Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj - FULL Final Press Conference & Face Off Video

[0:04] 154-pound title defense against Ermal Hadrabay. [0:08] He'll be live here at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, [0:11] broadcast on TNT Sports in the U.S. and worldwide on DAZN. [0:16] I'm Chris Mannix, part of DAZN's broadcast team, [0:18] and I'm excited to be back in Vegas for this one. [0:21] We have had some unique fighters in the history of boxing, [0:25] but not many like Sebastian Fundora, [0:27] the towering inferno, 6'6", 154-pounder, [0:31] who has won all three of his title defenses by knockout. [0:35] On the other side, Ermal Hadrabay, undefeated, [0:39] fresh off an upset win in an eliminated last May in Germany, [0:42] with an eye on scoring an even bigger upset [0:44] in his first world title fight on Saturday night. [0:48] The co-main event is excellent. [0:50] Brandon Figueroa, one fight removed from his stunning knockout win [0:53] over Nick Ball to claim a 126-pound title. [0:57] He makes his first defense against former world champion Tomoki Kameda. [1:01] We also have a former title holder, Armando Resendez, [1:04] stepping in on short notice to take on Cohen Mazzudier in a 168-pound bout. [1:10] And Marco Romero, one of the best prospects in all of boxing, [1:14] opening the show in an eight-round super middleweight fight [1:17] against the upset-minded Matias Ferreira. [1:21] Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com. [1:23] As I mentioned, the show can be watched a couple of different ways. [1:27] In the U.S. on TNT as the fourth installment of the new series, The Fight, [1:33] and as always, worldwide on DAZN. [1:36] This event is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing. [1:40] I want to kick things off there and bring up the president of TGB Promotions, [1:44] Mr. Tom Brown. [1:51] Thank you, Chris. [1:52] Good afternoon. [1:52] Welcome, everyone. [1:53] I've got to tell you, we're all very excited to be here promoting the TNT Sports [1:59] new monthly boxing series, The Fight. [2:02] Now, this is the fourth installment of the series, and we're very, like I said, [2:07] very excited to be promoting, but really, we've been involved in this series [2:10] since the very first fight on July 4th. [2:13] When Abdullah Mason's opponent fell out about a week or 10 days before the fight, [2:18] we pulled out Albert Bell from another fight and placed him in the main event [2:23] against Abdullah Mason for the WBO lightweight title. [2:27] It was a very exciting fight, and we were also involved in the second fight of the series [2:31] when we had Lamont Roach, Jr. take on William Zepeda for the WBC lightweight title [2:36] in a very exciting fight also. [2:38] So, again, this is the fourth installment, and this card has a little bit of everything on it. [2:43] We opened the night with one of the top prospects in boxing today with Marco Romero. [2:48] He's 20 years old, 15-0, 13 KOs. [2:52] He just made his Las Vegas debut back in August with a spectacular first-round knockout, [2:57] and we're going to keep him real busy, and this is somebody you want to keep a great eye on. [3:01] And then we move right from there into a former world champion, Armando Resendez, [3:06] making his first appearance back since he lost his title to Jaime McGee [3:11] on that big Cinco de Mayo card back in May. [3:15] And let me tell you, he's got a very tough fight on his hand [3:17] with the tough Australian, Cohen Mazzudia. [3:22] So that's going to be another very exciting fight. [3:25] And then from there into our co-main event, the young Brandon Figueroa, [3:29] who would have traveled over to the U.K. earlier in the year. [3:32] He won the WBA featherweight title. [3:35] He upset, at the time, U.K.'s longest-reigning champion, like Chris said, Nick Ball, [3:40] and he's right back in there with a very tough, strong veteran fighter, [3:45] former world champion with Tomoki Kameda. [3:47] And then, of course, our main event is the Towering Inferno Sampson. [3:52] I mean, it's Sebastian Fedora. I'm looking at Sampson. [3:55] He's taken on his WBC mandatory challenger, taking care of his mandatory defense, [4:01] move on hopefully for bigger and better things in 2027. [4:04] But, again, he can't look past this young, undefeated, number-one Southpaw contender. [4:11] And as we all know, everything with Fedora, I've seen it every fight, [4:14] the scary thing about this guy is he just keeps getting better and better. [4:17] His fights are always exciting, bloody, guts, everything you can ask for. [4:21] So, like I said, it's got a little bit of everything, [4:24] and we're very excited about Saturday night. Thank you. [4:26] Thank you, Tom. [4:33] All right, we are halfway through what is a packed October schedule on DAZN. [4:37] On DAZN, we saw a new 135-pound champion crowned last week in Floyd Schofield. [4:44] We have the most intimidating 154-pounder in action this weekend. [4:48] And next week in Texas, we are going to have a battle for 130-pound supremacy [4:53] when Emmanuel Navarrete takes on Oshaki Foster, [4:56] with a lot more to come on this DAZN calendar. [4:59] To talk more about that, please walk up the head of boxing in North America, [5:03] Britton Harden. [5:04] Thank you, Chris. I appreciate it. [5:13] You said it perfectly. [5:17] When we did the deal with PBC, [5:20] this is exactly the kind of card we wanted to be able to put together. [5:26] You have, like, a full representation of the sport, [5:29] and it really shows the global nature of the sport as well. [5:32] You have prospects who are hard-charging and making names for themselves. [5:38] You have former champions who are contenders and want to make their way back up to the championship ranks. [5:44] And I couldn't be more excited to highlight two of the most, I would say, accomplished champions [5:53] who are going to be spearheading what we're calling the doubleheader on TNT. [5:58] And you have these contenders over here who also understand that the only way for them to become the faith of the sport [6:06] and to sit on this side of the table is to take it in a very violent way. [6:11] And this is the perfect time for us to be bringing in new boxing fans with the partnership with TNT. [6:20] This is an exciting card to do that with because of what I just said. [6:24] You get the full gamut of what boxing has to represent with these matchups that we've been able to put together. [6:32] And we just continue to roll. [6:34] Next weekend, we have a very exciting card. [6:37] And then the following weekend is the return of the king, Canelo Alvarez. [6:41] So I'm just really excited for Saturday night. [6:46] Everyone up here knows the level of competition and can't wait to see what we have, [6:55] the magic that we're able to create Saturday. [6:57] Thank you. [7:03] All right, well, let's get to the fighters. [7:04] Opening the show, we've got an eight-round, 168-pound showdown between Marco Romero and Matias Ferreira. [7:11] Ferreira is a native of Uruguay, comes into this fight with eight wins, three of them by knockout, [7:16] fighting for the third time in the U.S. [7:19] Please welcome Matias Ferreira. [7:33] Muy buenas tardes para todos. [7:37] Bueno, venimos bien preparados. [7:39] Sabemos que es un rival difícil, pero nada. [7:42] Voy a imponer de minuto uno con mi velocidad y vengo a llevarme a esta pelea. [7:46] Estoy muy preparado para eso. [7:48] Ya lo vengo viendo hace meses. [7:50] Hace meses vengo haciendo una preparación fuerte en Uruguay. [7:53] Así que, bueno, estén atentos a la pelea que vamos a dar un muy buen espectáculo [7:58] y me va a llevar la victoria por knockout. [7:59] Antes del cuarto round, lo noqueo. [8:01] Muchas gracias. [8:12] Okay, there we are. [8:13] So, basically, I'm going to be out there charging with my speed from the very first minute of the fight. [8:19] I'm so excited to be here. [8:21] Thank you to everyone who was able to make it happen. [8:24] I've been training hard in Uruguay for months now. [8:27] And I can tell you what, I'm going to knock him out before the fourth round. [8:31] That's going to be my promise to you. [8:32] The fans are going to be in for a show, so you can't miss it. [8:38] I'm going to circle back on that, Marco. [8:39] I know you heard that and saw that. [8:42] His opponent is quickly building a name for himself among boxing fans. [8:46] 15 wins, 13 of them by knockout. [8:49] A sensational amateur who made his PBC debut back in August with a first round knockout. [8:54] From Overland, Kansas, please welcome Marco Romero. [9:06] For those that don't know me, my name is Marco El Tiburon Romero from Olathe, Kansas. [9:11] And, man, I'm just super grateful to be here on this card, you know, fighting alongside these champions right next to me. [9:17] And I can't wait to put on a, you know, dominant performance on Saturday night. [9:21] And I'm just, I'm hoping he comes in ready and hope he comes and knocks me out before because he's going to have a long night if he doesn't. [9:28] Thank you. [9:28] All right, well, up next we have a crossroads fight in the 168-pound division between Cohen Mazzudier and Armando Resendez. [9:43] Resendez, a familiar name among boxing fans. [9:46] In 2025, he scored one of the biggest upsets of the year when he edged out Caleb Plant to become a title holder in the 168-pound division. [9:55] 16 wins in his career, 11 of them by knockout. [9:59] He's the former WBA super middleweight champion. [10:02] Please welcome Armando Resendez. [10:04] ¿Qué tal a todos? [10:13] Estoy muy contento de que se me haya brindado una oportunidad más. [10:18] Me siento muy feliz de estar de nuevo en carteleras tan buenas, tan importantes. [10:24] Vengo preparado. [10:25] Estoy preparado. [10:26] No dejé el gimnasio. [10:29] Me alegra tener un reto más. [10:31] Siempre me han gustado los retos. [10:33] Y tomamos la decisión de recibir este reto y vamos a darlo todo. [10:39] Muchas gracias a todos. [10:40] Good afternoon, everyone. [10:44] I'm so glad to be here. [10:46] And I'm someone that's always ready for a challenge, seeking out the best. [10:51] That's why I'm so glad also to be a part of such a prestigious card overall. [10:56] This is going to be amazing. [10:57] I've been training in the gym throughout. [10:59] So now I'm just ready to put on a show Saturday night. [11:02] And again, thank you, everyone. [11:04] Koa Mazzoutier's opponent, not here, as you can see on the stage. [11:08] So already ducking you a little bit there, Armando. [11:11] Maybe he'll be at the weigh-in tomorrow. [11:13] The co-main event is headlined by a former world champion and a recently crowned one. [11:19] The challenger is a former champion at 118 pounds. [11:22] The interim champion at 122 comes into this fight with 42 wins on his resume and will look to become a champion at 126 on his second try. [11:32] From Osaka, Japan, please welcome Tomoki Kameda. [11:35] Hola, qué tal. Buenas tardes a todos. [11:47] El mexicanito ya está huerta de Estados Unidos otra vez. [11:52] El mexicanito is back once again. [11:55] No, primero que nada, quiero agradecer a PBC and Luis de Cuba por esta gran oportunidad. [12:00] First of all, I want to thank PBC and Luis de Cuba por esta gran oportunidad. [12:06] No, la verdad estoy muy contento de estar aquí otra vez, aquí en Las Vegas. [12:11] Y yo hice preparación muy bien en México. [12:15] Me siento muy bien. [12:17] Y este sábado voy a ser campeón del mundo. [12:20] I'm so happy to be back here in Vegas once again. [12:22] I prepared in a splendid fashion in Mexico. [12:25] And I'm ready to be world champion once again. [12:28] Gracias. [12:29] Thank you. [12:36] Gotta love the Japanese fighter coming up. [12:37] I've been speaking Spanish. [12:43] All right, in our main event, we have another title fight. [12:46] This one in the 154-pound division. [12:49] As I mentioned, back in May, Ermal Hadrabai went over to Germany [12:53] and scored a surprising unanimous decision win over Bakake Samaki, [12:58] earning him the number one challenger position for the WBC junior middleweight title. [13:02] He has a record of 23 wins, no losses, one draw. [13:07] He is the Albanian sniper. [13:09] Please welcome Ermal Hadrabai. [13:20] Hi, guys. [13:21] Well, first I'm going to start it that I'm very glad to be here. [13:25] And I'm going to make sure I do everything for everybody, for PBC, for TV, that everyone's going to like it. [13:35] They're going to like me. [13:37] I'm going to be a very excited fighter for the boxing fans. [13:41] And tell all friends around the world that the Albanian sniper is coming for Sebastian Fundora with forever he takes. [13:49] So, thank you so much. [13:53] First of all, I want to thank you to my team as well. [13:56] It's been a crazy journey to be here. [13:58] And I really appreciate it. [13:59] I'm very glad to be here one more time. [14:00] I'm just going to keep it short. [14:02] Thank you, guys. [14:02] And I'll see you all Saturday night. [14:04] We weren't done with the co-main event. [14:12] That's my fault. [14:13] My notes are a little all over the place. [14:15] Because the champion, he is having a hell of a year. [14:18] Back in February, Brandon Figueroa went over to the UK and took the title from Nick Ball, winning by spectacular 12th round knockout. [14:26] He is a two-division world champion and the reigning WBA featherweight champion, the heartbreaker, Brandon Figueroa. [15:05] First off, I want to thank God. [15:11] Good afternoon, everyone. [15:12] I want to thank The Zone, you know, PBC, everyone that put this together, True TV, Sebastian Fundora, Tomoki Komoda for setting this fight. [15:23] And I'm just really very grateful and very blessed to have my family here and my team. [15:26] We're ready to be prepared 110%. [15:28] And just the way I did it in the UK, you know, we went out there against all odds and we brought back the belt. [15:35] But, you know, nothing's going to let, you know, no one's going to come in between me and this belt this time, you know. [15:41] But I lost it before, gained it back, and I don't plan on losing it again. [15:45] Trust me when I say this, that I will give the best to me every time I fight. [15:49] And I just can't wait to go out there and let my hands fly. [15:52] Let what I was born to do. [15:55] And I'm just very grateful. [15:56] Thank you for everyone for coming out. [15:57] Gracias a todos. [15:58] Muy agradecido. [15:59] Thank you. [16:06] All right. [16:06] In our main event, the champion, he needs no introduction. [16:09] One of the most intimidating fighters in the sport today. [16:13] Six foot six, 154 pounds. [16:15] In his last three wins, he has stopped Cordell Booker, Tim Zhu, and Keith Thurman. [16:20] The towering inferno, Sebastian Fundora. [16:30] Thank you to everybody that came out. [16:32] You know, this Saturday we have a big fight. [16:35] We have a big card. [16:36] Like Tom Brown said, we have the beginnings of it. [16:39] We have the return of it. [16:40] We have the champions. [16:41] We have the people that want to beat the champions. [16:43] So, you know, this is going to be a big card for PBC, for DAZN, for TNT Sports. [16:48] Everybody watching, you know, make sure to tune in because, you know, we're going to make a knockout of the weekend. [16:59] All right. [16:59] I've got some questions for these guys. [17:01] And I want to start at the end with Matias. [17:03] I start by asking you how you're feeling. [17:06] But you're predicting a knockout inside four rounds. [17:10] What is giving you that confidence? [17:11] Matias, I would ask you how you feel. [17:17] But the truth is, with what you just said, that you were going to knockout before the fourth round, [17:21] what does your confidence? [17:23] No, I can't with my speed. [17:25] I've seen his fight. [17:26] He's a very good boxer. [17:27] But he's a very young man. [17:30] He still has a journey. [17:31] If I'm not going to be a escalator of anyone, as you think, [17:36] I'm going to give him my speed in the first round. [17:38] I'm going to get out of the first round to get him out. [17:41] I'm going to take him out of the fourth round and I'm going to take him out of the fourth round. [17:43] I've already been prepared and trained for that. [17:45] I've seen his fight. [17:47] He's a very good boxer. [17:48] I'm very much respect. [17:49] But I'm going to do my job. [17:51] Well, with all the respect, he's a really good fighter. [17:53] No doubt about that. [17:54] But he's not going to be able to keep up with my speed. [17:57] He's young. [17:58] He doesn't have the experience yet. [18:01] And I can guarantee you that I'm going to come out and smother him from the very first round. [18:06] And with that, I know that I've seen his fights. [18:09] I've trained really hard. [18:10] I'm capable of it. [18:11] And by the fourth round, he's going to be out of it. [18:14] So you've seen his fights. [18:15] What weaknesses are you seeing in his game? [18:18] Bueno, has visto sus peleas. [18:19] Entonces, ¿qué debilidades le notás que son muy evidentes? [18:23] La distancia. [18:24] The distance. [18:25] La distancia y el tiempo de distancia. [18:27] Creo que está muy acostumbrado a llevar sus rivales a la corta. [18:31] Y es donde voy a trabajar. [18:33] Voy a traer su juego y le voy a imponer con mi velocidad. [18:36] Con mi velocidad y mi precisión, lo voy a sacar. [18:39] ¿Dijiste que no vas a entrar en su juego o que vas a entrar en su juego? [18:42] Sí, voy a entrar en su juego. [18:43] Voy a entrar en su juego. [18:44] Me voy a plantar en su juego para imponer con mi velocidad. [18:48] Bueno, mira, he visto cómo él le gusta a la corta, a la corta distancia. [18:54] Pero, ¿sabes lo que? [18:55] Voy a ir directamente a su juego. [18:56] Voy a jugar su juego. [18:57] Pero voy a hacer que mi velocidad sea más. [19:00] Y eso va a hacer un buen show. [19:02] All right. [19:02] Good luck to you, Matias. [19:03] Marco, I didn't expect that. [19:05] I didn't expect him to come in with that kind of confidence. [19:08] What have you thought of what you've heard this press conference? [19:12] Honestly, I think it's just silly. [19:13] It's silly. [19:14] He says he has more experience than me, but, I mean, I think my amateur experience is more than he's ever had. [19:20] You know, so I don't know about him saying that I don't have experience, and he says he's going to come in and play my game. [19:27] I don't think that's a good game plan, bro. [19:29] Dangerous. [19:30] You're going to get bit by the shark. [19:33] He's predicting a knockout inside four rounds. [19:36] How would you answer that? [19:38] You know, he can believe whatever he wants. [19:40] I'm going to go in there and do my job. [19:42] You guys have all seen, you know, I'm ready to put on a great performance, put on a dominant performance. [19:46] I'm going to let the shark go on the hunt, and when I see that kill shot, be ready. [19:51] Don't blink. [19:52] You said in the past that you're ready right now for a top 10 guy in the super middleweight division. [19:56] Do you think this is the fight that you cement that status? [20:00] Oh, definitely. [20:00] I think this fight and all my upcoming fights, you know, I think I'm just progressing little by little and just heading up into those top 10, [20:07] and then eventually, you know, to get to these guys, you know, level, get to that world title for sure. [20:13] So you scored a first-round knockout last time out. [20:16] I guess you kind of know what kind of fight you're expecting. [20:19] Are you expecting to come in there and engage you like that? [20:21] I hope. [20:22] I hope. [20:22] You know, I love that type of fight. [20:23] You know, a lot of my fighters, you know, that I've fought in the past, you know, tend to run, move a little bit more. [20:28] But if he's ready to come in and brawl, I mean, that's perfect for me. [20:32] I love that. [20:33] I love to put on a show like that for sure. [20:35] All right. [20:36] Well, good luck, Marco. [20:36] Looking forward to that fight to open the show on Saturday. [20:39] Armando, you took this fight on short notice. [20:43] Why were you so eager to jump in and take this opportunity? [20:55] Can we turn this mic on, please? [20:55] Well, there's a lot of things that I want to accomplish, a lot of things that I want to keep growing on. [21:30] So that's my mindset. [21:32] I want to go out there, showcase what I can do and keep on being the best version of myself I can be. [21:40] You've experienced over the last 18 months the highs of boxing and the lows. [21:44] The highs of winning a title, the low of losing your title. [21:48] What did you take away from that loss to Jaime Munguia? [21:52] Well, you've experienced a lot of emotions in the last few years, from having won a plant getting the title to losing the title, to losing the hands of Munguia. [22:00] What was it that you learned from what was the loss with Munguia and all this that has happened? [22:07] Well, yes, curiously, it has been a lot of emotions, but so has been my career. [22:11] It's definitely been a roller coaster, no doubt about that, but if there's one thing that I've proven, it's that I'm always getting back up. [22:34] And I'll tell you what, there's never a definitive ending to things. [22:39] There's always a next chapter. [22:41] So what do you think this next chapter of yours is going to look like? [22:44] Well, I have full confidence in myself, in my team, in God, and God willing. [23:12] After this Saturday night, we can go forward into becoming world champions once again. [23:18] All right, so you first have to get through Munguia. [23:20] When you've watched him on film, what do you see? [23:22] Well, you've seen the fights of Munguia, you've studied it. [23:26] What did you notice? [23:26] Well, he's a very strong fighter. [23:30] He's an Australian with a lot of heart. [23:33] I think this is a very nice fight. [23:38] And, well, at the end of the day, I think the audience will end up winning. [23:42] He's a tough Australian fighter with a lot of heart. [23:46] Someone that's tough, no doubt about it. [23:48] So the fans are going to end up being the true winners of the night [23:51] because it's going to be a very attractive fight between the both of us. [23:55] All right, well, good luck to you, Armando. [23:56] Looking forward to that fight, second fight on Saturday night. [23:59] The co-main event, Tomoki Kameda, 118-pound champion, 122-interim champion, [24:05] but you have been out of the ring for about 17 months. [24:07] How are you feeling going into this fight? [24:09] Well, Tomoki, you've had great achievements as a champion in the 118 and 122, [24:15] but at the same time, you've spent 17 months of inactivity. [24:18] How do you feel about this fight? [24:20] No, me siento bien porque yo entrenando desde enero porque yo iba a pelear en abril [24:28] y entonces yo estaba preparando y canceló la pelea y después de julio. [24:32] Pero por eso yo hice como más de nueve meses de entrenando. [24:38] Por eso me siento bien y estoy listo. [24:41] Well, you know what? [24:41] I've been training for over nine months now. [24:44] I started my camp in January thinking I was going to fight in April [24:47] and then scheduling issues arose and now I'm here more ready than ever. [24:52] I can guarantee you that. [24:54] So you took that loss against Leo for a title at 126. [24:57] What did you learn from that defeat? [24:59] ¿Qué aprendiste de la pelea y la derrota contra Ángelo Leo? [25:04] Sí aprendí muchas cosas. [25:06] Con la derrota sí aprendí, ¿no? [25:07] Entonces, con esa derrota aprendimos mucho [25:11] y esta vez hicimos gran preparación, buena estrategia tenemos. [25:19] Entonces, en el sábado vamos a demostrar que yo seré mejor que él. [25:25] Well, look, I definitely did learn a lot from that loss. [25:28] That's what losses are for, to learn and to take valuable things away from that. [25:32] We used that in our preparation for this fight [25:34] and this Saturday I'm going to show that I'm the superior fighter [25:38] and that I'm going to come out on top. [25:39] You've said in some interviews that this could be your final year in boxing. [25:44] Do you still have that fire to be in a great fight like this? [25:48] Has dicho en algunas entrevistas que quizás este es tu último año. [25:51] ¿Todavía tenés ese fuego sagrado, ese hambre de gloria que necesitas para seguir adelante? [25:57] Sí, o sea, todavía puedo pelear más de cinco años, pero, o sea, [26:01] yo ya tengo 47 peleas. [26:04] Este peso, la verdad, es difícil de conseguir tantas oportunidades, ¿no? [26:09] Entonces, pues, voy a aprovechar esta gran oportunidad para ser el campeón del mundo. [26:14] Well, look, could I go for five more years? [26:18] Yes, I could, but then again, I also have 47 fights under my belt. [26:22] And let's face it, in this division, it's not like there are that many opportunities to be had. [26:26] So I have to take advantage of this one, this great opportunity in order to be world champion once again. [26:31] You come from a family of world champions, you're two brothers, also world champions, [26:36] but I saw a clip recently. [26:38] One of your brothers is actually picking against you in this fight. [26:41] What do you think of that? [26:42] You've come from a family very decorated in the boxeo, your two brothers are also champions, [26:46] but here Chris saw something peculiar. [26:48] One of your brothers chose to Brandon instead of you in the fight. [26:51] What do you think of that? [26:53] What do you think of that? [26:54] One of your brothers chose to Brandon instead of you. [26:59] It was peculiar. [27:00] What do you think of that? [27:00] That's not surprising at all. [27:24] Everyone is picking against me, even my brothers. [27:27] All of Japan thinks I'm going to lose. [27:28] But on Saturday night I'm going to prove that in boxing everything is possible [27:33] and that I am willing and able to come out on top. [27:37] Brothers are going to back you up though, man. [27:38] Si, tu hermano te tiene que apoyar. [27:40] O sea, dice, ¿qué le pasa, pobre, que tu hermano no te apoya? [27:43] And dice, ¿por qué? [27:44] Dice, que tu hermano te tiene que apoyar. [27:46] O sea, para eso está la familia, ¿no? [27:48] Si, pero yo tengo familia mexicana, también tengo muchos fans, fans en el mexicano. [27:54] Well, you know what? [27:55] My brother may say that, but I also have a lot of men. [27:58] Mexican family, and my Mexican family supports me 100%. [28:01] So what do you have to do to beat Brandon Figueroa? [28:07] No, ahorita no te puedo decir. [28:08] I'm not going to tell you now. [28:09] Ahorita no. [28:10] No, no, no. [28:11] El sábado van a ver que yo voy a ser campeón del mundo. [28:14] You're going to see on Saturday night. [28:15] You're going to have to wait and see, and then you're going to see me be a world champion. [28:18] All right, good luck, Tomoki. [28:20] Appreciate it. [28:20] Gracias. [28:21] Brandon, hell of a year for you so far with that win over Nick Ball back in February. [28:26] What do you think you showed the world in that fight? [28:29] I think I've showed everything that a champion shows, you know. [28:37] Like I said, I won the belt, lost the belt. [28:39] Then I moved to L.A., you know, out of nowhere, with Manny Robles. [28:46] As you guys know, I always carry my family with me as my team. [28:49] But I decided to make changes, you know. [28:51] I want to get to that next level. [28:52] I want to be at the top level, fighting the best of the best. [28:56] So I had a conversation with my dad and my family, and I said, hey, guys, thank you for everything you guys have done for me. [29:02] But, you know, I want to be put with someone that's going to put me to the next level. [29:07] And surely but not, you know, we went to L.A. with Manny Robles. [29:12] Joey Gonzalez was a tough fight. [29:14] Won that one. [29:15] And then they offered me Nick Ball, UK-Liverpool. [29:19] I said, yes, I don't care. [29:21] We went all the way over there. [29:22] Odds against us, 18 hours in the plane. [29:24] I'd never been outside of the U.S. [29:26] The climate was cold, gloomy, something literally I'd never experienced before. [29:32] But, like, as a champion, you take it on the chin, you figure it out, you overcome obstacles, and we came back with the belt. [29:39] So I'm just very happy, very proud of myself, very happy with my team, very happy with my family and everyone that put this together. [29:46] And champion was again. [29:48] So what's different in you since that loss to Fulton, since you made the changes? [29:52] In what ways do you think you're a better fighter? [29:54] Just overall, you know, especially with Manny Robles, the knowledge I've gained, the knowledge he's instilled in me. [30:02] And I'm just getting better every fight, as you guys can tell from Jouette to Nick Ball, big jump. [30:06] And you guys are just going to see this Saturday all my skills. [30:11] Everything that I work for is going to be on showcase this Saturday. [30:15] And this build is not going to go anywhere. [30:17] I promise you that. [30:18] Got a former world champion in front of you in Tomoki. [30:20] A lot of experience that he's got in the ring. [30:22] What kind of fight are you expecting, and what's the key for you to come out with a win? [30:26] You know, definitely he has the experience. [30:28] You know, he's been in there with champions, former world champions. [30:30] He has a lot of, you know, rounds in his belt. [30:34] But I'm a hungry young fighter. [30:36] I'm strong. [30:37] I throw a lot of punches. [30:39] And, you know, this is not my last year in boxing. [30:42] You know, I still have plenty more years in this. [30:45] So I'm going to go with everything. [30:47] Trust me. [30:48] Trust me. [30:48] I can't wait to go out there and showcase everything that I got in the tank. [30:52] I know you're focused on this fight, but we've got to get some unifications going at 126. [30:58] Who is on your hit list if you get through a fight like this? [31:01] I mean, all of them. [31:02] All of them. [31:03] I sit in all my interviews, line them up. [31:05] I want all of them. [31:06] You know, this is what we're here for. [31:08] This is why I'm with Manny Robles. [31:09] And this is why I want the big fights. [31:11] And this is why we're here today as a champion defending my belt. [31:15] Because there's definitely more fighters that I want to fight. [31:18] And honestly, I don't really. [31:20] The belts are nice, but I want the names. [31:22] I want those legendary names. [31:23] I want people to look at my resume and say, oh, wow, he fought all these champions and he beat them all. [31:28] And that's what I want. [31:30] Good luck to you, Brandon. [31:31] Appreciate it. [31:32] The main event, Ermal Hadrabai. [31:34] Ermal, you went to Germany and upset an undefeated fighter. [31:39] What kind of confidence did that give you as a fighter? [31:43] Definitely a lot of confidence, for sure. [31:46] That's why we're here today. [31:47] But first, can I say something else before I regret it? [31:50] Because I met Fundora three years ago. [31:54] And I was the one that I went, hey, Fundora, can we take a picture? [31:57] You know, so I went. [31:59] And I just want to go and meet him and shake his hands to tell that the respect is there, of course. [32:07] And the respect is there, but besides the rivalry, so I'm Albanian. [32:14] I cannot be disrespectful. [32:16] So I just want to tell him the respect is there. [32:19] You know, you said you saw him a few years ago. [32:21] Was this a fight? [32:22] A few years ago. [32:22] Was this a fight that you were targeting? [32:24] A fight against him? [32:26] It wasn't. [32:26] I mean, we didn't know because he was champion at the time. [32:29] We didn't know if he still was going to be a champion. [32:31] Well, of course, we would love to fight him. [32:34] But, of course, I wasn't ready at the moment. [32:36] I grew up as I was winning the fight. [32:39] You mentioned the bakery, Samaka against a tough opponent, you know, that I showed. [32:45] And I proved that I belong here. [32:49] So, yeah. [32:50] I know you're not going to reveal your entire game plan tonight. [32:54] But how do you do it? [32:55] Like, how do you beat this guy? [32:57] How do you get inside on a guy who's got eight inches on you, a lot of experience? [33:02] Like, how do you do it? [33:04] Yeah, that's why we have training camp. [33:05] We work a lot. [33:06] And with my team, I think we have the key. [33:10] If the key don't work, I have another key in my pocket. [33:13] If not, I'm going to find something else. [33:16] But definitely, I don't know. [33:19] Lonely, I have everything. [33:21] I'm athletic. [33:22] I'm fast. [33:22] I'm strong. [33:24] I work hard. [33:25] I have a resistance. [33:28] What advantage does he have? [33:29] He's tall. [33:30] I'm short. [33:30] I see different advantages of me. [33:32] I don't see this advantage with Ndora. [33:36] You know, everyone sees it as an advantage. [33:38] But my side, you know, I see my side and I see my advantage. [33:43] It's simple as well. [33:44] When we fight short fighters, you know, they have the advantage coming on top. [33:49] So, there's stuff that, you know, change the game. [33:53] So, we'll be ready. [33:55] We're ready. [33:55] We know we're very aware of it. [33:57] So, let's see it Saturday night. [33:59] Do you think you can have to outbox him or do you think you have the power to hurt him? [34:05] I am able to outbox him. [34:07] I have the power to hurt him as well. [34:10] I don't know. [34:10] I cannot predict. [34:11] Even with myself, I'm very unpredictable. [34:15] So, I cannot predict anything. [34:16] You know, there's a lot of talk about Sebastian going up against the winner of Boots Ennis and Josh Kelly sometime next year. [34:23] Do you think there's any chance that he's looking past you? [34:25] I mean, it might be normal that he has a chance to pass me because I'm new in the game. [34:32] But you never know. [34:33] But it's normal to think like that. [34:36] So, what can I say? [34:38] All right. [34:38] Well, good luck to you on Saturday, Ramal. [34:40] Thank you. [34:40] Looking forward to you in the main event. [34:45] Sebastian, every time I see you, I wonder if, like, this is the time that you're having trouble making 154. [34:50] But, clearly not. [34:51] You seem happy. [34:52] You seem healthy. [34:53] You seem good to go. [34:59] No, I ate breakfast today. [35:00] I ate an omelet. [35:01] I ate hash browns. [35:02] All the starchy stuff you're not supposed to eat. [35:04] Give me bread, you know, milk, coffee, everything. [35:08] I'm comfortable making weight, you know. [35:10] After breakfast, I'm still not too much over. [35:13] So, I'm happy. [35:14] I'm comfy. [35:15] This is Fight for the World Fight Week, and we're ready to go, you know. [35:17] You and your sister, your DNA needs to be studied by science. [35:20] I'll tell you that much. [35:22] You've got four straight wins now since that loss to Brian Mendoza. [35:26] Did that help you develop? [35:28] Has that made you a better fighter? [35:30] It's just helped me realize things, you know. [35:32] And, I mean, again, it's the obvious with boxing. [35:35] You know, you make a mistake, you're going to get hurt. [35:37] You're going to regret it. [35:38] But, you know, it's just, I think what will help change me, obviously, is just maturity, listening to my dad. [35:45] And I keep saying this in all the interviews, but it's not so much a loss. [35:49] It's just realizing where you made this mistake and learning from it. [35:54] Because, you know, it could be a loss. [35:56] It could be just getting hit by a punch and getting shook up. [35:59] But it doesn't have to be to that extreme. [36:02] I mean, it happened, but it's just maturity, you know. [36:05] I think just listening to my dad and understanding him more, watching how my sister wins, too. [36:11] It's just development, you know. [36:13] And that's through every boxer's career. [36:14] You've looked even more powerful in some recent fights. [36:17] Is there something different about how you're approaching these matchups? [36:20] Yes, just wiser. [36:23] You know, again, maturity. [36:24] It's just maturity. [36:25] I've been in this sport for a while. [36:26] I'm 28 now. [36:27] I started boxing when I was 6 years old. [36:29] 22 years in this sport already. [36:31] So, you know, it's been a lot of learning. [36:33] A lot of learning. [36:34] And now we're actually showing you guys. [36:37] You know, it's like you guys saying, he's finally using the jab now. [36:40] Well, we've been using our jab the whole time. [36:42] It's just, I guess we're making it more obvious, right? [36:45] So, a lot of respect between you and Ramal, Handshake, just a moment ago. [36:49] He's coming off a pretty big upset win over in Germany to put himself in this position. [36:53] When you watch him fight, what do you see? [36:57] I see an undefeated fighter. [36:57] I see a hungry fighter. [36:59] But, of course, we fought that before. [37:00] We fought former champions. [37:01] We fought champions. [37:02] So, we're here. [37:04] We're in the major leagues of boxing, you know. [37:05] And we're here to prove again why we will remain the champion and, you know, make bigger moves maybe for next year. [37:12] Yeah, well, those bigger moves is what everybody seems to be locked in on. [37:15] We've got Josh Kelly, bootstand is probably happening in January. [37:19] Three belts on the line. [37:20] You've got the other version of it. [37:22] Has that been, you know, getting to that point, has that been on your mind during this training camp that you're getting so close to becoming undisputed? [37:29] Well, of course, it's just you guys questioning it. [37:32] So, it's going to remain in my mind. [37:33] But, of course, we have Ramal in front of us. [37:35] I'm not looking over him. [37:37] Yesterday, one of the interviewers were asking, are you overlooking him? [37:40] I'm not overlooking him. [37:41] Of course, he's the number one mandatory for WBC. [37:43] You cannot overlook anybody, you know. [37:46] Undefeated fighter. [37:47] So, we're ready to go. [37:48] We're ready to go with this one. [37:49] And after Saturday, you can ask me all the questions. [37:51] I'll answer them however you guys want it. [37:54] How do you see this fight playing out? [37:56] Of course, me winning, you know. [37:57] It's going to be a great fight. [37:58] Again, he's undefeated, so he's hungry. [38:01] He wants to win. [38:02] He only knows how to win. [38:03] But we're here to break him. [38:05] All right. [38:05] We're looking forward to that fight. [38:07] Sebastian Pandor, 154-pound title on the line. [38:09] A very respectful, Ermal Hadrabeye, lining up against him, putting his undefeated record [38:15] on the line. [38:16] Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com. [38:19] And, of course, you can watch live on TNT in the U.S., worldwide on DAZN, 8 o'clock [38:24] Eastern, 5 Pacific. [38:26] We are going to face these guys off. [38:28] We'll be right back here on Friday for the official weigh-in. [38:31] We'll be right back here. [39:01] Those are the questions that are up. [39:03] And look at his... [39:05] You've got to get that sniper shot pointed up towards the clouds. [39:10] You'll be able to hit him in the head, Sergio. [39:12] You've got the jump to land that much? [39:13] No. [39:14] Because... [39:14] That's a lie, Z.K. [39:16] ...so smart to give you the fight that you want. [39:18] So, let's see if I don't know what you want. [39:20] That man right there. [39:22] So, I don't know if he's ready for that fight. [39:25] So, for his fight, he should catch them in the clean shots and really cool. [39:28] These guys, obviously, are getting along very well. [39:32] You heard of Hachibay. [39:33] I said pleasure to take a picture with you a few years ago. [39:35] Did you like to fight against guys that you didn't like or fight against guys that you didn't like? [39:39] You're getting paid. [39:42] So, that is our main event, and it is for the WPC Super Multimate Championship of the World. [39:59] Sebastian Converse, King of the World. [40:01] One draw, eight wins by knockout. [40:08] It started out as an MMA fighters' forward one, which will rant in the gym. [40:13] All right, this is Drake, today, what are you talking about? [40:15] I'm a professional boxer. [40:16] He said, all right, I'll show you what I'm talking about. [40:18] You can see how he's doing with boxing. [40:22] Here he is. [40:23] I know it's full-chip-chip. [40:24] Here we go. [40:25] Here we go. [40:26] Here we go. [40:27] Here we go. [40:28] Here we go. [40:29] Here we go. [40:30] Two letters. [40:31] Oh. [40:32] Here we go. [40:33] Who's the kick boxer? [40:34] Baby Han? [40:35] The kicker? [40:37] Yeah. [40:38] Yeah. [40:39] Yeah. [40:40] Yeah. [40:41] Yeah. [40:42] Yeah. [40:43] Yeah. [40:44] Yeah. [40:45] Yeah. [40:50] Yeah. [40:55] Yeah. [40:56] Yeah.