NEW YORK CITY (October 13, 2015) WBA, IBO and WBC “Interim” Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, (33-0, 30KOs) and IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux (34-2, 31 KOs) hosted their fight week media workout today alongside number one Pound-for-Pound Fighter and WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (43-0, 37KOs) and Four-Time World Champion in two weight divisions Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria, (36-4 (22KOs) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in advance of their anticipated matchups on October 17 at “The Mecca of Boxing” Madison Square Garden. The Middleweight World Championship Title Unification will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.

Golovkin vs. Lemieux is one of the most anticipated bouts of the year breaking records for Madison Square by selling the most tickets during pre-sale for a major boxing event.

Below are what the fighters and their teams had to say at today’s media workout:

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, WBA, IBO and WBC Interim Middleweight World Champion:

“This is the biggest test for me. He’s the IBF champ. It’s big situation, unification, Pay-Per-View. Right now it’s a very interesting situation to be in in the middleweight division. I think we have three or four fighters and it’s very important who is number one.”

DAVID LEMIEUX, IBF Middleweight World Champion:

“What I have done with the degree of the fight and the intensity for this fight, I know I have to be better than I was for N’Dam.

“Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya are letting me do what I need to do. I have a great team around me and they feel very confident in my abilities.

“I am aware of his record but I am also aware of who I am and what I can bring to the table. My concern is the present and making sure I win on Oct. 17

“I am going to be a lion in there. Nothing is going to be in my way.

“It is kind of like David and Goliath. Everyone is impressed on this big GGG, he is impressive and talented but there is also David who is making a lot of noise. I know what I am going up against and I am going in with a nice package to deliver to Golovkin.”

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ, WBC Flyweight World Champion:

“This fight is going to be exciting. It’s impossible to predict if it will end in a knockout or if it will go the distance.

“I loved the opportunity to be fighting at Madison Square Garden. I feel blessed, and I want to give the best fight ever to the world and demonstrate why I am the best in the world.

“When we go into the fighting game we do it for family, to provide for them. But once you have it all, boxing has taken me to different places where I have been able to proudly represent Nicaragua. That is a great motivation for me; it’s a passion for me. I want to leave a legacy. It is what God has given to me, and I feel happy to share it with the world.

BRIAN “HAWAIIAN PUNCH” VILORIA, Former Four-Time World Champion in Two Weight Divisions:

“I am prepared mentally and expect everything and am ready for it. Now all I have to do is wait a few more days for the fight to happen.

“I have no pressure. I believe all the pressure is on him to maintain and stay number one. This is a motivation for me to train harder, to run longer, faster. The hard part is done. The easy part is performing and that is the fun part.

“I try not to think about everything, my concern is giving it my all. I can live with that and I am prepared to leave it all in the ring.

“I have fought at swap meets and parking lots, and to be at a place like Madison Square Garden on HBO Pay-Per-View this is a dream come true for me. I want to do the best I can do to make this fight entertaining for all the fans.”

TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 Promotions:
“We’re very excited to be here in New York City with this terrific event. The response from the fans and media has just been outstanding, and we’re looking forward to a great evening on Saturday.

“Gennady has had a great camp up in Big Bear with Abel, and he’s ready to put on another strong performance against David Lemieux.

“This is Gennady’s first title unification and first Pay-Per-View, and he’s been looking forward to Saturday night in front of his very supportive fans here in New York City and at Madison Square Garden.”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner:

“David is ready to become the unified middleweight world champion. I saw him in Montreal and he looked so strong. Today he looks ready to take Golovkin’s head off.”

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions:

“I saw David three weeks ago and today he looks so fast and strong. Now not only does he have the power that we all know David Lemieux for, but he also has speed and it’s going to be a dangerous night for Golovkin.”

ABEL SANCHEZ, Head Trainer to Gennady Golovkin:

“I don’t think David is going to change his stripes now. I think David is going to come at him and expose himself and give Gennady an opportunity to knock him out.

“I would say Curtis Stevens, who was as dangerous if not more than Lemieux because of his reputation- I think you look at him a little bit different.

“The Chin-Checkers, they were beating everybody up and as a coach I look at what guys have done in the past. David is a force, but I think he’s going to be really surprised when he gets checked the first time.”

MARC RAMSAY, Head Trainer to David Lemieux:

“David has shown tremendous commitment, determination and focus in the gym. This fight has brought out the best in David Lemieux.

“This has been one of the best training camps we have had and everyone will see how powerful David Lemieux is on Oct. 17.”

Golovkin vs. Lemieux is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with GGG Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management and is sponsored by Corona Extra, BI Group and Tsesnabank. The event will take place Saturday, October 17 from Madison Square Garden and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. ET and the first fight begins at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Tickets for GOLOVKIN vs. LEMIEUX are still available and priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50 and can purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

For more information visit, www.k2promos.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.gggboxing.com, www.eottm.com, www.thegarden.com, www.hboboxing.com, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @TomLoeffler1, @GoldenBoyBoxing, @GGGBoxing, @LemieuxBoxing, @ChocolatitoBox, @BrianViloria and @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeofTheTigerManagement and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing and join the conversation using #GolovkinLemieux.

Tom Loeffler: We are really excited about this upcoming event. We have gotten a tremendous reaction from both the media and the fans, especially the local media in New York. We are seeing Roman back in the States and it will be his first time fighting at Madison Square Garden. The tickets sales are very strong in anticipation of this event. It’s a large international event and will be telecast on Box Nation in the UK, WOWOW in Japan, in Nicaragua where Roman is from, Sat 1 in Germany, Polsat in Poland and in the Philippines, over 120 countries in total. This is a very strong WBC championship fight in the flyweight division and Roman was just announced as the consensus pound-for-pound fighter and I know a lot of people are looking forward to seeing him back in the ring and when he is fighting a guy like Brian Viloria who is a four-time world champion in two different divisions. We need to thank a lot of people that made this fight happen – Mr. Honda of Teiken Promotions, Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn and Carlos Blandon the manager of Roman Gonzalez.

These are the type of warriors looking to show their skills in the ring.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I want to thank God and I want to thank Teiken Promotions, HBO, K2 and everyone else that has made this possible. I am ready for October 17.

Roman, you have been voted by numerous outlets to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter – your reaction? And does it add pressure?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I am very happy about being voted the No. 1 pound-for-pound. I would like to thank my team because I believe it is a team effort and all of the work has paid off. It does not bring any pressure – it just brings motivation.

What is it the feeling to be where you are now as the No. 1 fighter in the world compared to where you came from?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: When I go back I would never have imagined that I could be No.1 pound-for-pound fighter or have won three world championships. I have taken care of myself. That is one of the great lessons I have learned. I am looking forward to October 17 to demonstrate my talent and be victorious once again.

Viloria is a tough opponent – how do you feel about fighting someone at this top level – the toughest you have fought in a few fights?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I know that Brian Viloria is an excellent champion and he is a great fighter. He is a tough opponent and it will be a hard fight. I have my arsenal and he has his arsenal and whoever is in the best physical condition on October 17 is going to win the fight.

Roman, you are the first at your weight to be No. 1 – does that make it even more special?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: It definitely makes it a lot more special and I would like to thank the Bible of Boxing among others for taking me into consideration. I thank God because without him I would not be able to be where I am at today.

Carbajal was the first at that weight to break into the top five, then Ricardo Lopez was in the top 5, and Mark Johnson – does you remember any of those?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: Ricardo Finito Lopez is the one that sticks out for me the most – the way he boxed.

I know Alexis Arguello is your mentor and I don’t think he was ever pound-for-pound, but how does would he feel about this?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I believe that Alexis Arguello would be the happiest out of all of my team, because he had a lot of trust in me and treated me like his son. He would not only be so happy to see me as the pound-for-pound No. 1 but to also have won three world championships. Out of the whole team he would be the happiest with my accomplishments.

Are there any other fighters out there you are looking to fight and what would be the super fight?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I would like to have a rematch with Estrada, which I think would be a very good, fight but right now I am focused on Brian Viloria on October 17.

How important is it for you to put on a good show at Madison Square Garden for the fans in the USA?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I am so happy with MSG and HBO that they are giving me this opportunity to fight where a lot of great champions have fought.

Has Viloria been on your radar in the past couple of years since you have been hovering around the same weight class?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: As a matter of fact, after I fought Estrada, I was told the winner of our fight would fight the winner of Viloria-Tyson Marquez fight, but then Viloria decided to fight Estrada. That was the only time that Viloria’s name was mentioned as an opponent on my radar until this fight on October 17.

How difficult do you think it will be to get other top fighters in the ring with you?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: It definitely motivates me to be able to fight at Madison Square Garden and HBO is giving me the opportunity. And I need to perform well so that HBO continues to give me the opportunity to fight the best fighters. But not just me – I hope that other fighters in my weight class can get, from HBO, the same opportunity.

How was the negotiation process for the first Estrada fight and do you think it will be tougher to negotiate the second time around?

Carlos Blandon: The first time that Roman Gonzalez fought Estrada, he was under different management (PRODESA), who had a good relationship with Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions, and at the time Estrada had just avenged his only loss at that time against Sanchez and won the Azteca title, so when they offered him the fight at 108lb. he accepted with ease because it was his first world title shot. Now it’s different because it is going to be a unification of titles and there is a lot more on the line, they both have bigger names and they have more exposure so negotiations will be a little bit harder. Under my management if Zanfer wants a shot at Gonzalez they have to come up with an offer that is worthy of both fighters, which are great champions.

How important is it to have two of the best boxers in the world fighting on the same card?

Tom Loeffler: It’s very important and one of the few and rare occasions when you have the top two fighters in boxing fighting on the same show and that’s why we have seen such a great reaction from the fans and the media. I just want to reiterate – Roman is one of the only fighters that could outshine GGG, like he did at the Forum where his performance was so outstanding and impressive that it got everyone talking about it. We are excited about having him back and it’s a great combination having two world title fights like this,
Gennady defending his titles – unifying with a big puncher like IBF Champion David Lemieux and then Roman defending his title against a proven champion like Brian Viloria, it’s a tremendous event.

Do you think it will do 1 million pay-per-views or more?

Tom Loeffler: I think we are pretty conservative on our end, with ticket sales you can see everyone is very excited about the event. None of the fighters have been on HBO pay-per-view before so this is really us trying to make this event work. We will be happy with the success on pay-per-view and I think it opens a lot of doors for all the fighters featured on the show.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria joining the call…

Tom Loeffler: Brian Viloria brings additional international flavor to the promotion with a strong Filipino following. He is a four-time world champion and we are very excited about the match-up between Brian Viloria and Roman Gonzalez.

Gary Gittelsohn: As Brian’s manager I would like to say how grateful we are to be part of this event. Having been around boxing for quite a while I know there is no bigger stage than Madison Square Garden and no bigger platform that HBO Pay-Per-View. It’s a rare combination that showcases the little giants of the sport despite my efforts over the years to get recognition for them. I never understood the corporate bias against the smaller weights especially because traditionally the lighter weights are the most talent laden. If you ask any matchmaker, there are no bums occupying the lower weight classes. And any of those guys on any given day can become a champion. But this fight is special – it matches the two most compelling flyweights in the world. I can’t personally remember a match-up of this magnitude since Gonzalez-Carbajal – and that’s really saying something. I’m sure of one thing, after this fight the flyweights will not have to come begging to the premium cable networks to get airtime.

Let me say a few words about Brian Viloria. There is a certain axiom that says ‘never fall in love with a fighter, because he’ll eventually break your heart.’ I’m here to tell you that hasn’t been my experience. I love Brian Viloria and when you get to know him you’ll love him too. He has the soul of a champion. He is strong and skilled, he’s competitive, he’s self-confident, he’s composed and for this fight especially, he is very focused. Brian has been boxing for most of his life and inside the ring is where he is most comfortable. I am delighted to tell you that Brian’s preparation for October 17 has been smooth and there have been no hiccups whatsoever. His sparring has been tremendous. He has had a terrific mix of sparring partners. As a fan I have never been as excited about a co-feature on a Pay-Per-View card as I am about this fight.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: Good morning everyone and thanks for joining us on this call. I have been preparing myself very, very hard for this fight. I have never been this focused compared to any fight I have had in the past. This training camp is one of my best training camps, only because I know the type of challenge I am going to be facing on October 17. I am facing the No. 1 pound-for pound fighter in the world – the best fighter in the world – and I do not want to leave any stone unturned going into this fight. I want to be in the best shape of my life. I want to be 100% focused mentally and physically for this fight. I think I have a lot to show, that I am still one of the best fighters out there, in the world, and there is no better place to showcase that then on HBO Pay-Per-View. I thank you guys for giving me this opportunity and Tom Loeffler, for having me fight in New York City at Madison Square Garden.

Do you see any weaknesses in his game that you can exploit?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I have been watching tapes endlessly during training camp for this fight. He does a lot of things correctly. I think, not to give too much away in terns of strategy, I just need to come in shape and prepare in the gym, and be able to fight the 12th round like I am fighting the first round, and just let my hands go. I don’t think Chocolatito has ever fought a guy that can hit as hard as me and I’m a bit faster than anyone he has ever fought. I think I possess a little bit of a challenge for Chocolatito in this fight. I have the experience. I’ve been in big battles in fights and I don’t think Chocolatito has ever fought a guy like me and I think all I need to do is come into the fight with a straight head and just let my hands go. I don’t think I could have trained any harder than I have and I am just ready – ready to go.

Tom, does GGG’s camp acknowledge that Chocolatito is No. 1?

Tom Loeffler: Gennady doesn’t get caught up in the ratings, he just wants to prove he’s the best middleweight. We are definitely excited that both Roman and Gennady are at the top of the polls. I think it was a consensus of whether it was going to be Chocolatito or Gennady, and having both of those fighters on the same show and I’m sure Brian has something to say about that. When I was discussing making the fight with Gary, there was no hesitation at all from Brian’s side. Brian is very excited for this challenge and both fights will be electric and non-stop action. So to answer your question, as far as the ratings, I think it is a poll that Gennady would like to be rated No. 1 but he is excited to be where he is right now in the sport.

Do you feel that this is a great time for the flyweight division, where you have been for a long time?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: Yes, it’s been a long time. I remember there were a couple of fights where I thought it was worthy of being on the networks. The Marquez fights were back-to-back battles – a lot of people enjoyed that fight and I still get a lot of comments about that fight from fight fans and people on the street come up to me and say ‘that fight was amazing.’ Finally we are able to showcase what fans that enjoy the lighter weight divisions have been watching. This is a bigger stage and I’m really proud to be able to showcase my talents and I know Roman Gonzalez is really excited. It also takes two to tango. You can’t just have one big name – you need another big name – and in this case Roman is the big fish and everyone wants to see him fight. I’m also going to give him a big challenge. I think for the past couple of years a lot of people have been missing out on some great fights in the lower weight divisions for a long time now and finally thank you to everyone who is giving me this opportunity to fight on HBO and to showcase to the world what they have been missing out on for the past couple of years.

You came out with the big group that had so much promise, from the 2000 Olympics, and here we are, 15 years later and you are the last one going – not only just boxing but fighting at a world championship level.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I miss those guys – Jeff Lacy had a great run. Jermaine Taylor, Rocky Juarez…some of those guys I look back and they had tremendous talent. That team was stacked and anyone of us could have been a world champion – and some did become world champions and some of us didn’t. A lot of the credit goes to how I live my life outside of the boxing ring. I try to take care of myself not only during training camp but when I have free time I try to keep myself in shape and try to lead a healthy life and that’s what I credit my longevity in this sport to. A lot of my friends are either retired or doing other things. My passion is boxing and I have been born to do this. I feel like I have a lot more to give in this sport, there is a lot left in the tank and I just love doing this and I want to continue doing this until I have to hang up the gloves. Right now I am just trying to take it one fight at a time and I am just going to try and give it as much as I can on October 17 and give it my all and leave everything in the ring just to show everybody who I am and what I do in terms of being an action fighter and being a great fighter.

You lost to Estrada and he beat Estrada – does that have any bearing in your opinion on the way this fight may go?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I think styles make fights. Estrada does have a difficult style and strategy. Each fight is different and I know this fight is going to be hard too but I think I have what it takes to overcome a fighter like Roman Gonzalez. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past I think I fought the wrong fight when I lost to him. I don’t think I was in as great shape as I am now and as mentally focused as I am now for this fight against Gonzalez. This is going to be a totally different fight then what happened in the fight against Estrada.

You have been one of the best fighters in the lower weight class for some time – had some great fights and some setbacks. Do you think a win here will cement you as one of the best fighters of this generation?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I am just going to go into this fight with an open mind. I am going to try and enjoy myself and not only get the win but try to take it in as much as I can. I am having a great training camp. I have never been so ready, in a long time, as I am now looking back to all of my other training camps. I am so focused and so pumped for this fight and I think all of the hard work is going to show on October 17. I know I have what it takes to win and I hope I come out with a W. I have so much confidence in myself for this fight. Whatever happens happens. I am going to go into to this fight and do what I have to do and try and do as much as I can to pull out that win. Cementing my legacy doesn’t matter I just want to come out with the win – just give it my all on October 17.

Have you fought anyone with a similar style to Roman Gonzalez?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I haven’t fought Roman yet so I could only answer that after I fight him then try to compare style-wise. By the looks of it, Roman is a great fighter and has a great style. I don’t know if he has the punching power or the ability to take punches but we will see and after October 17 then we can compare.

To what do you attribute this new attention to the lower weight classes?

Gary Gittelsohn: I think the answer is self-evident. Roman Gonzalez has sort of catapulted onto the scene and captured peoples’ attention. With ascendancy – we all embrace it because a rising tide is great for the sport in general and for the lightweight divisions. People are captivated by heavyweights over time but there has been a dearth of heavyweights with the exception of the Klitschko’s who for many years have fought mostly in Germany and off of HBO. So the sport in general was rudderless after Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. But when you have someone who has become as romanticized as much as Chocolatito who has now become in most peoples’ minds the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and you have someone who has a good a reputation as Brian Viloria, who has been laboring in the trenches for many years begging to get on the networks we finally have the sun, the moon and the stars all aligned. I am hoping and expecting that this fight will not let anyone down. You can never choreograph how a fight goes, but this is one that I will bet my last dollar on will meet all expectations and likely exceed them.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I can never figure out why our division has never been looked on the same way as the higher weights and the middleweight divisions but I can assure you that come October 17, a lot of people will figure out why they have not paid a lot of attention to it only because we are going to show a great fight. You are going to see two warriors go at it. It is going to epitomize boxing as what it is. It is a great time to be in the lighter weight divisions. They took a leap of faith with us and we are not going to disappoint, I promise.

Did you see the Tyson fight over the weekend?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I did not get a chance to watch it. I am heavily into training and I also have a son that I try to take care of who I spend all of my free time with and I enjoy that a lot. My main focus right now is Roman Gonzalez and training for him and training really hard for him.

What have you done to correct some of the flaws that have led to your losses?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: When I look back at it I don’t think I took some of those fights so seriously as I should have. There were circumstance I got myself into. I didn’t give my all into training camps. There were times I thought I could have done a lot more, pushed myself a little more extra. For this camp I pulled out all the stops. I eat, live and breathe Roman Gonzalez right now and I think I’ve done that for the last couple of fights now compared to the fights that I have lost. Whenever I am faced with the challenge such as October 17, I always push myself extra hard and for the fights that I lost I didn’t give that type of push. I think that’s the difference.

When the fight was offered what made you think this is the right time for this guy?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I think it is my time. My last three fights ended in knockouts. When I lost my fight to Estrada I always want to get back on the horse again and Roman is the type of fighter that will propel me and my legacy to where I want to be. Now that he is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world I think beating him will also cement my legacy. Not is the time to do it. I am getting up in age and I can’t wait any longer, I need to do it now. Al of my fights have been great and now is the prime time to face the challenge of Roman Gonzalez on October 17. It is all about timing and now I have the confidence and the strength and the will and the drive to go up against a fighter like him.

Gonzalez has choirboy looks but killer knockout ratio; but you are the more experienced fighter – how do you plan to win?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: There is no secret – it is just working hard in training camp, getting up extra early, doing my roadwork, doing my strength and conditioning, getting the right sparring and just grinding it out every day and not cutting any corners. I don’t think I have cut any corners for this fight in fact I have gone beyond to get myself prepared for this fight. And doing the little things like eating right and not staying up late to get myself prepared for a fighter like Roman Gonzalez. I haven’t put myself in a position where I am stressing myself out too much. I am in a great place right now, I think I have trained really hard. I went into camp right after my last fight and if the weigh-in was tomorrow I would make weight. That is what a lot of fighters have to worry about – having to drop down in weight so much and I didn’t have to worry about that. This training camp has had no bumps in it and I’ll be ready for October 17 and in a couple weeks I will be ready to get in the ring with Roman and we are going to go. I am going to do my best and let my hands go and give the fans the fight that they want to see.

What do you study when you watch tapes?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: We study tendencies and kinks in the armor and see if you can expose certain flaws that you see in a fighter. You want to see certain tendencies that he has when he throws certain punches and if there are certain things he likes to do in certain situations and try to work your style against that and try to find the weaknesses. Every fight is different and every fighter has a different strategy for each fight – sometimes you have to box and sometimes you have to change it up and slug it out. Try to link the tendencies to the mistakes and use that to neutralize him.

So you have a plan A but need to have secondary plans if that doesn’t work?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: Most times that is what you try to prepare yourself for and you have to be versatile so you are not stuck trying to figure out what is going on, like what Bruce Lee said “you try to be like water and react.” You need to be able to change it up, if the body shots are not working you have to find a way to get into the weakness. You have to be versatile and not stick to one game plan.

The 1994 Carbajal-Chiquita rematch they earned seven figure purses – a first for flyweights – and that was actually part of the promotion. Has any flyweights earned as much since?

Gary Gittelsohn: No and I have had this conversation with Bob Arum many times. I am a businessman and we all understand the economics of the sport – you don’t put $2M purses up unless you know that the promotion can support those kinds of expenses. That was the last particular time that the flyweights had captured the imagination of the general public. Even thought Brian is one of the few known commodities in this division, Chocolatito’s ascendency has stirred the pot a bit so that in the future you can see purses rising to more meaningful levels and should Brian come out victorious on October 17 and depending on how the fight goes, the rematch might command that. Dance partners are always important and that goes with any division – there is Mayweather-Pacquiao and there is Mayweather-Berto – the economics are very different.

In Closing…

Gary Gittelsohn: Not to repeat myself but there are going to be fireworks and it is going to be great. I urge everyone to tune in to the PPV to see this fight because this is one of those rare times where the co-feature is every bit as good as the main event. What K2 Promotions is offering here – they really should be commended – this is real value for the dollar. I can tell you that Brian Viloria is coming here to win this fight and surprise a lot of people and those are the kind of events and kind of happenings that people talk about for years to come so don’t miss this one.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I can just say that I have done all the work and I hope everyone is going to tune in on October 17 to see the final product and it is going to be an explosive fight. There are going to be a lot of fireworks going off that night and this is going to be the type of show that everyone is going to want to spend their money on and take their time off to sit down and watch and enjoy the show.

Tom Loeffler: Thanks to the teams for being on the call. We are going to have a full schedule of media events for fight week. We will have a media workout on Tuesday and the main event press conference on Wednesday. This co-feature is so big that we are going to have a separate press conference for that on Thursday and the weigh-in will be on Friday. We have priced the pay-per-view for the fans and when there are two great fights like we have there is great value at $49.95 – Golovkin vs. Lemieux and Chocolatito vs. Viloria. There are two additional fights on the pay-per-view, which include the IBF eliminator between Tureano Johnson vs. Eamonn O’Kane and Luis Ortiz, the big-punching heavyweight from Cuba versus Matias Ariel Vidondo from Argentina.

Tickets at Madison Square Garden are virtually sold out – as of yesterday there were 292 tickets left. So we look forward to everyone showing up at Madison Square Garden The World’s Most Famous Arena and watching it on HBO Pay-Per-View.

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Golovkin vs. Lemieux is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with GGG Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management. The event will take place Saturday, October 17 from Madison Square Garden and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. ET and the first fight begins at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Tickets for GOLOVKIN vs. LEMIEUX are on sale now and priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50 and can purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

For more information visit, www.k2promos.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.gggboxing.com, www.eottm.com, www.thegarden.com, www.hboboxing.com, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @TomLoeffler1, @GoldenBoyBoxing, @GGGBoxing, @LemieuxBoxing, @ChocolatitoBox, @BrianViloria and @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeofTheTigerManagement and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing and join the conversation using #GolovkinLemieux.

NEW YORK CITY (Sept. 29, 2015) Boxing fans will see the Top Two Pound-For-Pound Fighters in the world on the same card, Saturday, Oct. 17 at the “Mecca of Boxing”, Madison Square Garden and LIVE on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Last week numerous media outlets named WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and WBA, IBO and WBC “Interim” Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin to the top of their pound-for-pound lists.

Among the top platforms honoring Gonzalez and Golovkin are Yahoo, ESPN, Ring Magazine’s Fan Poll, Sherdog.com and TheSweetScience.com.

“We’re proud of these most recent accolades for Gennady and Roman,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “It’s a very rare instance to have the two top pound-for-pound fighters on the same card and the response from fans and media has been overwhelming.”

“Both of these competitive world championship fights will provide action from the opening bell and we look forward to this extraordinary event at Madison Square Garden and telecast live on HBO Pay-Per-View.”

Golovkin, (33-0, 30KOs), will headline the Oct. 17 event in a Middleweight World Championship Title Unification bout against IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux, (34-2, 31KOs). Golovkin has knocked out an astounding 20 opponents in a row and will be making his 15th world championship defense.

In the co-featured bout, Gonzalez, (43-0, 37KOs) will defend his title against former four-time world champion in two weight classes (junior flyweight, flyweight) Brian Viloria, (36-4, 22KOs). Gonzalez has stopped his last nine opponents inside the distance and will be making the third world championship defense of his title won in 2014. He was previously a world champion in the junior flyweight division for three years.

The championship 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 for GOLOVKIN vs. LEMIEUX are on sale now and priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50 and can purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

Golovkin vs. Lemieux is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with GGG Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management. The event will take place Saturday, October 17 from Madison Square Garden and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. ET and first fight begins at 7:05 p.m. ET.

For more information visit, www.k2promos.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.gggboxing.com, www.eottm.com, www.thegarden.com, www.hboboxing.com, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @TomLoeffler1, @GoldenBoyBoxing, @GGGBoxing, @LemieuxBoxing, @ChocolatitoBox, @BrianViloria and @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeofTheTigerManagement and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing and join the conversation using #GolovkinLemieux.

NEW YORK CITY (August 11, 2015) Undefeated World Boxing Council Flyweight World Champion ROMAN “Chocolatito” GONZALEZ (43-0, 37 KO’s) will defend his title against former two-division world champion BRIAN “The Hawaiian Punch” VILORIA (36-4, 22KO’s) as the co-feature to the World Middleweight Title Unification battle between GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and DAVID LEMIEUX set for Saturday, October 17 at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Advance tickets priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50 will go on sale this Wednesday, August 12 at 12:00 p.m. ET through the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

GONZALEZ vs. VILORIA is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

“I want to thank God, my Teiken family, especially Mr. Honda and my team for helping me fight again in the United States and now on the HBO Pay-Per-View platform,” said Gonzalez. “I know Brian Viloria is a great champion and it will be a hard fight, but I am ready for the challenge. I have faith that God will give me the strength to keep training and be able to give all my fans my best fight ever.”

Stated Viloria, “I’ve fought and won on the world’s biggest stages against the best of the best. I’ve prepared my whole life to win at every level of competition from World Amateur titles to the Olympic Games to professional world titles. And this fight, against Roman Gonzalez, is likely to be my biggest challenge yet. But, it’s Roman’s biggest challenge too. This is the realization of my dreams and I will make the most of it on fight night.”

“I applaud Roman for accepting this fight, together, we will give boxing fans something special, something they can talk about for a very long time.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome back Roman Gonzalez as the co-feature once again to one of Gennady’s fight, his performance at the Forum in May was extraordinary and made for a terrific pairing,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions.

“With Roman defending his title against former world champion Brian Viloria, one of the best flyweights in the world, fans in the arena and those watching on HBO Pay-Per-View will see an outstanding battle as the lead-in to Golovkin vs. Lemieux.”

“On Oct. 17th, fights fans are going to be treated to a tremendous night of action headlined by not only the spectacular Golovkin-Lemieux main event, but also a terrific co-feature starring ‘Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Brian Viloria,” said Mark Taffet, Senior Vice President, HBO Pay-Per-View. “’Chocolatito’ was spectacular in his HBO debut last May and Brian is the essence of an intense competitor. The co-promoters of this event are determined to deliver tremendous value to boxing fans on Oct. 17 at Madison Square Garden, and we are delighted to be presenting the card on the HBO Pay-Per-View service.”

The 28-year-old Gonzalez, of Managua, Nicaragua had a sensational debut on HBO at the Forum in Los Angeles on May 16 stopping former world champion Edgar Sosa in the second round in front of a huge crowd of over 12,000 Southern California boxing fans. The fight was the HBO televised co-feature to Gennady Golovkin’s sixth round stoppage of Willie Monroe.

The knockout of Sosa, Gonzalez’s ninth straight stoppage, was lauded by the international boxing media who also praised K2 Promotions and HBO for providing Gonzalez the opportunity to showcase his skills on the sport’s biggest stage.

Gonzalez is currently ranked #2 in the ESPN and Ring Magazine’s Pound-For-Pound ratings.

A member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, the 34-year-old heavy-handed Viloria has thrilled boxing fans worldwide with his spectacular performances throughout his career.

Since parting with his WBA/WBO flyweight titles in a very close, split decision loss to Juan Estrada in April 2013, Viloria has stormed back to the win column with four sensational victories including three by knockout.

Most recently Viloria stopped former world title challenger Omar Soto in the first round on July 25 in Hollywood, California.

GOLOVKIN vs. LEMIEUX is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with GGG Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management. Further details on a national press tour will be announced shortly.

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. LEMIEUX and GONZALEZ vs. VILORIA via social media, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOBoxing, @GGGBoxing, @LemieuxBoxing, @ChocolatitoBox, @BrianVilora, @TomLoeffler1, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing along with www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing Use the hashtag #GolovkinLemieux and #GonzalezViloria to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez will defend his crown as the cheif support to the Middleweight unification bout between Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux on October 17 in New York City.

“The date and place are confirmed. We will be fighting Oct. 17 in MSG,” said Gonzalez manager Carlos Blandon, adding that Gonzalez’s opponent for his fourth title defense was not set yet.

Blandon said they are in “advanced negotiations” with two opponents: former junior flyweight champion Giovani Segura (32-4-1, 28 KOs), 33, of Mexico, who is one of boxing’s most devastating punchers, and Puerto Rican contender McWilliams Arroyo (16-2, 14 KOs), 29, the twin brother of newly crowned junior bantamweight titlist McJoe Arroyo.

Blandon said they would also consider a fight with former unified flyweight titlist Brian Viloria, 34, of Hawaii, who scored a first-round knockout of Omar Soto on Saturday night. Top Rank, Viloria’s promoter, has said repeatedly it intended to line up Viloria for a world title fight before the end of the year.

“If Viloria’s (team) makes an interesting offer to the promoter, then they can jump in the race before we make up our minds,” Blandon said.

As soon as the card ended, HBO, Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions and Gonzalez’s promoter, Teiken Boxing of Japan, liked the idea of having him appear on Golovkin’s next card.

“It was a formula that worked in May, so why not do it again,” Loeffler said.

By Bart Barry-

SAN ANTONIO – While hiking Saturday morning I came across my first in-action dung beetle, a needly faced creature pushing a smooth cylinder of cow excrement along a path beside the Medina River. If you do not think a dung beetle is among nature’s most extraordinary creatures, keep reading. Saturday evening, a nearly as remarkable Nicaraguan flyweight named Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez made his debut on American premium cable. These occurrences are only connected by coincidence, and diminutive stature, perhaps loosely, but as both are interesting in their way, please be indulgent.

The male dung beetle pushes his ball, one that can weigh 250 times what he does, backwards, with his hind legs, while walking on his front legs. He pushes extraordinary distances in search of both a mate and a final resting place. Perspective: To match the physicality of the dung beetle’s feat, a man would have to push an M31 tank with his feet while walking on his hands from here to El Paso, only to have every female he encounters ignore him entirely to inspect his tank and calculate the likelihood her offspring could survive in it. There’s good reason ancient peoples deified the dung beetle.

Roman Gonzalez (43-0, 37 KOs), meanwhile, is the real thing, and it is good to see him embraced by HBO – a network with nothing to gain, really, by exposing its subscribers to a man with championships at minimumweight, light flyweight and flyweight, a man who is yet to fight within 40 pounds of what the average American woman weighed in 2014. At 5-foot-3, Gonzalez won his first world title weighing 104 1/2 pounds; he is tiny. Too, he is perfect in form as anyone currently plying the craft of prizefighting.

He’ll never capture America’s imagination the way Floyd Mayweather has, in part because Gonzalez is nearly impossible to dislike. Watch his opponents’ treatment of him after each knockout: They feel sincere affection for him, and he feels sincere affection for them, hugging and bowing and smiling graciously in a way heavyweights never do. Part of that, also coincidentally, returns to a counterintuitive boxing ratio in which the possible consequences of a fight are inversely proportionate to the possible consequences of each punch.

Gonzalez strikes with disproportionate force for a man who weighs 111 pounds, yes, but Wladimir Klitschko strikes with disproportionately more consequence even than his disparity in size with Gonzalez anticipates: A punch from Klitschko is much more than three times as likely to render you unconscious. Which, ironically, makes a fight with Klitschko much safer, in a survivability sense, than a fight with Gonzalez. A single blow whose concussion renders you instantly unconscious is not healthy, of course, but you’d rather that than 150 punches from Gonzalez.

There’s one other incredible advantage the heavyweight champion of the world has over any minimumweight champion: His punches travel distances enough that any member of the laity can observe them at full-speed. Not so with a Gonzalez fight. Gonzalez and Edgar Sosa, Saturday night, were so very much closer, and their motions so very much quicker, in part for traveling shorter distances, in part for having to propel so much less mass at one another, that even a knowledgeable observer could hardly hope not to lose something with peripheral vision.

One needs the fovea to watch Gonzalez, and as the fovea’s scope is notoriously small, one must choose, when television does not choose for him, whether to observe the feet or the hands. The hands are where the consequences are, and Gonzalez pronates masterfully at the ends of his punches, but if you’ve never watched Gonzalez’s footwork, or had the privilege of watching Lee Wylie’s explanation of it, treat yourself to a replay of Saturday with your eyes set on the canvas.

Gonzalez has now replaced Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez as the fighter whose style every trainer in the world should instill in every child he teaches to box. Gonzalez is offensively minded, technically precise, and defensively responsible. Of the three best fighters in the world today – Floyd Mayweather, Gonzalez and Guillermo Rigondeaux – Gonzalez is the one who looks for the knockout every time every bell rings. His attacks are fundamentally correct to a point of being nearly impersonal; where Mayweather seeks to solve an opponent and Rigondeaux gets bored enough to rehearse combinations flagrantly before throwing them, Gonzalez applies a template. Mayweather and Rigondeaux query their massive databases for opponent patterns, finding matches for neutralization, first, before applying offensive templates. Gonzalez, conversely, applies his offensive template in the faith it instantly will make every opponent almost the same.

One other enormous aesthetic difference between Gonzalez and Mayweather: The referee rarely enters the broadcaster’s frame during a Gonzalez fight, while he is ubiquitous whenever Money is in the ring. Half of Gonzalez’s rare clinches do not even require the referee to break them: “We came too close together just now, brother, but no worries, let’s take a step back and resume the milling.”

There was harmony in Saturday’s HBO broadcast, pairing Gonzalez and Kazakh middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin, even if the order was backwards. Boxing is never a meritocracy till a bell rings, and one hopes Golovkin was impressed enough by Saturday’s opening act to glance through Gonzalez’s record: world championships in three different weight classes, a man fighting larger men rather than calling for littler ones, a prizefighter seeking new challenges in a quest to improve. Gonzalez is six years younger than Golovkin and has seven more knockouts, and somehow, no one is ever “afraid” to fight Gonzalez.

When Willie Monroe Jr. becomes your last fearless man, it’s time to fashion a new marketing slogan.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Perhaps the sport’s most feared fighter, middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin has built a powerhouse reputation by demonstrating a willingness to take on any challenge and displaying an intriguing array of skills, highlighted by stunning knockout power.

The Kazakhstan native makes his 2015 U.S. debut when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. WILLIE MONROE JR. AND ROMAN GONZALEZ VS. EDGAR SOSA is seen SATURDAY, MAY 16 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the historic Forum in Inglewood, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside to call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: May 17 (9:45 a.m.) and 18 (11:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: May 17 (3:30 p.m.) and 19 (11:15 p.m.)

In the 14th defense of his middleweight crown, Gennady Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs), originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and now training at Big Bear, Cal., meets Willie Monroe Jr. (19-1, 6 KOs) from Ithaca, NY, in a scheduled 12-round contest. Currently boasting a knockout victory streak of 19, Golovkin has taken the boxing world by storm with an extraordinary knockout-to-win ratio of better than 90%. No opponent has gone the distance with him since Nov. 2008, and he began 2015 by battering and eventually knocking out the formidable Martin Murray on Feb. 21. His 2014 fights ended in the seventh, third and second rounds. Trained by the highly regarded Abel Sanchez, Golovkin will be making his eighth appearance on HBO since his auspicious network debut in Sept. 2012.

Willie Monroe’s top accomplishments as a pro include a victory against the previously undefeated Brandon Adams to win the 2014 Boxcino Middleweight Tournament final, and defeating the hard-nosed Brian Vera this past January, while his only loss came more than four years ago via a close split decision. The slick southpaw faces the toughest test of his career in what will also be his first 12-round contest.

The opening bout is a spectacular flyweight attraction, as 112-pound rising star Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (42-0, 36 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua meets Edgar Sosa (51-8, 30 KOs) of Mexico City in a 12-round title bout. Gonzalez has become a consensus top-ten pound-for-pound fighter and looks to extend his knockout streak to eight. Crafty veteran Sosa has a history of accepting difficult challenges.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Los Angeles, CA (March 24, 2015) Boxing fans around the world eagerly anticipating the return of Boxing Superstar GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN received more great news with the announcement that “Pound For Pound” flyweight star ROMAN “Chocolatito” GONZALEZ will face Mexico’s EDGAR SOSA in the 12-round co-feature on Saturday, May 16 at the Forum and televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

“I’m very happy to have Roman fight on my card on May 16 at the Forum and on HBO,” said Golovkin. “He is a great fighter and I’m glad boxing fans will be able to watch him fight on the same night as I do.”

“Pound For Pound” is headlined by Golovkin’ s World Middleweight Championship clash with #2 rated and undefeated challenger WILLIE MONROE.

Golovkin and Gonzalez are both consensus pound-for-pound entrants in the international boxing media. “GGG” is currently ranked #5 “Pound For Pound” by ESPN.com and #9 by Ring Magazine while “Chocoladito” is ranked #4 by Ring Magazine and #7 by ESPN.com.

A formal press conference with both fighters will be held next week in Los Angeles for the Roman Gonzalez—Edgar Sosa matchup.

“This is a great opportunity for me to make my HBO debut and in front of a great crowd at the Forum,” said Gonzalez. “I’d like to thank everyone for making this happen and promise to put on a spectacular show on May 16 against Edgar Sosa.”

Said Sosa, “I know this is a big fight for Gonzalez but I will be well prepared on
May 16 for victory and to shine in front of the huge crowd at the Forum and those
watching on HBO.”

The Gonzalez-Sosa bout is presented by K2 Promotions and Teiken Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions.

Tickets for “Pound For Pound”, priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are now on-sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

“With each of Gennady’s fights we want to provide the best event possible for the fans” said TOM LOEFFLER of K2 Promotions.

“Boxing fans have wanted to see Roman fight in the United States and this fight against Edgar Sosa should provide a lot of fireworks.”

Fighting out of Managua, Nicaragua, the 27-year-old Gonzalez, long a favorite among hardcore boxing fans, has compiled a record of 42-0-0 with 36 knockouts over his ten-year career.

Currently the holder of the World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) Flyweight Title, Gonzalez is riding a seven-bout knockout streak, most recently stopping Valentin Leon in the third round on February 28 in Managua, Nicaragua.

The former WBC Junior Flyweight World Champion, Sosa enters the contest against Gonzalez with a record of 51-8-0, having won a 10-round shutout unanimous decision over Carlos Melo on November 8, 2014 in Petionville, Haiti.

Among the top victories on the 35-year-old Sosa’s ledger are wins over Brian Viloria, Giovanni Segura, Ulises Solis, Omar Soto and Sonny Boy Jaro.

On December 6, 2013, Sosa traveled to Toyko, Japan challenging WBC Flyweight World Champion Akira Yaegashi, losing a very hard fought and close 12-round decision.

“Pound For Pound” is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GGGBoxing.com, www.Banner-Promotions.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Edgar Sosa @EdgarSosaChamp, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.
Use the hashtags #GolovkinMonroe and #GonzalezSosa to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez will take on Edgar Sosa in the co-feature on a HBO World Championship boxing double header that will feature Gennady Golovkin’s middleweight title defense against Willie Monroe Jr. at the Forum in Inglewood, California on May 16.

“For a long time we’ve had our eye on bringing ‘Chocolatito’ to our subscribers as we do with any of the fighters considered to be the best in the world,” HBO Sports vice president Peter Nelson told ESPN.com before Tuesday’s news conference at the Forum to announce the card. “Architecting a plan to achieve this came to fruition finally with the vision of Tom Loeffler and Mr. Honda, who saw this opportunity to bring two of the sport’s planetary forces together on one show.”

“My philosophy is to try to provide the best fights for the fans that we can make whether or not the fighters are with K2,” said K2’s Tom Loeffler. “We showed that when he worked with Top Rank to put Nonito Donaire against Nicholas Walters on Gennady’s card [in October]. The opportunity arose to put on Roman Gonzalez and have him in the U.S. on HBO. It is the perfect complement to having Gennady in the main event.

“I think Roman Gonzalez is in the exact same position we were in before Gennady fought on HBO in 2012. He was a hard-core fight fan favorite. A lot of people had seen the Internet videos of him, but nobody had really seen him live. Then he made his HBO debut and he has grown tremendously in popularity. Roman Gonzalez is in the same position now. Once he is able to show the American television audience on HBO what he can do, he is going to become a fan favorite as well.”

“I’m very, very excited about this,” Nelson said. “I think it’s a great fight, which is the linchpin to all of this. But in addition to the quality of the fight there is quality to the card in having both Gennady Golovkin and ‘Chocolatito’ on the same show. It was something that immediately brought lights to the eyes to those we revealed this plan to.”