"They say they respect me, and then they (promoter Gary Shaw) spoil everything by handing me a T-shirt that says something like I came to America and got knocked out by Jeff Lacy, or whatever it said," stated former WBC champion Robin Reid (38-4-1, 27 KOs) at today's pre-fight press conference in Tampa. "All that does is tell me that they do not respect me. Maybe they did it to get under my skin, I do not know. But I have been down this road before and know enough not to take it personally. Joe Calzaghe was saying he was going to knock me out in three rounds, and we all know what happened in that fight. This kind of stuff only makes me want to fight harder than I had already planned. I am in great shape. I am really excited about Saturday and am anxious to do what I was born to do."

"Reid is a veteran. He did not come all the way from England to lose," said IBF super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy of Robin Reid on Wednesday. "He knows the taste of what it is like to be a world champion. He also knows the taste of what it feels like to lose it. I do not want to taste that feeling. I am proud to be IBF champion. I take my job very seriously. I worked hard to win the title; now I am working even harder to keep it. I like the feel of wearing the belt around my waist......I consider any opponent a dangerous one so I am not going to underestimate Reid. I do not watch a lot of tapes. That is not my job. But I am very confident that I will win. I expect to go out and do what my trainer and I have worked on for the last two months and put on a spectacular show."