Photos: Jermell Charlo, Erickson Lubin - Grind Hard in Brooklyn
Oct 11, 2017 • 7:29 PM ET
WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Erislandy "The American Dream" Lara and undefeated contender Terrell Gausha met with the New York media during a fight week open workout on Wednesday at Gleason's Gym just days before they headline a Premier Boxing Champions event Saturday, Oct. 14 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING®. Photos by Stephanie Trapp/Ed Diller.
The night of 154-pound action on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with "Swift" Jarrett Hurd risking his IBF Junior Middleweight belt against former world champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout in the televised opener. In the co-feature, WBC Super Welterweight Champion Jermell "Iron Man" Charlo will defend against fellow unbeaten No. 1 contender Erickson "Hammer" Lubin.
Tickets to the event are on sale now and start at $50 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Also on-hand Wednesday at Gleason's were several of the top local undercard fighters who will be competing on the card.
Brooklyn's Cindy Serrano will be making her Barclays Center debut in an eight-round special attraction bout. Brooklyn native 2016 Haitian Olympian Richardson Hitchins will fight in a four-round welterweight bout. Brooklyn's Julian Sosa will enter the ring for a six-round welterweight attraction and George Arias of the Bronx will be fighting an eight-round heavyweight bout.
Here's what the fighters had to say on Wednesday:
JERMELL CHARLO
"It's always great to fight at Barclays Center, but it's just another arena and stepping stone for me.
"This fight is going to do a lot for boxing, and this fight does a lot for this 154-pound division. There's just so many positive things coming from this fight card, and hopefully everyone will come out and support it.
"I'm the champion of the world and I'm trying to get the fights that I want. I've been avoided and a lot of fighters have been ducking me. There's nothing we can do about that. This is a living for me, but it's also a hobby and something that I love.
"I own a home in Houston and California. My area wasn't too jacked up [by the flooding]. And now you've got the wildfires in California. My prayers go out to all those affected. But it has brought Houston together, and we're getting support from the NFL and NBA guys. And boxing has come together to help too.
"None of the flooding affected my training camp because I train out of town. We had some trees knocked down, but that's the least of my worries right now.
"I think my fight is the one the people want to see [on the card]. My opponent is a young stud and he comes to win a world title. Is Lubin the best fighter I've faced? I'm 29-0 and I've fought a lot of great fighters. You can't talk about what's on paper and what's not.
"My style is unique in the ring and so is his. He has a high volume of punches, but that's what we trained for. He's expecting fireworks, I'm expecting explosions. So just don't be surprised."
