Ahead of Saturday’s Don King Productions show at the Casino Miami Jai Alai, Hall of Fame promoter Don King addressed assembled media alongside the athletes and said, "“We’ve got five spectacular and action-packed title fights ready for our boxing fans of South Florida,” said King. “And since we lost one title fight, we’ve set a holiday special price of $25 for this fantastic evening. It’s the People’s Championship.” Middleweight Ian Green (17-2, 11 KOs), who has shown his talents at Casino Miami in the past, will headline against Vaughn Alexander (18-7-1, 11 KOs) of St. Louis... Tre’Sean Wiggins (15-5-3, 8 KOs) of Newburgh, N.Y., will see welterweight action against Chris Howard (18-2-1, 8 KOs) of Cincinnati... Lightweight Antonio Perez (8-0, 5 KOs) of Harrisburg, Pa., will take on Las Vegas’ Haskell Rhodes (29-5-1, 14 KOs). Another middleweight contest sees Alex Castro (13-1, 11 KOs) of Colombia challenging Harry K. Cruz (14-3, 11 KOs) of Bronx, N.Y., via Puerto Rico. The fifth featured bout will see Florida junior welterweight DeVon Williams (3-0, 3 KOs) in action against an opponent to be named later.
One undercard fight rounds out the card as an eight-round bantamweight attraction features Lawrence Newton (15-0, 7 KOs) of Boynton Beach, Fla., taking on Jonathan Smith (8-2, 6 KOs) from South Bend, Ind. Tickets can be purchased at www.playcasinomiami.com. Here are some quotes from the conference:
DON KING:
“I always make it clear that this is for the people, and that is what it is all about. On Saturday night we are going to have a sensational night and give the people what they want. I am very happy with the slate of fights we have lined up, which should deliver an action-packed card.
“On Saturday we are putting the best against the best. All I can do as a promoter is put the platform there. The fighter then needs to perform to become the people’s champion. I believe we will give the people what they deserve, which is a spectacular show.
“Ian Green is a tremendous fighter who has fought through trials and tribulations. I believe his matchup against Vaughn Alexander will steal the show.”
IAN GREEN:
“First and foremost, I want to thank God for this opportunity. I want to thank Don King for this platform. There is not much to say, all the hard work has been done and I am prepared for this. I can’t wait to perform. I want to prove I’m not just an average middleweight, I want to prove that I am the best middleweight in the world.
“I’m not sleeping on Vaughn; I know he is a great fighter. May the best man win. See you Saturday.”
VAUGHN ALEXANDER:
“I’m grateful to be back in this position. I guess you could say a few years ago I wasn’t ready, but now it’s a different situation. I’m a fully grown man. I’ve got kids, a wife so I’m all the way together. I’m not here to downplay anything Ian has done, but Saturday night Ian about to get that ass tapped. Ian ain’t ever been in there with no one like me. I’ve watched his fights. No disrespect to anyone because take a lot to get in there and put your life on the line. Everyone is fighting for different things, and I know I’m a in a position where I’m only a couple of fights from fighting for a world title.
“Saturday it’s going to be a helluva night. I must put the middleweight division on notice. They know who I am and what I’m all about. It’s no secret. I’m coming and they know however long it lasts, I’m going to be there.
“This isn’t a fight about what Ian will do. Ian is just another fighter like anyone else. And Ian doesn’t want to win this fight as bad as I do.”
TRE’SEAN WIGGINS:
“I’m ready and excited. I’ve put in the hard work and trained so hard. It’s been about 10 months since I’ve been in the ring so I’m looking forward to getting back in there and showing you all what I got. I don’t know much about my opponent, but I know he’s tough, so I’ll be ready.”
CHRIS HOWARD:
“It’s a shame Adrien [Broner] got injured and had to pull out of the fight, and it bothered me when first heard it because that was a big opportunity for me. Adrien and I have a history together. We’ve probably sparred over 500 rounds together through camps.
“[My coach] Mike Stafford recently passed and it’s very sad we lost such a great man in boxing. That guy was a good dude. He let me into his house when I had some tough times struggling with addiction. So I’m just blessed and grateful for everything.
“I like talking and being up here in the spotlight. Come on out Saturday night and I’m going to put on my best performance.”
ANTONIO PEREZ:
“I would like to say thank you Don King for letting me perform on this platform. Thank you to my coaches. I’ve been wanting to fight at 135lbs for a while now, so I feel good that I got this opportunity. I want to say thank you to my new opponent for taking this fight. My last opponent [Antonio Williams] had his chance already two times, so I’m fully focused on my new task. Let’s have a good night on Saturday.
“I don’t let anyone throw me off my game and I am always focused. Camp went amazing and it was a long three months. I had to sacrifice a lot, especially with Thanksgiving passing by. This is just another day in the field of boxing.”
HASKELL RHODES:
“I’m just here to show up and show I’m a big dog too, so come Saturday night let’s make it happen.
“I haven’t seen much from my opponent. He’s youthful, energetic, athletic just what you’d expect from a 21-year-old.
“I’ve lived and trained my whole fight career in Las Vegas. I’ve trained with a lot of them. I’ve sparred everyone from Pacquiao to Floyd Mayweather.”
ALEX CASTRO:
“Thank you for being here. I hope everyone likes what they have been seeing this past year. This Saturday you will see another level and a preview of what to expect next year. I will do my best on Saturday to bring the belt home to Tulua.”
De Von Williams vs. Nelson Morales
WBC Vacant Youth International Super Lightweight Championship
DE VON WILLLIAMS:
“Training camp was great; all the hard work is done and Saturday night I’m going to take care of this easy work.
“I’m just ready to fight. I want to get in there and showcase my skills. I feel like I have an edge over any of my opponents. When I get in there, I will feel him out in the first round and see what he got then go to work on him.”
