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Undefeated WBC Strawweight Champion Ricardo Lopez faces Myung Sup Park on Showtime Boxing
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00:00I thank you Ferdy and don't worry Bobby and I will dedicate that fight to you as we turn our
00:04attention out or arguably the best fighter in the 10 plus year history of boxing's lightest weight
00:09division the supremely talented WBC strawweight champion Ricardo Lopez it's been difficult for
00:16Lopez to find quality opponents or to verify the credentials of those who step forward
00:21me young sub park is totally unknown to us with only one recognizable name on his 11 and 4 ring
00:27record but there's a very common problem in this weight division perhaps Lopez may view Park as
00:32his last opponent before moving up in weight my father liked boxing a lot and at home I was very
00:44restless and when I watched boxing I asked him to take me to the gym that's how it got started
00:51my friends made fun of me because they saw me working out a lot and now they see that I am the
01:00world champion they see that what I wanted so much is now a reality I always prepare to win and I throw
01:12my punches to knock out often you don't know which punch will floor your opponent my problem in the
01:24United States is my weight but I think in the United States they should also appreciate good boxer from the
01:33lower division whichever one but I want them to realize boxing can be done by a strong weight
01:41only four
01:42boxing is the art of hitting and avoiding being hit and people should know the essence of true boxing is technique
01:56well this one has the elements of a one-sided affair although given the general competition of
02:12the strawweight division almost every Lopez fight can be considered a mismatch tonight the smallest world
02:18champion Riccardo Lopez defends his title against number six rated me young sub park of South Korea in our
02:25main event of the evening back with the fight Dr. Ferdi Lopez is 18-0 we are really building this guy up
02:3318-0 in world championship fights just how good is he he's as good as I've ever seen I mean for a
02:38champion coming on the way he has his record amateur and pro the way he fights the technique the simplicity of
02:45his attack the wonder of his defense I think he's the best fighter fighting today it's unfortunate that he's this
02:50little weight well that's tough luck but if if you go by the excellence of execution you can't I have not
02:58seen anybody as good as this technically in the ring in years and you got to like his philosophy hit and
03:04not be hit how about sweetheart how about a guy he is even out of the ring he's a gentleman yes how about a
03:11prediction well I think he's too much for for Park I think he's too much for anybody he's gonna have to
03:15jump up and and get bigger challenges and he's gotten he's going that way I mean it's too bad but
03:20he's gonna have to get a bigger because right now there's nobody in the world can stand up to this
03:24guy and Bobby Chez Lopez with a tremendous knockout ratio for this division but he's not a one punch
03:30knockout artist he displays tremendous patience doesn't he Steve he's literally a textbook come to
03:35life he does everything so well he couples great skills with tremendous patience speed timing consistency
03:41tremendous conditioning and he virtually dismantles his opponents little by little and sometimes all
03:46at once and again just for the record a prediction you know I don't think it would be possible to
03:51predict against him he is pretty much as about as good as it gets in any division by knockout tonight
03:57let's take a look at the challenger on that note the young sub park former Korean strawweight champion
04:04they're enthusiastic behind him his first world title fight he's getting this coveted title shot only 15
04:10professional bouts to his name and tonight also his first fight in the United States
04:40the 500k
04:44visa
04:44here
04:46here
04:46I'm
04:47here
04:52here
04:52here
04:56here
05:01here
05:02And there he is, the young sub park from Incheon, South Korea and
05:24Ferdy Park and Lopez do have one common opponent, a tough fighter from the
05:30Philippines named Andy Tavanas, part lost to Tavanas by decision, but extending him the
05:34full 10 rounds, Lopez stopped him in the 12th, both fights last year.
05:37I don't know, should we read anything into that?
05:40No, except that the thumbnail of the whole thing is one guy beat the guy and the other
05:45guy lost to the guy, period.
05:46You could draw a line under there and say equals the advantage to, of course, the wonderful
05:52champion, Lopez.
05:54All right, young sub park continues to shadow box and here is the champion, Ricardo Lopez.
05:59Lopez tonight represents his 18th defense of the WVC strawweight title, a belt he's held
06:04for just over six years, a man who has never tasted a defeat pro or amateur.
06:10That's 83 fights all tall.
06:12Two seconds ago, with that it's a lot of music.
06:143, 1, 1, Ricardo.
07:26Ricardo Lopez makes his way into the ring out of Mexico City owns the longest current
07:42unbeaten streak among world champions.
07:44And Bobby, we've called him the Joe DiMaggio of boxing because of his demeanor and his skill.
07:50He can also be compared to the San Francisco 49ers.
07:53That's right.
07:54A team that sort of scripts its first bunch of plays.
07:56I mean, he starts out in similar type fashion, but of course you have to be able to execute.
08:02Well, you know, when the 49ers were at Dynasty, that's what they had.
08:04They had discipline and execution.
08:05This kid is that good.
08:07He knows what he wants to do.
08:08His corner says, this is what we're going to do for X number of rounds.
08:10And then when they're ready, they turn him loose.
08:12He sticks to the game plan.
08:13It works for him.
08:14It's worked every time out, amateur and pro.
08:17Maybe we'll see Bill Walsh in his corner.
08:19Why not?
08:19Not Nacho Averestate.
08:21Let's size him up as we check out the tail of the tape.
08:23A seven-year age difference with Park just 22.
08:26The height and weight almost even.
08:27You'll notice both came in under the 105-pound limit.
08:30Boxing's minimum weight and the two-inch reach advantage for Lopez.
08:34And of the WBC rules for this championship, fight scoring under the 10-point must system.
08:39Three scoring judges.
08:40There's no standing eight count.
08:41No three-knockdown rule.
08:43The referee or the doctor can stop the fight.
08:45A fighter cannot be saved by the bell except in the final round.
08:48If an accidental foul occurs before the start of the fourth, the fight is ruled a no decision.
08:52If it happens after the start of the fourth, they go to the scorecard.
08:57So here at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California,
09:01closing in on the WBC Strawweight title fight, Ricardo Lopez versus Myeongsup Park.
09:06Let's get the official introductions from our ring announcer, the classy Jimmy Lennon Jr.
09:11Ladies and gentlemen, before we continue with our action at this time,
09:17we ask you to please rise as we present the Indian Anthem Flag Song,
09:22which celebrates the spirit of the warrior.
09:25Tonight, performed by Native American singers Michael and Isaac Morales.
09:30What is the impossible for the Lord, who the pressure is to bear in front of us?
09:46What is his name?
09:50What is his name?
09:55Oh Oh No
10:00Oh Oh Oh No
10:05Oh Oh No
10:19Satsang with Mooji
10:49.
11:19Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
11:24Thank you very much to Michael and Isaac Morales.
11:33Well, ladies and gentlemen, as always,
11:35on Showtime Championship Boxing,
11:36a donation of $5,000 will be made by Don King Productions
11:40and Showtime to the United Negro College Fund,
11:43the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund,
11:46and tonight, courtesy of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians,
11:49John James, Tribal Chairman, Mark Nichols, CEO,
11:52to the Desert Valley Educational Center.
11:55This donation will be made in the name of the Fighter of the Night,
11:58who will be selected by an expert panel of judges
12:01at the conclusion of tonight's action.
12:07Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to the Fantasy Springs Casino
12:12here on the reservation of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
12:16for the featured attraction of the evening
12:18brought to you by Don King Productions and Budweiser,
12:21the undisputed, undefeated King of Beers.
12:26This bout coming away is sanctioned by the World Boxing Council,
12:29the President, Jose Suleiman,
12:31Supervisor, Haig Collegian,
12:33along with the California State Athletic Commission.
12:36The chairman is William Eastman,
12:38Vice Chairman, Willie Buchanan,
12:40Executive Director, Richard DeCure.
12:42Our physicians at ringside, Dr. Robert Carnes,
12:45Dr. Adam Carnes, and Dr. Howard Baer.
12:48Timekeepers at the bell also keeping count of the knockdowns,
12:51we have Debbie Garcia and Mike Millsap.
12:54Introducing to you the judges,
12:56scoring this bout from ringside,
12:58Lou Filippo,
12:59Herbert Min,
13:00and Sid Rubenstein.
13:04All right, fans, here we go with the main event of the evening.
13:09And now, ladies and gentlemen in attendance,
13:12and boxing fans joining us around the world,
13:15it is showtime!
13:18With the WBC Strongweight Championship of the World,
13:23scheduled for 12 rounds of boxing,
13:25our referee in charge of this bout,
13:28introducing Chuck Hassett.
13:31Introducing to you first the challenger,
13:33on my left,
13:34fighting out of the blue corner,
13:36wearing dark blue trunks,
13:38and joining us all the way from Incheon,
13:40South Korea.
13:42He weighed in at 103 pounds,
13:45his record includes 11 wins,
13:48four losses,
13:49with 10 of his wins coming by way of knockout.
13:52Here is the former Korean strawweight champion,
13:55currently ranked the WBC number six contender,
13:58please welcome the hard-hitting challenger,
14:01Nyung-Suk Park!
14:08And his opponent across the ring,
14:10the defending world champion on my right,
14:12fighting out of the red corner,
14:14wearing white trunks with multi-color trim,
14:17from Mexico City,
14:18Distrito Federal,
14:20Mexico,
14:21by way of Cuernavaca,
14:22Morelos,
14:23Mexico.
14:25He weighed in at 103 and three-quarter pounds,
14:28he is undefeated in his campaign,
14:30in the ring with 43 wins,
14:32no losses,
14:3333 of his wins coming by way of knockout.
14:37Tonight,
14:37he is making his unprecedented 18th defense of his title,
14:41please welcome the most dominant strawweight in the history of boxing,
14:45introducing the WBC strawweight champion of the world,
14:49the undefeated,
14:50Ricardo
14:51Finito
14:53Lopez!
14:55once again the referee in charge, Chuck Hassett,
15:04now to give instructions.
15:08Hey,
15:09hey.
15:13All right, let's go.
15:16She's second.
15:17She's second.
15:18Every, hey.
15:19She's second.
15:21One.
15:22No, this one.
15:23No, this one.
15:23No, this one.
15:24One.
15:26All right, gentlemen, you've had your instructions.
15:28I want to repeat, we're working on voice commands.
15:30This is the World Boxing Council strawweight title fight,
15:34and I expect a championship effort.
15:36Thanks for your mouthpiece.
15:38You've got a mouthpiece.
15:39All right, any questions?
15:42Good luck, come out boxing.
15:44I got it.
15:47The final instructions from referee Chuck Hassett.
15:53There's the champion, Ricardo Lopez,
15:55who last fought just 28 days ago
15:57in his remarkable 17 title defenses.
15:59Only three have reached the final bell.
16:01He's had more championship fights than this man.
16:03The young sub park has had fights, 18 to 15.
16:08Park has fought only once in 96.
16:11A decision victory.
16:12It was the only time in his 11 wins
16:14that his opponent heard the final bell.
16:16He is 11 and four with 10 knockouts,
16:19while Lopez is 43 and 0 with 33 KOs.
16:23Lopez in the white trunks and Park in the black trunks.
16:26The referee gave instructions in English.
16:28Neither fighter speaks a word of English.
16:30Yeah, I was gonna say, whereas the last, in the last fight,
16:33the referee was perfect.
16:34In this fight, he's absolutely lost.
16:37Well, I'll tell you what,
16:38Park just showed a pretty good chin.
16:39He got hit with one of the cleaner right hands.
16:41And Lopez is thrown right on the button.
16:43He didn't really flinch.
16:45Lopez not usually a fast starter.
16:48He's very disciplined and very patient,
16:50as we have talked about.
16:51Very precise and accurate with his punches.
16:53He sees what he wants to do,
16:55and then he executes,
16:56and he gets very upset with himself if he doesn't.
16:59Well, I wonder if in the script for the 49ers,
17:02as we throw it back,
17:03the script for this one was,
17:04go out and do a certain thing differently,
17:06because he's not starting as slow as usual.
17:08Given that it's December the 7th, Bobby,
17:10maybe it's a surprise he had to just launch on him.
17:14He's, after all, he is a tough fighter
17:17in the first round when he wants to be.
17:19By the way, have you noticed that the gloves
17:21are the Mexican flag, red, white, and green?
17:23Doesn't bode well for the challenger.
17:26Lopez, very patient at the start.
17:29Not in a hurry, but a superb finisher,
17:31a student of the game.
17:33The big one, too.
17:35There you go.
17:36Surgical-like, master of the uppercut.
17:39There's the left uppercut.
17:40Doubles up with the left uppercut.
17:41A straight left going strictly with the left there.
17:44Then a combination by Ricardo Lopez,
17:46and opening up early here on the challenger.
17:48You know, I'm a little bit surprised.
17:50He rocked him with that one, too,
17:52and didn't really come in and jump on him,
17:54which is something certainly I would have done
17:56if most fighters would.
17:57Known to wear upon his down,
17:58but he's going for the quick finish tonight.
18:00Boy, is he ever.
18:01I don't think I've ever seen him this fast.
18:03I don't think I've ever seen him go after a guy this fast.
18:06Whoa.
18:07Well, so you need a miss, but a left
18:09floors the challenger park.
18:11A straight ball left.
18:13Five.
18:14Little bit of a hook into it.
18:15This fight's over, fellas.
18:16This fight is O-B-E-R.
18:19A bloody Biyongsa Park staggers to his feet.
18:22Less than a minute remaining in round one.
18:24I don't believe he should continue.
18:25Will it continue?
18:26Oh, I don't think so.
18:27It does continue, but for how long?
18:29Lopez looking to finish it off.
18:31A left cut, a combination of that set.
18:33Chuck Hassett steps in, and it's over in round one.
18:36I think the referee second-guessed his decision
18:38and decided, you know what?
18:39It's just not worth it.
18:41Yeah, I do believe, Bobby,
18:43good second thoughts in a hurry
18:45because this guy was in no shape when he got up.
18:47You could see he had blood coming out.
18:49It was no point continuing.
18:51But, Bobby, it's the first time
18:52I've ever seen this guy come out that fast.
18:54Not only not just the fact that he came out that fast,
18:56but, Bertie, it's the hardest I've ever seen him punch.
18:58Okay.
18:59It's single punches and in combination.
19:01I have never seen him punch that hard.
19:02Yeah, when we say this guy punches hard,
19:04I've never seen that kind of velocity of punch.
19:07Wow, this guy, I mean, his pinpoint accuracy
19:10and the strength of the punches.
19:12I have a new boxing fantasy, Bertie.
19:14You know what it is?
19:15It's to take the abilities of this kid
19:16and superimpose them, for lack of a better phrase,
19:18on a man's 6'3", 230, and see what happens then.
19:21Guys, can we manage him?
19:22You and I, let's manage him.
19:25Let's take a look at the knockdown,
19:27because this guy, just look at the way he...
19:30First of all, he holds his gloves up.
19:31Notice that he holds his gloves up all the time.
19:34Now, he missed with that.
19:35Now, watch him come back.
19:36That's...
19:37There is the danger of this guy.
19:39He misses you with one shot, and you think it's all over.
19:41Uh-uh.
19:42Here comes the other one.
19:43Bobby.
19:44Yeah, you watch it again.
19:45Here he's got...
19:46He's just big, wide left hook.
19:48It's not a clean left hook.
19:49It lands cleanly, but, I mean, a little bit for him sloppy,
19:52but a picture-perfect landing.
19:54What a great shot.
19:55What had been happening to him previous to this
19:57was a series of very good punches.
19:59To see the miss, and then recovery, and bang.
20:02Well, but what had been happening was,
20:04with one good right hand, he turned to fight the round around,
20:07and then he was just...
20:08It was just a question of time
20:09before he exited this conscious world.
20:12Well, it's his fifth career, first-round knockout.
20:16Ricardo's reign continues.
20:18He does it in explosive fashion.
20:21Makes his 18th successful defense of the WBC strawweight title.
20:26Ricardo Lopez.
20:28We're set for the official time.
20:30Let's get it up to our ring announcer, Jimmy Lennon Jr.
20:34Ladies and gentlemen, we have the time of 2 minutes 22 seconds
20:40of round number one.
20:42Our referee in charge, Chuck Hassett, stops the contest.
20:45He's the winner by way of knockout successful.
20:48In his 18th defense of his title, he is still undefeated,
20:52and still the WBC strawweight champion of the world,
20:57Ricardo Finito Lopez.
21:07There is simply not enough competition in this weight class
21:11for this man, Ricardo Lopez, and I think it is inevitable,
21:15that he should move up in weight.
21:20Goes to 44-0,
21:23extending the longest current unbeaten streak among world champions.
21:27As mentioned, his 18th successful defense, 19,
21:30would tie him with Muhammad Ali and five others in fourth place all time.
21:34For most successful title defenses per division,
21:36the leader is the legendary Joe Lewis with 25.
21:42And this equaled the shortest amount of time between fights for him,
21:4528 days.
21:46The last time he fought within a span of 28 days,
21:50you know what he did the second time?
21:52A first round knockout.
21:53And he does it again here tonight.
21:55At 29, Lopez continues to be the only world champion
21:59who has never lost a fight combining pro and amateur.
22:02Let's go to the fight doctor in the ring with Ricardo Lopez.
22:05Why so much speed in the first round?
22:09You never open like that.
22:12I didn't know what he was going to knock out.
22:14I always prepare myself very strong.
22:17And I thank God that Don King
22:19came back to me here in California.
22:22He said he wasn't looking for the knockout.
22:24He always prepares himself well,
22:26and he takes advantage of what comes.
22:27He thanks Don King for the opportunity to come here in California.
22:30After the first right hand, you seemed like you had him in trouble.
22:39You think he could take his punishment?
22:41He said he dedicates this to the people in the United States that he likes.
22:59He prepares very well.
23:00He studied his videos.
23:01He knew this guy could punch hard.
23:03He wasn't taking in cheap.
23:04He decided to get in, take care of business, and get out of there before this guy had a chance.
23:09He said, I missed, and then I hit him very well with a left right to the chin.
23:26He said, I never thought he was going to fall.
23:36He said, I missed him, and then I hit him again.
23:39He said, he described the blows, and he said he thought he was not in condition to continue to agree with a referee stoppage.
23:58Entonces, pensase que estaba bien parada la pelea.
24:01Yo creo que si el referee lo hizo bien.
24:04De todas maneras, yo iba a seguir fuerte toda la pelea.
24:07Traigo muy buena condición.
24:08Well, whether he stopped it or not, he said he was going to continue on because one of the things he does is he comes to fight.
24:14He's well prepared, and he didn't care whether it's 12 rounds.
24:17It's a little incident that he never gets to find out about 12 rounds because he knocks people out.
24:22But this is one premier fighter.
24:24Yes, he is.
24:25He's an excellent fighter.
24:26He's got this A-team title defense.
24:29All right.
24:30I don't mean to cut you off because you and I are coming back, but we have to pay attention to Steve Albert at ringside,
24:35and so I'm throwing it to Steve Albert at ringside.
24:39All right.
24:40Thank you very much, Ferdy.
24:42So there it is.
24:43Ricardo Lopez finds himself in some very impressive company.
24:48The third man on that list is considered by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
24:54That, of course, being Roy Jones Jr., and in world title fights, Lopez now an incredible 19-0 with 16 knockouts,
25:01eight consecutive KOs, which ties his personal knockout streak.
25:06So Lopez, number one, current undefeated world champion.
25:11All right.
25:12We're joined now by the current WBA super middleweight champion, fabulous Frankie Lyles.
25:17And Frankie, the reason we've got you here, you're back with Don King.
25:20And, of course, there's a big fight card coming up on February the 8th in London between Nassim Ahmed and Tom Johnson to unify the featherweight title.
25:26But also on that card is Irish Steve Collins, the WBO 168-pounder, super middleweight champ.
25:32There is some speculation that you are in line to take on Irish Steve Collins, assuming Collins wins on February the 8th in London.
25:40Is there any validity to that speculation?
25:42Yes.
25:43Well, the way Don explained it to me, we're going to have, like, a triple header with the super middleweights.
25:48Myself, the guy Reed, and also Stevie Collins.
25:51Uh, Nassim Ahmed is on the card as well, but we're talking about doing the unification thing.
25:56That was the thing that I was looking forward to doing.
25:59Uh, I'm just coming, I'm, Don and I are just working things out.
26:03Generally, where do you see yourself right now in the grand scheme of things?
26:08Who will you be fighting next?
26:09I don't know who the next opponent will be.
26:11Don's guaranteed me a unification match before the year is out, before 90, 97 is out.
26:17So I'm looking forward to that.
26:20Now, Roy Jones, of course, said yesterday that he is looking to fight Virgil Hill, the WB and IBF light heavyweight champion.
26:27And as I mentioned before, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
26:30Would you be looking for a matchup down the road with the great Roy Jones?
26:35Well, right now, I'm back with my family at Showtime, and that's in the hands of Don King.
26:39If Don King can put the fight together, I'd do it tomorrow.
26:42Um, I think Roy, I take nothing away from Roy.
26:45I think he's a great champion.
26:46Um, uh, he deserves everything he's gotten so far.
26:49But, uh, like I say, if Don King can put it together, then I'm here and I'm ready to do it.
26:54Now, didn't you fight Roy Jones and the amateurs and have some pretty good success?
26:58Uh, yes, I have.
26:59Uh, you know, I, like I said, I take nothing away from Roy.
27:01I think he's a great champion.
27:02I think, um, he and I getting together would be our Hagler Hearns, our Super Bowl.
27:07Something that, like I said, something that I really look forward to.
27:10Don let me go come out of my contract so I can pursue doing it on my own.
27:15I talked with a bunch of other, the other promoters, and everyone made a lot of promises, but no one could deliver the fight.
27:21So, you know what I mean?
27:22Now I'm going the other route.
27:23I'm back at home, and, you know, I'm looking forward to doing some good things here with Showtime.
27:27Do you feel you've had some tremendous success over the years?
27:30Do you feel, though, almost like the forgotten man in the, in the big picture?
27:34You know, I'm not complaining.
27:37I'm just here, I'm just here to have fun and do my job, you know?
27:41All right, Frankie.
27:42Fabulous Frankie Lyles.
27:43Thank you very much.
27:44Very happy and healthy holiday and new year to you.
27:46Thanks again.
27:47It's happy to be back.
27:49Thanks for joining us.
27:50All right.
27:51All right, fabulous Frankie Lyles leaves us.
27:52Time now for our Fighter of the Night Award.
27:54A special panel of judges comprised of members of the boxing media covering tonight's action.
27:58We've got the votes on the Fighter of the Night.
28:00Here's your panel.
28:01Jose Luis Camarillo of Esto of Mexico City.
28:04Romero Gonzalez of La Opinion.
28:06And Bill Plunkett of the Desert Sun.
28:09And the decision is in.
28:10Our panel of judges has selected as our Fighter of the Night unanimous decision, Ricardo Lopez.
28:17A $5,000 donation will be made in the name of Ricardo Lopez to each of these organizations.
28:22The United Negro College Fund.
28:24The National Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
28:26And tonight, courtesy of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, Mark Nichols, CEO, John James Tribal Chairman,
28:32to the Eastern Valley Education Center by Showtime Networks and Don King Productions.
28:38Well, it's been a memorable year here on Showtime Championship Boxing, highlighted by Evander Holyfield's stunning upset of Mike Tyson last month.
28:48Things heat up again with more action to kick the new year off with a marathon night of boxing next month.
28:54That includes four world title bouts.
28:57On Saturday, January 11th from the Nashville Arena.
29:00WBO heavyweight champion Henry Akinwande defends his title against British heavyweight Scott Welch.
29:06IBF and WBC 154 pound champ Terry Norris faces Nick Rupa.
29:11IBF welterweight champion Felix Trinidad takes on Kevin Lushing.
29:15And in our fourth world championship fight WBA junior welterweight title holder Frankie Rantel battles Khalid Rahilu.
29:22Also featured on this blockbuster boxing card, women's sensation Christy Martin.
29:27Catch all the action Saturday, January 11th at the special time of 6 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
29:34Then on Saturday, February 8th, Showtime presents a featherweight unification title bout featuring England's undefeated WBO champion Prince Nassim Hamed
29:43versus IBF featherweight champ Tom Boom Boom Johnson out of Detroit, Michigan.
29:48See this much anticipated matchup via satellite from the London Arena at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on Showtime Championship Boxing.
29:57For more, let's go to the fight doctor, Bernie Pacheco with Don King.
30:01Well, Don, we got to pay off that question Frankie just asked.
30:04Can you fix him up with the Roy Jones? Is it possible?
30:07Yes, it is. If Roy Jones wants to fight, he can.
30:09Because what we're doing is going about our business.
30:11Frank Warren and myself is putting together a unification series.
30:15We got all of the super middle weights other than Roy Jones.
30:18Roy Jones has no one to fight, so he just keeps going around fighting these stiffs.
30:22So what we want to do is to put some real guys in front of him.
30:25And so these guys are going to make an elimination process themselves.
30:28And the winner of that process will be able to challenge Roy.
30:31In fact, everyone will challenge Roy right right out the gate every time.
30:35But we want to end the mockery and the chicanery and just put some real contests into boxing.
30:40And we're looking forward to getting Roy Jones.
30:42Roy Jones, we want you. Stop hiding. Come on out the woodwork.
30:45But let me let these guys fight.
30:47And let the public see by action indeed what's happening rather than a whole lot of verbalization.
30:51Well, one guy who is the best fighter in the world and not ducking anybody is Lopez.
30:56What's next for this marvelous little man?
30:58Marvelous little man is an understatement. He's a sensation.
31:01He's a little guy. He weighs 105 pounds.
31:03But he edifies what Victor Hugo says that the greatness of a nation can be no more determined by his number than the greatness of a man can be determined by his size.
31:10Little men are giants, too. And a giant you have in this young man, Ricardo Lopez.
31:15And we're looking forward to bringing him up and letting him continue to beat everybody that's in sight and make him have national prominence because people will come out to see a great fighter.
31:23And he is just that, a great fighter.
31:25And we have a great card in Nashville. We have four of your better fighters fighting in Nashville. Let's cover that for a moment.
31:32Well, first, let me say, Freddie, that we want to at this Viacom family and some of the Redstone and Philippe Damone and in the Showtime family,
31:40which is Matt Blank, our guy, along with Mark Greenberg, Roy and Jay, that's Roy Langboard and Jay Lockett.
31:47I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
31:50We can't afford to let this year go without giving you the Yuletide spirits because we feel it just so great that we had an opportunity to visit you in your real living room to say, you know, God bless you and have a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year.
32:03Now, to start out our New Year, we're going to start it out with a bang.
32:06I want to thank Nashville for letting me enter their lives. I got Hank Williams, Jr.
32:10This is a dynamic guy for four Grammy Awards. He probably will win all four Grammys.
32:15And this young man has wrote a song for me, Freddie, especially for me.
32:18And the title of the song is, I'm going to knock you out.
32:21He said, well, I'm going to knock you out.
32:23That means he's going to introduce that song in the center of the ring in Nashville.
32:27So all the country stars will be there with Dolly Parton, Reba McIntyre, you know, Arlene and Barbara Mandrell, George Strait, Bill Garth, George Garth.
32:36What is Garth, Bill Garth, isn't it?
32:38Garth, you know, well, it's the great, he's the number one. He's the number one. I knew that.
32:42I'm a big expert on country music.
32:45So these guys are really, all of them are coming out. You know, we're going to get Reba McIntyre.
32:47We want to get a photo op with Christy Martin, who's the coal miners' daughter, along with Loretta Lynn.
32:52It's going to be a super sensation. I'm thankful to the mayor, Brendan.
32:55I'm thankful to all of the people in Nashville for opening their doors and hearts to us to come in there and put on the greatest boxing show on earth.
33:01But there is going to be boxing.
33:03Oh, absolutely. You're going to have five world, five, what is it? Five world championships with the girl.
33:07With Christy Martin, the coal miners' daughter. You've got Felix Trinidad defending his crown.
33:12You've got Terry Norris defending his two crowns.
33:15You've got Henry Okanwani, the WBO heavyweight champion, taking on Scott Welsh from Britain.
33:21And you've got Frankie Randall, one of Tennessee's own, defending his crown against Khalid Ralu from France.
33:27So it's going to be a super sensational evening of boxing at the Nashville Arena.
33:31So we want all of you to come on down and be able to see it, and you'll see it on Showtime.
33:35Wait a minute. We spoke of Okanwani, a heavyweight champion.
33:38I think the entire country has been just vibrating with that terrific Tyson-Holyfield fight.
33:45Now, we all want to know, me included, where we're going with this.
33:49When are these two guys going to meet again? What's happening with Tyson? Give us some update on that.
33:54Well, we're working, as you know, very dedicatedly and committedly to try to get a rematch.
33:59We're working on that with Holyfield, and if the Spirit moves him, I think we will have that.
34:03And we have Tyson who's sitting back in the wings waiting.
34:06He's dedicated and redoubled his efforts to go out and try to regain the crown.
34:10So it's going to be a great, great show.
34:12So over the holidays, sit back, relax, get you a bud, and look at Showtime,
34:16because this is a good gift to give to one of your friends.
34:19Reach out and touch someone and give them a gift, a subscription to Showtime,
34:24because the best in boxing and music and entertainment will be on Showtime.
34:28So if one king to another, this buds for you.
34:30We want you to make certain that you're watching.
34:32So you're going to have Mike Tyson right there getting ready,
34:35and it will be soon that we'll be making a major announcement in that department.
34:39And right now, I, Dr. Pacheco, want to give you the gift of silence.
34:42So back down to Steve Albert, my friend at ringside.
34:47Thank you very much, Ferdy. Very appropriate right there.
34:50Well, in our first fight tonight for the WBA featherweight championship,
34:54Wilfredo Vasquez made his first defense, a fifth-round TKO at 237 over Bernardo Mendoza.
35:01And just for the record books, he was ahead after four rounds.
35:05Vasquez was 39-37 on one card, 39-36, 39-36.
35:10Does his victory warrant a shot at the winner of Hamed Johnson?
35:13Well, you know, I think his abilities, not just his victory, but his abilities.
35:16His victory over Rojas, fights like that, yeah, it warrants it.
35:19Okay, how about Ricardo Lopez?
35:22That was very impressive in the first round, 2-22 of round number one.
35:26I have never seen anyone at 100 pounds, a little above 103 and a half pounds of the weight, hit that hard.
35:32And he's just so perfect.
35:34The words cannot totally describe just how good he really is to be.
35:37Well, he took them apart real fast.
35:38Let's take a look at the fastest first-round KO's in the history of the strawweight division,
35:44which is a little more than 10 years old.
35:46And Ricardo Lopez now ranks number five as he does it in 2-22 of round one against South Korea's Myung-Sup Park.
35:57All right, Bobby, how about that January 11th card coming up in Nashville, Tennessee?
36:01We've got the dynamic trio of Randall Norris and Trinidad should pose an interesting round-robin tournament.
36:07Well, for those of us from the 80s, and I'm still a throwback to the 80s, we had some great, great round robins in the 80s.
36:15Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler.
36:17These fighters have the makings if they can start squaring off on the weights to do that same thing here in the 90s.
36:22Great cards, great prospective fights, man, really.
36:25Everybody's still talking about Holyfield-Tyson.
36:28How about Holyfield-Tyson, too, sometime in the summer?
36:32Unbelievable.
36:33Well, I believe that that has to happen.
36:34The people want to see it happen.
36:35Probably the biggest fight in history.
36:37The first one shocked everybody.
36:38Yours truly included, probably more so than most.
36:41I was in the ring with him, and I just couldn't believe what happened.
36:44I watched Evander fight the perfect fight.
36:46He sat inside the eye of the storm, and he did to Mike Tyson what nobody's been able to do in that specific manner.
36:52I take my hat off to him, the ultimate overachiever.
36:54I want to see this.
36:56I want to see the rematch.
36:57I want to see World War III number two.
36:59All right, Bobby, with that, let us recap tonight's results from right here at Fantasy Springs
37:04in Indio, California.
37:05First of all, in a heavyweight bout, Tony Tucker faced Tyrone Campbell and knocked him out in round number three.
37:11Tony Tucker victorious.
37:13In the WBA featherweight championship, Wilfredo Vasquez, his first defense facing Bernardo Mendoza, and he knocked out Mendoza in round number five.
37:22And at our main event, it was Ricardo Lopez with his 18th defense of the WBC strawweight title over Korea's Myung Sub Park with a stunning first round KO at 222 of the opening round.
37:35So that'll do it for another edition of Showtime Championship Boxing.
37:40We hope you enjoyed it.
37:41We wish you a very happy and healthy holiday and new year, and we'll see you next year, January 11th in Nashville, Tennessee, for the fight doctor, Bernie Pacheco, Bobby Ches, our entire crew.
37:52This is Steve Albert saying so long from the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.
37:57The Fantasy Springs Casino is champion again.
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