By Jake Donovan

SAN ANTONIO – Omar Figueroa was dumbfounded by what took place during the final pre-fight press conference ahead of his scheduled 12-round super lightweight clash with Antonio DeMarco.

The two collide this weekend at AT&T Center in San Antonio, about four hours north of Figueroa’s hometown of Weslaco, Texas. The bout will air live in primetime atop the 2015 season finale of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC.

However, the one fight that is viewed to potentially steal show is the heavyweight co-feature between Chris Arreola and Travis Kauffman. It most certainly stole the attention from all other participants during Thursday’s press conference at Hyatt Regency in downtown San Antonio.

The two exchanged words at the podium, followed by Arreola shoving Kauffman during the obligatory staredown before order was restored.

“I just don’t get that stuff,” Figueroa (25-0-1, 18KOs) told BoxingScene.com afterward of what took place. “I mean, the two of them have history between them, so… whatever. I’ve never disrespected my opponents like that, never. I’m just here to fight and I have no reason to act that way against any of my opponents, especially Antonio DeMarco.”

The pair of former lightweight champions exchanged pleasantries during their time at the mic and were cordial with one another during their own staredown. DeMarco (31-5-1, 23KOs) –who hails from Los Mochis, Mexico - took the opportunity to mock the earlier scenario, playfully placing his hand near Figueroa’s throat.

The gesture was met with a grin the entire time, just long enough for photographers to capture the moment in print. From there, the main eventers extensively shook hands and exchanged further pleasantries before going their separate ways.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Omar Figueroa and what he’s accomplished,” said DeMarco, who announced his retirement in June upon the heels of a 10-round loss to Rances Barthelemy in their CBS-aired bout.

He’s obviously had a change of heart in accepting this assignment, though certainly not challenging Figueroa – who is coming off of a 12-round win over Ricky Burns in May - for personal reasons.

“Omar proved his greatness in winning and defending the lightweight title,” DeMarco told BoxingScene.com prior to leaving the room. “I know he’s done his part to get ready for this fight. I’ve done my part. Everyone asks me why I’m returning to the ring. I will show everyone on Saturday night.”

That’s the closest either side has come to pre-fight trash talk, the polar opposite of what has become of the makeshift co-feature. 

“I know he’s ready to fight,” Figueroa acknowledged of his comebacking opponent. “Antonio DeMarco said he retired for personal reasons, but that it’s all cleared up. I respect that decision and I know to expect the best of him.

“I never met him before until today, but he has to be one of the nicest guys in the world. Do I want to hurt the man in the ring? Of course I do and I know he wants to do the same. It’s what we do, it’s our job. But I can’t possibly say anything bad about him, nor would I want to.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox