A new era

Check out what the big names at Matchroom's media day had to say on the topics of the moment.

Matchroom Sport welcomed the media to their Brentwood headquarters this week as they unveiled a new two-year deal with Sky Sports. The new venture will see Matchroom become the principle boxing promoter on Sky, with 20 shows guaranteed in both the next two seasons of action. The bills will be a lot deeper too, with fight fans getting to know many younger names as they come through the ranks as well following stars such as Carl Froch, Kell Brook and Tony Bellew. Sky Sports' Adam Norman was there to soak up the atmosphere and he caught up with many of the key players..... Lee Purdy...on his fight with Gumersindo Carrasco "I believe his style will suit mine, I'll be able to show things off I've not been able to before, he's going to come forward walking to big shots and I think I'm going to look good in this fight and I believe I'll take him out. Eddie Hearn...on Purdy's upcoming fight "This is a total 50-50 war so Lee Purdy has actually got a chance to elevate himself into the top-10 of the world rankings, so you've got to take it. These are the kind of opportunities you've got to take with both hands and he's the kind of kid who can do it." Kell Brook...on his victory over Carson Jones "I found that I had big balls, a big heart to get through the fight, a lot of people I believe probaby would have quit. I stuck in there to the very end, ground it out and got the win, and the fans went home happy. I'm not saying I was happy but you're going to see the very best of me next time." Gavin Rees...on being a Matchroom boxer "Eddie's got a a lot of top draw fighters and a lot of young fighters coming along now, it's a great team to be in and they deliver what they promise, not like a lot of other people. When they say it, they mean it. Darren Barker...on his latest injury "I'm not really thinking about anything at the minute. It's so fresh it's really hard for me, I'm trying to be as positive but the frustration is overwhelming at the moment. Erick Ochieng...English light-middleweight champion "I'm getting my name out there slowly but surely. As I keep saying I'm already world champion it's just a matter of time before people get to know it." Tony Bellew...on his upcoming fight with Edison Miranda "Every fight's a do-or-die fight. They're all big fights, I've just got to go out there and do what I do best. I'm looking forward to it. It's a big name but I always feel that's when I give it my best shot." Dave Coldwell...Promoter "It's massive for young kids to be fighting regularly. It's no good being a prospect on a good whack of money if you're sat there twiddling your thumbs, while other kids are having four or five fights while you've had one." Rocky Fielding...on heading the next Prizefighter bill "It's amazing, a great feeling especially as it's in Liverpool at the venue where I won Prizefighter, on the same night I won Prizefighter. It's exciting and I'm really looking forward to it." Carl Froch...on his next fight against Yusuf Mack "Kessler didn't want it, Bute didn't want, Oosthuizen, who is next in line, didn't want to fight, so we've got a fourth-ranked light-heavyweight. If that's an easy fight, take up boxing, get yourself ranked number four in the world, see how easy it is, and then come and fight Carl Froch. There's no such thing as an easy fight." Rob McCracken...Froch's trainer on Mack "He won't be taken lightly and he's fighting for a world title. Fighters raise their game 25 percent and he'll be putting it all on the line in training so I'm sure he'll be a danger on the night." Charlie Webster...Sky Sports News presenter and boxing fanatic "I think it's really important that Sky and Matchroom work together. The Olympics showed how amazing boxing is as a sport, so it's very important we push off the inspiration of the Olympics to show how important boxing is, especially in communities." Kal Yafai...Bantamweight "I want to go all the way. I want to be as big as Carl Froch is now and win world titles. If I can win them in as many weights as possible then why not." John Ryder...Middleweight "It's a blessing, a dream come true. You dream of fighting on these big occasions, on the Carl Froch and Kell Brook undercards, and being at the Ally Pally is going to be no different. Alex Bake...Betfair PR "Boxing has been coming in fits and starts and I think Matchroom are going to be really positive for the sport, it's going to be a lot more consistent across the board and it's a really exciting thing to be part of." Full interviews will be on the website soon.