I recently purchased a used Micro Seiki BL-91 turntable, and although I was overall pleased with its performance, I noticed that the spindle could be moved about an eighth of an inch. I spoke with a more experienced turntablist, and he suggested wrapping the spindle with tape to hold it firmly in place for optimal playback.  So, that's exactly what I did!

I removed the turntable belt, lifted the platter, turned it on its side, and unscrewed a grounding cable from the spindle's bottom. Then, cranking hard, I did likewise with the cup-shaped spindle locking screw on the bottom and extracted the spindle from the plinth. 

From there, I wrapped a 1 /2" wide blue masking tape around the spindle, periodically reinserting the spindle into the plinth to check for snugness. I had to remove some excess tape to get it just right. There's a protruding nub that fits into a divot on the topside of the spindle to secure it in place. Once locked in, I reinstalled the spindle, tightened its locking screw, and soldered the grounding wire to an eyelet that bolted to the bottom of the spindle (it previously  got tangled in a recessed cleat on the locking screw and came off), screwed it tight, flipped the turntable upright, and reconnected the platter and turntable belt, and was ready to play more music. 

Minutes later, I listened to some David Sanborn and, after that, a little Keith Jarrett. 

Fortuitous Timing

The timing was impeccable. Minutes later, the doorbell rang.  A FedEx delivered two large boxes holding a pair of PS Audio Aspen FR-10 Loudspeakers!  I signed the delivery document, texted a friend, and half an hour later, they were set up, and I was listening to vinyl over them! Right out of the box, they sounded great! That's not bad for a little masking tape and elbow grease!

Goodness! It's already mid-February and I'm just now posting a Prairie Audio update. The year seems to be getting away from me. My apologies! This year's start is bustling. I have a handful of reviews in my pipeline, the day job is a little hectic, and my wife, Belle, and I are currently recovering from COVID-19. Ugh. 

But enough with the excuses! To summarize, here's a sampling of what's happening:

• Running the 50-foot-long balanced cables from the phono stage and turntable at the back of the room to the preamplifier up front was a bust. It turns out that in my electrically noisy house, shorter cables work much, much better!
• Taming hum issues tied to vinyl playback with a moving coil cartridge was extremely time consuming, but ultimately one that I was able to work out after several weeks.
• The Quadratic Audio MC-1 Step Up Transformer is doing a splendid job of bringing out vivid detail and a blacker sonic background while listening to vinyl. A review is in process as we speak!
• I ordered some replacement feet for the original feet on my used Micro Seiki BL-91--which were basically large springs covered with a rubber veneer. The new ones were solid aluminum, not very expensive, and actually improved the sonics of playback on my turntable. 
• I wrapped up my reviews of the Richard Gray's Power Company RGPC 1200 Custom power conditioner and the Usher UA-50 Anniversary loudspeakers (you can Google them by typing in their respective names, as well as mine). Now, the RGPC 1200 resides in my system permanently, and the UA-50 are relocated in an office complex in Mount Prospect, IL, where they may be showing soon in an upcoming Chicago Audio Society meeting.
• The Audio-Creative GrooveMaster III tonearm, in tandem with the MC-1 Step Up Transformer, an Audio Arts phono cable, and Ortofon MC Cadenza Bronze cartridge is a definite upgrade on my Micro Seiki BL-91 turntable! 
• I am awaiting the return of the original BL-91 tonearm from my technician for a better baseline for the GrooveMaster III review. 
• The Record Doctor X record cleaner is here for review, and about to be put to solid use!
• Straight from Memphis, Tennessee, George Merrill's Gem Dandy PolyTable Signature turntable is in for review. 
• A Bag End 18" Infrasub subwoofer has performed admirably, but its review is still in process. 
• The Dan Clark Audio Stealth Headphones have continued to perform wonderfully, having played a large role in my recent review of the Pass Labs HPA-1 Headphone Amplifier (you can Google "Pass Labs HPA-1" and "Juan C. Ayllon" to find it), as well as many late night listening and viewing sessions when Belle has turned in early. A review specific to it is also in the works.
• Belle and I have greatly enjoyed binge-watching a handful of well-written TV series in the evenings, such as the Netflix Loudermilk and Flaked shows, and having them rendered over the Usher ML-802 loudspeakers, with the Pass Labs electronics, Schiit Yggdrasil and Straight Wire cabling has been a treat!
• I will be attending the Audio Expo North America in April yet again! I can hardly wait. It's a marathon of various high fidelity services and gear ranging from the affordable to Uber-expensive.  More will come soon!

Ameliorating the 60-cycle hum issues in my system involved an exhaustive process of separating the signal from the power lines as much as possible--which was more involved than anticipated, as lines ran through, around, and behind some cramped areas in my BDI Corridor media console. It also meant ferreting out a long-used interconnect that, after years of use, became compromised near its connector point, resulting in some noise. I had mot make sure that the MC-1 wasn't too close in proximity to the turntable or other components. Moreover, I had to read and re-read the Pass Labs XP-17 phono stage manual, read online blogs, make some calls to Pass Labs, and another friend in the industry to get the gain and load settings to their optimal points for the Ortofon Moving Coil MC Cadenza Bronze phono cartridge and, later, to match with the Quadratic Audio MC-1 Step Up Transformer.  However, after a couple weeks, the results were very gratifying. 

The Micro Seiki BL-91 turntable can be seen above with its replacement feet. purchased them from Amazon for roughly $26 ( you can view them HERE). You can also see them below before installation. Their addition added a sense of clarity and solidity that wasn't there with the springy original feet!

The Dan Clark Audio Stealth headphones continue to serve me well during late-night viewing and listening sessions on nights that Belle decides to turn in early.  They are very refined planar headphones that, when matched with excellent headphone amps like the Pass Labs HPA-1, shine brilliantly, delivering a wonderfully balanced and lifelike presentation. All I can say is WOW. 

Image courtesy of ​www.imdb.com

Now in regards to the Netflix series, Loudermilk, and Flaked, they were both brilliantly written comedies involving addiction recovery, but sometimes a bit raw and unfiltered when it came to some sexual content.  In regards to the show, Flaked, having lived in Southern California for eight years in the 80s, I could relate to the flakiness of many of the characters portrayed in this series. For those like Belle and me, who are sensitive to over-explicit content, the Fast-Forward function on your remote is your friend! But, otherwise, their incisive look at relationships, dysfunction, emotional recovery, and razor wit are well worth the time and effort. 

I am looking forward to wrapping up the reviews in process, as well as other future treats in the wing, including this year's AXPONA show in April. That should be a lot of fun!
​
And, with that, I need to run.  Happy Listening!

In all of boxing history, only one man has held the championships of three weight divisions at once:  Henry Armstrong. This was in an era where there were only eight weight divisions. Still, there is more to his dazzling, unprecedented life than simultaneously holding the featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight championships. A Black sharecropper’s son, born in Jim Crow-dominated Mississippi, Armstrong rose from the deepest poverty to achieve his life’s ambitions. His opponents were not just some of the greatest fighters of all time (including Sugar Ray Robinson, Barney Ross, Lou Ambers, and Beau Jack) but rampant racism and economic despair. Earning great wealth in the ring and living the high life, Armstrong became a cultural icon, a world traveler, and a movie star who counted Mae West, Al Jolson, and other Hollywood icons among his closest friends. Yet, he was also a thoughtful man of peace, poet, and preacher who sought to improve the lives of others.
 
Those who know boxing recognize Henry Armstrong as one of the sport’s most exciting and accomplished champions. More importantly, he was a rare hero to an entire generation of Black Americans; his victories were theirs. Today, too few know his important story. Set in an America beset by racism, corruption, the Great Depression, and World War II, Homicide Hank chronicles Armstrong’s remarkable life, from his humble beginnings to the heights of stardom and on to his post-boxing years as a man of God.
 
Kenneth Bridgham received his degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, contributor to thefightcity.com, and author of The Life and Crimes of John Morrissey. He lives in Fredericksburg, VA with his son.
 
Find the book here at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

A Three Hour Tour–Make that Two!

Living in Chicago’s far northwest suburbs, the drive takes me roughly two and a half hours and, having jumped in my car at 7:45, I am nervous that I will be late for the 10:00 AM tee time. I am hauling as reasonably fast as I can but, of course, get hampered by the occasional slow driver and farmer’s tractor hauling a load for stretches down country roads. And, of course, there’s construction. Lyrics from Gilligan's Island Theme Song play in my head:

The mate was a mighty sailing man,
The skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day
For a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
(source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com)

However, my stress turns to awe as I encounter lush, green towering hills and valleys the further north I drive (I am told later that long ago, the glaciers that flattened much of the midwest missed this area). 

Late to the Party

I arrive at the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center too late to catch the shuttle with my designated tour group. However, the attendant says no worries, I’ll have the driver circle back. Looking around, I note that the visitor center, like many of Wright’s works, reminds me of the Chabudai, a short legged dining table found in traditional Japanese homes; with its extended overhanging eaves, the building has more length than height. It doesn’t tower over the earth, but hugs it; and with long bands of windows, it offers the visitor a breathtaking vista of the trees, hills, and nearby river with exposed sandbars. I am impressed with the signature Wright artifice and design in its information, gift shop and expansive cabaret dining spaces, which are open and splashed with natural lighting.

Manning a walkie talkie, the attendant radios the driver, who pulls up five minutes later. Bumping along the rural road  as the solo passenger, I am treated to a some Taliesin history; she points out that Wright employed some clever engineering to dam the north end of a nearby creek, and the necessary hydraulics to pump water to fountains, gardens, and his residence. The pond he created is drained now as the dam's being restored. In his autobiography, Wright had written the following about it:

A great curved stone-walled seat enclosed the space just beneath them and stone pavement stepped down to a spring or fountain that welled up into a pool at the center of the circle. Each court had its fountain and the winding stream below had a great dam. A thick stone wall was thrown across it, to make a pond at the very foot of the hill, and raise the water in the Valley to within sight from Taliesin. The water below the falls thus made, was sent, by hydraulic ram, up to a big stone reservoir built into the higher hill, just behind and above the hilltop garden, to come down again into the fountains and go on down to the vegetable gardens on the slopes below the house.  

(Kieran, Murphy. “Wright Called It a Water Garden.” Taliesinpreservation.org, March 3, 2023). 

The August sun is hot as our tour bus approaches the Taliesin on its circuitous small road. I am told that it was originally a horse and buggy pathway that was expanded slightly to accommodate cars. With a cheery goodbye, I am pointed in the direction of our tour group. Some 18 in total, ranging in age from their teens to their 70s, they're seated under a tree by a magnificent garden outside the home, where a 20-something guide with wavy, long black hair, sunglasses, a long gray dress, and white gym shoes is addressing them. Standing nearby, perhaps four feet tall, a female stone figure holds court in the statue garden, hair crown braided, and arms missing like a classic, ancient Greek statue. Geometric patterns adorn her dress; with her gaze cast downward, eyes closed, she appears in contemplation or prayer.   ​

I also notice that, in spots, Wright makes good use of clerestory windows, which are a series of smaller windows running along the top of an exterior wall near or at the roofline (Craven, Jackie. “The Clerestory Window in Architecture: Natural Light Comes from Above.” Thoughtco.com), as well as skylights to provide adequate natural lighting in many of his rooms.  His attention to detail–whether it’s grates on the floor, clever light fixtures, or ornate, linear designerly high back chairs–is visually arresting. ​

There's an abundance of natural materials like limestone throughout, and the way he employs plywood, common and repurposed materials with such economy to achieve his aesthetic suggests that he was a pioneering precursor to the “Zero Waste Movement'' founded by Athens, Georgia’s ecologist Bill Sheehan and British Columbia-based activist, Hellen Spiegelman, in the U.S. and Canada circa 1993. (Upstreamsolutions.org) ​

We walk through and marvel at his personal studio, a study with clerestory windows around the outer walls, a fireplace with an oil painting of his veneered mother above; a dining room with a grand piano, skylights and a majestic view, bedrooms, a garden room, his logia (a room with a side that opened to a garden), priceless Japanese prints, select artworks, and a walkway extending out some 75 feet from the second floor that he constructed for one of his beloved wives, providing her the chance to walk among the treetops. ​

One elderly couple waved me over to note small indentations on Wright’s drafting table that he’d made while working on some of his designs. How magnificent!

A Deeper Understanding and Appreciation

Having read that letter, it underscored my impressions of Wright and his affinity and respect for nature and conservation. Now even more so, after visiting Taliesin Wisconsin, I am awed and inspired by Wright's sublime genius, his virtuosic masterworks, and his organic, greener approach that he brought to Architecture and the world at large. That's not bad for a former engineering major who never took a formal course in architecture! No doubt, hard work, and working closely with the great Louis Sullivan in his early years helped immeasurably, yet Wright's achievements remain monumentous on their own accord.​

Summed up, the Taliesin Wisconsin is an experience well worth my five hour round trip--and then some! I highly recommend it. 
​
Taliesin Wisconsin
https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/
Ticket Prices: Adult - $58; Student, Senior, Teacher & Military - $53
Make sure to book your tours in advance!

I had walked into the VIP Room at AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) 2022 back in April and began chatting with this delightful gentleman behind the counter who, it turned out, runs his own sports podcast. 

Below, respectively, are links to his Facebook page and YouTube channel.  If you enjoy sports, check out his channel.   We wish you all the best, Brandon!
​
Facebook portal
Early Morning Sports Talk Podcast YouTube Channel

Swinging with great might and flourish, he took the fight to his taller foe. But boxing carefully, Bivol jabbed, moved and weathered what blows landed for several rounds, then systematically turned Canelo’s cape into a diaper as he administered a tactical spanking for the remainder of their bout. Judges unanimously scored it a suspicious 115-113 for Bivol, prompting Atlas to suggest that an attempted fix was averted after Bivol dominated the deciding 12th round.

Either way, the concept that there’s no superhero – or super fix – is equally applicable to other arenas of life, including audio.​

Balance

Closely tied with the issue of overfamiliarity may be an overly dependent relationship on audio. It’s easy, in our zeal, to spend increasingly vast amounts of free time indulging in this hobby, but when it completely dominates our lives, that can be problematic for others and ourselves. There’s a certain addictiveness associated with audiophilia and its practitioners (myself included), and if it’s not kept in check, look out! 

Imagine Superman, having finally married his Lois Lane, getting fat spending evenings and weekends in front of his stereo—and if he’s not listening, he’s researching tweaks and new, expensive gear to purchase.  Unless something changes, this may be the Kryptonite to their nuptials.

Honestly, over-fixation with audio has been a huge issue for Belle and me. I’ve had to pull back and refocus some of my energy into serving her and our ever expanding family with new grandchildren popping out yearly. That’s been a joy. Moreover, in setting aside the music to chat and watch a movie, visit with the kids, or explore new vistas with her, things have gotten sweeter, and when I do come back for a listen, it’s more enjoyable. 

Speaking of which, I’ve put on a few pounds the last couple years, so this next week kicks off my big summer’s push to lose some weight. Towards that end, I am enlisting another audiophile friend to hold each other mutually accountable to get moving and get in shape! Our goal is to lose 40 lbs. In the coming months.  Balance---it's good and it's healthy! ​

Mix It Up

Now when it comes to listening, we can fall into ruts—same songs, same media every time.  How about changing things up?

For example, I was having issues with my Intel NUC server, which uses the Roon Labs ROCK (a stripped down OS software for running Roon's music server on  Intel Nuc architecture) that I downloaded and installed, and it needed a missing codec for it to play internet radio. I had repeatedly tried to implement the online instructions to install those codecs, but kept failing. So I reached out to a publicist who works with Roon who, in turn, connected me to someone in technical support who gave me extra guidance. Now, in addition to streaming and listening to music files on my server, I can play various internet radio in real time, including stations from Ireland (where Belle was born), and WBEZ, the Chicago National Public Radio station I listened to for their social commentary, news and jazz back when I became an audiophile in the 90s.  How fun!

Additionally, as many who know me can testify, I primarily focus on digital media, however this summer as I review the Pass Labs XP-17 phono stage preamplifier, I plan to play more vinyl. The warm sound of polyvinyl chloride discs spinning on my VPI Prime Scout sounds amazing, so why not?

Do yourself a favor: Shake things up in your listening routine and you just might breathe new life into your audio pleasures!

Give It a Whirl

Lastly, trying out new gear can be entertaining and help keep things fresh as you indulge your curiosity.  Many stereo stores will allow you to audition equipment in your own home; just put a credit card down and you can try out new speakers or components and see if they mesh. If you like it and it fits your budget, there you go, and if not, simply return it.

Keeping in mind that, despite marketing claims, no audio gear wears a red cape, there’s no magic bullet, but yet there’s still plenty of fun to be had in the real world.  ​

 Watch the stoppage HERE.

​“It hasn’t been easy to get to this point, but with your support, my family and my team we’ve gotten really far,” Álvarez told SHOWTIME’s Jim Gray (through a translator) following the historic victory. “This is for everybody, especially for Mexico. This is another one for our team. We did it tonight.”
 
After months of an intense buildup to the fight and ten rounds of back-and-forth action in the ring, the fight came to a dramatic end in the 11th round. Canelo connected flush on a left hook that signaled the beginning of the end for Plant, who fought valiantly in his pay-per-view main event debut. Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) followed up the left hook with a huge right uppercut that sent Plant to the canvas for the first time in his career. Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) returned to his feet, but was never able to recover. Canelo pounced on his injured opponent, unleashing a barrage of power shots that again floored Plant. This time, referee Russell Mora stepped in to put an end to the action at 1:05 of the 11th.
 
“Caleb is a good fighter,” said Canelo, who shared words of encouragement for his opponent in the ring following the fight. “I have a lot of respect for Caleb Plant. He was a difficult opponent with a lot of ability and I do respect him. We are both men at the end of the day. He wanted to fight me and still continue. I told him there’s no shame. We had a great fight tonight.”
 
The future Hall of Famer Canelo, 31, already a four-division world champion, slowly broke Plant down over the course of the fight with a steady diet of body shots. 53 of his 117 landed punches were to the body and he landed 40 percent of his power shots. Canelo closed the show landing 9 of 14 power shots in the 11th round.
 
It was a history-making night for boxing’s biggest star. In addition to becoming the first undisputed 168-pound champion in history, he became just the sixth male undisputed champion in the four-belt era and the first undisputed Mexican fighter in history. “This means so much for the history of Mexico to become an undisputed champion,” he said. “There are only six undisputed champions in history. It keeps me happy and very motivated to be one of the six.”
 
Following the bout, Plant was taken to University Medical Center as a precaution.
 
In the co-main event, Flint, Michigan’s Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2, 25 KOs) scored a stunning, highlight-reel knockout of Marcos Hernandez (15-5-2, 3 KOs) just seconds into the fourth-round. Dirrell wound up and unleashed a vicious right uppercut to send Hernandez flat on his back and score the one-punch KO. Hernandez beat the 10-count, but referee Celestino Ruiz called off the fight when the clearly injured and wobbly fighter rose to his feet.
 
Watch the KO HERE
 
“It was a spectacular knockout,” said Dirrell. “It was a punch we were working on. It wasn’t that wide. I used to use that punch way back when. I came up with the shot and he never saw it coming. My brother [Andre] was yelling at me and I said, ‘I got it.’ I saw it and I had to take advantage of it. I had to take it away from him.”
 
Dirrell, the former super middleweight titleholder, successfully rebounded from the disappointing draw against Kyrone Davis in February, and did so stylishly. The 37-year-old even capped off the KO with a celebratory backflip. Prior to that pivotal punch, Hernandez held a slight 46-40 edge in punches landed.
 
“I expected to stop him, I did,” continued Dirrell, who is trained by SugarHill Steward. “I thought I was going to catch him with a right hand over the top, honestly. I knew he thought I was going to throw that so I just came up with the uppercut. I came out here and made a statement.”
 
Former WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Rey Vargas (35-0, 22 KOs) showed no signs of ring rust in his first fight in over two years, cruising to a unanimous decision over Leonardo Báez (21-5, 12 KOs) in a Mexico vs. Mexico matchup in the second fight of the telecast. Two judges scored the fight a shutout, 100-90, while the third judge scored it 99-91.
 
Fighting for the first time at 126 pounds, Vargas used his significant height and reach advantage to dictate the pace of the entire matchup. Vargas’ vicious body attack – he landed 71 body shots in the ten-round fight – broke down the much smaller and overmatched Báez, whose awkward style led to several accidental head clashes throughout the bout.
 
“We knew what we were in for,” said the 30-year-old Vargas. “We were prepared for a strong fighter. And we planned to outbox him. We had a lot of good exchanges and there were moments when I stood in front of him and landed my punches. I’m more of a technical fighter and not a brawler. The plan was to fight and to box and punch without getting punched. I had to stand there and throw big punches. But that’s part of the game.”
 
Already a former champion at 122 pounds, Vargas now has his sights set on becoming a two-division champion. “I was surprised he went the entire distance. He’s a good fighter and I don’t take anything away from him. I’m looking forward to my next fight being for a world title.”
 
In the opening bout of the SHOWTIME PPV telecast, the hard-hitting Elvis Rodriguez (12-1-1, 11 KOs) bounced back from his first career loss in scintillating fashion, scoring a fifth-round knockout over the previously undefeated Juan Pablo Romero (14-1, 9 KOs) in a super lightweight bout scheduled for 10 rounds. Watch the stoppage HERE.
 
The Dominican southpaw Rodríguez landed a straight left hand that sent Romero to the canvas for the second time in the fight, and the second time in his career, at 2:49 in the fifth round. Resigned to defeat, Romero sat and watched as referee Robert Hoyle reached the count of 10. Rodríguez’s powerful left hand was also responsible for flooring Romero in the fourth round.
 
“I am fully aware that I started out slow in the first two rounds, but then I saw signs of wear and tear on his face and I gained the upper hand,” said the 25-year-old Rodríguez, who is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach. “Romero is a fast starter by nature, but I’m the other way around. Then I was able to straighten out.”
 
After his slow start, Rodríguez out-landed Romero 47-36 in the fourth and fifth rounds. 159 of the 169 combined landed punches in the slugfest were power shots.
 
“I've got to give my opponent credit, it’s never just about you,” said the 31-year-old Romero, who represented Mexico in the 2016 Olympics. “I decided to not put my health on the line anymore in order to come back and fight again in the future. Tonight just wasn’t my night.

“The division already knows who I am after having seen most of my fights,” Rodríguez added. “I suffered a little setback, but I think that everyone knows that Elvis Rodríguez brings powerful, quality punches in each fight.”
 
ALL ACCESS: CANELO VS. PLANT EPILOGUE premieres immediately following next week’s live telecast of David Benavidez vs. Kyrone Davis. The Emmy® Award-winning series ALL ACCESS was behind-the-scenes all week in Las Vegas to capture never-before-seen moments from fight week. The epilogue will reveal intimate scenes from the locker room before and after the fight and inside the ropes from tonight’s action.
 
Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer hosted the SHOWTIME PPV telecast while versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo handled blow-by-blow action alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Three Hall of Famers rounded out the SHOWTIME telecast team - Emmy® award winning reporter Jim Gray, unofficial scorer Steve Farhood and world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. The executive producer was four-time Emmy® award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The telecast was directed by Bob Dunphy. Former junior middleweight world champion Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez and sportscaster Alejandro Luna served as expert analysts in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP).
 
For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow on Twitter with the hashtag #CaneloPlant, and @Canelo, @SweetHandsPlant, @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @Canelo, @CalebPlant, @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.
 ​

"When they asked me to fight Vitor I said if he wants to do it, then I want to do it. I put the time in the last two years and I want to get paid for my time. It hasn’t been a week to get ready, I’ve been training for two years. I’m more than ready and look forward to the fight.”
 
Broadcast by Triller Fight Club live from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, tonight's show promises to be a barnburner.  

Holyfield's opponent, Vitor Belfort, is equally confident. “It’s a joy to me to fight Evander Holyfield," he responds. "I remember when I first fought in the UFC tournament, the same month I saw Evander fight Mike Tyson the second time. My dream was to see MMA become as big as boxing. He’s the heavyweight king and I’m looking forward to showing my boxing skills on Saturday night. It’s an amazing opportunity for me.”

Other combatants in tonight's fights commented, as well. 

Anderson Silva
“This is good to hear from Tito Ortiz, it’s an interesting fight on Saturday night. I don’t like to talk much, I like to do my job. I take my job and winning seriously and that’s the point.”
 
Tito Ortiz
“This camp was super short but I’m ready to go. Typically, I have a much longer camp. This is just for boxing so a different camp. Lot of roadwork, four miles a day, seven days a week. I’ve been very focused on this fight and I’m ready to fight a true legend in Anderson Silva.”
 
“I take challenges in stride, I know what I need to do to beat Anderson. And I’m going to make a statement on his face on Saturday night. On Saturday night, I’m going to do what I do best and that’s punish people.”
 
David Haye
“There’s going to be a ring on Saturday night and us standing in it and you’re going to get punched in the head. Once the bell rings, know that I’m there to win. Even with all that money you have you can’t buy the feeling that true fighters have. And you’re going to realize that when the first bell rings.”
 
“There’s only one way to straighten this out and that’s on Saturday night.”
 
Joe Fournier   
“David’s ego is too big, he would never accept the fact that I can beat him and I will beat him on Saturday night. I see for myself why elegance beats brute power.”
 
“I don’t fight for the money. For me its legacy. No one else would be doing this. I skipped a lot of steps to get where I’m at and this is another step to beat the colossal David Haye. He’s a decreasing asset and I see that. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have been in the ring with him but now absolutely.”
 
Andy Vences
“Like all the other fighters here on the dais were all ready to go. I get to do my job and take care of business. It’s a great opportunity for me and I plan to take full advantage of it. I was supposed to fight in June but boxing can be very unexpected. I know I’ve trained the entire time, I doubt my opponent has actually put in the work.”
 
Jono Carroll
“I’m very excited, this has been a long time coming. I sacrificed a lot just to be in camp for the first scheduled date. I had a baby in the hospital at the time. But I’ve been training again with a long camp in Mexico. It was disappointing last time when the fight got cancelled five days out but I’m ready to go on Saturday. This is boxing and one thing that’s important is to always be prepared.”
 
Venue

Hard Rock LIVE at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
1 Seminole Way
Hollywood, FL 33314
 
Host Hotel
Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa
3030 Holiday Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Streamed on FITE.TV and TrillerFightClub.com
​ 
Saturday, September 11, 2021
LEGENDS II – FIGHT NIGHT
Hard Rock LIVE at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
6:00 p.m. – Doors Open
6:00 p.m. – FREEVIEW Starts
7:00 p.m. – PPV Starts
TBD – Post Fight Press Conference
​

By Juan C. Ayllon

Despite the naysayers, COVID-19 is a formidable adversary that doesn't discriminate, and one of its latest victims is all-time great boxer, Oscar De La Hoya, who was set to fight again next Saturday.   A partner of Golden Boy Promotions at 47, he was to face Brazilian Vitor Belfort, 44, a former boxer and Mixed Martial Artist with an an MMA record of 26 wins (18 knockouts), 14 losses and one no contest.