QUOTES FROM HUMBERTO SOTO AND FRANKIE GOMEZ MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL

LOS ANGELES (May 6) – Former three-division world champion Humberto “La Zorrita” Soto (65-8-2, 35 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, and super lightweight top contender Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (18-0, 13 KOs) hosted a media conference call on Tuesday, May 5 to discuss their upcoming super lightweight 10-round bout on May 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston.  Soto vs. Gomez will be the televised co-main event for Canelo vs. Kirkland live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

 

Soto and Gomez were joined by Freddie Roach, International Boxing Hall of Fame Trainer and trainer to Frankie Gomez and Eric Gomez, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions. Below is what they had to say:

 

HUMBERTO “LA ZORRITA” SOTO, Former Three-Division World Champion:

 

“Everything is really good and I am ready to go. I am relaxing right now. I am focusing on making weight.

 

“Every fight is an opportunity and I want to keep moving up the ladder to get to a world title fight.

 

“It is a matter of sitting with my team, but if there is a world champion out there willing to give me the opportunity, then I would like to fight for the title.

 

“The important thing is your mind and mentality and to condition your mind to win. We will both have that – physically and mentality. But the real winners will be the fans. This will be a good fight.

 

“Talk is cheap. What really matters is the hard work and effort you put in the gym. I have worked really hard for this fight and I think that will be what makes the difference.

 

“I can adjust against anything that Frankie throws at me. I think I will be victorious.

 

“I want to let the fans know that I appreciate them and thank you for the support. It will be a great fight and a great night of boxing. It is an important fight and I am just appreciative of all the support.”

 

FRANKIE “PITBULL” GOMEZ, Super Lightweight Top Contender:

“Thank you Golden Boy Promotions, HBO, my manager, and everyone for this opportunity.

 

“On May 9, there is going to be some good fights. I have been training hard and on Saturday we will se seeing good results.

 

“Soto has a lot of experience. He has been through a lot of fights. I have a lot of experience from my amateur career. I am not concerned and I am ready for this fight.

 

“Freddie has been there every day for training. It was a very good training camp and I am ready to show fans what I can do.

 

“I will fight anybody. It is up to my promoters, matchmakers, and team. I am not afraid of anybody.

 

“Fight against someone with more experience is a lot of pressure but I like working under it. It motivates me more to do better in the fight.

 

“I will fight anybody. They gave me Soto. I know he has more experience but I think I am ready and I have trained hard. I think I can win.

 

“I am planning to go all 10 rounds. I am not going to look for the knock out. He has a lot of experience with combinations, but I think I can handle him. I think my youth and power will help me overcome him.

 

“Don’t miss Saturday. It will be a good fight. Make sure to tune in.”

 

FREDDIE ROACH, International Boxing Hall of Fame Trainer and Trainer to Frankie Gomez:

“Frankie Gomez is one of the best fighters in the world today. He has potential to be a world champion. He is really going to shine here and it will open a lot of doors for him.

 

“Gomez is one of the best fighters in the world and spars at the best in our gym, like Manny Pacquiao and all of those guys.

 

“There are a lot of names of future opponents for Frankie and we want them all. He is ready for Amir Khan now. We will go against anybody. He is one of my top guys and people should be afraid. If you go against Frankie Gomez, you will get beat. I promise.

 

“It will be a great fight for Frankie and good step up in the right direction. He will be champion really soon. I guarantee that.”

 

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions:

“This is a big opportunity for Frankie Gomez to shine. He is developed, and with such a developed prospect, there is no one better than Freddie Roach to train him. A victory over Soto will put him in a great place. This is his coming-out party.

 

“Frankie has the speed and the power. You can’t help but see him go to another level when he teamed up with Freddie. Freddie has really brought the best out of him, helping him get stronger and stronger. Every fight is a step in the next direction. He needs these kinds of fights to define himself and he is definitely becoming his own person.

 

“Soto is a dangerous fighter with lots of experience.. It will be a great fight. It is one of those fights will that could be a main event at any other show. With Canelo and Kirkland, it will be a huge night.”

 

Tickets for May 9 Canelo vs. Kirkland are priced at $350, $150, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable fees and service charges, are available for purchase at Astros.com/boxing, the Minute Maid Park Box Office (Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, online at www.ticketmaster.com. There is a 19-ticket limit per household.

 

Canelo Alvarez vs. James Kirkland is a 12-round super welterweight bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Canelo Promotions, SMS Promotions and Leija*Battah Promotions.  The fight will take place Saturday, May 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston and is sponsored by Corona Extra, Mexico – Live it to Believe it!, Fred Loya Insurance and O’Reilly Auto Parts.  Doors open at 11:00 a.m. CT and first bout starts at11:10 a.m. CT, the HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

 

An all-new edition of 24/7 Alvarez/Kirkland debuts Tuesday, May 5 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.