By James Slater – As fight fans know, Bryan Vera, the 28-year-old former “Contender” star, goes up against former middleweight king Kelly Pavlik on November 13th, on the Pac-Man-Margarito card in Texas. Undeniably the biggest fight of the 17-5(11) Vera’s career, the man from Houston, Texas is up for the challenge and already planning his fight strategy.
Very kindly taking time out to speak with me about the fight that is all but guaranteed to be a thrilling affair, Vera gave the following answers to my questions earlier today:
James Slater: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me, Bryan. I know your time must be taken up with lots of interviews and stuff right now..
Bryan Vera: Oh, no problem.
J.S: Congratulations, first of all, on getting the huge fight with Kelly Pavlik. When will you start serious training for the fight?
B.V: We started last week. I started sparring right here in Houston, Texas. Camp’s been great and I feel great so far.
J.S: Who have you been sparring with, or would you rather keep that secret?
B.V: (laughs) I’d rather not say who, no. But everything’s been going good.
J.S: Was Pavlik a guy you always hoped you might fight one day?
B.V: I hoped so, one day, yes. With his style and my style, with us both standing right in front of each other, the fans will have a good time with this fight! I think this is the best opportunity for me; the best time to get at Pavlik.
J.S: By that you mean his confidence might be quite low – seeing as he lost to Hopkins, then beat two guys, arguably not in your class – and then lost to Martinez? You think this is the best time to jump on Pavlik?
B.V: Yeah, he may be a little down right now. He took the whole summer off, between fights. Has he been in the gym? I don’t know. But I know I have. I’ll be in top shape for this fight.
J.S: You’ve been in with big punchers before, like James Kirkland for one example. But do you think Pavlik will be the biggest hitter you’ll have been in with as a pro?
B.V: Oh, yes, definitely. Pavlik has heavy hands, but I think he’s slower than Kirkland – and I’ll be able to move around him more. They’re both different fights, and I have a lot more time to get ready for this fight. I have eight weeks, whereas for the Kirkland fight I had four to five weeks.
J.S: As you know, this fight will be on a huge stage at Dallas Cowboys stadium in Texas. This is obviously the biggest fight of your career! You must be pumped up like never before?
B.V: Definitely! This is the kind of fight I’ve been dreaming of. I’m from Texas, and a lot of people will be there rooting for me. I know I will do my absolute best to win this fight.
J.S: That’s one of the reasons the fans like you, Bryan – you always give your all. Just talking about your last fight, the points loss to Maksym Bursak in Ukraine. Was it a fair points verdict?
B.V: Hmmn, I don’t know. We’ve watched the tape a few times, trying to see what he was supposed to have done (won by UD scores of119-110, 117-111, 118-111). I knew, fighting in a place abroad, like Ukraine, you have to knock them down a couple of times to have a chance of winning on the cards. But he was nothing too special, I think I hit him more than he hit me. But I wasn’t banged up at all, and I was right back in the gym after that fight.
J.S: The fight with Pavlik is expected to be a fan-friendly affair, with lots of action. How do you see the fight going?
B.V: We plan to get on him from the get-go. I can’t give away too much, but we don’t plan to let him breathe. I can’t see this fight ending early; I look for a mid-to-late rounds ending. But, yeah, the fight will definitely have a lot of action for the fans.
J.S: Thanks so much, Bryan. May the best man win!
B.V: Thank you.