LOS ANGELES (Sept. 7, 2016) – Fighters featured on the undercard of Canelo vs. Smith today hosted a Los Angeles media workout at City of Angels Boxing ahead of their upcoming fights on September 17, 2017 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

As the co-main event to the mega-fight between Canelo Alvarez and Liam Smith, “King” Gabriel Rosado (23-9, 13 KOs, 1 NC) of Philadelphia, will face former world title challenger Willie “El Mongoose” Monroe, Jr. (20-2, 6 KOs) of Rochester, N.Y. in a 12-round middleweight bout. Also on the televised undercard, 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. (21-0, 12 KOs) of So. El Monte, Calif. will defend his NABF Featherweight title for the second time in a 10-round fight against one of the hardest punchers and most experienced fighters in the division, Andrew “El Chango” Cancio (17-3-2, 13 KOs) of Blythe, Calif. Opening up the Pay-Per-View telecast, rising star Diego De La Hoya (15-0, 9 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico, will face off against Luis “Orlandito” Orlando Del Valle (22-2, 16 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico in a 10-round fight. Also featured on the non-televised undercard, Vergil Ortiz (1-0) of Dallas, Texas will take on Ernesto Hernandez (1-3, 1 KO) of El Paso, Texas in a Lone Star state four-round super lightweight battle.

Below is what the fighters had to say at today’s media workout:

“KING” GABRIEL ROSADO, Former Middleweight World Title Challenger:

“It’s great training with Fernando. We are comfortable with each other now. The chemistry was always there but it takes awhile to get familiar with the trainer. Having already trained for two fights together helped us prepare for this big opportunity. Everything is flowing.

“I think Monroe is a decent fighter but I’m going to show that he is not on my level as far as experience. I think I’m a young veteran. I’ve beat top names and lost to top names but I’m bringing more to the table.

“The fans have always supported me. They are always showing love. My shirts sell everywhere around the world. I think that shows when you put your all into it and give the fans their money’s worth, they are going to support you regardless. I think it’s overrated to protect that ‘0’, stacking the record. If you’re fighting good competition and putting on good fights, they’ll show you love.

“Originally I was supposed to fight Billy Joe Saunders in a world title fight on this card. I was very excited. Fernando and I started camp right away. Things, for whatever reason, went south with that fight and Golden Boy gave me options on who to fight I next. Once we changed the opponent, we got focused on someone else.”

JOSEPH “JOJO” DIAZ, JR., NABF Featherweight Champion:

“Thank you to Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions for giving me this great opportunity. I know that this is my time to shine and showcase my skills and prove to everyone that I can be the next superstar in boxing.

“Andrew Cancio is a dangerous fighter. He is very strong. His last two fights he’s proven he has that power to knock opponents out. I know I have to be cautious but I’m going to brawl with him and show him my power. I’m going to push him back; he’s not going to push me back. My team and I are coming in with a good game plan. I’m a whole different person. I feel stronger inside the ring. I feel like I have the speed and ability. I’m ready 110 percent for this fight.

“It’s going to be a dream come true fighting at AT&T Stadium in front of hard-core boxing fans. I’m going to go inside the ring and do what I do. I’ll take care of business on September 17. This will be the biggest fight of my life and I’m going to go in and show everyone how hard I’ve been training for this fight.

“If everything goes well and I don’t have any injuries, I look forward to fighting one more time this year.”

ANDREW “EL CHANGO” CANCIO, Featherweight Contender:

“Training camp has gone well. We’ve been putting in hard work. Jojo Diaz is a very sharp and slick fighter but I’m ready for him.

“I was shocked when I got the news I would be fighting on the Canelo vs. Smith undercard at AT&T Stadium. This opportunity is a blessing. We’re getting ready for September 17.

“We’re going to go in there looking for a war. If it takes 10 rounds, then it takes 10 rounds.”

DIEGO DE LA HOYA, WBC Youth Super Bantamweight Champion:

“I’ve been super focused this training camp. I won’t let this moment slip away because I recognize the value and open doors this can get me. I have a tough opponent. Puerto Rico versus Mexico is always a shown down, but this is what we have been training for, and we should be ready for anything in the ring.”

VERGIL ORTIZ, Super Lightweight Prospect:

“This is my second professional fight and the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m excited to be able to put my name out there for folks to recognize me. My opponent has a potential knock out power, so I have to be careful in the ring. I’m ready to go, and this is only the beginning.”

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, “Hennessy. Never Stop. Never Settle,” “Adriana’s Insurance, El seguro que necesitas Al precio que quieres pagar,” “AT&T, mobilizing your world,” and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. CT, first fight and the RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT; the preliminary live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT; with the main show produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. PT.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

What does Liam Smith provide in term of helping Canelo to get ready for a potential fight with GGG? As a promoter, what do you tell boxing fans that wanted to see Canelo-GGG instead of Canelo-Smith?

“Well, first of all, Canelo takes every fight seriously and never looks past anyone. Liam Smith is an undefeated fighter, the WBO Junior Middleweight Champion of the world, has knocked out his last eight opponents and comes from an outstanding boxing family.

“As of today, Canelo is a 154-lb fighter. He only fought for a Middleweight championship because fans wanted a fight with Miguel Cotto, and Canelo delivered by winning that fight convincingly.

“I have been clear that Canelo will fight Golovkin at 160 pounds and we have a verbal agreement to do it in the fall of 2017. But in the meantime, Canelo is going to build up to being a true middleweight.

“The plan is to face Smith – a big, bruising 154-pounder – in September, and if Canelo emerges victorious, to start making his way up to 160 pounds and fight Golovkin on equal turf (in terms of weight).

“We envision Canelo doing a third fight in 2016 either at or close to the middleweight limit and then a fight on Cinco De Mayo at 160 before facing Golovkin in the fall.

“I know Canelo/Golovkin is the biggest fight to make; the fighters know it’s the biggest fight to make; and the fans know it’s the biggest fight to make. Everyone agreed that a fight for the middleweight championship should take place at the middleweight limit and once Canelo builds up to that weight, the fight will be on.

“In the meantime, we are hopeful and confident that Canelo will continue to perform at a level that has led to back-to-back knockouts of the year over James Kirkland and Amir Khan and when his body is ready, GGG should look out.”

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts Saturday, September 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

Alvarez challenges Britain’s Liam Smith for his junior middleweight crown when Canelo vs. Smith takes place Saturday, September 17 from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, live on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

LOS ANGELES (September 6, 2016) – On Mexican Independence Weekend, Golden Boy Promotions will offer the world championship battle between heavy punchers, former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion, Liam “Beffy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs), on online pay-per-view via new site, www.goldenboyppv.com. Live from the home of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, www.goldenboyppv.com will allow fans the opportunity to watch this mega-fight on the device of their choice on September 17. This online offering is designed to reach those consumers who don’t have access to the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast that’s available through cable TV, satellite and telco pay-per-view providers.

“Our premium platform is designed with the boxing fan in mind and will provide fans a deep immersive pre-fight video experience featuring exclusive behind the scenes programming from training camp throughout fight week,” said Oscar De La Hoya Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Our goal is to give fans access beyond the ring in a way that enriches their on-line viewing experience throughout fight night. ” Goldenboyppv.com is one of many new platforms Golden Boy Promotions has launched over the past 12 months.

The pay-per-view live stream event on www.goldenboyppv.com, can be pre-ordered and will be available for all U.S.-based users for $64.99 and will feature a legendary broadcast team with the “Colonel,” Bob Sheridan calling the bow-by-blow and Larry Merchant delivering the color. This one-two punch combination takes the broadcast to new heights and provides fans with spectacular insights throughout fight night.

The pay-per-view live stream will include the 10-round co-main event between “King” Gabriel Rosado (23-9, 13 Kos, 1 NC) and Willie Monroe Jr. (20-1, 6 KOs) fighting for the vacant WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title; the 10-round NABF Featherweight Title between Joseph “Jojo” Diaz Jr. (21-0, 12 KOs) and Andrew “El Chango” Cancio (17-3-2, 13 KOs); and the 10-round event featuring Diego De La Hoya (15-0, 9 KOs) defending his WBC Youth Super Bantamweight Title against the experienced Luis Orlando Del Valle (22-2, 16 KOs).

“Golden Boy’s Media and Entertainment division is laser focused on delivering world-class digital programming experiences for fans around the world – our global distribution capabilities drive exclusive content across a vast landscape of digital and social platforms entertaining a boxing world on the go.” Said David Tetreault, EVP, Media and Entertainment, Golden Boy Promotions.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Hennessey, Adriana’s Insurance, AT&T, and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. CT, first fight and the RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT; the preliminary live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT; with the four fight pay-per-view card produced and distributed live to cable TV, satellite and telco pay-per-view providers by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions:

We’re very excited to be on this call. We’re just two weeks away from the show. This is the official international media conference call with WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion, Undefeated champion, Liam “Beefy” Smith. On September 17 over Mexican Independence weekend, Canelo returns to Texas for a big challenge, a dangerous challenge in WBO World Champion, Liam “Beefy” Smith.

Obviously it’s going to be at AT&T Stadium, home of America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. Canelo’s going to be returning for the first time to Texas where he had a great fight against James Kirkland. So we’re very excited about that.

Liam, as you know is undefeated. He’s known as a heavy puncher. He’s coming off a streak of eight knockouts in a row. He’s probably the toughest task that Canelo’s ever had. So it’s going to be a great night of boxing and it’s going to be a great fight.

Just like we say, everything’s bigger in Texas. The stadium is doing very well with ticket sales. We’re already over 25,000 in ticket sales. There are still tickets available. You can buy tickets at Ticketmaster. You can go on the website at www.Ticketmaster.com or you can call by phone 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are as low as $40 and $750 for ringside.

So now I want to turn it over to our co-promoter for the fight and good friend, Frank Warren, to introduce the team. Frank?

FRANK WARREN, Chairman of Box Nation and Promoter to Liam Smith:

Thank you, Eric, very kind of you. It’s obviously a great privilege to be working on such a special show in Dallas on the 17th of September. Liam Smith I’ve promoted since he turned professional eight years ago. I’ve always thought that he was an exceptional fighter and an exceptional British fighter. He’s won all his fights to date. He’s on an eight-fight knockout roll, and I’ve never seen him up so much for a fight.

He begged me for this fight, and we made it happen between all of us, and I can assure you when he gets there on the 17th, there are going to be some serious fireworks. It’s going to be a real celebration for the Brits. It might be Mexican Independence Day, but it’s going to be the Brits are coming and the Brits are going to come away still holding that belt.

He’s so confident and all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never felt or doubted him or his ability. He’s one of those fighters, the bigger the occasion, the more you’ll get out of him.

He’s 28 years of age. He comes from Liverpool. He’s the first Liverpool champ or British world champ to come out of Liverpool in 22 years. He comes from a fighting family. His brothers are all professional boxers, all very successful, and I think he’s the best of the brothers. I’ve always said that and I’m sure that he is.

And I’m quite sure that we’re going to see something special in Dallas on the 17th. Liam’s on the line, and I know you’d like to speak to him. So Liam, over to you.

LIAM SMITH, WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion:

Yes, Frank. We’ve already done a lot of the hard work already. We’ve got a couple of hard weeks and it’s all about getting the timing right towards the 17th. Me and Joe, we’ll come prepared. And like Frank said, it’s a fight I’ve always asked for. I’ve been on Frank’s case for this fight and a number of fights of this magnitude for over 12 months now. They say no one can fight at Canelo’s level because they don’t know that I can perform at that level yet. This fight is going to tell you guys that I’m at that level myself. I know I’m at that level. So you’ll know who Liam Smith is come September 17th.

ERIC GOMEZ: Liam, thank you. And Frank, thank you for the kind words.

So a couple of notes before we open up for questions. Obviously, this is going to be brought to you by HBO pay-per-view, so if you can’t be there in person, make sure you get the pay-per-view. And last but not least I’d like to thank our sponsors involved in this fight, Tecate, Born Bold, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Hennesey: Never Stop, Never Settle, Adrianna’s Insurance, AT&T: Mobilizing Your World, and Casa Mexico Tequila. With that, thank you to the sponsors. We couldn’t put together a great show like this without you. So with that, we can open it up to questions.

Q. Hello Frank and Liam.

JOE GALLAGHER: This is Joe Gallagher. I’m here in the room as well, Joe Gallagher.

FRANK WARREN: Joe, I’m sorry. Joe Gallagher is on the line, Ring Trainer of the Year 2015, and he’s done a fantastic job with Liam working with him over the years. I can’t say enough of his ability. I do apologize.

Q. Joe, it’s good to have you on the call also. My first question, Liam, a lot of your British countrymen have talked a lot during their careers about how they wanted to come to the United States and fight. I remember hearing those comments from Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe and people like that that really look forward at some point in their career making a name. They had made their name in Britain, but they wanted to have bigger fights in the United States. You have a big fight here with Canelo Alvarez and it’s going to be your first fight in the United States. But I wonder has one of your goals been what those guys talked about, that you really wanted to come to the states and make a big name for yourself, or was this just sort of the way it worked out for you? What are your feelings about having an opportunity to fight in the United States?

LIAM SMITH: This fight has got nothing to do really with any of those fights that you mentioned. It also doesn’t reflect on any of the fights that have challenged. This isn’t Canelo with Amir Khan. This has to do with me, and it’s a personal thing for me. I’ve always been told I think I’ve got a style that the American fight fans will like. There is no mixing out of my style, there’s no awkwardness. There’s no holds. There’s no negativity around me. What you see is what you get in terms of the fight.

Like I said last time on the phone mark my words, I’m coming to fight Canelo, and you’re going to be in a massive shock. This fight is me making a name for myself the world over and establishing myself to the world of boxing and not just for British fight fans.

Q. Was it a goal to fight in America like some of your past star countrymen? Was that on your bucket list?

LIAM SMITH: I don’t want to emulate nothing. I want to go there and beat Canelo on me own and have people talking about Liam Smith. There will be people talking about Liam Smith and not Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe.

Q. No, no, Liam, I think you’re misunderstanding me. I understand what you’re saying. I’m saying in your mind when you became a professional fighter and making your way up the ranks, was fighting a major fight in the States something that was a big deal for you? Is that something that you aspired to do?

LIAM SMITH: Yeah, it is. If you ask anyone down the line, I go to the States twice, three times a year, training and sparring there. Training the amount of training over in the States. The Wild Card Gym, The Rock Gym, there and to sparring there for the Canelo fight. I’ve been in numerous gyms in the States, and probably if I didn’t have the bond with Joe and I didn’t have the relationship with Frank as a promotional company, I’d have probably moved to America a long time ago. But it’s bond and too much to basically jump ship and move there.

But I look to move there when I finish boxing. I love the States and making a name out there for myself is something I want to do.

Q. A lot of the conversation that’s been directed towards Canelo going into this fight is why he’s not fighting Gennady Golovkin who is coming to the country to fight Kell Brook, and the fight that many of the people in the United States that people hoped to see was Canelo versus Golovkin. So my question for you, how tired of that are you hearing about how people are disappointed that Canelo is not fighting Triple G, but he’s fighting a guy in Liam Smith who most people here have never heard of? Does it make a difference to you? Does it motivate you? What is your point to all the people that say they don’t know who Liam Smith is, and we’d rather see him fighting Triple G?

LIAM SMITH: I don’t knock the people saying they don’t know Liam Smith. All I say to them is be sure you come back on the same social media, to the same magazine you criticized and make sure you come back on September 18th and hold your hands up and say Liam won.

I don’t mind that. I know they don’t know me. I can’t blame them. I haven’t fought in the States just yet. I could have done some fights as you mentioned before. The way they’ve done it, (Indiscernible) could have fought Castillo and went there and fought (Indiscernible) before the other big fight against Castillo.

Now I was just going to ask you the same thing. Went there for one of the channels. It’s going to be a very, very good fight. But it’s just the fact I’m going there and I’m fighting the biggest name over there and they expect him to fight Triple G, so I’m getting the backlash of that.

The same, you’ve got to know me as a boxer, and personally, we can talk if you want about Triple G and Canelo, but after September 17 there won’t be no talk of Triple G anymore.

Q. Liam, both of your brothers Paul and Stephen have fought only one time in the United States and big step-up fights and neither one was competitive at all. I wanted to know if you feel pressure to end that streak? Have they given you any words of advice from their failures?

LIAM SMITH: No, I don’t feel any pressure of fighting in the States and lost the fourth quarter special fight around the awards, and Stephen fought a very good Jose Pedraza on the 9th. Stephen would have won that fight. Everyone thinks Stephen performed bad, but he just came up against a very good Pedraza.

And now, saying that they’re going to give me confidence. I’ve been in the States and fought before. When I’m in that changing room, I’ll feel as if I’ve been in that situation before. Obviously I’m going to have to deal on the biggest stage. This is the biggest stage — not the biggest stage in boxing by no means, but the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. But it doesn’t faze me and it’s one I’m looking forward to the finishing.

FRANK WARREN: That question you asked is a fair question you asked. However, Liam’s going there as a world champion. His brothers didn’t go there as a world champion. He’s the world champion. He’s the one that’s won the world title.

Q. I know. But I don’t think that means a whole lot in this day and age of four titles per weight class. Canelo’s the name here State side. Does that really make a big difference?

FRANK WARREN: It might not mean nothing to you, but I think it means something to Liam. He’s very proud of being a world champion, and he’s going there to defend his title. Obviously he has value as a world title, that’s why he’s fighting Canelo. But the bottom line, as he said earlier, as far as going to the States, if you ask anybody in all the gyms that he’s worked with out there or all the guys he’s sparred there, they’ll tell you how good he is. He’s a good fighter.

I’ve been involved with lots of fighters over the years. Lots of fighters out in the States. A lot of fighters I’ve been involved with considered no-hopers against great American fighters or were to be great American fighters at the time, and a lot of my guys have won those fights. And I feel confident in Liam that he can emulate what they’ve done, and we’ll be talking afterwards about when is Liam going to be fighting Golovkin because that’s what they’re going to be talking about after this fight.

Q. Can you give me an example of a fight this reminds of you then? A past fight of a guy who was considered not to have a shot?

FRANK WARREN: I think with Joe Calzhage with Showtime and everybody was building up Jeff Lacy to be the next big thing and he destroyed him. I mean absolutely destroyed him. I can think of Joe going out and fighting Bernard Hopkins. He was an underdog in that fight and he won that fight. Well won it with the scoring he well won that fight. When Frank Bruno was against Oliver McCall and knocked out Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno was considered the interloper and he won that fight. There are quite a few.

Naseem Hamed winning fights over the years against American opponents who we brought over who were champions, won them all. He’s of that ilk. He can win them. We call Liam the scouse Mexican, scouse you might not know is a Liverpool nickname and that’s how he fights.

Q. Liam, can you speak to that point about how you are as a champion and your brothers and how that may change things? Can you maybe speak about how you think your mindset is going to be different than your brothers were because you’re the champion and they were the challengers? How does that help you?

LIAM SMITH: I can only hear the very end of your question. Sorry.

Q. How will your mindset be different going into this fight as an underdog, knowing that you’re the champion, whereas your brothers were the challengers?

LIAM SMITH: My mindset with that is I always know the arguments over the ring boards and stuff like that. I’m not stupid. I know on paper I’m the B-side of this fight. Canelo’s the big name. It’s always Canelo, and it’s Mexican Independence Day, so I know that. But I am the champion, and just looking back on that, that is one reason why I hope they’ll respect that I’m champion and be fair. If I win the fight, then make sure I get the decision. Give me the respect I deserve. I am the champion, even though I am the B-side in the fight. Canelo’s the big name, but I am the champion going in.

So this fight, I know I am the champion, but there doesn’t have to be a belt on the line for me. I took this fight. I’m not in a situation where I have nothing to lose in this fight. I’ve got a title to lose. So I’ve taken this fight because it’s an opportunity to make a name for myself and establish myself as one of the best fighters pound-for-pound in the world.

Q. Do you feel this is the kind of fight you’ve been training for your whole life? The kind of fight that turns you into a name and a star worldwide?

LIAM SMITH: Yes, I do. This is the fight that — if I could pick a style of a fighter, it would be similar of Canelo’s style. I always wanted a Canelo fight, a Cotto fight. A style like that is what I prefer to fight. This fight can only be a great fight. There’s no way the styles will make a bad fight. They gel well, and this is a fight, again, you’re going to see me smile in. Because even I smile when it’s not going my way. I’m not going to not smile because I’m not winning. I’ll smile because I enjoy every minute of this fight.

This is, I say to Joe as he’s got me in the gym, this fight is right up my street as they say in the news. Canelo and this fight is right up my street stylewise.

It’s going to be give and take. Canelo’s going to have his moments. I’m not saying he’s not. But I’m going to have my moments. It will come down to they can finish off their moments and finish the fight the best. So it’s one that I’m looking forward to every time I think about the fight it gets me excited. It just gets me excited. So it’s one that I can’t wait for. It’s going to be a great fight.

Q. Liam, the question is do you like your chances better than Brook against Triple G? Do you like your chances better against Canelo?

LIAM SMITH: Yes, 100% I like my chances because I’m 100% confident I’m going to win this fight, and Canelo’s the favorite to win the fight. And I’ll be rooting for Kell Brook, but I think it’s a step too far for him. But I don’t think it’s a step too far for myself. But, yes, I think I’ve got a chance.

FRANK WARREN: Liam’s a natural 154-pound fighter. He’s not going up a weight. This is his weight. This is the weight he fights at.

Q. HBO has been publicizing about your sister and autism. How important is this fight for you and this pay-per-view to get the word out around the world about autism and to make everybody aware of autism?

LIAM SMITH: Yeah, well, it’s important to our family. My sister is autistic. We try and publicize that as much as we can and raise awareness for autism. So it’s great for those American fight fans and the American fans and HBO can also relate to that and can see autism is a big thing. And my sister’s severely autistic, so she’s a massive inspiration to me and my brothers, and obviously to fans as well.

Q. Eric, Oscar has predicted a crowd in the vicinity of 80,000 people. The two other fight cards that have been held at the Cowboy Stadium, AT&T Stadium were involving Manny Pacquiao, one was 40,000, another 50,000. If Oscar’s projection is correct, you’d have to sell 55,000 seats in the next two weeks. How close to that do you think that this fight can realistically approach?

ERIC GOMEZ: I mean, look, there is a reason why Oscar’s been very successful at promoting. That’s obviously our wish that it can be a sell out. But I can say this, it’s going to be a successful night. Already — this is coming from the people with the Dallas Cowboys — already at this point, this far out from the fight we’ve already surpass Manny Pacquiao where he was at for both fights. So the tickets are moving, they’re moving steadily, and we feel it’s going to be a big crowd. It’s going to look great.

It’s a big, beautiful stadium. We’ll see. You never know. With the walk up, a lot of the Mexican fans, they cross the border and they’ll drive to Dallas for a lot of the Cowboy games. From what they’re telling us, they like to buy tickets from the box Office. So we’re expecting a big walk-up.

Tickets are moving well. We’ll see. We’ll see. We’ll cross our fingers and hopefully we get there. But nevertheless, already with over 25,000 people, it’s going to look great.

Q. Frank, England and Great Britain has always had an important role in the history of professional boxing. But per capita probably the most intense fight fans going now are in Germany and England. I think ring magazine, their list of champions and Top 10 rated fighters, there are actually more now from the UK than from the United States. What explains this huge spike, if it is indeed a huge spike, in popularity in boxing in the U.K.?

FRANK WARREN: It’s always been a very popular sport here. It’s one of our main sports. And I think the main thing about it is because we’re good at it. We worked, not just me, other promoters. We’ve invested our time and money over the years developing talent. The bottom line is we do have good, quality talent to come through, and Liam has been a pro now for eight years. It’s been a bit of a journey for him, and I don’t mean that disrespectfully.

In the early days I’ve just felt some of the fights we were making, like making time fights. You see a fighter fighting and you think to yourself, he needs to be stepped up and stepped up, and that’s what we’ve tried to do with him. And I think what has happened, he’s one of those special group of fighters. We’ve got a lot of guys who have held title. But there’s only three or four of them who are really quality, world champions and he’s one of them.

As I say, we’ve been very successful in what we do in boxing, and I think looking at the Olympic Games we’ve had a great, great run there. You look at the heavyweight division over the last four or five Olympic games. We’ve won medals where the U.S. hasn’t won medals at that point. I just think that with our guys we’ve got great followings in their hometowns. We build them in their hometowns. We don’t build four-wall deals. What we do is try to build a following in their home city, and I think that’s what we’re successfully doing. And that translates into interest in the fighters and the fact that the fighters want to box.

There are guys out there in our amateur clubs, there are a huge amount of amateur boxing clubs in the U.K., and they’re very, very well supported and very well funded. And as so, we’ve got a good system that’s working, and you see they’re all translating now into what you see in the amount of British boxers that are in the ratings or are world champions.

But I think for Liam, because obviously that’s what this call is all about today, I think with Liam, you’ve got to see something special. He has got something to lose. You know, people say, what have I got to lose? I’m going to go out there and get a payday and that’s it. But he’s got something to lose. And I know that’s something that’s very special to him, and that’s his pride. He’s going there to defend his title and come back with all the accolades that he’s going to deserve in doing so.

And I’m not coming out there with him to sit there and go home as a loser. I’m coming out there because I’ve got tremendous belief in him and tremendous belief in his preparation and what Joe Gallagher’s doing with him. But he can come away winning this fight. It’s not going to be easy. He’s fighting a very good fighter. But you know what? He’s got the tools to do it.

Q. Liam and Frank, human nature being what it is, since so many people are pointing or looking forward to a mega fight between Triple G and Canelo, would Triple G fighting Kell Brook over in England and this fight here, some people are going to say, well, they’re going to take the safe approach because they want to protect that. Human nature being this, how much of a motivating factor is that like a slap to a guy’s pride that most people think this is just going to be a walk through the park because we’ve got to protect the big fight? How motivating is that for Liam?

FRANK WARREN: Liam, do you want to go first or me? Okay. As I’ve just said, he’s a very proud fighter and he’s a very confident fighter. What they may feel are safe fights. But let me tell you something, the fighters they’re fighting though are not coming to make up the numbers. They’re coming to fight.

I used to promote Kell Brook, I got him up to the number one position. He had 20 fights with me. He’s a capable fighter. I think he’s got a very, very tough fight. He’s coming up two weight divisions to fight one of the best fighters if not the best fighter in the world. And you’ve got Liam going to the guy who is also considered to be one of the best, if not the best, American fighters or Mexican fighters.

However, they are not trying to step up to the plate. You can’t be what people may be assuming and what they’re saying about Canelo and Triple G cannot be said about five other British boxers. They are stepping up. They’re fearless. They’re coming to fight.

My man, Liam, is coming to the other guy’s backyard. He’s coming to the back yard, not to make up the numbers, but to defend his title and come back as a winner and hopefully Liam Smith’s name will be on everybody’s lips. If he wins this fight, and I really do feel he can. It’s not going to be easy, but I do feel he has the capabilities to win it. It will be in my opinion one of the biggest upsets as far as Brits going abroad. It will be the biggest thing of a British boxer in modern times to go out there and do that. That’s how significant this fight will be.

That’s why we’re in there. That’s why we’ve taken this fight because we believe in our man. We believe in Liam Smith.

Q. Frank and Liam, if you guys could explain why you guys withdrew from the drug testing and why that was important for you to do that?

ERIC GOMEZ: I can talk to that, Frank, if you don’t mind. They didn’t withdraw. What we decided was we weren’t going to do voluntary testing with VADA. But Liam is still undergoing testing with the British Boxing Control Board, and Canelo’s still undergoing testing by Texas and the WBO. So nobody withdrew. There is testing.

Q. So there is a misconception out there that he withdrew.

FRANK WARREN: The British Boxing Board controls drug testing, and you may think I’m biased, but it’s probably the most stringent of any governing body in the world, I can assure you. So from our end, we’re happy with all the arrangements.

Q. Liam, this is your first fight outside of the U.K. I just wanted to know what kind of changes have you guys made in the training camp, if any? And you know there’s been video circulating out there of you sparring with Kell Brook. Have you guys made any changes to this particular training camp or has this been kind of the same that you’ve been doing the last few years?

LIAM SMITH: It’s kind of the same. We’ve changed a bit in every camp. We’ve changed obviously sparring partners. We’ve changed hardware with Joe, we’ve changed the combination offensively and defensively. We work on what we think Canelo does well. So we’ve just changed the little adjustments.

We always have conditioned well. We’ll be ready for the fight, there is no question about that. So we’ve just made the little adjustments, like I said, to get ready towards Canelo.

Q. Do you guys feel that coming up after this fight, if you guys come out victorious, are you guys looking at possibly unifying the division? Or do you feel like after you beat Canelo a possible step up to middleweight is something you’d be looking at in your future?

LIAM SMITH: No, I’m not a middleweight, and until my body is ready to go to middleweight, I’ll announce it. But I’m not going to sound like Canelo and sound like all the other people now and say I want to beat Canelo, I want to fight Charlo or I want to fight Triple G, because that’s what people are following Canelo for.

Now, obviously, my mind is just set on Canelo. And when I beat Canelo, my next fight will be Canelo again, because I know they will throw everything back. They overlooked me, and I know after September 17, the excuses are going to come. So I know they’re going to do what they can to get the rematch again. So my mind will be focused on Canelo, and it will be on Canelo again. Because I can see what’s going to happen.

Q. Frank, what’s going on with Billy Joe Saunders? I know there was a possibility that he was going to be on the undercard.

FRANK WARREN: We’re announcing his fight on Monday, next Monday.

Q. Again, there was talk about possibly in December with Billy Jo fighting Canelo if Canelo’s successful? I know you have to get by Liam Smith, but is that still a possibility?

FRANK WARREN: No, it’s not a possibility because Liam Smith is going to win this fight.

ERIC GOMEZ: That’s a great answer, Frank (laughing).

LIAM SMITH: It’s the truth.

FRANK WARREN: That’s what we’re here for. We’re not here to lose.

Q. Frank, in the event that some miracle happens and Liam does not win, would that be still in play between Canelo and Saunders?

FRANK WARREN: If he doesn’t win, if he doesn’t, and I’m very positive on this, but if he doesn’t win, all I know is everybody will be demanding a rematch because this is going to be a great fight. Whatever happens, if he loses, which I don’t think he will, then you’ll want to see the rematch.

Q. Frank, do you want to reveal who Saunders is fighting next?

FRANK WARREN: No, we’ll talk about it on Monday. Let’s deal with my champion here, Liam Smith. That’s what we’re at the moment focused on. All will be revealed with Billy Joe on Monday. If the press want to be on the call, speak with Dan in the Office, and we’ll give you a head’s up just before.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much. I think we’re all ready for final comments. Frank, do you have any final comments?

FRANK WARREN: All I would say is I hope that we do sell the stadium out, because the Mexican people are great, great boxing fans and I want them to be there to see what I believe is one of our great British boxers. They’re going to love him. They’re going to love what he does, they’re going to love what they see. Don’t miss this. This is a fight to be there and see. It will be a history-making fight for a British fighter.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Frank. Joe Gallagher, are you still on the line?

JOE GALLAGHER: Yeah, I’m here, yes. Just Liam Smith’s coming over, very well-prepared, ready to defend his title. On Sunday, the 18th, that’s what they’ll be talking about, the three judges, and let’s talk about a good world champion in Liam Smith. That’s my only fear for this fight. These are two honest fighters putting their careers and their lives on the line, and we need three honest men sitting around the ringside to score the fight correctly. What we don’t want is to have a bad decision.

We’ve seen the corruption with the Olympics of late. The bad judging, the bad scoring and this can’t happen on Mexican Independence week. Liam Smith is going out there. He’s putting his title on the line, his life on the line, and we need three honest men to go on that night and go out there thinking I did the right thing. And by doing the right thing, they’ll score Liam Smith the winner.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Liam, go ahead and say your final comments.

LIAM SMITH: Yes, just thanks to everyone, obviously for all of the questions. And like Joe and Frank said, we’re coming September 17th. We’re ready. We’ll have no excuses, and I’ll speak to all the same people on September 18th and just say I told you so, and I’m still champion.

I’d also like to say thanks to Eric and Frank and all the Golden Boy staff for making this fight and now the fight’s only two weeks away, so I hope we’ll have a great show.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Eric, we’re ready for your final comments.

ERIC GOMEZ: Great, thank you, guys. Thank you once again Frank Warren, Frank’s been a great partner with us and by far the best promoter in the U.K.

You know, Joe Gallagher, obviously, a top trainer. Liam is an undefeated fighter. This is a great fight, a dangerous fight. Styles make fights, and this is going to be an explosive fight. We’re very excited for this fight. Don’t miss it. HBO pay-per-view, or you can go in person and see it at beautiful AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Again, tickets are still available. You can get tickets at Ticketmaster, www.Ticketmaster.com. Again, I want to thank the sponsors, everybody involved, thank you very much. And thank you for being on the call, media.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Hennessey, Adriana’s Insurance, AT&T, and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. CT, first fight and the RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT; the preliminary live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT; with the main show produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

By Norm Frauenheim-

He appears to be a mere prop in Canelo Alvarez’ long-term design on creating a legend that still awaits a defining moment, perhaps against Gennady Golovkin. He’s another Smith.

He’s the brother of Paul and Stephen, who are about as forgettable as any other Smith who has fought in the United States.

Betting odds, which opened at 11-1 and are about 10-1 in the UK, suggest that this Smith Brother, Liam, won’t last longer than a cough drop on Sept. 17 against the heavily-favored Canelo on Sept. 17 in a ring on top of the Dallas Cowboys home field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex.

Liam Smith and his management have other ideas. No surprise there. It would be a bigger upset than a Liam Smith victory over Canelo if they didn’t, of course. But they, like Canelo, also have plans on making history, both for the Smith family and the UK.

Unlike Canelo, however, their plans are more immediate. The unknown Liam Smith and his well-known promoter, Frank Warren, are talking about an upset that would be one for the books.

Warren put it this way during a conference call Thursday when asked if Liam Smith would fight in November after a predicted loss to Canelo:

“No, that’s not possible, because he’s going to win.’’

The one-sided odds say otherwise. So, too, does the Texas location and the September date that coincides with the celebration of Mexican Independence.

Canelo, who has taken back the Mexican holidays in May and September since Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement, is hugely popular in Texas. He has fought in front of big crowds in Houston and San Antonio.

Now, he fights for the first time in Dallas, where he intends to further cement his claim on being the face of boxing while also gaining leverage in negotiations for a GGG showdown in 2017.

Translation: All of the pressure is on Canelo to deliver a dominant performance in a fight that will happen one week after GGG faces Kell Brook in London on Sept. 10. If all goes as predicted, the two performances will be a reference point in analyzing who would win and how in a GGG-Canelo bout.

An intriguing footnote is that Canelo is a bigger favorite over Smith at 154 pounds than middleweight champion Golovkin is against Brook, a welterweight champion who is jumping from 147 to 160. GGG is a 7-to-1 favorite.

Liam Smith, the WBO’s 154-pound belt-holder, feels he has as good a shot as Brook has.

“Yes, I like my chances,’’ said Liam, whose brothers were beaten in their last trips to the U.S.

Paul Smith, a super-middleweight, lost to Andre Ward last year in Oakland, Calif. Stephan Smith, a super-featherweight, lost to Jose Pedraza last April in Mashantucket, Conn.

Warren suggested Thursday that Liam is the best of the Smiths, one whom he says will record an upset as big as any in UK boxing history.

“So often, people go over to the States to fight, thinking that they have nothing to lose,’’ said Warren, who said a Liam Smith victory would place him alongside Joe Calzaghe’s upsets of Jeff Lacy, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. “But Liam has something to lose: His pride.’’

So, too, does Canelo, whose own brand of fierce pride is just one of many things at stake.

September 1, 2016 – Leading up to the junior middleweight title bout between Canelo Alvarez and Liam Smith – set for Saturday, September 17 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – fans can enjoy an enlightening look at two of Canelo’s dazzling ring performances when HBO Sports presents classic back-to-back bouts of the 154-pound superstar.

On Friday, September 9 at 12:00 a.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, September 10 at 9:15 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay Cotto vs. Canelo 2015 and Canelo vs. Khan 2016 back-to-back.

In the bright spotlight of Las Vegas on November 21, 2015, Canelo put on a dominating performance over sure fire future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto to win the lineal middleweight championship.

Canelo’s reputation as slugger was solidified on May 7, 2016 with a resounding 6th round KO triumph over Amir Khan at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Both fights will also be available 24 hours a day to HBO NOW, HBO On Demand® and HBO GO® subscribers beginning Monday, September 5.

Canelo Alvarez challenges Britain’s Liam Smith for his junior middleweight crown when Canelo vs. Smith takes place Saturday, September 17 from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, live on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

SAN DIEGO (Aug. 31, 2016) – Former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) today hosted a media workout at the House of Boxing in San Diego ahead of his clash with WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) on Mexican Independence Day Weekend on September 17 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.

Below is what Team Canelo had to say at today’s media workout in San Diego:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Former Two-Division World Champion:

“I love San Diego because it’s really calm here, which is something I require when I am in camp. I feel comfortable and at home which makes me feel great while training, and allows me to train at 100 percent.

“Getting to fight at the AT&T Stadium in Texas is a huge privilege for me and my career. Fighting on this weekend is powerful because it tells the story of Mexicans all over, making a win even more important. This fight is going to be historic; from the venue, the title, to the fans who are going to show up – I take all of this into consideration as I train hard for this match.”

“In our training we have taken a huge focus on the opponents fighting style – no matter what size or weight. Analyzing, and breaking down the fighter’s approach is what we go after in the ring. Just because Smith isn’t very well known in the U.S. doesn’t diminish how tough he is as an opponent. We expect him to be very powerful, and we are training for that.”

EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer for Canelo Alvarez:

“People can have their opinions on the fight. We are training for a world title fight, which is worth respecting. We are doing the work and training hard. Winning this fight is the focus and everything else will come.

“We are working especially hard on defense. We are going to be working the counterpunches, and being able to counteract anything that Smith brings to the ring.”

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Manager and Trainer for Canelo Alvarez:

“The climate here in San Diego is perfect for training. They have a great training environment here at the gym – we have the privacy and the space to run the distance and that makes us very happy. We are enthusiastic with our training efforts, and are working hard to get another title. We are content with the way training is going, and we are looking forward to showing the fans what we have been working on.

“Liam Smith offers us the opportunity to be at the top. His last eight fights have all been won via knock out. He is a dangerous fighter, and just because he isn’t known here doesn’t take away his potential. Smith has to be doing something right to be able to have such powerful victories under his belt, and that has given us an indicator that he is dangerous, and we have to be careful to not enter the ring too confident. We are working our defense specifically for this fight, because we don’t want one of his punches to catch us off guard.”

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, “Hennessy. Never Stop. Never Settle,” Adriana’s Insurance, “AT&T, mobilizing your world,”and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. CT, first fight and the RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT; the preliminary live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT; with the main show produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

HBO Sports, widely acclaimed for its innovative boxing programming, takes an in-depth look at one of boxing’s brightest superstars as he prepares to challenge a 154-pound champion from the UK at one of the world’s most spectacular arenas when ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 (12:45-1:00 a.m. ET/PT).

Other HBO playdates: Sept. 11 (11:30 a.m., 3:15 a.m.), 12 (1:25 p.m., 1:45 a.m.), 13 (6:00 p.m., 11:30 p.m.), 14 (10:00 a.m., 10:30 p.m.), 15 (4:00 p.m.), 16 (1:10 a.m.) and 17 (5:45 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Sept. 15 (8:45 p.m.), 16 (6:30 p.m.) and 17 (11:45 a.m.)

The special will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand, and at hbo.com/boxing, as well as other new media platforms.

Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs), 26, has fashioned a brilliant career, capturing junior middleweight and middleweight world titles. After knocking out challenger Amir Khan last May, Canelo fulfills his commitment to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend by challenging England’s Liam Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) for his 154-pound crown. A native of Liverpool, England, Smith, 28, is one of four brothers who box professionally. The fight will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The special visits Canelo and Smith as they train for their Sept. 17 junior middleweight title showdown.

ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH is narrated by Liev Schreiber.

“Canelo vs. Smith” takes place Saturday, Sept. 17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/ 6:00 p.m. (PT).

For more information, visit hbo.com/boxing; become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/HBOBoxing; and follow on Twitter and Instagram at @HBOBoxing. Follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions:

Thank you all for joining us on the call today. This is the official media conference call for the televised pay-per-view undercard. The fighters that will be fighting on the Canelo-Smith mega fight. On September 17th over Mexican Independence weekend, we are set to have one of the most entertaining boxers in sports today, “King” Gabriel Rosado with a record of 23-9, 13 knockouts from Philadelphia, and he’ll be facing world title challenger, Willie Monroe, with a great record of 20-2 out of Rochester, New York, in a 12-round middleweight bout, and that will be the co-feature of Canelo and Smith.

Also on the televised card, we’ll have 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Undefeated, 21-0, 12 knockouts from El Monte, California, and he’ll make his pay-per-view debut, defending his NABF featherweight title for the second time in a ten-round fight against one of the hardest hitters and punchers in boxing, Andrew “El Chango” Cancio, a big record 17-3, 13 knockouts, and he’s from Blythe, California.

Opening up the pay-per-view will be Diego De La Hoya in his pay-per-view debut as well, 15-0, 9 knockouts and he’s out of Mexicali, Mexico, and he’ll face the very tough Luis “Orlandito” Orlando Del Valle. 22-2 and 16 knockouts out of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. And this fight, both the Rosado fight and this fight with De La Hoya are in association with Roc Nation and Banner Promotions.

So we’re looking forward to an unforgettable night of boxing. Ticket sales are doing very well. We’re over 25,000 tickets sold already, and it’s overselling so far the two legendary fights of Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium.

You can still get tickets which are still on sale. Tickets start at $40, $50, $85, and go all the way up to $750 for ringside seats. You can get your tickets at Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or you can visit www.ticketmaster.com, or you can walk up to AT&T Stadium box office, Monday through Friday, 9am central to 5pm central. And if you can’t join us in Texas to be there in person to watch the fight, you can catch it on HBO pay-per-view.

This is going to be a very exciting undercard. It’s great Mexican Independence weekend, so join us. Make sure you join us.

Last but not least, I want to thank the sponsors: Cerveza Tecate, Born Bold, O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance, and Casa Mexico Tequila. So make sure you join us either on pay-per-view or you can come in person.

Now let’s move to the fighters. I’m very happy to introduce one of our partners in boxing, and we’ve worked with them in the past and they’re working with us in this fight. They’re going to be in association with us for this fight, and this is Michael Yormark from Roc Nation to say a few words and introduce his fighter, Orlando Del Valle.

MICHAEL YORMARK, President & Chief of Branding and Strategy, Roc Nation Sports:

Eric, thank you so much, and thank you Golden Boy Promotions. Orlando Del Valle comes from a storied Puerto Rican boxing lineage, an impressive amateur background. He was an under-19 national Junior Olympic Champion for Puerto Rico, three-time New York Golden Gloves champion, National Golden Gloves champion, and U.S. Boxing’s No. 1 rated Junior Boxer at 125 pounds prior to making his pro debut on April 11th, 2008.

He is currently the international boxing federation’s No. 8 ranked super bantamweight contender. With a comprehensive resume of thrilling fights, 16 of Del Valle’s 22 victories have come by way of knockout. Most recently Del Valle dropped Thomas “KO” Snow on route to a unanimous victory at the Armory in Washington, D.C.

Del Valle regards himself as a true student of the sport, and as a result has also explored broadcast opportunities, establishing himself as a respected commentator in both English and Spanish for networks such as WAPA TV, UniMás, and DirecTV. On September 17th, he will join the ranks of one of boxing’s biggest rivalries, Puerto Rico versus Mexico, when he takes on the Undefeated Diego De La Hoya in a 10-round super bantamweight showdown. It is my pleasure to introduce Roc Nation sport’s Orlando Del Valle.

LUIS ORLANDO “ORLANDITO” DEL VALLE, Super Bantamweight Contender:

Thank you, thank you. It’s my pleasure to be here, and my resumé speaks for itself. September 17 will be another chapter between Mexico and Puerto Rico rivalry and without a doubt Orlandito Del Valle will emerge victorious.

ERIC GOMEZ: Thank you, thank you very much, Michael. Thank you Orlando. Now it’s my pleasure to introduce the WBC Youth Super Bantamweight champion, Diego De La Hoya. He’s one of Golden Boys’ Undefeated Rising Stars. He’s looking to make, obviously like I said a little earlier, his debut on pay-per-view. We look for big things from Diego, and very soon if he gets past this very tough fight, he’s going to be fighting for a world title in the near future.

So I want to introduce first his manager, Joel De La Hoya, and then we’ll bring it over to Diego to make some comments. Go ahead. Okay, so, Diego, a few words and comments and then we’ll open it up for questions.

DIEGO De La HOYA, WBC Youth Super Bantamweight Champion: I feel very happy and I’m very excited for this event. This is a great opportunity for me, and I’m looking forward to September 17th.

ERIC GOMEZ: Thank you.

Q. Diego, with this being your first pay-per-view and with the extra media obligations, how are you managing your time with training and all the extra media obligations connected to this pay-per-view fight?

DIEGO De La HOYA: I’ve been training very intensely for this fight. I feel no pressure, and I’m very committed to deliver a great fight with this great opportunity.

Q. Diego, it seems this last fight you fought an Undefeated fighter in Rocco Santomauro and you passed the test, and now you’re fighting an extreme fighter like Orlando Del Valle. Is that your plan to keep increasing your opponent as you continue your progression?

DIEGO De La HOYA: My promotional company Golden Boy and my manager Joel De La Hoya has a lot of confidence in me, and have given me difficult fights because I feel like I can prove that I have great qualities to go far in boxing and in my career. And they expect the best of me, and that’s what I expect to give people back.

Q. Has Oscar told him anything about being on this type of card with the type of crowd you expect there and the atmosphere? Has he given you any advice?

DIEGO De La HOYA: The last time I spoke with Oscar I was very excited about the event because there was potential of me being on pay-per-view, and it was something that he promised me, and he definitely came through. He did say, you know, you’ve just got to give it your all. It’s very difficult to go out there with the last name, but if you give it your all and you’re dedicated enough, I can definitely help you get where you want to be in your career.

Q. Diego, I was wondering when you think you might be ready for a title shot at super bantamweight?

DIEGO De La HOYA: It just depends on when my promoter and manager agree and feel that I’m ready to take on a big responsibility like that. When that moment comes, I will be ready and extremely motivated and committed to give everyone the fight they want to see.

Q. All right. I’ll ask that question of his manager if they want to chime in, when they think Diego might be ready for the title shot?

ERIC GOMEZ: Look, I mean, this is a big step up for Diego. It’s a tough fight. Orlando Del Valle is a very tough fighter. I know him very well. I’ve scouted him in the past when I was doing match making for Golden Boy. It’s a very tough fight. So depending how he looks in this fight, and we’ll sit down as a team and we’ll go over it.

He’s progressing very nicely. He had a very good fight in that fight against Rocco. He was an undefeated fighter and he came and he excelled. So it’s a team decision. We get together, we sit down. Joel is very important in making a lot of his decisions. He gets together with Oscar and we talk about it. But it just depends on this performance.

If he gets past Orlandito with flying colors, then it’s something to talk about him possibly challenging for a world title. But I doubt that’s going to happen. This is going to be a very tough fight.

JOEL De La HOYA, Manager of Diego De La Hoya: Let me chime in as well. Eric touched on all points. But, yeah, it’s a litmus test, if you will, for Diego. With Orlandito, he is a tough guy, but like Eric said, if he passes with flying colors, then we move on. We sit down, we talk and we’ll see what the next step would be.

But, yeah, this is definitely a litmus test, and Diego is more than ready though to take that. That’s one of the reasons we chose this opponent because he needs fights like this in order for him to progress and to find out where he’s at at this level of his career.

Q. Just a follow-up, if Diego himself and Del Valle looks really good and he gets the win, then after that you’d consider and think that maybe at that point he might be ready for a title shot?

JOEL De La HOYA: Well, he’s been very busy this year. So maybe a tune-up of sorts at the end of the year, that would be nice. That’s something. Unless there was a great opportunity that presented itself, then we’d have to talk about it.

But, yeah, you know, he’s been busy. He’s got some really good fights under his belt, and I think getting by Orlandito, is no easy task, first of all. But getting by him, hopefully we’ll sit down and get one more by the end of the year and we’ll see what 2017 looks like. But that might possibly be the time to step him up.

Q. Orlando, coming from Puerto Rico and fighting on Mexican Independence day weekend, do you feel like you are fighting to provide for all your Puerto Rican fans given the Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry?

LUIS ORLANDO DEL VALLE: Definitely. Puerto Rico already owned that date, almost back in 1999 Felix Trinidad fought with De La Hoya on the same weekend, and he came up with the win. So we’re going to pick up where we left it at. September 17 is going to be another great, great victory for Orlando Del Valle and a step closer to a world title fight.

Q. Is there anything different we can expect for you to bring in the ring, given that you are fighting on this holiday and sort of taking it back for all of your Puerto Rican fans?

LUIS ORLANDO DEL VALLE: I’m a veteran in the boxing business already, and I can tell that the pressure is not on my side. I knew how the pressure felt, and coming into this fight as the underdog, coming into a fight where nobody expects me to win, it leaves me relaxed because I knew that’s what everybody was expecting. But I’m coming to give it my all. We are training at full force and we are going to derail every plan that they have for Diego. They’re going to have to send him back to the drawing board and make some plans with him, because this is my shot for me to get all the pay off for the hard work I’ve been doing for almost 20 years now.

Q. What do you feel will be some of your biggest weaknesses and advantages coming into this fight with Diego De La Hoya?

LUIS ORLANDO DEL VALLE: I mean, we know how boxing works. I’m not fighting only Diego. I’m fighting his last name; I’m fighting the judges; I’m fighting the crowd; I’m fighting HBO commentators; when he throws a punch and misses, they’re going to be yelling out there that he lands a shot. But at the end of the day I’m coming in with all my will to win and that’s unbreakable. So expect nothing but fireworks on September 17th.

Q. Orlando, you pretty much answered what I was going to ask, but let me say it anyway. You’re facing an undefeated opponent, a relative of the promoter. You’re basically hand-picked to make him look good. Do you feel the odds are stacked against you in this fight? Do you think you need a KO to win?

LUIS ORLANDO DEL VALLE: I mean, the odds are against me because of the name, because of the promotion and everything that they’ve been doing a great, great job with Diego. And he also has made some come true. He’s beat up his opponents and looked the way he’s supposed to. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be me and him in the ring, and it’s going to be a matter of time where me and him are going to get in the middle and just fight it out.

Our plan and what we’re working on is just to leave no doubt. Even if it goes by decision or ends earlier, that’s the plan, leave no doubt. So basically that’s it.

Q. Diego, what is your relationship with Oscar? Do you see him often? Do you talk to him often? Are you really close?

DIEGO De La HOYA: I don’t see him very often. I usually see him around the fight or during negotiations for the fight. I do see my manager Joel De La Hoya, but they’re both my Cousins.

THE MODERATOR: Luis Orlando, do you have any closing comments for the press on the line?

LUIS ORLANDO DEL VALLE: Definitely. I really appreciate the press for coming out with all the questions and to the fans, boxing fans, make sure you tune in early. We’ll open the telecast, and you know that when you put a chapter of Puerto Rico and Mexico together, it’s nothing but fireworks. So expect nothing but a great, great fight. And like I said in the beginning, make sure you tune in earlier because from the git-go of the pay-per-view, you are going to get fireworks.

MICHAEL YORMARK: No closing comments from my end.

Q. Diego, any closing comments?

DIEGO De La HOYA: I hope everyone remembers me on September 17th. That I’m ready for the fight, and I hope to deliver a fight to remember.

ERIC GOMEZ: Thank you. Thank you to both fighters for doing that. Now I’d like to introduce the next fight. Andrew “El Chango” Cancio is one of the toughest featherweight fighters out there. He’s been on a nonstop knockout streak since last year and he’s going to be fighting for the NABF title against JOSEPH DIAZ, JR.. So Andrew, can you tell us a little bit about training camp and about the fight?

ANDREW “EL CHANGO” CANCIO, Featherweight Contender:

Yes, my training camp has been going very well. I’m training hard like I always do. I know what I’m up against, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I respect Jojo Diaz, so I’m training really hard and everything’s going as planned so far.

ERIC GOMEZ: What can I say about Joseph Jojo Diaz. Jojo has recently been featured on the L.A. Times list of top 10 boxers in California. He’s certainly one of the most exciting featherweights to watch in boxing right now. It’s my pleasure to introduce Joseph Jojo Diaz. He’ll be defending his NABF title for the second time on pay-per-view, September 17th.

Jojo, can you please say a few words?

JOSEPH “JOJO” DIAZ, JR., NABF Featherweight Champion:

Yes, I want to thank the media and press for coming out. I know I’m going to have a very tough fight. I know Andrew has been putting on great performances and he’s a very tough, rugged fighter. So I know what I’m going up against, and I’m training very hard. I’ve been training harder than ever. Me and my father have been focusing on a lot of spinning down on my shots and being a little stronger on the inside and making sure I can keep off Cancio and be able to brawl with him on the inside like how he wants to fight.

I expect you guys to tune into an exciting fight. We can expect fireworks. I know Andrew Cancio is going to be 110% ready, and I’m going to be 110% ready also. So we’re ready to give the fight fans a really good fight.

ERIC GOMEZ: Beautiful. Sounds exciting already.

Q. Jojo, I just was curious with your Olympic background budding and we’re coming out of the Rio games here, did you get a chance to watch the games? If so, I’m just curious the idea how Olympic boxing is now and how that’s converted from you in the London games since your career here. How can you put all that in perspective?

JOSEPH DIAZ, JR.: Yeah, fighting in the Olympics was a great opportunity for me. I was able to fight nothing but elite fighters and was able to gain all that experience. So, man, I really appreciate being given the opportunity to be competing in the Olympics.

I did tune in for the Olympic fighters. I was rooting for Team USA. And I’m very glad we brought home two medals. We had Shakur Stevenson bringing back the silver medal, and Nico bringing back the bronze. And also we’ve got Claressa as well bringing back the gold medal. So I was very excited that Team USA is progressing, and now it’s fighting without head gear, so it’s more to our advantage.

I feel like the Olympic experience helped me a lot as a progressional fighter because I was able to fight with nothing but the best, and the best brought out the best in me. And it made me train very hard because knowing I’m fighting nothing but the best, that they’re going to come out and try to defeat me. So I feel like it made me have a mentality like no other, like a road champion mentality to just train like never before and to never give up.

Q. When you consider where you’re at in your career, 12 KO’s, unbeaten so far in your career. What’s it say to your career and where you’re at to be fighting not only in a venue like Cowboy Stadium, but to be fighting on a mega card like this?

JOSEPH DIAZ, JR.: Oh, man, it’s a dream come true. My goal when I was an amateur was to be fighting in the Olympics and representing my country, USA, and to bring back a gold medal. I accomplished that dream. Unfortunately I didn’t bring back a medal, but it was still a great opportunity for me. I mean, I got Golden Boy’s eyes. They started watching me and they loved the way I fought, and that gave me great opportunities. They gave me a good contract and they pushed me and they kept me busy. I’m already 20-0 and I’ve only been a professional fighter for four years. So they’ve been moving me very well and it’s just a great opportunity. Now they’re wanting me to fight on a big stage and I’m going to take full advantage of this big stage. I know it’s my dream to be fighting on big stages like this. So I’m going to be more than ready come the 17th.

Q. Just since you said it, I wanted to ask you quickly, are you even old enough to have seen Oscar fight or have you been able to go back and look at some film on how he’s fought?

JOSEPH DIAZ, JR.: No, I’ve seen Andrew Cancio fight. I actually saw him fight when we fought on the same card and he fought Rene Alvarado. He’s a tough, rugged fighter. He likes to cut off the ring. He throws wicked uppercuts. He’s very strong and powerful. So me and my father were coming up with a good game plan, and we’ll try to execute that game plan as much as possible and try to come out victorious come September 17th. We’re ready to make a statement.

Q. Joseph, just curious, after the fight in September that will be your third fight this year. Are you open to fighting again before the year is up or after this fight would you then take the rest of the year off? Just what are your plans? What have you been told in terms of after this fight?

JOSEPH DIAZ, JR.: My main focus right now is Andrew Cancio. I know he’s no joke, man. He’s going to come and we’re going to put on a great show. I know that he’s going to be training very hard and I’m training very hard as well. So it’s going to be a very tough fight. Hopefully I don’t get bruised up and don’t get injured. If I don’t and everything turns out well, then of course I’m looking to fight one more time to close out the year with a bang. Hopefully fight for a title or something and get a title shot by early next year. That’s the game plan, but right now my main focus is Andrew Cancio, I can’t look forward. I have to look at him and make sure I’m taking him 110% because I know that he’s going to be 100% ready September 17th.

Q. Before you were talking about possibly facing Josh Warrington on this date in a title eliminator just to fight Russell. That fight honestly didn’t come through. You’re now facing Andrew. Was there any letdown at all not being in that situation and now being in this one?
JOSEPH DIAZ, JR.: Actually, it was very unfortunate we couldn’t get that fight to happen, but I’m still blessed with this opportunity. I’m still on the Canelo card and I’m still on the pay-per-view portion, so I’m still happy, man. I’ve got a great opponent ahead of me that’s going to bring out the best in me.

But it’s still going to be a really great night of boxing for me. I’m willing to go out there and give the fight fans what they want to see, regardless who the opponent is, I’m still going to fight the exact same and be the

JOSEPH DIAZ, JR. that everybody wants to see. I’m willing to make a statement September 17th, no matter who the opponent is.

Q. Andrew, this time what have you seen from Joseph when you’ve seen him in his previous fight and what stands out about you? (Indiscernible) any flaws in your fight?

ANDREW CANCIO: Yeah, I mean, every fighter has room for improvement, and I think that the quality that I have, I can certainly use against Jojo. He’s a real crafty, hard-puncher. He’s well-skilled. He’s got a lot of talent. And like I said, I respect him a lot and that’s why I’m preparing very, very well. I always prepare very well. He knows the style I’m going to bring into the fight, and like you said, it’s going to be a good fight for the fans.

We’re working really hard and I’m excited for the 17th. You know, this is a dream of mine as well. So I’m glad to be here and I want to take full advantage of it as well.

Q. You’ve fought some tough guys in your career, Rios in 2014, and do you think Joseph is the toughest opponent you’ll face in your career so far?

ANDREW CANCIO: Yeah, I would have to say so, with all the hype and all the space that we’re going to be on, it’s going to play a big toll in the way we fight. The crowd’s going to be cheering and all that and getting us pumped. I always in all my fights I like to bring excitement. With this fight being on the Canelo undercard, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be even more exciting.

Q. Andrew, coming into this fight with a southpaw opponent, how are you planning to train differently?

ANDREW CANCIO: Well, we have to make adjustments against sparring partners that are southpaws. Fighting a southpaw is a little bit different. I fought one before. I fought in amateurs and I spar them. There are things you have to do a little bit differently, but we’re trying to stick to our game plan and execute what we want to execute. It’s pretty much I’m training hard just like all the other fights.

Q. Since you’ve been on a knockout streak since last year, are you looking to go into this fight and take the knockout?

ANDREW CANCIO: No, I’m not looking for knockouts. If the knockout comes if it presents itself and of course I’m going to go after it. But I’m not going to go in there looking for a knockout because I’m not trying to just land one punch. I’m trying to land combinations and get on the inside and do what I do best. So I’m not going to go in there looking for knockouts.

But I’m just going to go in there and fight my game plan. If, you know my shot lands and it hurts them, then of course, that’s when I’ll take full advantage of it or try to take full advantage of it in the fight.

Q. With Jojo being the Olympian and getting more attention, do you let it all hang loose like no pressure like it’s all on him?

ANDREW CANCIO: No, no, because there’s pressure on me that I put on myself and what this fight can do for me as well. So there’s plenty of pressure for me as well. So, no, I don’t go in there. I don’t go into any fight at ease. I’m always nervous and excited and ready to handle business. The thing about the sport is you don’t know what the outcome’s going to be, and you don’t know until after the fight’s done. So you’re always nervous, at least I am. So there’s a lot of things that I’m looking forward to after this fight, hopefully, if everything goes well. So I know what this fight can do for me as well in my career.

Q. Joseph, you mentioned that you’re expecting a rough, brawling type fight where you’re going to have to fight on the inside. How have you addressed that in your sparring sessions? Have you changed it up a lot?

JOSEPH DIAZ, JR.: Oh, we’ve been practicing everything, man. We’ve been fighting with guys on the inside. Guys that want to outbox me and people that are going to be putting a lot of pressure. So we’re getting all of these. I can’t really go into all the details, but you can’t really expect Andrew Cancio coming in with the same game plan because I know that he’s watched footage of me and we’ve watched footage of him, so he might come with something different and might try something different.

I can’t really expect the Andrew Cancio that I’ve seen in other videos because he might come with a different game plan. So we’ve been sparring with tremendous fighters, undefeated fighters as well. And we’re going to go to work, man. The guys are going to be pushing me to the limits. Guys are going to be getting me ready for this upcoming fight.

Q. Andrew, if you do get inside in your kind of fight, how would you rate his skills as an inside fighter from what you’ve seen so far?

ANDREW CANCIO: I mean, he’s a well-crafted fighter all the way around. The inside game, I would have to say he’s really good at the inside as well. He knows what he’s doing and he’s slick. So I’ve seen what I have to do differently when I do get on the inside. So I would rate his inside game pretty high up there.

THE MODERATOR: Andrew, do you have any final comments for the press on this call?

ANDREW CANCIO: I’d like to say thank you to Golden Boy for this opportunity. Thank you, Jojo, for accepting the fight, and I’m ready to give the fight fans a good fight. I know what Jojo brings and I’m just ready for this opportunity, and I’m glad to be on the Canelo card.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Andrew. Joseph, do you have any final comments for the press on this line?

JOSEPH DIAZ, JR.: Yes, first of all, I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions, my manager Ralph Heredia, and the media as well for giving me the time to speak my words. I also want to thank Andrew Cancio for accepting the fight as well.

Come September 17, we’re going to give the fight fans a really exciting fight especially for Mexican Independence Day. I’ve been training really hard and we’ll be 110% ready. So good luck to Andrew Cancio, and I’ll see you guys September 17th.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you Joseph, thank you, Andrew, have a great day. We’ll now turn it over to Gabriel Rosado versus Willie Monroe Jr.

ERIC GOMEZ: We’re ready now for the co-feature. I’d first like to introduce a good friend of mine and partner for this fight. He is the president and CEO of Banner Promotions, and that’s Mr. Arthur Pelullo. Arty, can you please introduce Willie and say a few comments.

ARTHUR PELULLO, President and CEO of Banner Promotions: Sure. Hi everybody. I just want to thank Eric, who we have become friends over the last year or so, and Oscar, for this opportunity for Willie. You know, my mom used to say one door shuts, another one opens. Willie, and before I introduce him, I just would like to say this, Willie and GABRIEL ROSADOgot this opportunity because Billy Jo Saunders would not fight either one of them. And Eric calls us up and says would you fight Gabe? And Willie, who I’ve had ever since before we started the Boxcino tournament has never really turned anybody down. He just would like to know the details, but he’s never turned anybody down. He won the Boxcino tournament and was willing to fight Saunders.

Then when Eric said this opportunity came up, I said to Willie, make the fight already. And that was only a couple weeks ago, because Willie’s always in the gym ready to fight. He’s a real pro.

So this opportunity is terrific for both Willie and Gabe Rosado. The winner of the fight, and everybody knows this, is a natural for the winner of the Canelo-Smith fight. Either fighter gets it or doesn’t get it, their careers go in a different direction because they won a big fight on the big stage, Dallas Stadium. It’s all good stuff. HBO, pay-per-view, it’s what guys live to do. This is the reason they become professionals to get to these type of fights.

So it’s been my pleasure to work with Willie. I’m going to introduce him now. You all know him, Willie Monroe. He is quite the athlete. He’s quite the person, and him and Gabe are going to give a great fight on a great show. Willie, are you there?

WILLIE “THE BODY ROCK” MONROE, Former World Title Challenger:

I’m just happy to be back. Happy to be back in the ring. Happy to be on this stage. Like I said before, things don’t happen the way you expect them. A lot of times if we don’t get the blessing that we wanted the way we thought we were going to get it, sometimes we miss out on it. Whether it’s a front door or back door, I’m happy to be on pay-per-view. I’m happy that this opportunity came up. I’m just happy to be back in the ring and have an opportunity like this.

ERIC GOMEZ: Arties right when we made this fight, it’s funny in the experience I’ve had making the fight, there’s always a back story. The original fight I was trying to get done was GABRIEL ROSADOagainst B.J. Saunders. And when that fell apart, I went to Gabe and I said, Gabe, there’s a couple of other guys out there. I want to try to repair this fight. I want to make an exciting fight.

The first name that came out of Gabe’s mouth was Willie Monroe. He said get me Willie Monroe. I want to fight Willie Monroe. I want to teach this guy a lesson. This guy has been going after me on social media. That’s the guy I want.

So Gabe’s one of the most exciting fighters in boxing today. He’s always in a great fight. September 17th won’t be an exception. He’s going to come to fight, and the big prize is Canelo. The winner of this fight very well could be fighting Canelo in December. So I want to introduce him, say a few words. King Gabe Rosado, Gabe?

“KING” GABRIEL ROSADO, Former World Title Challenger:

What’s up, Eric. Just glad to be back on the big stage. You know we’re on a two fight winning streak and looking to keep the momentum going.

ERIC GOMEZ: Perfect. Thank you very much, Gabe.

Q. Gabe, I wanted to know what were the differences between the BKB boxing that you’ve participated in as opposed to regular boxing?

GABRIEL ROSADO:The BKB there’ no ropes. Shorter rounds, less rounds. I had fun while it lasted, but my first love is traditional boxing. So I’m just excited to be on the big stage again and showcasing my talent.

Q. What kind of differences have you addressed in preparation for Willie, as opposed to getting Billy Jo, which was the original opponent?

GABRIEL ROSADO: The game plan doesn’t really change as much as far as they and Billy Jo. They’re both southpaws. We were already working with southpaws and things like that, and they kind of in a way have similar styles. I think Billy Jo is probably a little more slicker. But you know it’s really the game plan didn’t change. Both guys can box, and move and things like that. It’s just the style we’re working on, and it’s pretty much the same size, so nothing changed.

Q. Willie, given the opportunity to take this fight, what are the things that you did address? What did you make sure you had to have going on before saying yes?

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: Obviously, business first. I mean, make sure that we were satisfied with the money and the opportunity that comes after it. But we don’t look past anybody, so we just kept training camp going. Like I said, we were approached with the Billy Jo Saunders fight first. And GABRIEL ROSADOat least made it to negotiations.

When Billy Jo Saunders was asked to fight Willie Monroe, they immediately said, nope. But at least they made it to negotiations with Rosado. So I mean we were already in the gym.

GABRIEL ROSADO: Honestly, I don’t even know who Monroe thinks he is. He thinks he’s a big puncher or something and people are scared to fight him. Nobody knows who the hell he is.

Honestly, I told Gomez just, whoever it is, just make it happen, doesn’t matter. Willie’s acting like he’s being ducked, like he’s some big puncher. He’s really not that special. He only fought one world class —

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: I didn’t know punching was the only aspect of boxing.

GABRIEL ROSADO: You didn’t fight nobody. You didn’t fight no world class fighters. You fought Triple-G and you quit, and I’m going to make you quit too.

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: That’s all you can say. But you’re like the middleweight guy. Every time a middleweight has you, he’s run through you.

GABRIEL ROSADO: You ain’t special. You fought a bunch of ESPN fighters.

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: Okay, and I’m about to fight another one.

GABRIEL ROSADO: Okay. Whatever. I beat world class fighters. I’ve got world class fighters on my resume. You didn’t beat nobody special. You’re a bum, dude. I’m going to show you a bum.

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: Okay.

Q. Why do you think it was so hard to get Saunders in the ring? This is for Gabe and Willie. Why do you think Saunders has been reluctant to get in the ring with you guys?

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: I don’t know.

GABRIEL ROSADO: I don’t know. At the end of the day, I’ve got Willie Monroe and we’re going to take care of business. That’s all it is. I’m not even going to think about Billy Jo Saunders.

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: Y’all know me from the past. I don’t do that much jaw-jacking and talking. Come September 17th we’re going to see. That’s all. I don’t have much to say. I’ve never been a talker. All my interviews and everything, you never saw me talk smack. That’s just not my style.

GABRIEL ROSADO: But I’m just saying you say Billy Jo ducked you and all this shit. Nobody’s ducking you because nobody knows who you are. So it doesn’t matter. That’s what I’m saying.

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: Okay, nobody knows who I am, but come September 17th when the opportunity comes up.

GABRIEL ROSADO: Let’s see on the 17th. Step up to the plate, we’ll see.

Q. Eric, you mentioned that the winner of this fight could potentially be going on to face Canelo in December, if I heard that correctly. Does that mean you are not wholly confident in having to deal with Billy Jo Saunders consummated for December given what happened with this September card?

ERIC GOMEZ: Yeah, you know what? We’re keeping all the doors open. Obviously, you know, we weren’t able to get the fight done with Billy Jo Saunders. I haven’t closed the door yet.

But, look, we’ve got two guys that are going to go at it. This is a real fight. Gabe wants to prove that he still belongs and he’s in the upper echelon of boxing, and he’s got a tough fight. Willie Monroe wants to do the same thing. So these guys put on a great fight, a great show, anything’s possible. We’re going to keep all avenues open, all doors open. I don’t see why the winner of this fight shouldn’t get a Canelo fight. So we’re going to keep everything open.

Q. Where do things stand in negotiations, if there are any, with Saunders and his team right now?

ERIC GOMEZ: Right now they’re stalled. We’re going to wait till after. We’re going to get together with Frank Warren, the week of the fight. He also represents Liam Smith. So we’re going to sit down again and see what happens. But I’m interested in seeing the outcome of this fight. There is real animosity. You can hear both guys and there is real animosity there.

We’ve been working with Rosado now for about three years. He’s a guy that’s got a lot of heart, and just talking to Arty Pelullo, he’s told me that Willie Monroe is one of the toughest son of a guns out there. He’s worked with him for a long time now as well, and this is going to be a real fight. These guys are going to go at it. They’re at each other’s throats now. I’m excited.

Q. Then for the fighters, hearing that Canelo fight could be in the balance, how much more does that add to the fight that each of you obviously already wanted?

GABRIEL ROSADO: I know not to think ahead. So I’m not even thinking about that. I’m just thinking about what’s ahead of me and that’s it. I’ve been in this game long enough to know, you know, nothing in boxing is promised. So they could say that Canelo’s next, but that don’t mean nothing if I don’t win the fight. So I’m just thinking about winning this fight and looking good. And I want to do it by knockout. So that’s just what’s on my mind. I’m not thinking ahead of that.

Q. Willie, obviously you wanted this fight and you wanted this appearance on pay-per-view. What does having Canelo potentially in the balance add to you for the this fight?

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: Definitely a motivation factor. But I mean, I’ve got to focus on what’s in front of me and I can’t look past anybody. I mean, I wouldn’t look past and infant let alone Gabe Rosado. So you’ve got to focus on what’s in front of you. And if Canelo’s next, so be it. I’m just ready. I’m ready. (Indiscernible).

Q. Willie, as the co-main event for this fight taking place, do you feel an added pressure getting into the ring or are you doing anything to prepare differently for this?
WILLIE MONROE, JR.: Oh, no, we’re just keeping everything the same. The fight is the fight. Once the bell rings it could be either one of us. So just staying focused and focusing on the task at hand.

Q. Gabe, just curious, I know that you really came close to fighting Saunders off of this card. And you guys had a little back and forth when that fight didn’t take place. You’re known as a guy that’s fought everybody and is highly skilled. At the same time, Saunders called you a world class journeyman. I’m just curious your reaction to being called that, and what do you think about when people do refer to you as a journeyman?

GABRIEL ROSADO: Obviously, if they really believe that he would have taken the fight because why would he want a tough fight if the next fight is supposed to be Canelo? I would assume he wouldn’t want an easy fight. So if I was so easy, he would have taken the fight. So if y’all believe in it, that’s on y’all. Obviously he didn’t take the fight because he feels it’s a threat.

But I’m not even thinking about Billy Jo no more. I’m just focused on this fight and that’s it?

Q. Both of you guys have faced Triple G and now Golovkin is facing a much smaller guy in Kell Brook, I’m just curious your reaction to that fight being made and what do you think will happen in that fight. Willie?

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: I think you’ve got to give props to Kell Brook for taking on a monster like Triple G. I think it’s definitely a daring move. I’m a big believer in step big, win big. So it will be good for Kell Brook either way. But we’ve got to understand also that boxing isn’t what it was yesterday. It’s not what it’s going to be tomorrow. They just have to enjoy what you have in front of you. These are the type of fights that people may complain about or have bad things to say about now, and 15 years from now they’ll talk about how great it was.

So instead of waiting for 15 years from now and look back and say, damn, that was a great opportunity. Again things have to step up, so go ahead and give him his props now.

Q. Do you give Brook a good chance in that fight, or do you think Golovkin is going to be too big and storm through him?

GABRIEL ROSADO: I mean Kell Brook is an awesome boxer and boxing is a cerebral sport. It’s 99.9 mental and .1 physical. And Brook has the experience and knows how to put it together. So mentally if he can neutralize Golovkin’s power and relentlessness, then it’s a fight he can win. I’ll never count any man out, because like I said, boxing is 99.9% mental and .1 physical.

Q. Gabe, I’m curious your thoughts as well with Kell Brook challenging Golovkin? What do you think of the match-up and what do you think will happen in that fight?

GABRIEL ROSADO: I think just the match-up, maybe Brook will box him for a couple of rounds before he gets knocked out. But I mean it’s a welterweight fighting a middleweight, so I don’t think — I mean, skillwise Brook could hang with him, but this is the reason they make weight classes.

WILLIE MONROE, JR.: Thanks to everybody, thanks to HBO. Thanks to pay-per-view. Thanks to Golden Boy and Banner Promotions for giving Willie Monroe this opportunity. And God bless everyone, and September 17th, ready to rock ‘n’ roll.

GABRIEL ROSADO: Yeah, just looking forward to Cowboy Stadium. I’m really, really looking forward to knocking Willie Monroe out.

ERIC GOMEZ: Arthur Pelullo to say a few words.

ARTHUR PELULLO: Yes, I want to thank everybody and I want to thank Eric and Oscar. You can see it’s going to be a heck of a co-feature. Two good fighters, and Willie showed a lot of class today, so it should be an excellent show. I believe that the winner at all time will be in a very good position for Canelo. Thanks a lot to everybody at Golden Boy.

ERIC GOMEZ: I want to echo that it’s going to be an exciting fight. I’m very excited. You just heard it from Gabe Rosado, he’s predicting a knockout. You know he’s going to come guns blazing. It’s going to be a very good fight.

I want to thank everybody that was on the call today. It’s going to be a very exciting undercard. A little bit of everything. You have two guys with their backs against the wall. Going at it, do or die. Then you’ve got some great up and coming fighters, JOSEPH DIAZ, JR., Diego De La Hoya and tough fights with Cancio and Del Valle. Don’t miss it.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. CT, first fight and the RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT; the preliminary live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT; with the main show produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting:bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

LOS ANGELES (August 29, 2016) – Fans at AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas will be in for a treat on Saturday, September 17, as top welterweight contenders Sadam “World Kid” Ali (22-1, 13 KOs) and Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez (19-1, 11 KOs), make their grand return to the ring in respective 10-round fights. Ali and Gomez will be headlining the preliminary undercard which will start off the action on Mexican Independence Day weekend, ahead of the live Pay-Per-View telecast, on select channels before the pay-per-view event and digitally on HBO Boxing’s YouTube Page, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com, www.ringtvlive.com and additional websites and outlets where Ring TV is available starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT.

Diving head first into the action in the Lone Star State this September will be the pride of Brooklyn, as Sadam “World Kid” Alimakes his grand return to the ring to take on Saul Corral (21-7, 12 KOs) of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico in a 10-round welterweight fight. The Bronx’s Eddie “E-boy” Gomez will also be participating in a 10-round fight defending his IBF North American Welterweight Title against Mexican fighter Dario “Maczio” Ferman (13-1, 10 KOs).

Part of the non-televised action streaming live on RingTVLive.com and The Golden Boy Promotions Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing) starting at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT, a trio of undefeated Texas prospects including super lightweight Vergil Ortiz (1-0, 1 KO) of Dallas, and San Antonio’s lightweight Hector “El Finito” Tanajara, Jr. (6-0, 4 KOs) and bantamweight Joshua “The Professor” Franco (6-0, 3 KOs) will be looking to make their hometowns proud as they each participate in respective four-round and six-round matches. Franco will be facing Brian Bazan (9-2, 6 KOs) of Mexico City in a six-round bantamweight bout, while fellow stable mate Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa (15-0, 7 KOs) will participate in an eight-round super lightweight bout. Also part of the nights events, Alexis Salazar (12-3, 6 KOs) of Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico will participate in a super welterweight match to go six rounds, and Anthony Yarde (7-0, 6 KOs) of London, England will open up the night in a six-round light heavyweight fight. Opponents will be announced shortly.

“The preliminary undercard for Canelo vs. Smith features a string of talented and exciting fighters to watch in the ring from rising welterweight contenders to young, thirsty lightweight and bantamweight prospects,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “On Sept. 17, Sadam Ali is determined to prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with after a difficult loss to Jessie Vargas earlier this year, and Eddie Gomez will show the fans that he is a threat not to be ignored in the hot welterweight division. Additionally, we have some of Texas’s most promising prospects on the card with Vergil Ortiz, Hector Tanajara, Jr. and Joshua Franco and as fight fans know – some of the best fighters in the sport have come from the Lone Star State. In addition to an exciting undercard, Canelo vs. Smith will be an event that celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month with activities to enjoy and celebrate Canelo reclaiming Mexican Independence Day weekend for fight fans.”

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

A member of the 2008 United States Olympic team, Brooklyn’s Sadam World Kid” Ali is one of the best boxers to emerge from New York in recent years, and his victories over the likes of Jeremy Bryan, Luis Carlos “El Potro” Abregu and Francisco “Chia” Santana have allowed him to soar to the top of the welterweight class. In March, Ali suffered the first loss of his professional career in a WBO World Championship fight against Jessie “Ruthless” Vargas, but the road back begins on September 17, and this talented 27-year-old can’t wait.

Mexican Fighter Saul Corral has been looking for a way to break back into the US Fight scene. He is courageously stepping into the ring for second time in the states as he battles Sadam Ali as the main event for the Preliminary Undercard for the live streamed portion HBO’s Canelo versus Smith Pay Per View event. Corral’s last entry to the ring resulted in a victorious technical knockout to receive the WBC FECARBOX welterweight title, as he stopped Francisco Medel at the 5th round in a scheduled 12 round fight. He will be leveraging the win as he steps into the ring, using that as his fuel for his scheduled main-event this 9-17.

A Golden Boy stable mate since 2010, Bronx native Eddie “E Boy” Gomez was born to be a boxing champion. As a two-time Junior Olympic national champion and son of a Honduran boxer Eddie Sr.; Gomez has made a bold mark on professional boxing as well and even impressed the likes of the notorious Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. The 23-year-old fighter has captured 11 KOs under his belt including defeats of well-known boxers Steve Upsher Chambers, Luis Hernandez, and Jovany Javier Gomez. Following an epic takedown of Jonathan Batista a year ago in New York, “E Boy” is filled with a vengeance for a victory when he builds his boxing reputation fighting on the undercard of Canelo vs. Smith.

Hailing from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, Dario “Macizo” Ferman will fight for the first time in Texas to seize the vacant IBF North American Welterweight title as his own. Having been on a winning knockout streak since turning professional three years ago, Ferman will not go down easy as he fights on the undercard of fellow Mexican knockout artist Canelo Alvarez. After a heart wrenching loss to Abel Ramos earlier this year, “Macizo” is fired up for redemption in the ring when he faces the pride of the Bronx, Eddie “E-boy” Gomez this September 17.

Winner of 140 amateur bouts and seven national championships, Dallas’ own Vergil Ortiz Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) got his professional career off to a spectacular start on July 30 when he knocked out Julio Rodas in 97 seconds at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio. Now looking to make it two for two, the 18-year-old super lightweight will be getting a home game this September against a soon to be named opponent.

San Antonio’s “El Finito,” Hector Tanajara, Jr. is another Texas star on the rise, and at 19 years old, he hasn’t even started to scratch the surface of his enormous potential. Unbeaten in six bouts, Tanajara has ended four of those bouts in a single round, most recently stopping Francisco “El Mono” Medel on May 25. Tanajara will jump back in the action for a six-round lightweight fight, eager to take on any opponent willing to step up for the challenge.

San Antonio, Texas’s Joshua “The Professor” Franco, who made his debut less than a year ago as a new Golden Boy fighter on the August 6 edition of the popular LA FIGHT CLUB series in Los Angeles, defeating Temoatzin Landeros via split decision, and quickly followed up with a victory over Saul “Bebe” Hernandez at the October installment. He ended 2015 on a high note, with a first round knockout victory over Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico’s Leonard Reyes in December. Franco has stayed active in 2016, having fought three times previously this year and obtained victories once by knockout and twice via unanimous decision.

Tijuana’s Bryan Bazan will step in to the ring to defend his name on Mexican Independence Day weekend, as he fights for the first time in the United States. With experience fighting all over Mexico, Bazan is sure to bring his fans out to cheer him on when he takes on Joshua Franco for a six-round bantamweight battle. Having never been knocked out, this fighter’s resilient spirit and relentless punching power make him an opponent to watch out for.

Proud Brooklyn, New York native Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa built his reputation on the tough local circuit in the Big Apple, but since 2015, the 23-year-old has taken his show on the road, winning fights in Texas, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In October 2015 of last year, he showed off his massive talent, battling Alejandro Rodriguez at the historic Belasco Theatre, where he got the impressive third round stoppage. He then went on to fight Rosbel Montoya at the DC Armory in Washington DC, as boxing critics praised the young talent’s quick combinations and nearly perfect shoutout of Montaya. Ochoa’s last performance was held at the Belasco theatre, in which he landed a massive knock out against Luis Joel Gonzalez. He is looking to do the same this time around again, as part of the Canelo-Smith PPV undercard.

As a sparring partner to Canelo Alvarez, super welterweight all-star Alexis Salazar has been high on a knockout streak after taking down fellow fighters Victor Marquez and Michel Rosales. After his impressive unanimous decision win on May 25th over Hector Velasquez at the annual Sugar Ray Leonard charity event, this Mexican fighter will be making his second fighting debut on American soil when he faces a soon to be named opponent on the undercard of Canelo vs. Smith.

Opening the mega-fight with the first bout of the night, London, England’s Anthony Yarde will participate in a light heavyweight match scheduled to go six rounds against a soon to be named opponent. Having made quite a reputation for himself, by ending six out of his seven professional bouts by way of knockout, Yarde will beginning the night with a bang as he brings his strength and power in to the ring as the first fight on the Canelo vs. Smith undercard.

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. CT, first fight and the RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT; the preliminary live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT; with the main show produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
Thank you very much. Thank you to all the media. [SPEAKING IN SPANISH]. We are here for the Canelo Alvarez-Liam Smith conference call.

First of all, we want to thank you and welcome the two-time world champion Canelo Alvarez who has a record of 47-1, and won with 33 knockouts.

On September 17th over Mexican Independence weekend, Canelo Alvarez will make his long-anticipated return to Texas to fight Liam Smith who has a record of 23-0 with 13 knockouts, and that will be for the WBO Junior Middleweight Junior championship title at the famed AT&T Stadium, home of America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys.

Texas has been a natural choice for us, and for all Texas fans who love Canelo Alvarez, and the fan base are some of the most loyal for every fight. The fans have shown up in huge crowds wearing red and green, cheering Canelo and chanting his name.

Texas is Canelo’s home away from home, and Canelo versus Smith will be a homecoming celebration for Canelo. We have witnessed some of Canelo’s most epic fights in Texas, from his match with Austin Trout at the Alamo Dome where he filled up 45,000 seats, and obviously when he fought James Kirkland, which was named Knockout Of The Year, at the Minute Maid Park in front of 31,000 screaming fans.

So Cowboys Stadium is a stadium created for larger-than-life fighters, just like Canelo. And the two other fights that have been fought there were headlined by legendary Manny Pacquiao.

We’re excited to announce that ticket sales are going extremely, extremely well. It’s outpacing Manny Pacquiao’s last two fights, which we’re extremely excited about knowing that we will have a full house at the Cowboys Stadium. Tickets are still available, priced from $750 all the way down to $40.

I would like to thank our sponsors, Tecate Cerveza Born Bold and Casa Mexico Tequila. Thank you for your continued support.

And obviously if you can’t be with us live in Dallas, this fight will be televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View, which is our exclusive and proud partner for this event.

We’re extremely proud and excited to have Canelo Alvarez headline Mexican Independence Day weekend, and this is only the beginning for Canelo Alvarez headlining special weekends for many years to come. So it’s a perfect fit that we stage this fight in Texas to be shown across the globe.

At this time, I would like to introduce to you one of the team members who makes everything happen, who gets Canelo in shape, who has the strategy, who has been doing a wonderful job with his premier. I would like to introduce to you a man they call “Chepo,” and that is Jose “Chepo” Reynoso. Chepo?

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Manager and Trainer to Canelo Alvarez (Via Translator):

We’re very excited. We’re very relaxed right now, but we’re very excited in anticipating with a lot of enthusiasm September 17 so that all the fans can celebrate and say “viva Mexico,” “viva Canelo.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you. And next I would like to introduce to you the man who trains him, the man who gets on the mitts with him, strategizes. If you look at Canelo’s last fights, he’s been growing, he’s been improving. He’s only getting better. And Canelo is a fighter who wants to be the very best, and he will stop at nothing to get to that goal of his.

So next up I would like to introduce to you the trainer, Eddy Reynoso. Eddy?

EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer to Canelo Alvarez (Via Translator):

Good afternoon, everybody, and what can I say? We’re three weeks out from the fight. We’re very happy. Canelo’s been working very, very hard. He’s looking great, and we can’t wait for September 17th.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Without further ado, I’d like to now introduce to you the former two-time world champion. Since the age of 15, when he turned pro, he’s accumulated a record that is bar none, like no other in boxing today.

At the tender age of 26, he’s already fought the very best fighters out there there is to fight, and the best is yet to come. Fighters like “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather, fighters like Alfredo Angulo, Miguel Cotto, fighters like Erislandy Lara, fighters like Austin Trout.

I believe there is no fighter today at the age of 26 who has fought so many ex-world champions and current world champions.

So he hails out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, with a record of 47-1 and 33 knockouts. It’s my pleasure to you to introduce Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

CANELO ALVAREZ, Former Two-Division World Champion (Via Translator):

Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you, all, for being on the call. Thank you for the support for this fight, for supporting me. This is going to be a great event, and you don’t want to miss it. Thank you all for participating on this call.

Q. Canelo, I just wanted to ask you how much have you studied Liam Smith? And from your perspective, why is this the right fight for you at this time?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Yes, I have looked at him, and the style more than anything is what we like. He’s a good fighter, he’s a champion. He’s very strong. He’s got a Mexican style, you know, a guy that stands there and likes to exchange punches, so that’s one of the things that attracted us to the fight.

And, you know, part of the reason for choosing him is he’s a world champion. I want to win another world title in my weight class, 154. Then after that we’ll see what’s available.

Q. When you look at him, he does seem like he’s very aggressive. Do you think that aggression will exist knowing that he’s fighting you?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): No, I don’t think he’s going to change his style. I think he’s going to do what he does best — be aggressive, throw combination, keep coming forward. That’s what he does best. But, obviously, for me, I’m always ready for any style. I prepare myself for any style and I’ll be ready for anything.

Q. It’s been a long time since a Mexican fighter has been the A side of the equation promoting a promotion on Mexican Independence. How do you feel, and was that your goal? And now that you’ve reached your goal, are you happy?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): His answer was yes, I’m very excited. Very excited. I’m happy. It’s an honor for me to represent my country. This is what I wanted. These are the dates that are important for our country, for Mexicans, and I’m here and I’m going to take every advantage of it.

Q. First of all, did you see the Olympics, and what do you think about the critics? There are a lot of critics in Mexico that criticized a lot of the athletes for their performances. Do you think it’s something that’s right or do you think it’s changed?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): Yes, it’s unfortunate, but that happens a lot in Mexico. They criticize the athletes. The athletes are the ones that pretty much put Mexico on the map internationally, and it’s a shame that some things they get criticized so harshly. It’s something that should change, and I think if we were all supporting each other, we’d be in a better place.

Q. Canelo, I wonder what your thoughts are about fighting in Texas again.

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): I feel very happy. For me, I’ve always been treated very, very well, a warm reception each time I fight in Texas. For me, the most important thing is to give them a good fight and that’s what I want to do. I want to give them a good fight. They’ve always treated me well in Texas, and I love being in Texas.

Q. Have you seen AT&T Stadium yet? What are your impressions of it?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): It’s very impressive, very, very impressive how big it is. And the big screen, and it’s very, very beautiful. It’s impressive and it motivates me. It motivates me just imagining how it’s going to be on September 17th. It’s something that gets me really excited, and I can’t wait. I can’t wait to get out there and fight.

Q. Eric, you were just talking about the fans. Basically they’re tough on their own people over there in Mexico. So that’s kind of what I’ve always thought. Can you ask him when the decision was made for him to not fight Golovkin until September of next year, can you ask if he was concerned about how his fans might react, and has he received any negative feedback for not fighting Golovkin sooner?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): Yeah, you know, there’s always going to be critics. They’re always there, and it’s something that’s part of it. It’s part of the business. Obviously there’s good critics sometimes and there’s bad critics. But the most important thing is it doesn’t faze me. It doesn’t faze me. That’s fine, I’m used to it now, and I’ve got to do what’s best for my career.

Q. Oscar, I think most people will figure that the decision to wait until next year for Golovkin was probably yours. How tough was it to make that decision knowing that — because we all know how people are, whether it’s fair or it’s not, with social media today, right away you’re going to have people saying, oh, he’s ducking Golovkin, blah, blah, blah. How tough was it to make the decision to wait another year?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, it’s basically the team’s decision, you know? I mean, Canelo knows his body. His trainers know his body, and the bottom line is Canelo is a 154-pound fighter. The fact that he fought at 155, people expect him to go up and fight at middleweight, and that’s not the case. He’s a 54-pounder, and he’s going to go up to 160 when his body feels ready.

People will always talk and will always want the very best when you are on top of the world, and that’s what Canelo is right now. He’s on top. He is the star fighter in boxing, and people want him to fight the very best. And he has always fought the very best. And fighting a Golovkin is going to be no exception. He’s going to fight him, but when he’s ready to move up to 160.

Q. This is Liam Smith’s first fight abroad. Does it give you an advantage that you’re used to fighting in front of the big crowds in America?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): I really don’t think about that. It’s something that really doesn’t cross my mind. I’m preparing for the best possible Liam Smith there is. I don’t think about the crowd. I don’t think about people cheering. I just go up there, and my focus is to get the job done.

Q. Do you think that for Liam Smith it benefits him to stand toe to toe and fight you toe to toe, knowing that you’re a very big puncher yourself, very powerful? Do you think it’s something that will be an advantage, or do you think he should maybe change his game plan?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): No, that’s his style. That’s what he’s going to do. He’s a guy that’s very strong as well. He’s a strong puncher and throws combination and he’s aggressive. So I’m preparing for the best possible Liam Smith there is. I’m going to go with my game plan. He can go with his game plan, and may the better man win.

Q. What do you think about the story about the bronze medalist out of Mexico? He won the bronze medal in boxing. He told a story about having to raise money for himself to go to Brazil and there wasn’t really too much support from the government.

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): It’s very sad, it’s very sad, but it’s common in Mexico. The support for boxing itself is not very good, and boxing has given Mexico many world champions. It’s got a great history, but it’s sad. It’s unfortunate. It happened to me when I was an amateur. That’s part of the reason I became a pro because the support wasn’t really there. So it’s very, very sad and hopefully it can change.

Q. There’s always a tendency to criticize your opponents. It doesn’t matter who you fight. They’re always criticizing, whether the guy’s too big, he’s too small, he’s not at your level. They’re always criticizing him. Do you get tired of that?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): No, look, it’s always going to be there. I’m used to it. All I can do is worry about winning the fight and studying my opponent so there are no surprises, and that’s what I worry about.

Q. Obviously you’re fighting this fight with Liam Smith, if you win the fight, are you planning on defending the title or will you start making your move to 160 and start preparing for Golovkin?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): I can’t keep fighting this fight thinking about Golovkin. I’m preparing for Liam Smith. That’s what’s important to me. My train of thought is not to see what’s down the line. I’ve got to get ready for the fight. This is a real fight. I’m not the one that has to prepare for Golovkin. He better prepare for me.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Yes, that’s correct. This is a tough fight with Liam Smith. It’s not a walk-over fight. It’s a tough fight. And first things first, we’ve got to get past him and then we’ll deal with future fights. But as of right now, everything is geared to fighting against Liam Smith and being successful.

Q. Oscar, if you could clarify what the building is scaled for, what AT&T Stadium is scaled for? Is it going to be full capacity? Is it scaled back a little bit? Do you know the exact number?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I don’t know the exact number. I do know that the building can be scaled for as many as over 80,000 people. So, like I said, ticket sales are going incredibly well. We’re outpacing the last two Manny Pacquiao fights that were held at AT&T Stadium. So Jerry Jones is extremely happy. The fans are happy. We’re happy. And I’m sure that Canelo and Liam Smith are going to be really happy when they see the turnout at the arena.

Q. Oscar, if you do a number better than the Pacquiao fights, which would be a very big number, how encouraging would that be for you to go back maybe immediately to Cowboys Stadium for the next fight?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, I mean, look, it would be very impressive. But at this point nothing surprises me with Canelo. Like I said, he’s only getting better. He has a tremendous fan base, and ticket sales show it. He has millions and millions of fans around the world, and ticket sales are proving that.

So I believe that it’s not if he outsells the Pacquiao fights at the AT&T arena. I think the question is going to be when he outsells the Pacquiao ticket sales at the arena. I strongly believe that at the age of 26 years old, Canelo is a bigger star and a better fighter compared to any fighter out there today.

Q. Oscar, would you say if Canelo sells out AT&T, would that be kind of a passing of the torch basically from you to him as the certified Mexican star?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, the passing of the torch has already taken place. With Mayweather being retired and Pacquiao being retired, Canelo is the face of boxing now. He’s proven it with ticket sales. He’s proven it with Pay-Per-Views, and he’s going to prove it once again by outselling Manny Pacquiao at the AT&T arena.

So I believe this is just the beginning for Canelo, and he has a long future ahead for himself. We can’t wait to be part of it.

Q. What is it about Texas that does good business for y’all? Because I’ve been going to fights since the Trout one before he even fought Mayweather, and he sold that out. So I’m looking for the 85,000. What is that connection? Can you talk about the connection that Canelo has with the Texas people?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, Texas loves Canelo. Texas loves boxing. I mean, just like any other part of the world, people love Canelo and they want to see Canelo because he brings excitement to the sport. He brings exciting fights.

And this fight here with Liam Smith is going to be a toe-to-toe, “right in the center of the ring” type of action fight. That’s why people love Canelo. He works hard, he’s a serious fighter, and he brings a lot of action to the table.

Q. Canelo, do you feel super comfortable when you fight in Texas? Because it seems like your best performances, couple of your best performances I’ve been here, with the Trout fight and the Kirkland fight, and it seems you don’t mind getting into the toe-to-toe war and giving us what we want, a spectacular knockout. Is that your mindset heading into this fight with Smith September 17th?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): I feel happy. I feel very happy and comfortable fighting there. Yes, I’ve had some very good performances. September 17th is not going to be an exception. I’m looking for another great performance. I just feel very happy with the reception I get in Texas. It feels very good being there.

Q. Oscar, I know that there have been some recent Pay-Per-Views that have struggled, talking about Crawford-Postol, and even going back to Mayweather-Berto, didn’t really do that well. What do you expect for this show in terms of Pay-Per-View numbers? Do you think it will exceed Canelo’s fight against Amir Khan, which did about I think like 600,000 Pay-Per-Views?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, we can’t really tell how many.

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions: Well, first of all, that number’s wrong, Mitchy. It wasn’t that much for the Kahn fight. But go ahead, Oscar.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: We really can’t say how many Pay-Per-Views he’s going to sell, but we’re expecting a big number as always. We strongly feel that Canelo’s star power is only growing. And as we get closer to the fights, we’ll have a better indication.

But we always gauge our numbers by how many tickets we’re selling in the arena. And as you know, we’re outpacing Manny Pacquiao in ticket sales at the AT&T Arena. So we expect a really strong number come September 17.

Q. Liam Smith, a lot of people stateside don’t know him or haven’t heard of him, so he doesn’t really have a big name, though we know he’s a champion and undefeated. Are you preparing differently for this fight knowing that you’re fighting a guy like that?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): Look, whether people consider if he has a name or not, he’s still a very good fighter. He’s a champion and he’s undefeated for the right reasons. So I’m preparing like I always do, 100%. I’m getting ready for this fight. I’ll be prepared for everything. I just don’t want any surprises, but this is going to be a tough fight.

Q. What are the plans right now, if there are any, involving Billy Joe Saunders?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, there are no plans right now. The only plan that we have is to stage an exciting event September 17th. Like I said before, if everything goes well, then September 18th we’ll start getting to work once again to see what’s next for Canelo.

Q. I understand that the focus is always on the fight right in front of you. But Gomez had said that the hope was still to go forward with Billy Joe Saunders for a future fight. So, again, I ask you, is that still the plan after this fight, to go forward with Billy Joe Saunders as the next fight?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: There is a possibility, but right now the focus 100% is on Liam Smith.

Q. Okay. What in your mind is the difference between Canelo, who you said is a 154-pounder right now, and being physically ready to fight Billy Joe Saunders next, and not Gennady Golovkin?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, like I said, our focus and Canelo’s focus is fighting at 154, and after this fight his team and ourselves will sit down and discuss future opponents.

Q. Oscar, we talked a little bit about the Pay-Per-View, and Golden Boy always has this standard for great undercards with their shows. With a lot of the struggles with Luis Ortiz and Billy Joe Saunders, do you guys feel this undercard will give the fans more than they can expect with fights like Gabriel Rosado and Willie Monroe being put together? Do you feel this undercard will be able to hold up to the standard of regular Golden Boy undercards?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Absolutely. We at Golden Boy pride ourselves in giving the fans the most exciting and the best fights possible, and that’s exactly what we’ve put together. See, the fight fans in Dallas, Texas, or across the globe want to see action, and that’s what Canelo brings to the table. Canelo brings action, excitement, and our undercards are obviously no exception. Our undercards are always full of excitement and great fights.

Q. Canelo, fighting in Texas has been a lot of great Mexican fighters, Oscar himself, Julio Cesar Chavez, Juan Manuel Marquez. You yourself are the next great Mexican fighter up. Is there any added pressure for you, not just fighting in Texas, but living up to the Mexican tradition and performing well and delivering a great fight in Texas?

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): I don’t feel any pressure whatsoever. The only pressure I have for any of my fights is just to prepare 100%. That’s it. That’s been my mindset, to be ready and prepare 100%. That’s where I get my confidence. But none of that stuff really pressures me. I want to do my best and give a great performance.

As far as being the next great from Mexico, no, I don’t really think about that. It’s no pressure whatsoever, as long as I’m doing my job.

THE MODERATOR: We are ready for closing comments.

CANELO ALVAREZ (Via Translator): I just want to thank everybody for participating on this call. Thank you for the support as always, and I’ll see you guys September 17th. We’ll see each other really soon.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you very much. We will see you all the week of September 17th, and we’re looking forward to an exciting event. Like I said, tickets are still available. They are going fast, and, again, outpacing the Manny Pacquiao fights. And Jerry Jones is excited, I’m excited, and we can’t wait. Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium, doors open at 2:30 p.m. CT. and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting:bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

LOS ANGELES (August 19, 2016) – Former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and British knockout artist, WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) have opened up about training camp ahead of their September 17 clash at the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. Canelo is training in San Diego while Liam Smith is training on his home turf in Liverpool, England.

“Both Canelo and Liam Smith’s camps are looking great, and I can see that these fighters have clearly become bigger and stronger with their training regimens,” said Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Having trained like this myself, I can tell that both will be going in for the kill come fight night, as we can see these fighters demonstrating abundant strength and power.”

“My training camp will last a total of seven weeks,” said Canelo Alvarez. “My focus is becoming a world champion-that’s the main purpose of this fight. To become a world champion one more time will be sweet and memorable. This victory would be for all my Mexican fans and those all over the world. On fight night, the fans can expect to see two explosive styles clashing in the first round. The iconic venue will be amazing that night and everyone will not be disappointed.”

“I know Liam Smith has a similar style as mine,” continued Alvarez. “He likes to trade punches and that will make a terrific fight. I don’t like to make predictions or announce my strategy. But one thing I can say is that it will be a fight to remember. I am planning a big surprise when I get into the ring. The fans inside the AT&T Stadium and those ones watching at home will witness something special.”

“Canelo’s experience will be his fundamental advantage over Liam Smith in his fight,” said Eddy Reynoso, head trainer to Canelo Alvarez. “Canelo has fought a tremendous amount of talented fighters and I believe that will be the difference is this fight.”

“Training camp will have been 12 weeks and the focus is to be in great shape and bully the bully. The fans should expect a great fight, a war,” said Liam Smith. “Both of us have great variety and both box better on the front foot so we know nobody is going to want to give that up.”

“I know Canelo will put up a very good fight and can fight and box-he’s a solid 154, but my strategy is to match him with everything, then go one step further and do things he doesn’t want to do,” continued Smith. “I think I have already surprised my fans and a lot of others with my size, I know many thought Canelo was a monster and a lot bigger than me, which he isn’t, but they will be also surprised how much I raise my game with a better fighter in front of me. A win is going to mean everything, it’s going to change my life, give me a better future and announce myself as the best 154 pound fighter in the world.”

“Liam is a focused World Champion out to prove he a worthy world champ, said Joe Gallagher, Ring Magazine 2015 Trainer of the Year and trainer to Liam Smith. “He is under no pressure. All pressure is on Canelo as challenger to win and win in style on Mexican Independence Day Weekend.”

Canelo Alvarez was last seen in the ring defeating former WBC Silver Welterweight Champion Amir “King” Khan by devastating six-round knockout of their scheduled 12-round middleweight world championship match. Liam Smith has defeated eight of his last opponents by way of knockout-all before the third round. As the current WBO Junior Middleweight World Champ after his thrilling victory over Predrag “Pedja” Radosevic, “Beefy” will not go down without a relentless fight to maintain his title.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium, doors open at 2:30 p.m. CT. and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

daFor more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

LOS ANGELES (August 18, 2016) – As fans from around the world get ready to descend on the home of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the world championship showdown between former two-division world champion and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and current WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion, Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1,13 KOs), Golden Boy Promotions today announced the Saturday, September 17 event will also feature three non-stop action fights as part of the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Hailed as one of the most entertaining fighters in boxing, former world title challenger and blood-and-guts contender, “King” Gabriel Rosado (23-9, 13 KOs, 1 NC) of Philadelphia, will attempt to re-establish himself as one of the top fighters in the middleweight division when he faces former world title challenger Willie “El Mongoose” Monroe, Jr. (20-2, 6 KOs) of Rochester, N.Y. in a 12-round, middleweight bout as the co-main event to Canelo vs. Smith. The sure-fire action fight features two of boxing’s most resilient fighters who have taken on the top fighters in the division on their rise to stardom, garnering praise and respect from boxing fans. With a final run up the middleweight ladder at stake for the winner, this 50/50 fight will feature non-stop action and two warriors desperate for a win.

Also on the televised card, 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. (21-0, 12 KOs) of So. El Monte, Calif. will make his Pay-Per-View (PPV) debut, defending his NABF Featherweight title for the second time in a 10-round fight against one of the hardest punchers and most experienced fighters in the division, Andrew “El Chango” Cancio (17-3-2, 13 KOs) of Blythe, Calif.

Opening up the pay-per-view telecast, Diego De La Hoya (15-0, 9 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico, will face off against Luis “Orlandito” Orlando Del Valle (22-2, 16 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico in a 10-round fight.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to perform at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys,” said Gabriel Rosado. “Fernando Vargas, my trainer and I are on a winning streak and getting better as we continue to work together. We have all the confidence we’ll be victorious on September 17. Training camp is going great; despite the change in opponent, we still continue to maintain our focus. Willie Monroe, Jr. is a southpaw as well so the game plan doesn’t change much. He’s in my way of me gaining a world title so I’m working harder than ever before to get that chance again. This is going to be a great fight for all the fans, I know I am coming in with everything I got and I know Willie Monroe, Jr. will do the same. I would like to thank Golden Boy Promotions, AT&T Stadium, and HBO for having me part of such a big event, I promise all boxing fans, this is the fight to watch on September 17.”

“I am happy to be back in championship contention,” Willie Monroe, Jr. “Gabriel Rosado is a warrior and this should make a for a great fight. I am looking forward to this opportunity. It is a big venue, but I don’t care if I am fighting in front of 200 people or 2 million people. I am always focused and I plan to put on a great performance on September 17.”

“I am very Happy that Willie is getting this opportunity,” said Arthur R. Pelullo, President and CEO of Banner Promotions. “Willie has displayed that he is one of the top middleweights in the world, and he will show that on that September 17th against a quality fighter in Gabe Rosado which should be an all-action, fan-friendly fight.”

“This undercard features everything a fight fan could want — a crossroads fight between two veterans battling for a last shot at stardom, a former Olympian on the cusp of a world title and a top prospect making his debut on the biggest scene in boxing,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “With the biggest star in the sport in Canelo headlining the night and this stacked undercard providing support, fans are in a for a top-to-bottom treat on September 17.”

“Fighting on HBO pay-per-view is a dream come true,” said Joseph Diaz, Jr. “As a young fighter you always dream about being on the big stage doing what you love and I am very excited to be part of such a big event. I am very motivated and ready to take this step and perform for all the fight fans in the arena and all the fights tuning in. Andrew is a tremendous fighter, strong, aggressive; I know he bring out the best in me. I know he is going to try to take everything away from me, but I am not afraid. I am going out on September 17 in the best shape of my life, I have everything ahead of me and I am ready to defend my title and give the fight fans a fight they want to see.”

“Every fighter dreams to one day get to this level of their career and be featured on pay-per-view,” said Diego De La Hoya. “With this fight and this stage I am ready to announce that I have arrived to the elite of this division. Winning this fight will take me to the next level of my career, I am ready for it. I have what it takes to win and I am looking forward to impressing all the fans on September 17.”

“Being patient paid off,” said Luis Orlando Del Valle. “This is a great opportunity, on one of boxing’s biggest stages. Now is the time to deliver, to come out with the win at all cost for my family and for Puerto Rico. Rest assured, I will not waste this magnificent occasion. I will rise.”

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium, doors open at 2:30 p.m. CT. and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Since making his film debut in last year’s Creed,the latest installment of the internationally recognized Rocky franchise, “King” Gabe Rosado is fresh off of an exciting victory over Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey this past December 2015 and an exciting decision victory over Antonio “Tony” Gutierrez on the undercard of Fight of the Year contender Vargas vs. Salido on June 4. Rosado has established himself as one of the most entertaining fighters to watch in the sport taking on some of the toughest and elite fighters in the middleweight division. The epitome of Philadelphia toughness, Rosado has been battling the best for over a decade, including Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, David Lemieux, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, Jesus Soto “Renuente” Karass, Alfredo “Perro” Angulo, Kassim “The Dream” Ouma and Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo. But this September, Rosado, expects to leave Texas with a victory under his belt when he takes on Willie Monroe, Jr.

Willie began boxing at the age of six and comes from an acclaimed boxing family, which includes his father, Willie “The Body Rock” Monroe, who fought for the USBA and NABF titles at middleweight and super middleweight; his great uncle Willie “The Worm” Monroe (39-10-1) who was considered one of the best Middleweights of the 1970’s and holds a win over the great Marvin Hagler; his cousin Marcus Hall (6-6-1), and his late grandfather, Lee Monroe, a distinguished amateur in his fighting days. Willie had a distinguished amateur career, as well, which saw him go 128-14. He was a three-time national champion and won countless regional and state championships. He was a 2-time Empire State Games champion and 4-time State Golden Gloves champion. He lost in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Olympic trials to former IBF Welterweight champion Shawn Porter. Willie’s big breakthrough was winning the 2014 Boxcino Middleweight tournament on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. Willie then took a ten-round unanimous decision win over perennial contender Bryan Vera on January 16, 2015 from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. With this impressive run of victories, Willie earned an opportunity to fight for the WBA Middleweight title of the world. On May 16, 2015, Willie took on WBA/Interim WBC Middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin in a bout that headlined HBO Championship Boxing at The Forum in Inglewood, California. In his last bout on June 11, 2016, Willie scored two knockdowns and went on to win an impressive ten-round unanimous decision over 2015 Boxcino Junior Middleweight Champion John Thompson. The bout took place at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

A member of the 2012 United States Olympic team, Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. has been seen as a future world champion for years, and now the NABF Featherweight Champion is closing in on that dream. Currently ranked third in the world by the WBC and ninth by the IBF and WBO, the 23-year-old southpaw from South El Monte, California has steadily moved through all opposition at 126 pounds, including Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado, Ruben “Canelito” Tamayo and Hugo “Guerrero” Partida. But it was in his March 26 win in his HBO debut over highly-regarded Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez that Diaz announced his arrival to the world stage. Diaz, Jr. was last seen in the ring against Victor “Pitufo” Proa defeating the fighter via second round knockout as the co-main event to Anotnio Orozco vs. Abner Lopez live on HBO Latino Boxing, on July 30. Now, set to face one of the hardest punchers in his division, Diaz, Jr. is ready to move up to the big leagues when he faces Andrew “El Chango” Cancio on the pay-per-view undercard of Canelo vs. Smith on September 17.

Blythe, Calif. native Andrew “El Chango” Cancio made his professional debut in 2006, remaining undefeated for ten bouts before his first loss. Cancio’s power has brought him thirteen of seventeen wins by way of knockout, a strength he brought to the ring against Nicaraguan warrior Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado and former two-time world champion Hugo Fidel “El Increible” Cazares via knockout at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, in Indio, Calif. With these impressive victories, Cancio hopes to pursue his goal of becoming a featherweight world champion as he takes on one of the toughest challenges of his career in the decorated Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr on September 17.

The latest boxing phenomenon to emerge from Mexico, 22-year-old Diego De La Hoya has all the tools to become a global superstar, but the mature super bantamweight is keeping his focus on what’s in front of him. In 2015, De La Hoya began his move on the super bantamweight elite with five wins highlighted by back-to-back victories over former world title challengers Manuel “Suavecito” Roman and Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz, Ramiro “Zurdo” Robles, Jose “Hollywood” Estrella, and Giovanni “Lloviznas” Delgado; winning the WBC Youth World Title in the process. De La Hoya kicked off 2016 in style in February with a fourth-round body shot knockout of Arturo “Fuerte” Badillo and successfully defending it on May 7 of this year with a blistering seventh round technical knockout of Rocco Santomauro. Now his eyes are on a big win in September at AT&T Stadium.

Puerto Rican native Orlando “Orlandito” Del Valle comes from a boxing linage that includes former WBO Bantamweight World Champion Rafael Del Valle. Prior to his professional debut on April 11, 2008 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey where he knocked out Rey Rivera in the third round, Del Valle was an Under 19 National Junior Olympic Champion for Puerto Rico, three-time New York Golden Gloves Champion, National Golden Gloves Champion, and U.S. Boxing’s number one rated junior boxer at 125 lbs. Now, Del Valle is riding a four fight win streak with two victories already notched in 2016. In his first contest of the year on April 9, Del Valle scored a second round technical knockout victory over rising prospect Josh Crespo at Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire. He followed that performance with an eight-round unanimous decision victory over southpaw veteran Thomas “KO” Snow on May 13 as the nationally televised co-feature of Dustin Harrison-Hernandez vs. Mike Dallas Jr. at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. Del Valle looks to continue his momentum for a fifth consecutive win on September 17 in Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders will not be part of the Canelo Alvarez – Liam Smith card, due to turning down various opponents.

“I was working hard with Frank to make this deal, and it was going well, but Saunders is not going to be on the card now,” said Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez.. “We tried to make it happen. We offered him reasonable opponents, and he said no. We thought it would have been great to have Saunders and Canelo on the same card before a possible fight between them. But now we are moving on.

“Even though Saunders won’t be on the Sept. 17 card, we have not closed the door to still trying to make the fight for December. I’m not sure what else Saunders wants to do, but this was a great opportunity, and Frank knew it. Anyway, the fight with Canelo could still happen at some point.”

One of the opponents that Saunders turned down was Gabriel Rosado

“I signed my contract a week ago,” Rosado said. “From what I hear, Saunders wanted an easier fight. They didn’t want to fight me. The WBO champ [is] acting like a coward.”

Saunders’ response to heavy criticism for rejecting the various opponents came on social media.

“Don’t believe everything you’re told,” he said. “I’ll be in the ring very soon.”

LOS ANGELES (July 21, 2016) – Tickets for the mega event between former two-division world champion and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion
Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) are on sale now.

The 12-round world championship clash will take place on Mexican Independence weekend, Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The fight promises a night of non-stop action, as both fighters put it all on the line to battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions, sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD” and Casa Mexico Tequila. The event will take place on Saturday, September 17 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

Liverpool’s WBO Super-Welterweight Champion Liam Smith came face-to-face with Mexican challenger Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for a second time at today’s final stop on the Canelo vs. Smith international press tour. ‘Beefy’ puts it all on the line against pound-for-pound superstar Alvarez at the breath-taking AT&T Stadium on Saturday 17th September, exclusively live in the UK on BoxNation.

The undefeated Merseyside hero is looking to make a name for himself across the pond when he defends his WBO World Title for a third time at the home of the world-famous Dallas Cowboys on Mexican Independence Day.

“This is a fight I’ve been asking for for 12 months. I jumped at the chance, it’s a chance for me to make a name for myself.

“I want to do it against the biggest name in boxing at the moment. Saul Alvarez is the biggest name in boxing. I’m looking forward to pitting my wits against one of the best in the sport,” said the 23-0 star, currently on an eight fight KO streak.

“I think a lot of people, will be surprised. I can’t wait until September and making a name for myself up there.”

Responding to the US media reaction which has seen him unfairly labelled as a “paper champion”, the 27-year-old said the American press weren’t in a position to comment as he’s never fought Stateside before.

“They’ll know in September that they shouldn’t be calling me a paper champion. I haven’t fought out there just yet, but they’ll know why [it’s wrong to call me a paper champion] when I do.

“I’m going in there to stop Canelo. If I don’t stop him, it won’t be for the lack of trying.”

Alvarez, 47-1-1 33 KO’s, insisted he will not be underestimating Smith, despite heading into September’s mega-fight as the bookies clear favourite.

“What can I say? Liam Smith is a great champion. He’s very strong and he’s very hungry.

“We’re going to prepare like never before, knowing what we know about Liam Smith. I can assure you this: we’re going to give the fans what they want to see.”

Tickets for Canelo vs. Smith will go on sale, Thursday, July 21 at 10:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. ET, and are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (July 18, 2016) – Former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) today kicked off the two-city international press tour at AT&T Stadium ahead of their world championship showdown on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Located in Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium is home to one of the most iconic and successful sports teams in history – the Dallas Cowboys, and will host the big event between Canelo and Smith on Mexican Independence Day weekend, Sept. 17.

Canelo vs. Smith will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on Sept. 17. The heavy-handed combatants will head next to London, England for a press conference at The Landmark Hotel on July 20, 2016.

Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, led those present at today’s press conference in a moment of silence to honor the victims of the recent tragedy affecting the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Area Rapid Transit officers.

Below is what the fighters, their teams, promoters and Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones had to say at today’s press conference:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Former Two-Division World Champion:

“I had to work for my birthday, so I’m here to work. I’m very happy to be back in Texas again, in this beautiful stadium. I’m going to take this fight seriously and prepare like always. I know how I’m going to have to train. I like to give the fans a great fight, and that is what I will prepare for.”

LIAM “BEEFY” SMITH, WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion:

“I am very excited, I have asked for a top name for a very long time and when Canelo’s name came to the table it was an automatic ‘yes.’

“We are coming very prepared for this fight, and I’m coming to win.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:

“Everything is bigger in Texas, and here we are the iconic AT&T Stadium, where we have two world champion fighters known for knocking out opponents in the ring with their strength and power. Come Mexican Independence weekend, former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez will face the undefeated WBO junior middleweight world champion Liam “Beefy” Smith for his title.

“Here you have Liam Smith, an aggressive, relentless fighter. His previous eight opponents have fallen before the final bell. And then you have Canelo Alvarez, who is only getting more and more powerful with each of his devastating victories.

“Both of these fighters come from boxing families. Boxing is in their blood. To Canelo and Smith, fighting is a family tradition and with that comes a responsibly to live up to the family name. That said, both of them will come to the ring on September 17 to wage a war: for Canelo, to claim a new title as the WBO junior middleweight world champion and for Smith, to successfully defend his WBO title once again and make a name for himself in the U.S.

“While the fights will be the highlight of the weekend–Golden Boy, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys will bring the people a week full of fun activities that fans will enjoy for the entirety of fight week.”

JERRY JONES, Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager:

“These two fighters are champions. I’ve got to see Canelo fight, and I can’t tell you how impressed I am by his talent, to see it up close and personal. We have some great Hispanic boxing fans here in Texas. We recognize what a great talent Liam Smith is and what a great fighter Canelo is, and what he means to Mexican fans. It is a great gift for us to host this event on Mexican Independence Day weekend.

“When we built this new home for the Dallas Cowboys, we wanted great champions, great matches and to be part of the legacy of our stadium beyond just football events. It’s a great privilege to us to have this fight at our Stadium. In our stadium on the giant screens, you’ll be able to see every detail of the fight in the ring on Sept. 17.”

EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer of Canelo Alvarez:

“We are fighting a tough fight with Liam Smith. There is a reason he is a champion. We are going to prepare like always with a lot of dedication, and we can win another title. I want to invite everyone in Dallas to come and support Canelo. We will see you in September.”

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Manager and Trainer of Canelo Alvarez:

“We know that on Sept. 17, Liam Smith is coming to conquer America. He is coming to defend his title. We also know he has knocked out his recent opponents. We should be very aware so that we don’t have any surprises. We take this fight with a lot of respect and responsibility. This is an important fight in September, at an important stadium that is one of the best in the world. Viva Canelo and Viva Mexico!”

JOE GALLAGHER, Ring Magazine 2015 Trainer of the Year and Trainer of Liam Smith:

“Liam Smith is a world champion, and he is doing what world champions do: defending his world title against one of the best fighters in the world.

“We are going to have a good camp. Liam isn’t coming over here to be caught like a rabbit in the headlights. Liam Smith is a world champion and is going to take care of business on fight night.”

MATTHEW MACKLIN, Manager to Liam Smith:

“I’ve known Liam nearly 20 years. I boxed with one of his brothers in the amateurs. Liam Smith is a nice kid, but on fight night once that bell rings, he’s going to unleash. After September 17, the whole world will know who Liam Smith is.”

PETER NELSON, Executive Vice President of HBO Sports:

“Thank you Golden Boy for your partnership and efforts to make this a great event. HBO sees this as one of the signature events of 2016 with Canelo and Mexican Independence Day weekend.”

FRANCISCO VALCARCEL, WBO President:

“It’s a privilege to be here today. This is the best arena in the world, and I’ve been all around the world and seen many venues. I can assure you that this is going to be the best fight. I know Liam Smith because I’ve followed him the last three or four years. Canelo, this will be a tough fight. Be ready to go toe-to-toe.”

WILLIAM KUNTZ, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation:

“Events like this help us showcase the great state of Texas. Oscar and Jerry, thanks for having us today.”

Tickets for Canelo vs. Smith will go on sale, Thursday, July 21 at 10:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. ET, and are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions, sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD” and Casa Mexico Tequila. The event will take place on Saturday, September 17 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (July 18, 2016) – AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, will give a big Texas welcome to former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) as it hosts their world championship showdown on Saturday, September 17. As the third boxing match ever held at AT&T Stadium, Canelo vs. Smith will guarantee a star-studded affair for all in attendance to witness Canelo take on one of the hardest punchers in the junior middleweight division. Canelo vs. Smith will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Canelo and Smith will launch a two-city press tour today, July 18 with a press conference at AT&T Stadium starting at 3:00 p.m. CST. The heavy-handed combatants will then head to London, England for a press conference at The Landmark Hotel on July 20, 2016.

Located in Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium is home to one of the most iconic and successful sports teams in history – the Dallas Cowboys. Now the site will welcome boxing’s biggest star, Canelo on Saturday, September 17.

“Texas loves Canelo, and Canelo loves Texas so it was a no-brainer to have this fight at AT&T Stadium,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Texas is like Canelo’s second home, and he has stated that he wants to fight in Texas once a year for his fans. My friend Jerry Jones extended the invitation to Canelo to fight at AT&T Stadium so it was an easy decision for us.”

“AT&T Stadium was built to host great events like Canelo vs. Smith,” said Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager. “Having Canelo Alvarez, one of the best fighters in the world, in this stadium will be a thrill for not only the fans of North Texas but also for boxing fans around the world.”

After his defeats over Austin “No Doubt” Trout at the Alamodome in San Antonio in front of 40,000 fans and a devastating knockout of James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland at Minute Maid Park, in Houston in front of 31,000 fans, Canelo will make his grand return to Texas in a fight destined to break his previous attendance records.

Given the recent tragedy that struck the Dallas Police and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Officers, Golden Boy Promotions and the Dallas Cowboys have pledged to donate a percentage of proceeds to a charity of the Dallas Police Department and DART’s choosing.

“We are deeply saddened and mourn the loss of the dedicated Dallas Police and DART Officers that paid the ultimate sacrifice giving their lives to protect this community,” Jones and De La Hoya said in a joint statement. “In memory of these brave officers, we will donate a portion of the proceeds from this event in support of their loved ones, the others affected and the Dallas community.”

Tickets for Canelo vs. Smith will go on sale, Thursday, July 21 at 10:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. ET, and are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions, sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD” and Casa Mexico Tequila. The event will take place on Saturday, September 17 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

LOS ANGELES (June 24, 2016) – Known for his power and dominance in the ring, Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) will look to win his third title in the junior middleweight division when he challenges undefeated heavy-hitter Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship on Saturday, September 17. A battle between two power-punchers, Canelo vs. Smith promises action between two fighters willing to take a punch in order to secure the next Knockout of the Year. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Information regarding venue and tickets will be announced shortly.

“I am very pleased to announce my next fight against Liam Smith, a tremendous fighter with real knockout power, and the WBO junior middleweight world title owner,” said Canelo Alvarez. “I have no doubt that this fight will be give and take, which will fill the expectations of the fans, and I will work with all the enthusiasm as I always do to get the upper hand on 17 September.”

With the bout’s announcement, Canelo has fulfilled his pledge to headline the two biggest fight nights of the year; Cinco De Mayo – when he knocked out Amir Khan in dramatic fasion — and Mexican Independence Day.

Current WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Liam “Beefy” Smith has built a reputation as one of the hardest punchers in the sport as his last eight victories have come by knockout. Defeating Canelo via knockout is now his top priority, as he begins to establish his legacy in becoming the UK’s next boxing super-star.

“I am delighted to get the opportunity to defend my world title against the biggest name in world boxing and to headline in the U.S. which is a dream I have had since I started in the sport of boxing,” said Liam Smith. “This fight allows me to make my name in the U.S. and show just how good I am and this is the big stage that will enable me to do that. I thank my team for getting me this opportunity: Frank Warren, BoxNation, Daniel and of course Golden Boy for providing it. I am confident of winning this fight and returning to the great city of Liverpool with my belt still around my waist.”

“This fight will be a slugfest between two heavy hitters, and I have little doubt that it will end with a 10-count,” said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. “Canelo is the biggest star in our sport today, and with a victory on September 17, at the age of just 26 he can add yet another chapter to his already-incredible career.”

“Liam grabbed the opportunity to defend his WBO title against Alvarez,” said Frank Warren. “This is a fantastic chance for Liam to showcase his talent in such a high profile fight. He believes, as do I, that he has the tools to beat Alvarez and stake his own claim to be the world’s best.”

At the age of 25, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez, the current Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion, has conquered the boxing world, captivating fans both at home and around the globe with his action-packed fighting style, charisma and willingness to take on the toughest challenges. Canelo’s road to stardom began in 2011 with a win over Matthew “Magic” Hatton for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight World title, his first title defense against Ryan Rhodes and stoppage victories over Alfonso Gomez and Kermit Cintron. Then in 2012, Canelo defended his belt against future Hall of Famer Sugar Shane Mosley and showed the veteran his first retirement, winning via unanimous decision. Canelo continued on the path to superstardom in 2013 with a fifth round technical knockout of Josesito Lopez, followed by a unanimous decision victory over then world champion, Austin Trout in front of over 40,000 fans at San Antonio’s Alamodome. The victory earned Canelo the WBA Super Welterweight World Championship and proved his dominance at 154-pounds and as a bonafide ticket seller. On September 14, 2013, Canelo faced the man on top of the pound-for-pound list – Floyd “Money” Mayweather – giving a stellar effort before falling short of victory for the first time via 12-round majority decision. The fight ended up being the biggest of 2013, but also the second highest grossing bout of all-time and the second most watched boxing event ever on Mexican television (only behind 2015’s Mayweather-Pacquiao). Since then, Canelo has defeated top stars Alfredo “Perro” Angulo via 10th round technical knockout and Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara via split decision in 2014. On May 9, 2015, Alvarez dazzled with a victory over the fierce James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland at Minute Maid Park in Houston in front of more than 31,000 fans that featured what many deemed the Knockout of the Year in 2015. At the end of 2015, Alvarez defeated future Hall-of-Famer Miguel Cotto for the WBC, RING Magazine and Lineal Middleweight Championship in front of a packed arena at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas and more than 900,000 homes across the country. The unanimous decision victory cemented Canelo’s status as boxing’s biggest draw and among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Finally, Canelo delivered another Knockout of the Year contender in May of this year, knocking out Amir “King” Khan in the sixth round of his first middleweight title defense opening up the new state-of-the-art T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Part of the Famous Fighting Smith Brothers, where brothers Callum, Paul and Stephen have all competed in the boxing elite level as current title holders and world championship title challengers with Liam “Beefy” Smith is the first to hold a world championship title. A decorated fighter and current WBO Junior Middleweight Champion, Smith has maintained his undefeated status since his 2008 debut, defeating his last eight opponents by knockout. Smith began his knockout prowess in 2013 when he defended his BBB of CBritish Super Welterweight Title by knocking out Marck Thompson in the fourth round. 2014 saw Smith defend his British belt and win the vacant WBA Continental Super Welterweight Title with dramatic stoppages against Jason Welborn and Zoltan Sera proving that Smith belonged in the upper ranks in the division. In 2015, The Scouse warrior went on to stop Robert Talarek by an eighth-round technical knockout in March and then claimed WBO Intercontinental Super Welterweight Title when he finished David Ezequiel “La Herradura” Romero with a seventh-round technical knockout in April. By October of 2015, Smith proved to be an elite fighter as he defeated John “Apollo Kid” Thompson via seventh-round technical knockout to be crowned as the new WBO Junior Middleweight Champion. Since then, Smith has made two successful defenses of his world championship defeating ‘Jimmy’ Kilrain Kelly also in the seventh round in December 2015 and most recently Predrag “Pedja” Radosevic in June 2016 with a devastating second round knockout.

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD. The event will take place on Saturday, September 17 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

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