Exclusive Interview with WBO Middleweight Champion Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin

“With Gennady Golovkin I can say he’s a very strong fighter, very determined, but he doesn’t put any fear in my heart at all”—Peter Quillin

Exclusive Interview by Geoffrey Ciani – I was recently afforded the opportunity to speak with the new WBO middleweight world champion Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin (28-0, 20 KOs) following his title-winning victory against Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (27-1, 17 KOs) last Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Quillin spoke about his performance, talked about his future, and gave his views on the current middleweight landscape and where he would like to go next. Here is a complete transcript from that interview.

Audio:

GEOFFREY CIANI: Hello boxing fans. This is Geoff Ciani from East Side Boxing, and I am joined here today by the newly crowned WBO middleweight champion of the world, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin. Pete, how does it feel to win your first world championship?

PETER QUILLIN: It feels great. It feels good to come a long way to have some kind of achievement to what my hard work has given me. But most importantly I got to know that there’s going to be some more fights in the future that’s going to allow me to show what my class is really about.

CIANI: Now Pete, during the fight, it appeared to me during the first three rounds that you had a little trouble with his rhythm and that you weren’t able to time him maybe as well as you would have liked to. Reflecting back, what was going through your mind during those first three rounds?

Marco Huck: “The fans will witness one hell of a fight!

Marco Huck: "The fans will witness one hell of a fight! WBO Champion Marco Huck is looking forward to the action in Halle/Westphalia. His fight against former WBA Cruiserweight Champion Firat Arslan promises to be a real highlight. Ahead of the big fight, the 27-year-old spent some time in Mallorca, Spain as well as in Neuruppin, Germany and will present himself in great shape come November 3. And the team surrounding the prodigy of coach Ulli Wegner is convinced, that they did all they could to enable Huck to defend his title for the tenth time. Huck took some time out of his preparations for Arslan for a Q&A.

Marco Huck, your last fight was back in May. After the bout, it was announced that you would take a longer break, which you did. Was that the right move?

Marco Huck: It definitely was. I didn’t really have a lot of time off ahead of the May 5 fight in Erfurt, which showed during the bout. Now my batteries are fully charged and I cannot wait to get back into the ring. I can feel the itch in my fists. The fight against Afolabi wasn’t easy for me. In my opinion that was due to the fact that I fought for the heavyweight championship just a few months earlier which also was a tough fight. But at the end, I got through it and kept my cruiserweight title. Now my whole focus is on the tenth defence of the WBO Championship.

Ricardo “Rocky” Juarez: “My dream is still to become a world champion”

Ricardo “Rocky” Juarez: “My dream is still to become a world champion” By Joseph Herron – Every young fighter dreams of one day becoming a world champion once they lace up the gloves for the first time.

But the commitment, discipline, sacrifice, and pain that every prizefighter is forced to endure is enough to turn even the most ardent of athletes away from the ring. Despite recognizing the various obstacles on the pathway to glory, every fighter indeed has a vision; and until they accomplish their ultimate goal, most of these brave warriors will continue to place themselves in harm’s way for our entertainment.

2000 American Olympic Silver Medalist Ricardo “Rocky” Juarez (28-10-1, 20 KOs) still possesses this dream; and it still burns feverishly within him just as the first day he began boxing.

“My goal in this business has always been to be a world champion. I feel like I’ve been right there on the borderline. I’ve come so close and have been in a lot of great championship type fights. I know I have what it takes to do it. It just hasn’t officially happened for me.”

The Rock has certainly come unnervingly close to grabbing championship hardware throughout his storied fight career.

After beginning his professional career with a perfect 23-0 record, the hard punching Houston, Texas native was in line to face the WBC Featherweight Champion In-Jin Chi of South Korea in August of 2005. In what was billed as a possible “Fight of the Year” candidate, the highly anticipated match-up was slated to air on HBO as the co-main event of the Fernando Vargas/Javier Castillejo spectacle.

Nonito Donaire: “I want Rigondeaux to be at his best when I fight him”

Nonito Donaire: “I want Rigondeaux to be at his best when I fight him” (Photo credit: Adrian Hernandez) By Joseph Herron: In less than a full calendar year’s time, four division world champion and pound for pound talent Nonito Donaire (30-1, 19 KOs) has garnered two world titles in the Super Bantamweight division, as well as the WBC Diamond belt and Ring Magazine’s distinction as the man to beat at 122 pounds.

So where does the “Filipino Flash” go from here?

After the 29 year old fighter’s brilliant performance against former WBC Champ Toshiaki Nishioka on October 13th, HBO’s Max Kellerman asked Donaire about a potential meeting with Cuban exile and two-time Olympic Gold medal winner Guillermo Rigondeaux.

While most fight fans were somewhat puzzled with Nonito’s on-air response, the southern California based fighter clarified his reply on Tuesday night’s edition of “The Pugilist KOrner”.

Erislandy Lara: “After I beat Vanes Martirosyan on Nov 10th, I will fight Canelo Alvarez and become WBC Champion”

Erislandy Lara: “After I beat Vanes Martirosyan on Nov 10th, I will fight Canelo Alvarez and become WBC Champion” By Joseph Herron – With just four weeks before his big title eliminator contest with undefeated Junior Middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs), WBC number one ranked 154 pound contender Erislandy Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs) is very excited to be a part of this highly anticipated event on HBO Boxing After Dark from the Wynn Las Vegas on November 10th.

While preparing under the tutelage of world renowned trainer Ronnie Shields in Houston, Texas, the talented Cuban fighter visited with “The Pugilist KOrner” on Tuesday night and gave his thoughts on the upcoming match-up.

“I feel great and I’m training extremely hard for this fight on November 10th,” stated Erislandy Lara. “I am very happy to be back on HBO and very excited for the opportunity to face another world class fighter like Vanes Martirosyan.”

“Everything is going well in training camp and I have three weeks left to go, but I’m ready to fight right now. I just went ten rounds easy today and I will be very prepared for the best version of Vanes Martirosyan on November 10th.”

“In addition to working with trainer Ronnie Shields, I’m currently working with strength and conditioning expert Edward Jackson and everything is going perfectly. On November 10th, I’m going to bust Vanes right in the mouth and earn my title shot against Canelo Alvarez.”

With the confidence that comes with being an elite level talent, Erislandy is happy that the WBC title eliminator will be one of the best fighters in the packed 154 pound weight division.

Karl ‘Dynamite’ Dargan: “I can’t compare myself to other Philadelphia fighters even though I am from Philly, my style’s versatile, I can do different things”

by Jenna Jay (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J) On my 179th edition of “On The Ropes” boxing radio, I had a chance to catch up rising lightweight prospect Karl ‘Dynamite’ … read more

Chris Byrd Interview: The Former Two-Time Heavyweight Champ Talks About “The Byrd’s Eye View”

By James Slater — Former WBO and IBF heavyweight champ Chris Byrd, a slick stylist who recently hung up the gloves on an illustrious yet at times unappreciated career, feels he and many of his fellow fighters have a pretty tough time of it when it comes to getting a fair shake from today’s boxing commentators.

“Rapid Fire,” now aged 42 and leaving the game with a 41-5-1(22) record in early 2009, wants to give the fans and the sport a new-look boxing show. Set to be unleashed on the web (as well as on You Tube and a number of other internet outlets) this month, “The Byrd’s Eye View” promises to pull no punches. Tired of the often negative attitude a number of the current well known crop of T.V commentators have, and as weary of their on-air criticism (often from people who, as Chris points out, have never ever boxed; HBO legend Larry Merchant being at the top of his hit list!), the southpaw is looking forward to letting people more qualified to call a fight do the talking.

Along with his own, in-the-firing-line-acquired knowledge of the fight game, Byrd will have a number of fellow pros, both active and retired, assisting him to give it real to the fans. Byrd’s show will consist of pre-recorded shows and, later on, live shows that take in big fights – with shows planned for Las Vegas and, next year, London.

Mikey Garcia: “A fight with Yuriorkis Gamboa is ultimately the bout that I want”

Mikey Garcia: “A fight with Yuriorkis Gamboa is ultimately the bout that I want” By Joseph Herron: With an HBO date already scheduled for November 10th, and a big title fight with WBO Featherweight Champion Orlando Salido on the 2013 horizon, 126 pound contender Mikey Garcia (29-0, 25 KOs) is ready to make his mark in boxing.

The undefeated 24 year old fighter is slated to face tough Argentine Jonathan Victor Barros (34-3-1, 18 KOs) in the main event of a brilliant double header on HBO Boxing After Dark next month. His original assignment was supposed to be a title opportunity against the hard punching WBO champ, but Salido was sidelined after inadvertently slamming his index finger in a car door.

While some boxing pundits have questioned the decision of Top Rank and manager Cameron Dunkin to fulfill the November HBO date rather than wait for the championship opening, Mikey feels confident in his team and his abilities in the ring.

“Because we’ve already committed to fighting on November 10th, and we don’t know when Salido is going to be ready to get back in the ring, we decided to go ahead and fight Jonathan Victor Barros. I’m not too concerned with whether or not it’s a good or bad idea to take an interim fight with a title opportunity on hold; my primary concern is winning the fight on November 10th and getting a decisive victory.”

Boxing manager Luis Decubas Jr: “Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero will be in a blockbuster fight very soon!”

Boxing manager Luis Decubas Jr: “Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero will be in a blockbuster fight very soon!” By Joseph Herron — With big fights currently scheduled on the remaining 2012 boxing calendar for many of the top 147 pound fighters, fight fans are curious who reigning interim WBC Welterweight Champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (30-1-1, 18 KOs) will be stepping in the ring with next.

Talented young boxing manager Luis Decubas Jr, gives us a glimpse into the future plans of the four division world champion.

“Robert is in a very good position right now,” insists the lifelong boxing proponent. “He’s a very hot fighter at this time, coming off of a very impressive performance against one of the highest rated Welterweight fighters in the world in Selcuk Aydin. He picked up his fourth world title in his first fight at the 147 pound weight class, and this was coming off of a 15 month period of inactivity. He made a big statement with the win.”

“There are so many great fights to be made in the division right now with Berto, Maidana, Alexander, and Malignaggi. We tried to make the fight with Timothy Bradley and he turned us down. Bradley feels that he has a very good chance of getting the winner between Pacquiao and Marquez, so he didn’t want to risk fighting a guy who would beat him.”

“So instead of making a fight with Robert a reality, he will more than likely choose to face a guy that he’s already dominated in Lamont Peterson.”

Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez: “If Kelly Pavlik thinks I’m so horrible, he should prove it in the ring”

Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez: “If Kelly Pavlik thinks I’m so horrible, he should prove it in the ring” By Joseph Herron – After his dominant performance against previously undefeated KO artist Jason Escalera on HBO Boxing After Dark two weeks ago, Super Middleweight contender Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) immediately issued a challenge to former universally recognized Middleweight Champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik.

Although the superb match-up would be one of the more fan friendly pairings that could possibly be made in the talent enriched division, the Youngstown, Ohio native stated through numerous media sources that Edwin isn’t an accomplished enough fighter to make a truly meaningful fight at this stage in his career.

The Dominican born puncher had much to say about Kelly’s public commentary on the October 9th edition of “The Pugilist KOrner”.

“In a recent interview I read, Kelly Pavlik stated that I was horrible and that he would rather watch paint dry than watch one of my fights,” stated Edwin Rodriguez. “He also stated that there wasn’t enough money in a fight with me at this time.”

After headlining HBO Boxing After Dark and closing the show with a resounding bang, “La Bomba” found great folly and hypocrisy in Kelly’s response.