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Jul 24, 2005
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Chad Dawson vs. Andre Ward on September 8th
May 23rd, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: According to the latest boxing news, WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO’s) will be moving down in weight to 168 to face WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s) on September 8th in a venue still to be decided later.

This is a big, big fight between two of the best fighters in their weight classes. Although Ward still hasn’t proven that he’s the best fighter in the super middleweight division as of yet, he’s still considered as the main guy as of now until the outcome of this Saturday’s fight between IBF champ Lucian Bute and Carl Froch. Ward already beat Froch, so if Bute loses to Froch, then it gives you a clear picture of who the top guy is.

Dawson, 29, is looking to make a name for himself as well, as he recently defeated 47-year-old Bernard Hopkins by a 12 round majority decision on April 28th in a fight that should have been a 12 round unanimous decision for Dawson. The fight wasn’t so close that Hopkins should have been given a draw on one of the judges’ scorecards. It was too one-sided for me to give Hopkins more than four rounds under the best of circumstances.

Ward, 28, recently was crowned as the Super Six tournament finals winner after sweeping his four opponents Mikkel Kessler, Allan Green, Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch to capture the Super Six tournament trophy. Strangely enough it wasn’t any of those fighters who gave Ward his toughest fight of late, it was Sakio Bika, who Ward opted to fight outside of the tournament that gave him fits. Ward likes to fight on the inside and that’s Bika’s strong point. Instead of it being an easy fight, Ward made it a lot tougher than it should have been by fighting Bika in close where he’s at his best.

Dawson has problems against fast fighters with explosive combinations. He was beaten by Jean Pascal by a 11th round technical decision in August 2010. Ward doesn’t have Pascal’s power, speed or the same explosive style of throwing his shots. If Dawson can see Ward’s punches coming, he’ll make it tough on him by avoiding his shots and jabbing him from the outside with his longer reach. Ward’s only chance of winning may be if he can take it to the inside and try to fight Dawson in close. Dawson won’t let Ward fight this strategy, so Ward will have to adapt if he wants to win.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Andre Berto: I’ve always been clean and always will
May 23rd, 2012

By William Mackay: Former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto spoke out yesterday about his alleged positive drug test for Nandrolone, saying he’s innocent and he’s a clean fighter who doesn’t use performance enhancing drugs.

Berto said on his twitter “I know my attorney told me to stay quiet but all of this is some bull****!!! I’ve always been clean and always will. Truth coming very soon.”

Berto was supposed to be facing Victor Ortiz in a rematch next month on June 23rd. However, the positive drug test by Berto has taken him out of that fight, and now he’s kind of in limbo until they get to the bottom of the positive test. The thing is Berto’s positive test results showed only a trace amount, and there’s a good chance there was contamination from something Berto ate in terms of supplements and/or food. There’s also a chance that the testing agency could have made a mistake on Berto’s tests. Of course, there were two separate tests, which make mistakes less likely. But there’s still a possibility that the testing was botched, causing the positive test results for Berto.

There’s also a small chance that Berto may have actually used the drug, but I don’t believe that. He’d be crazy to do so because he knew there was testing being done for this fight, so he wouldn’t take the chances of doing even if he was using. I don’t he is, and I see this as a contamination issue. But for that to be proven, Berto is going to have to recall the supplements he used during the time he tested positive and he’ll need to give it to the testing agency so that they can test the supplements for contamination.
For the time being, Berto can only sit and wait until all of this takes place
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Khan: Danny Garcia is similar to Lamont Peterson; I’ll hit and move
May 23rd, 2012

By William Mackay: Amir Khan sees his July 14th opponent WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia as very similar to his recent conqueror IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson, a fighter who took care of Khan by beating him by a 12 round decision last December.

Khan doesn’t like that he got beaten, and he’s blamed the loss on a number of things without taking much responsibility for flat out not having the skills needed to win.

Khan told Sky Sports News “It’s [the Garcia fight] is a great match-up with the WBC title on the line…The hearing is in the next two weeks, and then the governing bodies will make their decision [about whether to strip Peterson of his WBA and IBF titles and either give them back to Khan or have them vacant for the Khan-Garcia fight]. He has a quite similar style to Peterson. Garcia is a come-forward fighter…I’ll have to be smart, hit, move and try to be one step ahead of him all the time.”

So in other words, Khan plans on running from Garcia just like he ran from Marcos Maidana and Peterson last December. This should make for really interesting television. If Khan is going to run like he’s done in the past, then you can expect Khan to add shoving, holding, and pulling down on Garcia’s head as part of the regimen.

I don’t see Garcia as anything like Peterson. He’s not nearly as good as him, and if Khan can’t beat Garcia then there’s something seriously wrong him that needs fixing and quick.

Peterson and Khan should have fought last weekend but Peterson tested positive for synthetic testosterone, and that effectively wiped out the fight.

I think Garcia has a chance in this fight if he can stay close to Khan and not let him throw his quick combinations and run away like he often does.
 
Aug 26, 2002
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WWW.YABITCHDONEME.COM
Ortiz should be way bigger than Lopez build wise. Lopez throws a lot, most of his knockdowns that I can remember come late in fights, he's not a very big punches even at lighter weights. Unless Ortiz seriously underestimates Lopez or Lopez just happens to be one of those guys that fills out at a bigger weight I don't see much happening for him here.
Ortiz looks huge (muscular wise) next to Lopez.......I see another Ortiz KO here.

He's too strong for this dude and plus he is determined to get back into the ring against Top Fighters.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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U.S vs. UK: The heavyweights
May 24th, 2012

By Ashley Gibson: Long gone are the days of great heavyweight warriors such as Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Hasim Rahman. It’s fair to say that the division is in a dilemma with the Klitsckho brothers wiping out the entire heavyweight top ten roster.

However, the UK and the US have produced 4 undefeated heavyweight prospects with both punching power and ring dominance. The US have knockout artist Deontay Wilder and well rounded Seth Mitchell. Whilst the UK have Olympic medalist David Price and the young yet talented Tyson Fury. All four men are creeping their way into contender positions with increasingly impressive performances.

With price and fury reluctant to fight one another and Mitchell and wilder not yet crossing paths, I believe a battle between UK and US may be the way to go. The most intriguing match ups would be fury vs. Mitchell and Price vs. Wilder. Fury and Mitchell are well rounded with punching power and usually have a size advantage upon their opponents and would make a classic slug fest, blood sweat and tears classic gritty fight.

Whereas Wilder vs. Price would maybe a little more strategic in the approach, in a combined 34 fights they have 32 knockouts but both would be wary of each others power and with both having an extensive amateur experience it could also be a technical fight.

Hopefully the two winner could meet in the ring and I believe it could be a Wilder vs. Fury fight which I believe could result in fighting higher level opponents such as Tony Thompson, Eddie chamber, Jean Marc Mormeck, Derek Chisora or perhaps David Haye. Obviously they are not ready for the Ukrainian champions as of yet but after fighting one of the above a fight with Alexander Povetkin could be exciting. It could certainly bring a bit of drama to the heavyweight division as all four men are the leading prospects in that weight class.

All four fighters need tough assignments, with fury knocking out 40 year old Irish champion Martin Rogan on his last fight, David Price destroying Sam Sexton in 4, Mitchell knocking out his last few opponents and Deontay Wilder never going the distance it could prove to be exciting.

One thing is for certain the Winner would certainly put the division on notice and could call the shots in deciding which of the 3 champions to face
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Arum Says Positive Drug Tests Causing 'Chaos'

By GEORGE WILLIS, nypost.com

Boxing promoter Bob Arum isn't ready to rush to judgment over the recent positive tests for banned substances that have canceled two prominent boxing cards. WBA super light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson tested positive for synthetic testosterone, prompting the cancellation of his rematch with former champion Amir Khan that was set for May 19.

More recently, Andre Berto also failed a random drug test, making him unavailable for his June 23 scheduled rematch with Victor Ortiz. Peterson has admitted using the banned substance to treat a medical condition and requested to go before the Nevada State Athletic Commission to state his case and regain his boxing license.

Arum, the Hall of Fame promoter of Top Rank, Inc., isn’t ready to cast judgment on either boxer. “Unless everybody sits down and works through this without rhetoric, we’ll have chaos,” he said during a conference today to promote the June 9 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, a fight where random drug testing is not being used. “Personally I don’t believe Lamont Peterson is a cheater. I don’t believe Andre Berto is a cheater. I think with this new sophisticated tested they got caught up in a positive test that doesn’t indicate the existence of performance enhancing drugs.

“I think we have to hear out Lamont Peterson and get his story and we have to hear Andre Berto and get his story before we jump to conclusions,” Arum added. He also questioned way the much-anticipated match-ups had to be cancelled. The entire Peterson-Khan card was scratched, but Ortiz will now face Josesito Lopez at the Staples Center.

“I don’t believe Peterson got any advantage over Khan or Berto got any advantage over Ortiz based on the stuff that was allegedly found in the urine samples,” Arum said referring to the first fights where Peterson beat Khan and Ortiz beat Berto. “That being the case, why were those fights called off? Why not let the fight go on? Maybe fine them for being careless using certain vitamins that may have a trace of steroids.”

Arum seemed to be offering a defense for Berto when he said, “I you buy vitamins from the wrong manufacturer, manufacturers that legally manufacture steroids and some residue is on the equipment and gets on the vitamins and taints the vitamins, that’s not going to enhance the performance. But it’s enough to show a positive on a test,” he said.

“Everybody really who doesn’t know about this should shut up until there is an exploration of what the issues are what’s happening here and then we can better determine of how we go ahead in the future.”
 
Feb 3, 2006
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Ortiz has the boxing skills to give anyone trouble, but it's his mental state that will hold him back. He had a chance to become a star with the Mayweather fight, but he ruin it with a mental breakdown and headbutts. That's why I wanted to see the Berto rematch so bad, because questions would have been answer for me by both fighters. I don't know if Ortiz is ready for Cotto or Canelo and fighting Lopez won't prove he's ready.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: LAMONT PETERSON TELLS HIS SIDE OF THE STORY
By John McCormick


JM: Obviously, the May 19th rematch between you and Amir Khan has been cancelled due to a failed drug test last week. How devastated are you about this whole situation? Lamont Peterson: I am devastated. I am unhappy for the fans; they were really looking forward to this fight. The reason I was fighting Khan again was because the fans wanted to see us fight and now that it is not happening, I am a little upset about it. A lot of people have wasted their money to travel and plan vacations to Las Vegas just to see this fight and now it is not happening. So I just want to apologize to all the fans that will now not be able to see this fight.

JM: You were the one who originally requested the random drug testing to be implemented for this fight. Why did you ask for this style of drug testing?

Lamont Peterson: I asked for the random drug testing because I wanted to shine the light on this subject. For me, I believe there are a lot of people out there who are cheating. I just wanted to shine the light on this subject and be a champion that may provoke other champions and other top fighters out there to do the same. It wasn’t like I thought Amir Khan was cheating or anything, I just wanted to do that for the sport.

JM: In your own words, can you please describe the procedure that took place last November that caused all of this?

Lamont Peterson: Well, I was training for the first fight with Khan and I was having a hard time focusing and I noticed I was fatigued quicker. So I had a relationship with this doctor out in Las Vegas for about three or four years now. Anytime I was preparing for a fight or I felt that there was an issue with my health, I would check in with him. He would treat me if I was dehydrated or anything like that; he was always taking care of that. I would always call him if I had any questions and Barry (Peterson’s trainer) had called him because I was feeling very fatigued at times throughout the training camp for the first fight with Khan. He then had me go through a lot of blood work and a lot of lab work and stuff like that. One of the tests was to check my testosterone levels. It turned out that I had low free testosterone, so that was one area that he wanted to adjust. He told me about a lot of side effects that went along with having low testosterone. When he recommended the procedure, he never claimed that it would give me a lot of energy or that it would make me super strong or anything like that. He just warned me about what low testosterone would lead to down the line, after boxing. There was a lot of health risks involved. Once I learned about that, I was still debating on whether or not I should do the procedure in the middle of training camp. I was debating back and forth, but we eventually decided to go ahead with the procedure. I asked the doctor a lot of questions and did my research. There wasn’t enough testosterone being administered for it to enhance my performance, so it wasn’t considered a PED. It wasn’t going to make me stronger, faster, or anything like that. All it was supposed to do was bring my testosterone levels up to normal and that’s it. The doctor who did the procedure told me that it wasn’t a steroid, and there wasn’t enough being given to me to give me any type of edge over another fighter. I felt pretty confident, so I did it. After the procedure, we went back to training for the fight. My doctor told me that the procedure wouldn’t make me a fail a drug test and that it is not an illegal substance. So that’s the way I looked at it.

JM: Now, it is a known fact that low testosterone at such a young age is usually a direct result of past steroid abuse. Are there any reasons why you believe you have such abnormally low testosterone at your age?

Lamont Peterson: I have no idea. With that right there, I can tell you that I have recently conducted several tests that can detect for any type of steroid abuse symptoms all of your body. There is no sign or trace in my body in any organ or any place in my body that show any sign of the use of steroids. There isn’t one sign. The doctors that are conducting these tests aren’t your average doctors either; these are doctors that are well respected.

JM: The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) and the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) considers applications from athletes to allow the use of otherwise banned substances if there is a valid medical reason and an advance request. This is called a Therapeutic Use Exemption or TUE, and it is not always granted. Why didn't you notify NSAC or VADA about the procedure that you had in November and try to obtain a TUE for the pellets?

Lamont Peterson: I recently was informed that the VADA form clearly states that the therapeutic use exemption only goes back as 14 days. When all of this was going on I didn’t even know the rule existed. As far as I was concerned, when I go to any doctor and get treated, I don’t need to inform anybody of it. If I go to a dentist and he tells me that I have a bad tooth, so he pulls it out. If they use some type of drug to numb my mouth, I am not thinking about that when I am fighting a month or two later. To me, it never came up because why would it? It’s not like I was going in there thinking I was using a performance enhancing drug. I was thinking I had gone under that procedure for health reasons, not boxing reasons.

JM: What was your reaction when you were notified in April that you’re A sample had tested positive?

Lamont Peterson: At first I thought it was a mistake because I knew damn well that I didn’t take any steroids. VADA was telling me that I had tested positive for a steroid and I knew that I hadn’t taken any steroids. VADA then told me to go around and look for a cream-like substance that I may have used that caused a the positive test result because they were saying that it had come from a cream-like substance at that point. They wanted me to grab anything cream-like that I had used, gather it together, and send it to them so that they could examine it. So I gathered all the shampoos, lotions, and soaps that I had used; I even gathered all of my daughter’s shampoos, lotions, and soaps. Any cream that I had used was sent to VADA because at that point they were saying that the positive test result had come from a cream-like substance. So why would I think that my procedure had anything to do with the positive result when they were saying it came from a cream-like substance at that point? Why would I think of testosterone pellets that are supposed to be legal when VADA was telling me that I had a cream-like substance that was a steroid in my system? Those two don’t even go together. I was puzzled. I didn’t even really think it was serious at the time but I still wanted to comply with them so I ran around and tried to find and gather anything it possibly could be. They had me thinking: “did I drink anything different?” or “have I worn anything different?” I really had no idea what it could possibly be at that moment in time.


JM: When did it occur to you that it was the procedure that had caused you to test positive by VADA?
Lamont Peterson: I had them test sample B and sample B had come back positive as well. When it came back positive this time, VADA claimed that it was testosterone. They had never once mentioned testosterone when they said it was a cream-like substance steroid. But when sample B came back positive, all of a sudden they said it was testosterone. Once they said that, I told them about the procedure. I wasn’t trying to hide anything. Nobody was going to know that I did the procedure but since I am not a cheat, I let them know. If I was going to lie, I would lie all the way to my grave. But that is just not me; I am not going to cheat for a fight and lie about it. At that point, as soon as VADA said it was testosterone, my team got together and we knew what it was.

JM: When you were notified in March about you’re A sample testing positive, why did you not inform Team Khan or Golden Boy Promotions?

Lamont Peterson: I didn’t know it was my job to do so. VADA was supposed to be in charge of the whole situation. VADA has a protocol and a way that they do things so I thought that they would be taking care of it. I thought that VADA would be contacting the Nevada Commission, Golden Boy, and Khan’s team and letting them know about it. VADA was supposed to inform each group of the test results, not Team Peterson.

JM: Why do you suppose that you are not being listened to, despite having a lot of evidence that works in your favor?

Lamont Peterson: I am not sure. I think if I had a promoter like Golden Boy behind me, a lot of these things wouldn’t have happened to me the way that they did. They would’ve fought for me instead of trying to shut me down. Everybody is saying that I cheated and this and that, but at the end of the day I am okay with it. I will take all the bashing that is coming my way and I am not really worried about it because I know that I didn’t cheat. It is only a matter of time before the truth comes out.

JM: I have heard that you are going to apply for a boxing license in the state of Nevada. If true, when is that hearing supposed to be held?

Lamont Peterson: Yeah, we have a hearing on June 13th with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. I’m 100% sure that I will get licensed and I’ll move on with my career.

JM: If you do obtain a license on that date and you move on with your career, is Amir Khan somebody that you would still want to fight, after all that has happened?

Lamont Peterson: Yeah, I am almost sure that we will fight again. When I fought him the first time, I was sure that I would fight him again and I still feel that way. Eventually, it’ll happen. Let him go on for now and I will move on and eventually the build-up to the fight will be bigger and it’ll happen. I believe that we have to fight again, one way or another, it has to happen. There has been too much said and done for us not to fight.

JM: Any closing thoughts for the fans?

Lamont Peterson: I want to apologize for the fight not happening. Anybody that really knows me knows that I would never cheat or do anything like that. I really don’t expect anyone to know what is going on right now because nobody really knows the whole story. But I am just asking everybody that doesn’t know the whole story to give me a chance to come back and clear my name.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Quillin vs Wright: Fight Will Have USADA Drug Testing

Quillin has agreed to take USADA drug testing for his fight with Winky Wright. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

Though it's pretty late in the game for this to suddenly become a factor, Peter Quillin tells The Boxing Lab that Winky Wright has requested extra drug testing for their June 2 fight, which will air on Showtime. Quillin has accepted the request, and USADA will oversee the testing.

To date, USADA has done only Floyd Mayweather's fights in boxing, so this will be something new for them. Other fights with extra drug testing in the States have gone through VADA, which has recently led to canceled fights when Lamont Peterson and Andre Berto failed drug tests.

Star-divide

Here's part of what Quillin had to say about it:

"You know at first I was kind of like ‘What is this guy doing!?’. Two weeks before the fight? Why not early in the camp? Why now? But at the end of the day, with all this stuff going on, why not. Let’s do it. I want to show my fans what kind of fighter I am. I’m a clean fighter," said Quillin.

I say good on both guys for this one. I'm one of those who thinks that the fighters, the promoters, the commissions (ha!), and everyone needs to push for more drug testing for major fights.

The two failed tests could have led to folks in boxing becoming reluctant to pursue the testing. But instead, Wright appears to have decided it was a good reason for it to happen for his fight, and Quillin has agreed
 
Feb 8, 2006
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WADA asked to do random testing for the fight, team Bradley agreed, pacmans camp turned it down. every big fight will be having these tests eventually
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Winky Wright: “After I beat Kid Chocolate I’m going for the title. There ain’t no need for all of these tune-up fights—look, he’s going to be my tune-up fight!”

by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - The most recent edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with former undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) who will be squaring off against undefeated middleweight contender Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin (26-0, 20 KOs) on June 2. Winky spoke about his upcoming fight and talked about his career and his future. He also touched on a wide variety of subjects pertaining to the current boxing landscape including Floyd Mayweather Junior’s recent win against Miguel Cotto, middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, Chad Dawson’s victory over Bernard Hopkins, the upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, Jermain Taylor’s future in the middleweight division, and whether people are too quick to count Paul Williams out against Saul Alvarez. Here is what Winky Wright had to say:

On how preparations have been going for his upcoming June 2 bout against Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin:

“Oh man! Preparations have been great. Training camp has been great. I’m looking forward to the fight and I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring and doing my thing.”

On whether or not he expects any ring rust given this will be his first time in a professional boxing match in over 3 years:

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to have some ring rust, but you know that’s part of the game. In any thing you do if you take time off you’re going to have to get back in there and try and get that feeling back. But you know I’m ready for that. I know I’m going to have some things I’m going to have to work out while I’m in the ring, and then I’m going to get it right and just handle my business.”

On how much time he has actually spent outside of ring not training given he has had several fights that were scheduled and ultimately canceled during his time off:

“Well you know like you said I had some fights that were supposed to come about, and things would happen and the fight would get canceled. I think mainly I probably was out totally not training or anything about a year. I really took off like a year and just didn’t do anything but relax and enjoy life.”

Regarding what he has been doing outside the ring these past three years:

“You know just business. There is life after boxing so you have to prepare yourself for that and try to get yourself in the right business where you can make money, live a comfortable life, and raise my kids. You know just enjoy life! All this training and everything I have done to this point I enjoyed. You know what I’m saying. I have to just reap the rewards from it and just lay back and just be happy with my accomplishments.”

His views on Peter Quillin as a boxer:

“I think he’s a good fighter. You know I wouldn’t have taken the fight. As you can see I didn’t do like a lot of these old champions did. They come back and get fights with fighters who have 12 wins and 7 losses and stuff like that. I didn’t want that because I feel if I’m going to continue to fight I want to be a world champion. I’m doing this to be the world champion, not just to be fighting. After I beat Kid Chocolate I’m going for the title. There ain’t no need for all of these tune-up fights—look, he’s going to be my tune-up fight! I’m going to prove to myself if I need to be back in the ring or not.”

On whether he believes a victory against Peter Quillin would justify a title shot:

“Definitely! If I’m coming off a three year layoff to fight an undefeated kid and I whop him like I plan to, then feel that yes! I’m showing the people that I’m dedicated and I’m ready to comeback and fight for the world title. Remember I never lost my world titles. I gave them up because I moved up. You know I didn’t ever lose the world titles. I gave them up.”

On what he believes he will do that will most surprise Peter Quillin:

“Well like I said, there ain’t too many things you can do to surprise somebody. You know they watch boxing. They see your style. So the surprise is that I’m going to be in front of him and he ain’t looking at a video. See? A lot of people see videos and see this and think differently. You know it’s different when you’re face to face. When we start throwing punches he’s going to have to realize who he’s in the ring with.”

On whether there was ever any point since his fight with Paul Williams that he seriously contemplated retirement and felt that would be his last match:

“No not really. I knew when I fought Paul Williams it was a similar situation where I couldn’t get fights. It’s hard for people to really realize or understand, but for me it was really hard to get fights, but quality fights! You know I could have got fights with fighters where people knew I was going to win. So really I didn’t want to fight fights like that. I don’t want to take fights where it’s a total mismatch. For what? It ain’t doing me no good. I got almost 60 professional fights. So that’s about accomplishment. It’s about being champion and proving you still got it. That’s why like I said, I’m going to beat the kid that’s got a good record and he’s coming to fight and coming to win.”

Regarding whether he is targeting any specific champion in the event he defeats Peter Quillin:

“Well you know it’s not anyone in particular. I’m just saying right now that’s what I’m looking forward to. I’m looking forward to beating him and then going right to the championship. No I don’t know who it will be, but whoever it is they better be ready.”

His views on reigning middleweight champion Sergio Martinez:

“I really like him! I think Sergio is a very skillful smart fighter, he’s strong, and I think he’s a real tough fighter. That’s why I think a lot of people won’t fight him, because he’s got skills and he can fight!”

His views on Floyd Mayweather’s recent victory against Miguel Cotto:

“Well I think it was a good fight for both fighters. I think Floyd tried to pot shot him and do what he had to do. I think Miguel gave a great account of himself. I think it was a very close fight. When you look at the way Floyd fights you really got to see that a lot of those punches don’t land on him, but at the same time Miguel was busy and was throwing the punches. So I see how some fans want to say Miguel should have won, but I think Floyd won. But I think it was a very good competitive fight and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.”

His views on Chad Dawson’s recent victory against Bernard Hopkins and how he feels about a matchup between Dawson and Andre Ward:

“Well once again I have to give it up to Bernard for coming and giving it a good fight. I think Chad won, but it just shows you Bernard’s what, 46-47, and still in shape and still coming to fight. I think that Chad Dawson is a very skilled boxer/fighter. I think that for him to challenge someone like Andre Ward would be a great fight, because Andre Ward is a great fighter, too! So the fans would love to see something like that. It may be hard for them to make that fight, but I think that would be a great fight for the boxing fans.”

On whether he feels Paul Williams has a chance against Saul Alvarez and whether he believes people are unfairly dismissing Williams and counting him out:

“I think people are writing him off because of how Sergio knocked him out. You know they were kind of saying his chin was suspect, and then the next fighter came behind him and hurt him and was winning the fight. But I really can’t dismiss him like that. Paul Williams is long, he’s rangy, he’s awkward, so you know Canelo is going to have to really concentrate and fight because like I said, Paul Williams is an awkward fighter.”

On whether he believes Jermain Taylor has much of a future left in the middleweight division:

“Well I see everything you just said. He’s getting caught a lot more and he’s getting hurt a lot more. I hate to say that someone needs to give it because this is what they do. I can’t tell someone not to be a fighter if he really wants to do that, but at the same time he’s got to realize there’s a life after boxing. The most important thing is your health and your family and your kids. You know you want to be able to grow up and do things with your kids. See I live in Florida so I do a lot with my kids—Disney World, Busch Gardens, and all of that kind of stuff. I enjoy that kind of stuff. Some people may not. But I know that, once again, there’s a life after boxing. So I’m trying to prepare myself for that.”

His views on why fighters like Bernard Hopkins and Antonio Tarver have had success into their 40s whereas someone like Roy Jones has not, and how he thinks that relates to himself now that he is 40:

“Well as far as Bernard Hopkins and Antonio Tarver, I think styles make fights. They had the styles that could take them into an older age where they can still be competitive and still win. Roy Jones Junior fought with speed and reflexes. When he got older those reflexes slowed down. So that fraction of a second that he used to take and slip them punches and come back and counter, he doesn’t have it like that anymore so now he’s starting to get hit with those punches he used to avoid, and that’s where I think the problem is coming in at. I have much respect for Roy Jones. He was a heck of a talent, and speed-wise the things he did in the ring. You know I just hope that when he does want to give it up, he can give it up and that he’s still healthy.”

On whether he gets any added motivation with so many critics counting him out against Peter Quillin:

“Oh definitely! Like I said, let’s put it this way—if I wasn’t 40 and if I didn’t take the three years off, Quillin wouldn’t be in the ring with me. They wouldn’t have given him the chance. They wouldn’t even put him in the ring with me because I would have murdered him. But like I said I have been out of the ring, and I am getting a little older. So they gave him a chance, and that’s cool with me! Like I said I love fighting and having something to fight for, I don’t really like to fight when everybody thinks I’m going to win the fight. You know you need that edge! You need that drive. Okay people think you ain’t going to win it. What do I got to do to go out there and win and prove them wrong? And once I do just give me my accomplishment and I’m happy!”

On how he would write the final chapters of his career given the chance to choose his own ideal storybook ending:

“The final chapter would be coming back with some great wins and then walking away from the game. Just walk away from it. I didn’t want to end my career with that loss to Paul Williams because I know there were some things I could have done and didn’t do. You know it was just hard to fight an awkward guy like that not being sharp. But other than that, like I said I’m happy about my career. I’m happy with everything I did in boxing. I wouldn’t want to change anything. Even some of the bad decisions that I got, they helped me to become a better fighter, and that’s just what it is! Like I said as far as Vargas and all of them people, that’s the game man. People think I’m always mad at Fernando Vargas for the decision. I’m not mad at him. I’m mad at the judges. He just came in there and did what he had to do. You know it’s just life. Like I said, you got ups and you got downs, and you just got to be prepared for that.”

On whether he has any regrets about his career and whether he may have done something differently:

“Not really. Honestly I really don’t think I would have done anything different. You know maybe the only thing I may have done in my last fight, I may have taken a fight before Paul Williams now because I can see my timing was a little bit off. But other than that, no! I had a great career. I won a lot of titles. I did a lot of things people thought I wouldn’t do. I became the undisputed junior middleweight champion. I fought the best, and I had the best dodge me. Oscar De La Hoya never fought me. He fought everybody else except me. I beat everybody else he fought and he still wouldn’t fight me. So how many people can say that?”

His views on the upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley:

“Oh man! I think that’s going to be a good fight. I think Timothy Bradley is very tough. A lot of people just know that Manny Pacquiao can fight, but you got to give Bradley a shot because he’s a tough little guy. Once again you can’t count Pacquiao out, because I did it twice! I counted Pacquiao out with De La Hoya and I counted him out with Cotto. You know he proved me wrong both times, so he kind of made me a believer.”

His official prediction for his upcoming match with Peter Quillin:

“I see me winning. I see him coming out and trying to bully and put a pace on me, and all of that. But like I said, once I get the timing down and get my movement right, slipping his punches and countering or whatever, then I’m going to destroy him. He said he’s coming to take me tomorrow. Okay! We’re going to go. He better have some oxygen because we’re going to go. I’m ready to fight.”
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Winky Wright: “After I beat Kid Chocolate I’m going for the title. There ain’t no need for all of these tune-up fights—look, he’s going to be my tune-up fight!”

by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - The most recent edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with former undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) who will be squaring off against undefeated middleweight contender Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin (26-0, 20 KOs) on June 2. Winky spoke about his upcoming fight and talked about his career and his future. He also touched on a wide variety of subjects pertaining to the current boxing landscape including Floyd Mayweather Junior’s recent win against Miguel Cotto, middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, Chad Dawson’s victory over Bernard Hopkins, the upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, Jermain Taylor’s future in the middleweight division, and whether people are too quick to count Paul Williams out against Saul Alvarez. Here is what Winky Wright had to say:

On how preparations have been going for his upcoming June 2 bout against Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin:

“Oh man! Preparations have been great. Training camp has been great. I’m looking forward to the fight and I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring and doing my thing.”

On whether or not he expects any ring rust given this will be his first time in a professional boxing match in over 3 years:

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to have some ring rust, but you know that’s part of the game. In any thing you do if you take time off you’re going to have to get back in there and try and get that feeling back. But you know I’m ready for that. I know I’m going to have some things I’m going to have to work out while I’m in the ring, and then I’m going to get it right and just handle my business.”

On how much time he has actually spent outside of ring not training given he has had several fights that were scheduled and ultimately canceled during his time off:

“Well you know like you said I had some fights that were supposed to come about, and things would happen and the fight would get canceled. I think mainly I probably was out totally not training or anything about a year. I really took off like a year and just didn’t do anything but relax and enjoy life.”

Regarding what he has been doing outside the ring these past three years:

“You know just business. There is life after boxing so you have to prepare yourself for that and try to get yourself in the right business where you can make money, live a comfortable life, and raise my kids. You know just enjoy life! All this training and everything I have done to this point I enjoyed. You know what I’m saying. I have to just reap the rewards from it and just lay back and just be happy with my accomplishments.”

His views on Peter Quillin as a boxer:

“I think he’s a good fighter. You know I wouldn’t have taken the fight. As you can see I didn’t do like a lot of these old champions did. They come back and get fights with fighters who have 12 wins and 7 losses and stuff like that. I didn’t want that because I feel if I’m going to continue to fight I want to be a world champion. I’m doing this to be the world champion, not just to be fighting. After I beat Kid Chocolate I’m going for the title. There ain’t no need for all of these tune-up fights—look, he’s going to be my tune-up fight! I’m going to prove to myself if I need to be back in the ring or not.”

On whether he believes a victory against Peter Quillin would justify a title shot:

“Definitely! If I’m coming off a three year layoff to fight an undefeated kid and I whop him like I plan to, then feel that yes! I’m showing the people that I’m dedicated and I’m ready to comeback and fight for the world title. Remember I never lost my world titles. I gave them up because I moved up. You know I didn’t ever lose the world titles. I gave them up.”

On what he believes he will do that will most surprise Peter Quillin:

“Well like I said, there ain’t too many things you can do to surprise somebody. You know they watch boxing. They see your style. So the surprise is that I’m going to be in front of him and he ain’t looking at a video. See? A lot of people see videos and see this and think differently. You know it’s different when you’re face to face. When we start throwing punches he’s going to have to realize who he’s in the ring with.”

On whether there was ever any point since his fight with Paul Williams that he seriously contemplated retirement and felt that would be his last match:

“No not really. I knew when I fought Paul Williams it was a similar situation where I couldn’t get fights. It’s hard for people to really realize or understand, but for me it was really hard to get fights, but quality fights! You know I could have got fights with fighters where people knew I was going to win. So really I didn’t want to fight fights like that. I don’t want to take fights where it’s a total mismatch. For what? It ain’t doing me no good. I got almost 60 professional fights. So that’s about accomplishment. It’s about being champion and proving you still got it. That’s why like I said, I’m going to beat the kid that’s got a good record and he’s coming to fight and coming to win.”

Regarding whether he is targeting any specific champion in the event he defeats Peter Quillin:

“Well you know it’s not anyone in particular. I’m just saying right now that’s what I’m looking forward to. I’m looking forward to beating him and then going right to the championship. No I don’t know who it will be, but whoever it is they better be ready.”

His views on reigning middleweight champion Sergio Martinez:

“I really like him! I think Sergio is a very skillful smart fighter, he’s strong, and I think he’s a real tough fighter. That’s why I think a lot of people won’t fight him, because he’s got skills and he can fight!”

His views on Floyd Mayweather’s recent victory against Miguel Cotto:

“Well I think it was a good fight for both fighters. I think Floyd tried to pot shot him and do what he had to do. I think Miguel gave a great account of himself. I think it was a very close fight. When you look at the way Floyd fights you really got to see that a lot of those punches don’t land on him, but at the same time Miguel was busy and was throwing the punches. So I see how some fans want to say Miguel should have won, but I think Floyd won. But I think it was a very good competitive fight and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.”

His views on Chad Dawson’s recent victory against Bernard Hopkins and how he feels about a matchup between Dawson and Andre Ward:

“Well once again I have to give it up to Bernard for coming and giving it a good fight. I think Chad won, but it just shows you Bernard’s what, 46-47, and still in shape and still coming to fight. I think that Chad Dawson is a very skilled boxer/fighter. I think that for him to challenge someone like Andre Ward would be a great fight, because Andre Ward is a great fighter, too! So the fans would love to see something like that. It may be hard for them to make that fight, but I think that would be a great fight for the boxing fans.”

On whether he feels Paul Williams has a chance against Saul Alvarez and whether he believes people are unfairly dismissing Williams and counting him out:

“I think people are writing him off because of how Sergio knocked him out. You know they were kind of saying his chin was suspect, and then the next fighter came behind him and hurt him and was winning the fight. But I really can’t dismiss him like that. Paul Williams is long, he’s rangy, he’s awkward, so you know Canelo is going to have to really concentrate and fight because like I said, Paul Williams is an awkward fighter.”

On whether he believes Jermain Taylor has much of a future left in the middleweight division:

“Well I see everything you just said. He’s getting caught a lot more and he’s getting hurt a lot more. I hate to say that someone needs to give it because this is what they do. I can’t tell someone not to be a fighter if he really wants to do that, but at the same time he’s got to realize there’s a life after boxing. The most important thing is your health and your family and your kids. You know you want to be able to grow up and do things with your kids. See I live in Florida so I do a lot with my kids—Disney World, Busch Gardens, and all of that kind of stuff. I enjoy that kind of stuff. Some people may not. But I know that, once again, there’s a life after boxing. So I’m trying to prepare myself for that.”

His views on why fighters like Bernard Hopkins and Antonio Tarver have had success into their 40s whereas someone like Roy Jones has not, and how he thinks that relates to himself now that he is 40:

“Well as far as Bernard Hopkins and Antonio Tarver, I think styles make fights. They had the styles that could take them into an older age where they can still be competitive and still win. Roy Jones Junior fought with speed and reflexes. When he got older those reflexes slowed down. So that fraction of a second that he used to take and slip them punches and come back and counter, he doesn’t have it like that anymore so now he’s starting to get hit with those punches he used to avoid, and that’s where I think the problem is coming in at. I have much respect for Roy Jones. He was a heck of a talent, and speed-wise the things he did in the ring. You know I just hope that when he does want to give it up, he can give it up and that he’s still healthy.”

On whether he gets any added motivation with so many critics counting him out against Peter Quillin:

“Oh definitely! Like I said, let’s put it this way—if I wasn’t 40 and if I didn’t take the three years off, Quillin wouldn’t be in the ring with me. They wouldn’t have given him the chance. They wouldn’t even put him in the ring with me because I would have murdered him. But like I said I have been out of the ring, and I am getting a little older. So they gave him a chance, and that’s cool with me! Like I said I love fighting and having something to fight for, I don’t really like to fight when everybody thinks I’m going to win the fight. You know you need that edge! You need that drive. Okay people think you ain’t going to win it. What do I got to do to go out there and win and prove them wrong? And once I do just give me my accomplishment and I’m happy!”

On how he would write the final chapters of his career given the chance to choose his own ideal storybook ending:

“The final chapter would be coming back with some great wins and then walking away from the game. Just walk away from it. I didn’t want to end my career with that loss to Paul Williams because I know there were some things I could have done and didn’t do. You know it was just hard to fight an awkward guy like that not being sharp. But other than that, like I said I’m happy about my career. I’m happy with everything I did in boxing. I wouldn’t want to change anything. Even some of the bad decisions that I got, they helped me to become a better fighter, and that’s just what it is! Like I said as far as Vargas and all of them people, that’s the game man. People think I’m always mad at Fernando Vargas for the decision. I’m not mad at him. I’m mad at the judges. He just came in there and did what he had to do. You know it’s just life. Like I said, you got ups and you got downs, and you just got to be prepared for that.”

On whether he has any regrets about his career and whether he may have done something differently:

“Not really. Honestly I really don’t think I would have done anything different. You know maybe the only thing I may have done in my last fight, I may have taken a fight before Paul Williams now because I can see my timing was a little bit off. But other than that, no! I had a great career. I won a lot of titles. I did a lot of things people thought I wouldn’t do. I became the undisputed junior middleweight champion. I fought the best, and I had the best dodge me. Oscar De La Hoya never fought me. He fought everybody else except me. I beat everybody else he fought and he still wouldn’t fight me. So how many people can say that?”

His views on the upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley:

“Oh man! I think that’s going to be a good fight. I think Timothy Bradley is very tough. A lot of people just know that Manny Pacquiao can fight, but you got to give Bradley a shot because he’s a tough little guy. Once again you can’t count Pacquiao out, because I did it twice! I counted Pacquiao out with De La Hoya and I counted him out with Cotto. You know he proved me wrong both times, so he kind of made me a believer.”

His official prediction for his upcoming match with Peter Quillin:

“I see me winning. I see him coming out and trying to bully and put a pace on me, and all of that. But like I said, once I get the timing down and get my movement right, slipping his punches and countering or whatever, then I’m going to destroy him. He said he’s coming to take me tomorrow. Okay! We’re going to go. He better have some oxygen because we’re going to go. I’m ready to fight.”