08.06.04 – By Ike Enwereuzor – www.Jacboxing.com – “Undefeated two-time world champion “The Terminator” Harry Simon is back: “For those of you that don’t know yet, I’m challenging Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, Fernando Vargas and other Middleweights. I’m back to get my belt. Hopkins can’t be the undisputed middleweight king unless he fought the true WBO Middleweight champion, Harry Simon.”
Former three-time world champion Harry Simon with a professional record of (23-0) 17KO’s is one of the world’s most exciting champions in the middleweight division with explosive punching power.
Simon had his first professional fight January 1994, beating his first opponent Leon Van Rensburg by first round TKO. At Carousel Casino, South Africa, he captured his first world championship August 22, 1998 by defeating current undisputed junior middleweight Ronald “Winky” Wright by 12 round majority decision to grab the WBO junior middleweight belt. He defended the belt 4 times before moving up to 160 pounds on July 2001 to capture the interim WBO middleweight over Hacine Cherifi in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. In his last fight on April 2002 in Copenhagen, Denmark, Simon won a 12 unanimous decision over Armand Krajnc to capture the WBO middleweight before his auto accident in Namibia a year ago.
Here’s what “the Terminator” had to say about Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, Fernado Vargas and more….
Ike: What’s going on with you these days? We haven’t heard much about you since your car accident.…
Simon: I feel like the champion right now and I’m feeling good. I’m blessed, thank God the accident didn’t take my life. I’m strong again and ready to fight all the champions in the middleweight division. “The Terminator” Harry Simon is back. I’m still the WBO middleweight champion. I have fully recovered and ready to get my title back. Oscar and all these guys wait for me to get into accident so they can fight for my belt. We tried to make a fight with Bernard Hopkins more than 3 times, but he keeps giving excuses. Hopkins must fight Harry Simon if he wants to be considered the best middleweight that ever lived. Maybe, I need to fight De La Hoya before I can fight Hopkins. I want my WBO middleweight belt back on my waist. I’m still undefeated and available.
Ike: What did you learn from your fight with “Winky” Wright?
Simon: I respect Winky; he’s a cool guy and a good champion. I learned a lot from that fight. It was my first world championship fight and I wasn’t experienced like I’m today. I learned from that fight to keep busy and work on stamina. The fans want to see Winky Wright vs Harry Simon II. I don’t mind giving Winky a rematch. The only problem is, this time I’ll knock him out. I want to show the world I can do what Mosley couldn’t do. I beat Winky before. Winky has one of the best jabs in the game now.
Ike: Your views on Wright-Mosley fight?
Simon: He’s the undisputed junior middleweight champion. I knew Winky Wright was going to beat Shane Mosley. I told Boxing fans that if you want to beat Winky, you need to be aggressive and put a lot of pressure on him.
Ike: Your impression of Felix Trinidad?
Simon: He’s another good fighter but I don’t know if he’s afraid to fight me. Trinidad was ringside when I fought Cherifi in Puerto Rico. He was asked if he would fight me, but he refused to answer yes or no. This tells me that he don’t want any piece of Harry Simon. I promised Felix Trinidad a knockout, but I guess he don’t want another knockout. I’m ready for Trinidad, Winky, Hopkins, De La Hoya, Vargas, Macelino Masoe and others who decides to fight.
Ike: Please tell us about your fight with Hassine Cherifi?
Simon: The fight was in Puerto Rico, and in front of thousands of fans. Felix Trinindad was ringside and I challenged him to fight me but it seems like he didn’t want Harry Simon to knock him out. I’m ready to fight him any time, even in his home country. Trinidad don’t want any piece of me and Hopkins gave all excuses so he didn’t have to fight me during the middleweight unification in Madison Square Garden, New York City. I knew that Bernard Hopkins was going to beat Felix Trinidad in that fight.
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