Press Conference Notes & Quotes: Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos Lightweight Title Showdown Headlines Historic Vegas Fight Night

Press Conference Notes & Quotes: Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos Lightweight Title Showdown Headlines Historic Vegas Fight Night

World Title doubleheader will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ THURSDAY beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (Nov. 14, 2023) — Shakur Stevenson is ready for his opportunity to become a three-weight champ.

Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) and Dominican slugger Edwin De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) will collide for the vacant WBC lightweight world title this Thursday, Nov. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the world championship co-feature, Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) defends his WBO junior lightweight strap against Brazilian two-time world title challenger Robson Conceição (17-2, 8 KOs).

Stevenson-De Los Santos and Navarrete-Conceição will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

The ESPN+-streamed undercard (5:40 p.m. ET/2:40 p.m. PT) will feature a battle between unbeaten welterweights as well as a host of emerging prospects.

Undefeated standouts Brian Norman Jr. (24-0, 19 KOs) and Quinton Randall (13-0-1, 3 KOs) will collide in a 10-round welterweight battle.

In an eight-round bantamweight duel between two of Las Vegas’ top prospects, Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (9-0, 3 KOs) and Max Ornelas (15-1-1, 5 KOs) will battle for intra-city bragging rights,

U.S. Olympian Troy Isley (10-0, 4 KOs) steps up in class in an eight-round middleweight fight against Mexico’s Vladimir Hernandez (14-5, 6 KOs).

Top prospects Emiliano Fernando Vargas (7-0, 6 KOs) and Hugo Micallef (8-0, 1 KO) will also see action in separate six-rounders.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Sampson Boxing, tickets are on sale now via AXS.com.

At Tuesday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.

Shakur Stevenson

“This means the world to me. I’ve been grinding my whole life for these moments. I’m back in the same situation I was before, fighting for another vacant title. I’m just here to do what I got to do. I’m focused. I’m ready. Showtime on Thursday.”

“My performance is based on how I feel. I’m performing for myself. I know that if I come in at my best, I will be hard to deal with for everybody.”

“He’s a fighter. You can tell that he has a lot of heart. It may work against him on Thursday night. But I definitely respect the fact that he took the fight.”

“This means a lot to me. I hope it’s a sold-out crowd. I want all the people to tune in. I’m focused and ready.”

Edwin De Los Santos

“Like I’ve always said, I’m not here to hesitate, I’m here to fight. As soon as we heard about the fight, we accepted the opportunity.”

“This is something that is super exciting for me. All boxers dream of becoming a world champion. My family is very happy, and I know that with the help of God I am going to be victorious, and the win will change my life.”

“On November 16, you will see an upset. Don’t be surprised.”

Emanuel Navarrete

“Robson represents an enormous threat in this fight. His style is very difficult. He’s a fighter who has an Olympic style. That makes it difficult for anyone with my style. But we worked on that. We worked on that in order to make the fight easier for me in that regard.”

“I like being active. I like working. I always like fighting, and I take the opportunities that appear in my career. So, basically, I just take advantage of it.”

Robson Conceição

“I heard of this {fight} the day before {a scheduled fight in September}, and I knew it was a big opportunity. And so, I was left very happy, and I accepted immediately. The more difficult things are for me, the better. So, I accepted immediately.”

“It’s tough to get three title opportunities. But that’s what happened in the amateurs. It took me three attempts to become an Olympic champion. So, the same will happen in professional boxing.”

Brian Norman Jr.

“I carry {my father’s name}. He knows the ins and outs, how the game goes. It hasn’t really been hard on me because he’s prepared me for everything. He prepared me mentally. I’ve been watching and studying greats since forever. It’s all I do, still to this day. I love the greats. I love the legends.”

“I’m not going to try and rush the knockout or predict the knockout, but I will be pushing the pace and pushing the fight. I’m going in to do damage.”

“I love this situation. I’m fighting in Vegas. I got the perfect opponent. Like he just said, he has the mindset to go in on Thursday now. This is my test. This is the test God gave me. I’m good at passing tests. This is what I’ve been doing my whole life.”

Quinton Randall

“He’s gonna get his ass whooped. {Speaking to Norman) You’re gonna get your ass whooped.”

“I’ve been passing tests my whole life. You’re a child to me. I’m gonna beat you like one.”

“You’re a bum. The people you have fought are bums. You’ve got 25 wins of pad work on your record.”

Floyd Diaz

“You’re going to see a little different Floyd. Not only am I back and have a new hairdo, but I’m going to show different things ya’ll haven’t seen yet. But it’s still the same Floyd. I want ya’ll to tune in. It’s going to be fireworks.”

Troy Isley

“Vladimir {Hernandez} is coming to fight. He’s going to bring the fight to me. So, I’m going to show some stuff that the world hasn’t seen. Winning this fight means I’m a contender.”

Emiliano Fernando Vargas

“My father {former world champion Fernando Vargas} always says that you stop growing when you stop learning. Even my father is still learning things. I’m learning things as we go on. In order to be the best in the sport, I have to continue growing.”

Abdullah Mason

“I’m feeling amazing. I had a great camp. We’ve just been keeping it going since my last fight. I’ve been pretty busy and staying in the gym. I feel like I’m constantly getting better and stronger. As time goes on, we’ll just keep getting better and better.”

Hugo Micallef

“Expect fireworks. I’m a quick boxer. I’m a fast boxer. I’m very technical. I would like to be recognized as one of the most technical boxers in some years. So, expect fireworks and the knockout, I hope.”

Thursday, November 16

ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ (10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT)

Shakur Stevenson vs. Edwin De Los Santos 12 rounds, Vacant WBC Lightweight World Title

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Robson Conceição, 12 rounds, Navarrete’s WBO Junior Lightweight World Title 

ESPN+ (5:40 p.m. ET/2:40 p.m. PT)

Brian Norman Jr. vs. Quinton Randall, 10 rounds, WBO International Welterweight Title

Giovanni Sarchioto vs. Lucas de Abreu, 6 rounds, super middleweight