ShoBox quotes: Action-first Redkach ready for main event with Luis

Ivan Redkach

"I started (boxing) right after kindergarten. I moved to Brovari (a suburb of Kiev) when I was 12. I went to a special sports school. All of the most talented athletes from all over Ukraine go there. They have great boxing - Sergiy Dzinziruk was there, the Klitschko brothers were there. It's like a boarding school - you live there, you train there."

"So many world champions started out fighting on ShoBox, and now it's my turn. National exposure in the U.S. is why I uprooted my life and moved (to America).

"Tony Luis is fast, throws a lot of punches, but that's all. It doesn't matter. I'm going to fight my fight and do my job. My style is very, very tricky. I'm more of a pressure fighter, a puncher."

Tony Luis

"After my loss, I did have a lot of anger in the beginning. I was very bitter. But then I realized that had I fought the right fight and listened to my corner, I never would have lost. I truly believe that I turned that fight into an unnecessarily difficult one because I fought the wrong game plan."

"My comeback comes full circle on Jan. 17. It's going to be exactly a year since my first loss. Last year, I was the undefeated prospect and I was the favorite coming in. This year, it's Ivan in that same position, and I'm the opponent coming in. Last year, José Hernandez didn't care. This year, I'm José Hernandez.''

"I think I have to take him deep into this fight. Ten rounds is a long night for anyone. I've got to fight smart in the early rounds and take him deep.''

John Thompson

"I've watched Galarza fight. I know he's a pretty cool person. He does a lot of positive things for the community. I like that. I do the same thing for my community - like feeding the homeless. But as far as boxing goes, he needs more experience. He makes a lot of simple-minded mistakes. He tries to box, but he's looked at as a puncher, so he's probably going to try to rely on that.

"Expect something new from me. Working with Buddy is the best thing that ever happened to me. He brings so much to the table. Everything has just developed 100 percent.''

Kenny Galarza

"I don't know anything about Thompson. Style-wise, I know this will be a good fight. He's 14-0, undefeated like I am. He's been on ShoBox. But I'm mentally prepared as far as what I need to do. I need to go win.

"I'm prepared for anything. I'm hoping to keep myself on ShoBox. I want to put on a show."

[on his work with Youth Fighting Forward] "We work with kids who are affected by crime and violence,'' he said. "We use boxing as a way for them to get in, but it's mainly about education. We want to build youth leaders out of it. It was just an idea that I came up with, something I wanted to do based on my past. I lost my parents at a young age. I lost my father when I was seven, and my mother when I was nine. My mother OD'd on drugs. My father passed away from a gunshot wound complication in his leg.''

Antoine Douglas

"We were the first brother and sister team to make the Olympic Trials."

"I would say I adjust. If I can out-will you and you let me beat you down, then I'll do that. If I can box and pick you apart, that works just as well. We work on things to adjust to what the other fighters bring. Everybody does their homework.''

Marquis Davis

"I've been preparing nonstop for this fight. This is a great opportunity for me. I'll be ready.''

Maurice Hooker

"I'm a boxer who can punch. I've been getting ready for this fight since the beginning of November. I'm ready to fight now.''

Abel Ramos

"After my last fight, we were back in the gym the following week and we've been training ever since. So when this opportunity came along I was already in the gym."

"We saw a couple of videos of Hooker sparring. I know he's tall, and he likes to fight tall. He's undefeated, so I think he's a good opponent.''

Steve Farhood, Showtime Sports analyst

"In the main event, Ivan Redkach is a fighter everybody in boxing will be watching. The southpaw fights with a ferocity and meanness that separates him from other unbeaten prospects. He's moving up in class, and his lightweight bout with Canada's Tony Luis figures to be a must-see main event.

"John Thompson has fought once before on ShoBox, and he impressed. He's a tall boxer who has a tendency to bang with his opponents, which isn't always ideal for him, but satisfies fans. He's facing an unbeaten opponent in Frank Galarza, so Thompson has the opportunity to make a serious statement and establish himself as a prospect to watch.''

Steve Kim, boxing journalist

"Ivan, like many other fighters from the former Soviet Union, brings a hard-nosed, fan-friendly style that I think will resonate with the public. He really attacks the body and is a fighter that isn't hesitant to let his hands go. I don't think he'll be in a lot of boring fights as he moves up the boxing ladder."

Francisco Salazar, boxing journalist

"Ivan is as explosive a fighter at a prospect level as one could find and has a television-friendly style that would make casual fans more intrigued to watch him. What I like about his game now is that he has developed and enhanced his boxing skills to compliment his punching power. I think he has a great upside and has not hit his window yet. Ivan still has a way to go to be considered a serious contender, but I can only imagine what the 'finished project' will be when he becomes a complete fighter."