style as Juan Diaz? Do you do a lot of swimming and all that, stairmasters and things?
ROCKY JUAREZ: That's another thing we've been working with Brian Caldwell from the first Barrera fight. So I believe that's probably four or five fights now. So it was something that had never been used to something I've never looked into. But I feel there are a lot of fighters out there that feel it is a must to have a strength and conditioning coach. You know, Brian Caldwell has been there with me. Yes, I do go swimming every week, and we do slight workouts to enhance my skill and my strength and power.

Q. How much do you swim?
ROCKY JUAREZ: What do you mean, daily?

Q. Yeah, daily.
ROCKY JUAREZ: Well, he likes to get me on non-sparring weeks, we swim three days a week. On sparring weeks, we swim one day a week. Every swim is 40 minutes nonstop. It is just constant swimming.

Q. Do you intend to go after this guy early and often?
ROCKY JUAREZ: Well, I choose not to say how I'm going to fight him. That is something we look into. He starts slow. People can say I start slow at the same time. Sometimes we get knockouts in early rounds, sometimes we don't. We take that into consideration, but I would like not to say how I'm going to fight him. We've prepared ourselves the best that we could to fight and adapt to any style he brings at the same time.

Q. Do you like smaller venues versus the bigger?
ROCKY JUAREZ: I don't know if it's the same venue, I know it's at the desert diamond, but I don't know if it's the same venue as when I fought Lucero. When we're in that ring, we're basically concentrating on the opponent in front of us. So as far as where I'm fighting it doesn't really matter. I just have to concentrate and put my full attention to the fighter in front of me.

Q. Can you tell us how you have adjusted to all of the changes at this point and how the delay has affected you?
ROCKY JUAREZ: I feel the delay has probably been better for me. I think it's been a blessing in disguise. At first we were supposed to fight Robert Guerrero. But let me just be honest here, man, I never backed out of that fight. I think the opportunity to go up against a great fighter like Marquez as well as a bigger pay and for the same thing, which is a title, I think it is something I couldn't resist. I couldn't pass up. I believe that just fighting Marquez was better for me overall in everything. I think the switch between fighters and the postponement of the fight, I think it was a blessing in disguise. I think it did better for me. It allowed us to have more time to train and prepare for Marquez, because it was not that long from when they switched opponents. So I think it benefited me.

Q. How do you approach him? How do you think this is all going to affect you this talk about future fights?
ROCKY JUAREZ: I think it's just motivating me. I was watching the Barrera-Pacquiao fight, and all I could hear is Pacquiao versus Marquez. I'm thinking as I'm sitting on the couch, Marquez still has to fight Rocky Juarez November 3rd, why are they counting me out? But it's not something that I allow to effect me, but it just gives me that much more motivation to just train harder. Because they're counting me out. I know there are a lot of fans out there, and a lot of boxing critics who feel I can't beat Marquez. But they're counting me out more than what they feel I can beat him. It affects me in a way, but I think it motivates me more to prepare for this fight even more.

Q. Talk about what you learned from the Barrera fight and the circumstances that it fell under and how that will help you prevail November 3rd?
ROCKY JUAREZ: I believe it's definitely helped me going up against a great Mexican icon like Barrera. I feel taking that fight with Barrera when they gave us the opportunity I didn't hesitate. I was very confident. I felt confident that I was able to go up and compete against the best fighters out there like Barrera. So I took the fight. When I fought the first fight, I felt that I came out ahead. But for whatever reason, whatever happened, happened. I think in the long run it definitely gave me the confidence to allow myself to know that I can compete against the best out there. Marquez fought Barrera, he beat Barrera, but it was a very close fight. Going up against Marquez November 3rd, I feel that those two fights with Barrera, and the fact that I have a lot going on in this fight, that I need to go out there and just give it my all and leave nothing behind.

Q. So what you learned is you're confident in your ability to face anybody on short notice?
ROCKY JUAREZ: Oh, definitely. When they offered us the opportunity to fight against Marquez, we took it. I don't take fights thinking I'm going to lose. That's never something that came into mind. Every fight I've taken whether Barrera, Marquez, I go in thinking I can beat them. That's how I trained that I think I can beat them. I've never trained negative in my training. The delay might have helped even better for the fact that I've trained that much longer for Marquez.
MODERATOR: On behalf of Golden Boy, Showtime, everyone involved with this call, we'd like to thank and appreciate you taking time out of your schedule.
ROCKY JUAREZ: Let me thank all the fans out there for supporting me. Come November 3rd, it's going to be a great fight with Marquez and I. I'd like to thank everyone for making this possible, Oscar de La Hoya, as well as thanking Oscar for translating for me. He did a good job. To the fans out there, November 3rd's going to be a great fight on Showtime, and be sure to watch.

End of FastScripts

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SHOWTIME SPORTS MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 24, 2007

Oscar De La Hoya

Robert Guerrero

Martin Honorio

Rocky Juarez

Juan Manuel Marquez