photo: Tom Casino

03.07 - Mayorga, Corley and Perez discussed their upcoming fights on the “Battle at Orleans” fight card July 12, 2003 at the Orleans in Las Vegas. In a highly anticipated rematch of perhaps the year’s biggest upset, Mayorga will defend his World Boxing Council/World Boxing Association (WBC/WBA) welterweight titles when he faces former WBC 147-pound champion Vernon “The Viper” Forrest in the main event. In the second of three world title fights, Corley will put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight crown on the line for a third time when he faces former International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight titleholder Zab “Super” Judah. Rounding out the Don King Productions, in association with Main Events world championship tripleheader will be WBA Super Welterweight Champion Vivian Harris making his initial title defense against unbeaten mandatory challenger, Souleymane “The Sensation” M’Baye.

Question: Hector, can you tell us how training is going for Mayorga?

Perez: Everything is going great right now. Today was our last day of sparring, and we had a great session. We have been training down in Florida, and it has been great down here.

Question: DeMarcus, can you give us some comments about your upcoming fight against Judah?

Corley: Training camp has been great. We are still going through our sparring sessions and will be winding down training soon. We will be ready for Judah. I am looking forward to taking care of something that started in Philadelphia at the fight press conference.

Question: Can you tell us what happened at the Philadelphia press conference?

Corley: The press conference was over and we were getting ready to leave. Someone from Ring Magazine made a comment about Judah and I finally meeting in the ring, and talked about how I said I was going to destroy Judah. I made that statement at the contract signing to build up the fight. Judah said, ‘Destroy me after we sign the contract? We can do it right now.’ At that point, my manager got into it with Judah’s manager. I told him then not to worry about it and that I would take care of Judah at the fight. Judah still took it upon himself to get in my face and hit me with his left hand. It was a lucky punch, and he did it just so he could feel like he got something off his chest. I started it and he wanted to feel like he finished it, but come Saturday, I will finish him off.

Question: When Judah was champion, did he talk to you about giving you a shot at his title?

Corley: When he (Judah) was the IBF world champion, we talked about it. We always wanted to fight each other since we were amateurs and we were in the national Golden Gloves in 1995. We both made it to the semifinals and were going to fight in the finals until he lost, so we never got a chance to fight in the amateurs. When he was with Lou Duva, we were still trying to make a fight, but it did not happen. I said someday we would meet up.

Question: Ricardo, what is your reaction to people who say you were lucky to beat Forrest?

Mayorga: This is a message to all the reporters, fans and trainers who are thinking I cannot beat Forrest. I will put $100,000 on the table against anyone who does not think I can knock out Forrest.

Question: How do you feel about Forrest’s choice not to participate in this call or do any interviews before your fight?

Mayorga: When someone is scared to fight, they are even scared to talk to the reporters. I am upset because he did not call me for Father’s Day. I am going to give him a whipping because I did not get my present.

Question: Do you still feel you will knock Forrest out quickly?

Mayorga: I am going to give him a whipping in two rounds. Not even Forrest’s dog is going to recognize him when he goes home. That is what I am going to do in the first two rounds.

Question: Hector, can you tell us some things about Mayorga that we may not know?

Perez: He (Mayorga) is a very unique person. Sometimes he talks and does things he is not supposed to do, but when I ask him to do things in the gym, on the road, or with sparring, he does it. He is the kind of person who can go three days without sleeping, taking only a little catnap. I might get upset with him then and he will say okay, what do you want me to do? I will tell him to go train and he can do it. His body can withstand a lot of work. He is very unique. I have never seen this type of fighter. He has done many things for people back home. One of his neighbor’s mothers passed away recently and he paid for the funeral. He almost got on a plane and flew home for the funeral, but he knew he had to take care of business here. He had a long conversation with that lady’s family and helped them make all the arrangements. He helped them take care of business until he gets back home to Managua, Nicaragua. Mayorga gives his money away to people back home that need the money. When he comes into a fight, he wants to be broke so he can fight like he is the challenger. He wants to take care of business back home, not only for his family, but his friends and neighbors. Right now, he is looking to open up a drag strip back home so he can take racing off the streets and into the drag strip. He wants to do this not only for his bad habit, but also for other people’s bad habits and get them off the streets.

Question: Ricardo, what do you say to people who say your smoking and drinking give boxing a bad image?

Mayorga: I respect everybody. When people like somebody, they accept them the way they are. That is how I am. I am going to accept him the way that they are. People have to be the way they really are. If they like you, they like you. If they hate you, they hate you. I will knock out Forrest in two rounds whether I have a cigarette or not. I know a lot of people want to see me fight more rounds. So, if HBO wants, they can pick two sparring partners for me to fight after I knock out Forrest. That way, the audience can see me fight 12 rounds.

Question: Hector, how much of a handful is Mayorga to train?

Perez: I just roll with the punches. I never get mad. He (Mayorga) just plays around. He puts a towel over my face while driving or a plastic bag. He is just joking around. I have never had any problems with him since day one. We sat down and we talked. We did not want his mother to see him get beaten up. He wants to make money and take care of business. He wants to take care of the people around him that need help. One of the things he is looking at now is he needs to win because he wants to go to a village outside of Nicaragua that has never had lights. He is going to spend $100,000 so that town can have lights. The way he spends his money, that is his deal. We try to put all that into the gym. If he says he can knock Forrest out in two rounds, let’s see. Last time, he said he would knock Forrest out in four rounds and it happened in three. When he talks, I say, “let’s do the walk too.” There is no problem with the relationship we have.

Question: Ricardo, has more been made of your antics than is true?

Mayorga: I am going to do it one more time with a cigarette. My weight is never a problem. I always get on the scale eating something, and I am going to do the same this time. I am going to fight this fight for all the Americans, all the Hispanics in America and all the people who like boxing. I am going to give them what they are waiting for, a good fight. I am a fighter. That is all I am. With or without bad habits, that is what I am, and that is what I am going to do for the public. To the people that think Forrest is going to win, make sure they buy him a pair of skates because he will need them when I start beating on his body.

Question: How do you feel about not getting the credit you deserve after knocking out Forrest?

Mayorga: When the people do not believe in me, that is what makes a world champion. I am running, working and doing everything I need to do to take care of business. I did not deliver a clean shot against Forrest the first time. I believe I can knock him out again. I did not deliver a clean shot. I hit him on top of the head. Wait until I hit him with a clean shot. Then people will believe who I am.

Question: Do you expect Forrest to run this time, and if so, will the fight be more difficult for you?

Mayorga: Tell Forrest whether he runs, stops or bends over, whatever he does, I will knock him out in two rounds. I am letting you know now so you can write it down. If you want, you can deliver that information to him. Forrest does not want to fight me and he is scared of me. His manager and company are the ones that put this fight together. That is why Forrest is going in the ring. It makes me feel bad because I know Forrest does not want to fight. When I knock him out, I will say I am sorry, but I had to do my job.

Question: Are you going to make a bet on yourself in Las Vegas?

Mayorga: I am not going to make a bet in Las Vegas, but with any reporter I will make a bet. I will knock him (Forrest) out. If I win by decision, I will pay the $100,000.

Question: If the fight goes past two rounds, do you have another plan in place?

Mayorga: As soon as the bell rings, with the first clean punch I deliver, I think I can knock him (Forrest) out. I am giving him an extra round. Right now, I am strong and confident I can deliver the first clean punch in the first round and knock him out. If it does go past two rounds, if he grabs me holds me, and the referee does not break us up, I am a good dog and I know how to fight. I am just like a street dog and I bite hard, and he will be out.

Question: DeMarcus, with all his turmoil out of the ring, how do you think Judah will fight against you?

Corley: There is going to be a lot of pressure on Judah because he has to get in the ring against a puncher like me. His long layoff may play a factor in his career. I had an 11-month layoff before I fought Randall Bailey, so it just depends on what kind of shape he is in. If he trained hard, is ready for this fight, put everything else behind him and comes into the ring focused, he may be pretty good.

Question: How will Judah’s speed affect you?

Corley: We all know I am the world champion. For him (Judah) to take my title, he has to come to me. We are going to dictate the pace for him and stay in the middle of the ring and fight. If he decides to run and move, it is going to be an ugly fight until I catch him.

Question: Do you expect Judah to stand in and fight, or do you expect him to box?

Corley: From the past, Judah has a lot of mouth and when he says he is going to put it down, he puts it down. Since the incident in Philadelphia, Judah has been silent. He has been pretty much quiet. We are not worrying about what he is going to bring to the table because we know what we have in front of us. If he comes and is going to run, box and move, then I know where to place my shots in order to slow him down.

Question: How has becoming world champion changed you?

Corley: Being a champion has changed me a lot. I am a married man. I have six kids and one more on the way. I am a humble guy. I am quiet, but I like to have fun. I am taking care of my mother, wife and kids. I just stay out of trouble. I love to fight. When it comes to boxing, I give it 100 percent plus.

Question: Hector, did Mayorga leave camp at all because of problems with management?

Perez: I do not get involved with that. He went to Nicaragua for Mother’s Day. That is why he left camp. There were no problems with Carl King. Right now, Mayorga is happy and has been happy for the past six weeks. There were no distractions.

Question: Ricardo, have you had any problems with your management?

Mayorga: I am fine with the company. Sometimes people talk and talk more than they are supposed to, but there are no problems at all with Don King Productions.

Question: What has been the biggest difference in your boxing during the past several months?

Mayorga: I am very satisfied with my trainer and the work his assistants are doing. They are showing me a lot of different things. People said Forrest did a bad job against me, but we just worked two rounds. We did not send a message to Forrest. We sent a message to his corner to have him stand there.

Question: Whom do you want to fight after Forrest?

Mayorga: I will give thanks to God. My promoter has done the right things with me. They are doing a great job for me. My trainers are doing a great job with me. Those are the people that help me win the fight. I stand strong that I am going to win the fight because my family is still hungry and a lot of people in my country are hungry. We are going to leave the next step to Mr. King.

Question: How do you feel being compared to Roberto Duran?

Mayorga: Duran was a great fighter. He was my father’s favorite fighter. I have a lot of respect for him. He fought for Latinos, and that is why I am doing what I am doing. He is a great person and a great fighter. I really respect him and it is a privilege to be compared to him.

Question: DeMarcus, did bad blood exist between you and Judah before the incident in Philadelphia?

Corley: It was not bad blood at first. Now, it is going to be real blood that is shed that night. He was immature and acted like a child. He is not a man.

Question: Do you think Judah’s chin is suspect?

Corley: I hope it (Judah’s chin) is suspect, because I am sure going to hit him on it. I am going to place my shots in the right spot. If he can take a punch, we will all find out. If I hit Judah, he will not be able to take it.