by James Slater – Henry Ramirez, trainer of 28-year-old heavyweight contender Chris Arreola, very kindly gave me the following interview, in which he spoke about his fighter’s upcoming clash with slugger Brian Minto. Despite the fact that he was at the airport and was only a few minutes away from boarding a plane, Henry still found time to speak with me.
Acknowledging how ultra-important this Saturday’s fight against Minto is for the warrior known as “The Nightmare,” Ramirez made it clear his charge, 27-1(24) has trained hard. Here are Henry’s answers to my questions:
James Slater: It’s great to speak with you again, Henry. Can I ask you first, has camp been good for the Minto fight on Saturday?
Henry Ramirez: Yeah, I can give you about five minutes, James – I’m waiting to board a plane. I’m at the airport right now! Yes, camp has been good, it’s great to get back in the flow – the best way to get over a loss is to get ready for another fight..
J.S: Have you been working in Riverside again, the same gym as you used for the fight with Vitali Klitschko back in September?
H.R: Yeah, we didn’t relocate. This fight was kind of a short notice fight – up until only a month or so again we didn’t know who Chris would be fighting, whether it would be Minto or Derric Rossy. But Chris is in great shape and he’s ready.
J.S: Who has Chris been sparring with for Minto?
H.R: Travis Kauffman and Javier Mora.
J.S: I spoke with Brian Minto last month, and he knows that this fight is his big, big opportunity – but most people do expect him to lose to Chris. Is all the pressure on your guy as a result of that do you think?
H.R: The pressure is always on Chris. In this fight, we know Minto is a tough, rugged guy who will come forward and try his best, and Chris is not underestimating him at all – that goes for me, too.
J.S: It’s great that Chris has come back so quickly, just as he said he would the night he lost to Klitschko. It goes without saying how this is a must-win fight – is Chris looking at it as the most important fight of his career?
H.R: Absolutely. To me, the next fight is always the most important. But there really is nothing beyond Brian Minto at this point – you know, we can’t look ahead really. So Chris has prepared well.
J.S: Minto’s a fairly fast guy, and he’s tenacious and loves to fight. Do you see a distance fight or a KO win for Chris?
H.R: Whatever happens, just so long as he gets the victory. I myself think Chris will score a KO, because Minto’s a fighter at heart – he comes forward and is exciting, but that falls right into Chris’ hands.
J.S: Some people are saying this fight could be a real battle for as long as it lasts, maybe even a fight of the year candidate. Has that crossed your mind?
H.R: I think it has that potential, definitely. They are two guys who are never in a bad fight. Both guys like to put on crowd-pleasing fights. But like I say, Minto’s a tough guy and no way can he be taken for granted, and he’s not being overlooked at all.
J.S: Is the plan for Chris to get a couple of good wins under his belt and then go for another title shot?
H.R: We’ll have to get this fight out of the way first, and then see what Al Haymon and Dan Goossen have in mind. But we can’t look too far ahead. Call me on December 6th and I’ll be able to tell you more.
J.S: Sure. But is the plan for Chris to keep active, maybe fight again in the spring – say March April?
H.R: I think so, provided all goes well with this fight. The sooner the better. It’s always better for Chris if he doesn’t take too much time off between fights.
J.S: I have to ask – and you know why! Chris’ weight – will it be about the same for this fight. Around the 250 mark?
H.R: Of course you have to ask about his weight, James. You wouldn’t be doing your job if you didn’t. Around 250 to 255. That’s a good weight for Chris.
J.S: Well, he sure never ran out of stamina in the Klitschko fight. It looked like he carried the weight fine.
H.R: Right.
J.S: Can I ask you real quick, how do you see December 12th’s Klitschko-Kevin Johnson fight going?
H.R: I think it’s a very intriguing fight. I think we’re looking at a much different fight than Chris’ fight with Vitali Klitschko. I’ve known Kevin quite a while and I hope he can do it, and bring the title back home to America. I think we will see a more aggressive Vitali in this fight – like when he fought Lennox Lewis. He’s going up against a natural boxer and I think he’ll try and take the fight right to Kevin.
J.S: If you had to pick a winner, would you go with Vitali?
H.R: There’s no doubt, Vitali is the best heavyweight in the world. So you have to pick him. You’ve go to.
J.S: Thanks so much for talking to me, even though you’re not in the best place to talk! For my final question, what’s do you think about that WBC thing where they decided to “ban” Chris for fighting for them for six months for swearing? Why did they pick on Chris for using one curse word!
H.R: Oh, I don’t know (laughs). I really don’t know why they did that. James, I gotta go, my flight’s boarding. Call me later in the week and I’ll try and get Chris on the phone for you.
J.S: Okay, thanks, Henry.