Here are some quotes from the press conference:

Kathy Duva, Main Events CEO, Adamek’s Promoter:

“It’s fitting that we have this fight on a Thursday night. We started out at Prudential Center on a Thursday two years ago with what many people called the fight of the year, Adamek – Cunningham.”

“I know there’s not going to be a person watching this fight that will be disappointed. These are two fighters with great heart and determination.”

Joe DeGuardia, Star Boxing CEO, Maddalone’s Promoter:

“Ten years ago, a couple friends of mine brought me an Italian Heavyweight Toughman Contest winner and told me they wanted to turn him into a professional fighter.  At the time Vinny didn’t have any real training, he was fighting solely on heart and grit.  Ten years later, I must say Vinny has improved vastly, but one thing hasn’t changed, and that is that he still has that heart and grit.  What makes this fight even more interesting is that his opponent, Tomasz has that same type of mentality.  I know we have been billing this fight as New Jersey vs. New York, but I think the best description for it is Heart vs. Heart.  Both of these guys are warriors, it’s going to be like Rocky fighting Rocky.  Both Vinny and Tomasz are very determined and truthfully they don’t know how to be in a bad fight.  This is going to be great and exciting night of boxing, so make sure you don’t miss it.”

Nirmal Lorick, Maddalone’s Head Trainer:

“Vinny has worked really for this fight and he ready to go.  Vinny has the tools to come out on top in this fight.  As everyone knows there is no quit in Vinny, he will keep coming from round one to round thirteen and we expect nothing less come this Thursday.”

Vinny Maddalone:

“I’m ready to go and really just looking forward to putting on a great show come Thursday night.  I have put a lot of work in at the gym, approximately fourteen weeks of training for this fight.  As I always do I am going to give everything I have and leave it all in the ring come fight night.  Tomasz is a great champion and I know that he is going to be coming ready to fight and ready to go to war.  For everyone in attendance and for everyone else watching at home on TV, I promise you that you are going to see one heck of a fight come December 9th.”

“I plan on pressuring him from the moment that bell sounds to start round one.  He won’t have to look for me I’m going to be right there in his face.  I am in the best shape of my career, I feel like I can go 20 rounds right now if I had to.”

“I know there are going to be a ton of Polish fans there, but I can assure you just like when I fought Mormeck in France and Boytsov in Germany, by the end of the fight some of his fans are going to become Vinny Maddalone fans.”

“I know it will be tough to win a decision in this fight, and that’s why I am looking to make it a short night.  If I have the opportunity to knock him out I won’t let it slip by.”

“Working with my new trainer Nirmal has been great.  He has put me through hell in this training camp but I am in tremendous shape.  He has added couple of things to my arsenal and I think some people will be surprised by my performance.  That being said I am still the same pressure fighter, I want to turn this thing into a war.”

“This might be not for a major world title, but I’m viewing this fight as a world championship, because if I win, it puts me in position to challenge one of the champions out there, and that’s what I have been working for my entire career.”

“In this fight you have two guys with similar come forward styles and its going to make for a great fight and a great night of boxing this Thursday.”

Roger Bloodworth, Adamek’s Head Trainer:

“We have a lot of respect for Vinny and we are expecting a tough fight this Thursday and for that we have trained very hard.  Like Joe (DeGuardia) said earlier, this fight is Heart vs. Heart, you have two guys who are going to leave everything they have in the ring.  Everyone watching this fight is in for a real treat, that I much can promise you.”

How much has Tomasz improved since the first fight you worked with him? “I’d say he’s at least 80% better than he used to be. I’m not talking about his heart or determination, I’m talking about his skill and his skill sets. We’re working on everything: defense; offense; movement; control of the ring; how to get out of trouble. He’s learning very fast. He’s a very smart guy.”

Tomasz Adamek:

“I’m excited to be returning to the Prudential Center.  I have been training really hard with Roger and I feel like I’m getting better and better and learning more everyday.  I know that Vinny and I are going to make a really great fight and I invite everyone to come out and enjoy it with us this Thursday night.”

Do you think if you win this fight it’s a step up to a world title fight? “Every fight is a step closer to a championship fight. Every fight teaches me many new things. Roger is a good teacher. I’ve changed my style, I feel better, I have more movement. I’m healthy. That’s very important. I feel like I am a better fighter now than I was before camp.”
“Every fighter is different in every fight. We watched a couple of Vinny’s fights. He’s a tough man, he’s not afraid to fight. We will see on Thursday how he starts the fight. If you want to win you must be tough and have heart. If you don’t have heart you are nothing.”
Can Vinny beat you? “You know everybody has a chance, but my spirit is strong you know? And when I go into the ring, I am going in to be the champion, this is my way.”

Fight Details:

Some people never learn. Even when their team is going through a miserable season in which they were lucky to have the one win they can show for themselves, selfishness rises to the top. In the case of the Cincinatti Bengals, what could go wrong has gone wrong. Head coach Marvin Lewis somehow manages to keep his job as the inmates have run the asylum during his watch. The leader of the pack has been Chad Johnson…oh, excuse me…Ocho Cinco. It pains me to have to do that. On second though, screw him. I’ll call him Johnson if he likes it or not!

While his antics may have been amusing in the past when the team was playing decent football, that act has gone cold mighty fast. Whatever the reason(s) why the attention-seeking Johnson was deactivated approximately 10 hours before a Thursday night kickoff, the fact of the matter is that he is a lightning rod for controversy. Is he talented? There is no questionof that, so to leave him out of a game where he could have made a difference is even more glaring.

What appears to have occurred is Johnson having a disagreement with one of the assistant coaches during a team meeting and him possibly walking out of the room. What makes this even more annoying is teammate John Thorton stating that Johnson “has done worse” in the past and didn’t get suspended, and that Lewis was making a “statement” by doing so. The problem that I – and everyone else should – have with this is that if Lewis had done his job before and layed down the law, Johnson would have never dreamed of committing such insubordinate acts, if he even was still on the team.

Maybe this is just another prime example of why Lewis took so long to get a head coaching job in the NFL. He was being lauded as such a great defensive mind when he was on the staff of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, and rightfully so. But to be the ‘bad guy’ and have to throw down the hammer is a totally different situation that being an assistant coach.

As Week 10 had an early start with a Thursday night game in Cleveland, the full serving will take place on Sunday. The marquee contest will be played in the evening when the New York Giants face the Eagles for the first time as defending Super Bowl champions, with this one being played in Philadelphia.

A battle for supremacy in the AFC East will take place in New England, as two 5-3 teams (Pats and Bills) face off. What could either be great or disappointing games are the Colts visiting Pittsburgh and Tennessee at Chicago.

Indy is only 4-4 but can still turn things around. The Titans are 8-0 but coming into the Windy City – even with Rex Grossman starting – is not a walk in the park.

The worst thing about this weekend is the lousy match-up on Monday Night Football. The most interesting part about San Francisco at Arizona will be to see if Niners interim head coach Mike Singletary blows at the post game press conference. I forsee excellent material for a future Coors Lite commercial coming.

Las Vegas, NV – On Thursday night, Dexter Jackson took the high road when asked where he would finish in the Mr. Olympia competition. “No predictions,” the humble one said. But surely he had to have an opinion inside, one that was very high. Who could blame him after winning three contests in the calendar year.

Winning the Arnold Classic, Australian Pro and New Zealand Grand Prix were incredible accomplishments, but paled in comparison to latest triumph by the Blade. On Saturday night in at the Orleans Arena, Dexter Jackson was named the new Mr. Olympia.

It came down to two men, both who stood on the stage awaiting the announcement from host Bob Cicherillo. As his name was read, Jackson was visibly emotional and went down to one knee and bowed his head. By the time he was able to arise, tears of joy were flowing down his face while the crowd erupted even louder.

It is hard to disagree with the judges’ decision. Jackson was well proportioned and appeared to be in better condition than Cutler. This is an amazing feat when you factor in that Jackson had to prepare and diet for four shows since March.

Jackson, 38, has been competing since 1992 and this was his 13th first place finish in his career. His first Mr. Olympia contest was in 1999, where he finished in ninth place. In 2000, he finished in the same spot but moved up one position a year later. In 2002, he broke into the top six, finishing in fourth, and then third 12 months later.

In 2004, Jackson fell back one slot and did not attend the Mr. O in ’05. He then finished in fourth and third, respectively, in 2006 and 2007.

Patience is a virtue, and showing it paid off for Jackson, who will sleep with the Sandow tonight.

Las Vegas, NV – Injuries are a part of the game. From football to bodybuilding. Just as Jeremy Shockey was forced to sit out Super Bowl XLII, Branch Warren is forced to watch from afar while the best bodybuilders in the world vie for the 2008 Mr. Olympia title.

While he rehabs his injured triceps, Warren will be here taking it all in. He was visibly disappointed when asked about missing the contest.

“Very much so,” he said during the ‘Meet the Olympians’ event on Thursday night. “I’ve been training very hard for the competition. I thought I would do very well, but things happen. But you have to keep the faith. I’ll be ready back at the Arnold Classic in March and I’ll be here next year.”

Judging by the size of the man, the rest of the competitors should heed the warnings.

This time next week, the staff of MuscleSport Mag will be settled into The Orleans Hotel and Casino in sunny Las Vegas. Lucky enough to be lodging at the same location as the actual Mr. Olympia contest, we will be hands-on the entire weekend. Nothing will get by our prying eyes and ears without us reporting it and getting the information out to the bodybuilding fans.

From the ‘Meet the Olympians’ on Thursday night; to the Olympia Expo on Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Women’s Fitness, Figure and Ms. Olympia pre-judging and finals; and of course the Men’s Mr. O pre-judging and finals, MSM will be bringing you all the action.

Be sure to check our site regularly the entire weekend for up-to-the-minute photographs of everything happening out west. Will Jay Cutler make it three in a row? Will Dennis Wolf climb the mountain? Is Dexter jackson going to cap off an incredible year with the Sandow? We’ll be there and you will feel like you are with our around-the-clock coverage of the entire Olympia experience.