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SHOWTIME SPORTS MEDIA CONFERENCE
September 4, 2008
In a terrific fight in the second-half of an excellent world championship doubleheader, International Boxing Federation/World Boxing Organization/World Boxing Association (IBF/WBO/WBA) lightweight champion Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) of Jacksonville, Fla., will make his first defense against undefeated two-division world champion Joan Guzman (28-0, 17 KOs) of, Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
Unbeaten World Boxing Council (WBC) super lightweight champion Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley (22-0, 11 KOs) of Palm Springs, Calif., will make his initial defense against Edner "Cherry Bomb" Cherry (24-5-2, 12 KOs) of Wauchula, Fla., in the co-feature.
The event will be promoted by Don King Productions in association with Beau Rivage. The Campbell-Guzman main event will be presented in association with One Punch Productions and Sycuan Ringside Promotions.
GEORGE CORCHIS: On behalf of Beau Rivage Resort and Casino and our nearly 3600 employees in the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast we welcome this event to Biloxi and welcome showcasing our facilities and world championship boxing to the world.
Obviously Beau Rivage is part of the MGM Mirage Resort family, and we're pleased to bring such a big card to the Gulf Coast and be partnered with Don King and SHOWTIME, names synonymous with championship boxing.
As you've seen, Hurricane Gustav blew through this area this week, didn't carry as much of an impact as Hurricane Katrina did three years ago. But we did close the resort as a safety precaution because we did have an evacuation. I'm pleased to say not only is the Beau Rivage opened, but the whole Gulf Coast region of the country is reopened. And we're making preparations for this big event happening later on next week.
We're extremely excited about it. And we're obviously closely monitoring all the other storms, as we do each year. And we feel confident that the event will take place as planned. And we are extremely excited for a week from this Saturday to put on a world class fight here in Mississippi.
That being said, I'll pass it on to Gary Shaw.
GARY SHAW: Number one, I want to thank SHOWTIME and Don King for allowing us to put on Tim Bradley/Edner Cherry championship fight.
On behalf of me and Tim Bradley, I just want to say our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the entire Gulf Coast region, and we pray for them and pray that there's not further devastation there.
It's going to be a great fight. Nobody thought that Timothy Bradley can go [Inaudible] and he proved what a great champion he is.
I know Edner Cherry. He's fought on my cards. He's a very, very tough opponent. And it will be a wonderful, wonderful fight under the Guzman/Diaz fight which -- I mean Campbell fight, I'm sorry -- which is going to be a fantastic fight. So it's going to be a great night for SHOWTIME, a great doubleheader, and on behalf of Team Bradley I know Timothy is ready.
He's on weight. And we're expecting to walk back with his first defense belt on us. On behalf of Team Bradley, I thank you. And we're available for questions.
DON KING: First of all, I want to thank George Corchis. He's a dynamite guy, President of Beau Rivage. And Governor Haley Barber, who I talked to a couple of days ago. And I echo Gary, and they're in our prayers. And he told me we missed it. It was a blessing he said that they weren't hit as hard as they were with Katrina. I want to say my heart goes out for all of them and we pray for the recovery of those who have been dislocated. And he said there was no deaths, so that's a blessing in itself.
Kelly Hiser, noted sponsor on this program, also works out of Mississippi. And so it's the thing that we all pray for them and we've got a great, great fight coming up. Haley Barber is really the governor who directed and guided them in Katrina, post-Katrina, did a yeoman's job of helping the people down there working while everyone else was hollering about who was in control. So God bless Haley Barber, the governor of Mississippi. We are thankful that we can be there, put on a show. And hopefully and prayerfully those other hurricanes won't come in and get us with Ike and Josephine. So it's a terrific place to be at the Beau Rivage.
As you know, it's a fantastic fight. And it's going to be, got a great core here, and all the people working there and we've got a fight that's going to reach the heights of what we have to deal with, and that is Nate Campbell, three-time champion, with Joan Guzman. So it's going to be a super extravaganza.
We're looking forward with great anticipation to come down and see it. The site is going to be terrific. SHOWTIME will truly have the best show that evening. And it's going to be a great, great show for all the boxing fans around the world. So I'm looking forward to it with great anticipation. Looking forward to seeing you, George.
GEORGE CORCHIS: Looking forward to seeing you next week. Campbell, Bradley, Guzman and Cherry, we're excited you're coming down here to spend some time with us.
NATE CAMPBELL: First, I want to thank SHOWTIME for having me. I want to thank Don King and Gary Shaw for putting this together and making things go pretty smoothly on the card. I want to say my prayers for the people on the Gulf Coast. It's been a rough time for you guys for the last few years.
I hope everything is okay for you guys and my prayers go out to you. For me nothing has really changed except people call me champ now. Everything is the same in my life. I still train hard. John Davidson gives me no breaks in the gym. And busts my chops every chance he gets. I do my job every day.
For me this is another hard fight. I want to fight this fight like I'm not the champion. So expect me to be the same Nate Campbell but more intent on winning this fight.
JOAN GUZMAN: First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who is on this call and who made this possible. I'm very glad that Nate gave me the opportunity to fight him and to challenge him and to be in a world championship fight where three titles are on the line.
We prepared well. We prepared hard, and we were just really excited to get in the ring September 13th.
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Everything's great. I'm right on weight. Preparation has been well. Just focused and ready to take care of business. Pretty much it with me. I'm all business.
EDNER CHERRY: I just want to thank SHOWTIME for giving me the shot, you know giving me the chance to be on. Timothy Bradley, he's a good guy. Tough fighter. I'm not off to taking anything from him. I just want to thank him for being there September 13th, fighting for the world title, training. Training hard and just getting prepared the best way I could for this fight and like we just give it all September 13th.
Q. Edner, you stated that you're still the same guy. What was your feeling? How long did it take you to realize after winning the title that, when did it dawn on you, actually, hey look what I just did? I'm a three division champion?
EDNER CHERRY: I'm still having a hard time taking it in. I don't get respected by a lot of people. Before I fought Diaz, he was a god. Now that I've fought him he's overrated.
With me it's about my respect. Period. Accolades and like that, but I'm going to do damage to whoever they put in front of me because I want my title.
Q. How's it going everybody? First question is for you Nate. Nate, we just talked a couple times previously in the last couple of weeks. And I know you've been very vocal. Not just from Guzman but a lot of guys at lightweight. Not just the fights coming down, you've got another week or two to get into the ring with Guzman. Now, what in particular do you see in Guzman that you feel, I guess, will make it an easy night for you? Because I know you've stated a few times although he's a good fighter, you feel that he's got all the tools to make it an easy fight. What in particular do you see in Guzman that you think will benefit you?
NATE CAMPBELL: Just the fact that he fights the way he fights. Guzman does what he does. You can't take away what he's done. His record speaks for itself. But for me, I look at guys and I break them down on almost on a cellular level as far as boxing is concerned.
I don't see him being any easier than anyone else, but for me I just think the style works. I think his style works for me. Because I think my style works for him. At the end of the day, we both know how to put our best stuff in the ring and we'll see what happens.
Q. Does it get to you at all, you've mentioned before that you don't seem to be getting the kind of respect that you would expect having multiple titles and being basically the number two guy in the division. Though I'm sure it's easy to say you're the number one guy.
Does it get to you at all? Does it make you hungrier to go in there as a guy that no one has given a lot of respect to?
NATE CAMPBELL: Well, I came up the hard way. I'm one of the only fighters that you can truly say came up the hard way. All these other guys came up with star opposition, they became champions the easy way. I had to come up the old-fashioned way. I came up losses and heartbreak and heartache, whatever you want to call it, I had to deal with it. For me, you don't have to give me my respect. I'll take it the hard way. I'm not upset with anybody. I'm not angry with anybody. I just want what I believe I deserve.
Q. Timothy, you're a California native as I am myself. I believe this is going to be your second fight out of this state now. Can you tell us a little bit how things have changed for you specifically out here in California, since you beat Junior Witter?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: No, life is just pretty much easier. Got more money now to be able to take care of your bills and not worry about it. Just things being real simple for me.
Just training hard. Staying focused and retaining the title. That's pretty much it.
Q. We don't have a lot of world champions out here in California. Do you feel any extra pressure when you step in the ring now to kind of represent California?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Not at all. My job is to fight and I'm the new world champion and I'm going to fight like I'm the world champ, going out there, that's what I'm going to do?
Q. Edner, I was wondering if you could give us your assessment of your fight against Junior Witter and also what you think might be the keys for you in this fight?
EDNER CHERRY: You know, Timothy has for a great fight, strong. Use your head. And I'll just go in there -- I'll just go in there do my thing. I'll be Edner Cherry. I'm not going in there to be somebody else, you know what I'm saying?
I will do what got me here, you know? So the hard work and going there just do my thing and just listen to my corner. Like we'll be fine that night.
So I just go in, like I'll just go in there and just be me and that's it.
Q. What about Tim as a fighter kind of impresses you about him?
EDNER CHERRY: Say that again?
Q. What is it about Tim as a fighter that impresses you?
EDNER CHERRY: You know, he's in shape and he's ready to come to fight. That's what's good about him. He's coming to put on a good show?
Q. Nate, tell us about, in this first defense of these titles, why are you deciding to take on a guy like Joan Guzman who has given so many other fighters that right away said that he's fought fits with his style. He gave Humberto Soto a fit. We know he's a tough guy. Why did you decide to take him on in this fight?
NATE CAMPBELL: First of all, he was my mandatory. They made him my mandatory. I mean, it wasn't like I had a choice in the matter, because I'm going to keep my belt together.
But I'm more understanding. Somebody wants to fight me. No offense, but Joan is as good as anybody to make a good first defense. I don't like him as a fighter. A lot of people think that I do but I don't. It's a fight. I'm a fighter. You realize that I'll fight anybody they put in front of me.
For me, I feel I can beat anybody they put in the ring with me. I can fight anybody else. If I can't pick a fight with somebody like Joan Guzman, then it's not everything I believe.
Q. How generally do you want to approach him? Because, again, his style has been so difficult for so many other different types of fighters?
NATE CAMPBELL: People don't do what I do. I mean, I'm going to do what I do. I'm not thinking about what he does. First of all, people have to realize, I'm the puncher in this fight. I'm the bigger man in this fight. I'm physically stronger.
And, I mean, I'm going to do what I do. And he has to do what he does. And we'll see how it turns out.
Q. And, Joan, this is your first fight since last year and since moving up from super feather weight to lightweight. Why did you decide at this point that you wanted to go against Nate Campbell who holds three of these titles in the lightweight division?
JOAN GUZMAN: I moved up to 135 due to my previous fight that I was supposed to have in May against Alex Arthur. It fell through, at 130. The WBO gave me the option to vacate the 130-pound belt and become the No. 1 contender at 135 at WBO. That was a chance I couldn't really pass up, despite the three world championships and be the number one rated WBO at 135. So it made sense for me, made sense for my team to move up in weight and fight Nate Campbell.
Q. Joan, can you tell us what are your advantages in this fight over Nate?
JOAN GUZMAN: I'm working hard for this hard for this fight. I've been working hard since it was announced. And even before that I was working hard in the gym. Nate is going to be a tough customer. He's going to be a challenge because I'm stepping up in weight. He's the bigger of the two. We've been working extremely hard.
We have the quickness on our side. We have our great defense on our side as well. And we're going to give him a hell of a fight on September 13th. And I know it sounds redundant that I say we're working hard and training camp has been great, but that really is how it is every training camp for me. It's no different than it was when I was fighting at 25 than it is now. So we're just really excited and ready for this fight on the 13th.
Q. Joan, Sean Gibbons, the matchmaker for Sycuan Ringside Promotions, once advised me that you were like Floyd Merriweather, have the innate ability that enables you to smell punches, something that Mr. Gibbons says can't be taught. Is he right in that? Joan, is that sort of a gift that you have, that defensive skill you have that you can seem to sense when punches are coming?
JOAN GUZMAN: It's tough to learn the defense that Floyd, Jr. and I employ and my defense looks similar to Floyd and vice versa. But my dad actually started teaching me at a very young age how to defend myself.
And I guess part of it is natural talent and also part of it is learning at a very young age. I started boxing when I was eight years old. From then on out my dad taught me the principles of defense. And from there on out it was just me working hard at it, working and working at it.
I guess it's a combination of both. It's a God-given ability to be able to roll your shoulders and sense when punches are coming, but also to put in the work and hours in the gym for it to translate into success.
Q. Joan, the thing that fascinates many people about you is your first name. Is that a family name?
JOAN GUZMAN: When I was born my mom gave me the name of a very popular Spanish singer from Spain that was Juan Manuel. Joan Juan Manuel. And I took out the middle name Manuel and kept Joan Guzman. It wasn't a family name. I was named after a very popular famous singer from Spain. That's how it came about.
Q. So, Joan, that's a common name from someone from Dominican or Spain; it's a common name, right?
JOAN GUZMAN: It's a name that is used a lot in the Dominican and my son is Joan, Jr.
Q. How old is Joan, Jr.?
JOAN GUZMAN: He's two years old.
Q. How many fights did you actually have scheduled that were postponed, and how frustrating was it for you to go through the postponement and how happy are you now to finally not only getting a fight but fighting for a world title on SHOWTIME against a quality great opponent, champion?
JOAN GUZMAN: I became very accustomed to fighters dropping out for whatever reason. When the hurricane was going through the Gulf Coast just this past week, I kept thinking to myself great there's another fight that's going to go down the drain, not for anything that the fighters did, something out of our control. But it's the something I always think about when a fight gets assigned, is this fighter going to fall through, is there going to be something that's going to happen because I've had so many fights drop out in the last two or three years.
But I'm just very thrilled that Campbell had no intention of dropping from this fight for whatever reason. I knew from the start that he wanted this fight and that he was going to come and show up on September 13th.
I knew right from the start that this fight I had good feelings about and good intentions about. I'm absolutely thrilled that this fight's going to happen, and it's for three championships and there's no way in my mind or there's no way now that it's going to get cancelled.
It's a sigh of relief you get when you have so many fights drop out in your career. And this one, which is certainly one of the biggest of mine, is going to happen on September 13th. We're just really thrilled to have that feeling.
Q. Don, who do you look at or foresee may be the winner of this fight going up against? Are you thinking down the line?
DON KING: Right now this is going to be the superb fight that's going to be taking place on the 13th of September at Beau Rivage. I can't go past that. I think especially with all the different things that have happened, the inclement weather, the displacement of so many people down in the Delta, so many things that's taking place down there that this fight now becomes more than just a fight. You know what I mean?
To demonstrate that we can continue to go on with this fight and having the blessings of God that has so far avoided hitting very hard like Katrina there. And so that's why our prayers are so strong.
So but I think these two guys are going to be great fighters. And everyone estimates Nate Campbell. Nate Campbell is a phenomenon. What he did with Juan Diaz no one would ever believe, you know what I mean?
It was a thing there. I know Joan Guzman is a great, great fighter, and I look forward to a great show of both of these guys. But you have two phenomenal guys here. But the one that really snatches the lightning out of the jug is Nate Campbell beating Juan Diaz like he did, handedly, without any question about it when he was in Cancun, Mexico. So my hat goes off to him in a congratulatory manner.
I'm hopeful and prayerful that he will continue to work in the same dedicated effort and manner in which he's doing with his distinguished manager Terry Trekas, who has really done a great job for him in working with him is just a pleasure to do this.
So we've got a great show for the Beau Rivage. And this is something that I think is really extraordinary to have a show of this magnitude, stature and esteem, is really the fight of the evening, as you know. So it's the thing here that we really have it, and I want to thank Kelly Oil from coming in from Texas, and she's also located down there in Mississippi, that she's really working very, very hard for the Delta area and the people down there.
She sends her prayers to everyone there. Hopeful that everybody will be reestablished and reset again in their homes and things that they've been watered out on and the governor Haley Barber who I think is a tremendous great American and a man who has really worked while others have talked, Haley Barber has been like a hallmark, you know what I mean, in that Delta area, working from the Katrina, post-Katrina, him and his great wife, Marcia, they've done a tremendous job for America and the State of Mississippi. Just exemplary.
I want to congratulate the people of Mississippi for standing tall going out to protect their own to help each other and to be able to extend that hand of fellowship with them in holding this thing together and keeping their pride intact and working out for the betterment of each one. And Ray Nagin from New Orleans, the mayor, he's been a tremendous advocate of safety and security and working with the tragedies that have come that nobody can say anything about.
So we've got everything that's the embodiment of America is taking place in Mississippi on September the 13th, where? At the Beau Rivage under the leadership of George Corchis, and it's just going to be a tremendous affair. I'm looking forward to it with great excitement. And you got a fight that's going to be a tremendous fight for when they say Nate Campbell take on Joan Guzman. So you've got everything that you can ever ask for in the fist to cuffs, but it also brings in people that will be collectively come together for the betterment of everyone and working for a better Mississippi. That's what we're there for.
Q. Gary, can you comment on after this fight, who the winner that fight might be going against next? Are you thinking ahead?
GARY SHAW: No, I never look past the fight that's in front of my fighter. I know Timmy Bradley, and I know Ken Thompson and Alec and our whole team. We never look past a fight that's in front of Timmy.
Edner Cherry is a very tough opponent. And in order to get to the next level, Timmy has got to beat Edner Cherry Saturday, September 13th.
Q. Nate when we last spoke you said you were happy that you had your losses that they made you a better fighter. Could you talk about that in regards to going against an unbeaten fighter, how is that going to help you on September 13th?
NATE CAMPBELL: I had to make up for all my lack of amateur experience. I only had 36 fights. I had to learn a lot from being an amateur. For me it made me a better fighter. Nothing is broke. If nothing is broke, you don't have to fix it. So for me I had to fix the things that were broke.
Q. Joan, when we spoke, you mentioned that you were using, to build yourself up, a speed and power coach, David Burr; how has that worked out?
JOAN GUZMAN: I see the difference in the new strength and conditioning program that David Burr has instituted with me during this training camp. I see the difference in my body in how the weight has just fallen off. More healthy in a way that's going to make me stronger and quicker for September 13th.
A few of the things we concentrated on were power training and plyometric training where we used a lot of resistance and a lot of mountain running. We used weights in ways I've never used before.
Just a lot of new techniques that I hadn't really used but that I was aware of. And definitely makes me a lot stronger, a lot quicker, and I can tell from this program as opposed to my last one, that the weight is coming off a lot more easier and it's going to show in the gym. It's going to show on September 13th when I get in the ring.
And it's going to be a new Joan Guzman.
Q. Joan, you said power training and what else did you say?
JOAN GUZMAN: Plyometric training.
Q. Bio?
JOAN GUZMAN: Ply, with a P as in Peter.
Q. Nate, has anything been said to you other than when I commented about the testing for the steroids?
NATE CAMPBELL: No, nobody said anything else.
Q. Is that expected?
NATE CAMPBELL: Listen to me. Listen to me. These guys are used to me -- when they make statements like that, they're showing their color. They're showing their fear. I don't drink. I don't even drink when I'm off, when I'm not off. I don't take any drugs. I've never taken drugs. When guys make statements like that, I know it is their fear speaking.
Joan is working with David Burr. He knows me. He knows what training I've put in for that fight. If I have to ask anybody to be a witness to watching me train my heart out, I can use his strength and conditioning guy. So people talking about steroids, that shows their fear.
Q. Nate, first off, I'd like to congratulate you on your three world titles. The IBF, the WBA and the WBO titles. And my prayers go out to Mississippi and the condition there. But I understand that you have a powerhouse which is Don King Productions and One Punch Promotions. So it's a wonderful card. My question to you is: What was your motivation to receive this fight, to give the undefeated world champion Joan Guzman a shot at your title? What was your motivation to do that.
NATE CAMPBELL: He's my mentor for one. But it could have been -- anybody could have got a shot at my title. One thing about me, I've never turned a fight down. But I've never turned a fight down, so to me Joan Guzman is a solid, good fighter, good fighter. But I don't shy away from that. Everybody asks if this is something that's outside of my scope. I've always done this. There's nothing different about me fighting this fighter or any other fighter. I've always fought the guys out there.
Q. I understand. Presently your training, how is your training going and how is it working with your trainer? You're training the high mountains or the low mountains. What's going on there.
NATE CAMPBELL: We don't do mountains. We do it in Florida. If you can do it in Florida you can make it anywhere. You can come down to Fort Lauderdale on a fall day and it's 90 degrees. So imagine how hot it is in my gym we don't use the AC for the most part.
Q. I understand you have gotten married recently.
NATE CAMPBELL: Yes, ma'am, I did.
Q. Tim, this is your first defense of the title. And even though you're just a year younger than Edner Cherry, he's had a lot more fights than you have. He started his professional career a few year before you did. How are you going to make up for that experience difference in this fight.
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I don't know. We're going to have to see. We're definitely going to have to see. I guess, you know what, I just gotta use my head. I've just got to be smart in the ring.
I've got to box smart. I know he has a lot experience. I've seen his videos. He does a lot of tricks in there. And I'm just going to prepare mentally and physically for the fight, and spiritually.
So I don't know we'll just have to definitely see that night. We'll have to see how it goes. I have all the experience in the world. I have over 140 amateur fights. I've seen pretty much every style.
Q. Do you think you're one of the many stories that are sort of unsung heroes in boxing that not a lot of people know about because I don't know how many people expected you to win the title when you did. You're still undefeated. You haven't gotten the notoriety of some of the other champions at this point.
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Not yet. I'm still a work in progress. I'm the new champion now. And I thank SHOWTIME for putting me on. Don King, my promoters, everybody, Gary Shaw Productions, just for giving me a chance to fight on SHOWTIME to air my skills and to show the world who Tim Bradley is. Like you said a lot of people don't know who I am or don't have the notoriety that most champions do. But that's definitely what we're trying to get. We're trying to get notoriety and definitely get recognized?
Q. Edner, how do you want to face Tim? We know you have the experience advantage. But he's young. He's undefeated. He has that title which we know adds to his confidence. What can we expect from you in this fight?
EDNER CHERRY: September 13th, only that night can tell. I'm going to go in there, just do my best. Just go in there, go in and put my stuff out there. I fight a lot of good fighters, a lot of different kind of fighters.
So anything that Timothy Bradley come with, it won't be nothing new. So we just have been ready for this fight. And that's it. Timothy Bradley is a great fighter. He's a record 22-0. So September 13th, we just have to get it going on, you know?
Q. Edner, do you think there's any one area that you have an advantage over Tim in this fight?
EDNER CHERRY: You know what, September 13th will tell it. That's all. I'll just go in there and just see. Whatever works. We just go in and try to use that.
I'm not going to take anything from Timothy Bradley. He's tough. He's a great guy. We're just going to go in there, have fun. Out there to fight. We'll be buddies, know what I'm saying?
Q. Tim, what advantages do you see in this fight over Edner?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: My boxing ability, my speed. My speed and movement.
Q. He said he's going to go in there have fun, be buddies with you. Is that how you see this fight?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: No. Edner Cherry, he's trying to play mind games right now, I think. He's coming for me. I've seen him fight. I've been following his career since the beginning of my career. I know who he is. I know what he's capable of doing. And he's going to be a tough opponent. He's very tough. He's hungry. He's ambitious. And he wants it.
You're going to see the best Edner Cherry. You're going to see the best Tim Bradley that night?
Q. Are you going to see a knockout in this fight?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I never make any predictions. If it comes it comes. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Doesn't matter to me. I'm ready to go a full 12 rounds.
Q. Edner, do you think the fights you had with Junior Ferguson, did it help your career.
EDNER CHERRY: Say that again.
Q. The fight against Ferguson, how did that help you with your exposure in the fight game, I guess?
EDNER CHERRY: It don't help me a whole lot. There was a lot of people around the world seeing it and saying who was Edner Cherry. The exposure was great. So I guess September 13th a lot of people will know who I am then. Definitely they will tune in especially with Timothy Bradley, he's a WBC champ. So there will be a lot of people who will tune in. So fighting Ferguson on HBO, a lot of people tune in and people who didn't know who I was and people find out who I was that night, knocking out Ferguson.
Q. Edner, were you impressed with Timothy's last fight?
EDNER CHERRY: Oh, yeah, definitely, man. He went to England, Junior Witter's backyard. He showed everything, showed heart, and that he was hungry. Especially going to somebody's backyard and knocking them down in six rounds, hey, you know, I mean that was a great fight. You know what I'm saying?
Like, hey, there's nothing you could take away from Timothy Bradley that night. He went in there and did his thing.
Q. Nate, you said that you're the bigger, stronger fighter. And he said that he's got good defense and he's quick. Do you think that he's a lot quicker than you, A? And, B, because you're bigger and stronger, are you going to stop this guy?
NATE CAMPBELL: First, I don't see where he's that much quicker than me. The first thing you all miss is that I'm not slow by any stretch. I'm not a slow guy. I don't slide. I don't just walk to guys. I'm a technician in my own right.
And you guys, for some reason you all turn me out to be the underdog in this fight. But I'll let y'all have that. I'm going for a knockout for every fight. If a guy stands there and takes it, I might not get the knockout that fight but somewhere along the line some other guy gets it. I've been beating up and debilitating them. I've been proving it through my career at 135.
Q. Are you going to break him down like you did Juan Diaz?
NATE CAMPBELL: I break everybody down. When was the last time you've seen me not break someone down at 135?
Q. Nate, just a question what the fans tell me, and I'm just correlating what they feel, you said you were the stronger man and you seem to fight into the strength of the fighter, beat him at his own game. The question is, have you prepared for this fight any differently for a different style, and if anything, what is your preparation going like and what kind of strategy do you employ against a guy like Joan Guzman?
NATE CAMPBELL: I did train different for this fight. We knew about his style. So we had to incorporate that in my sparring. But at the end of the day you've got to fight me for 12 rounds. And you got to bring ass to get ass. And that's what I bring. You have to come willing to stand. Every fight Joan was in, he's got to fight at some point.
Q. Nate, Galaxxy Warrior, how did you get that nickname? I'm sure you've been asked it many times.
NATE CAMPBELL: It was my gym name. It was the first gym, Galaxy Boxing was the gym. It was the first gym I went to as an adult. I had been to gyms before. That was the one that stuck, the one that really made the difference.
Q. That turned you into a boxer, and it had two Xs in it, that's why it has two Xs in your name?
NATE CAMPBELL: Up front the name of the place was Galaxxy Computer up front. In the back was a gym called Boxing at the Galaxxy. It was not me, it was not me being some guy that was trying to make himself bigger with two Xs, that was the name of the gym.
Q. Timothy, Gary Shaw, I was able to see the performance of his fighter with Dawson up in Sacramento. And based on his training, Dawson won, he came out victorious. And then he's your trainer, what do you feel is the most important thing that you're learning from Mr. Gary Shaw?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Gary Shaw is my promoter.
Q. Who is training you?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Joel Diaz.
Q. What would you like to put in effect in this fight against your contender that you learned from your trainer?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Just basically being smart. Just being smart. Boxing smart in there. And just basically just following the game plan, listening to my corner and following the game plan that we came up with.
Closing comments
NATE CAMPBELL: I'm looking for a great fight. I want people to come out and watch the fight and watch it on SHOWTIME, to be able to understand that the way that I fight is the way that I fight and that's what you get every time out. So I want them to be prepared for an early night or a long, hard night. Whichever way it comes, that's the way I take it.
JOAN GUZMAN: I would like to thank my entire team. My trainer Floyd Merriweather, Sr., and my promoters, Sycuan Promotions, and SHOWTIME for having me back on the network. We're ready to fight on September 13th and you'll see the first three division Dominican-born champion on September 13th.
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I'd like to thank God for this opportunity. Thank SHOWTIME for giving me a chance to fight on SHOWTIME and thank my promotional companies, Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and Don King for making this all possible. I'd like to thank Edner Cherry for stepping up, man. Thank you so much. And may the best man win that night. And good luck. God bless everybody.
EDNER CHERRY: I just want to thank God for opening this door for me. I just want to say good luck to everybody. I'd like to thank Timothy Bradley and his people for giving me the chance of fighting for this title. I want to thank my team. I want to thank everyone. This is a blessing for me. And I just want to thank all y'all. Nate, what's up. Take it home. Good luck to all y'all. And I'll see all y'all on the 13th, see you at the weigh-in.
End of FastScripts
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