20.01.06 – “LITZAU WHO?” That was Carlos Contreras’ response when asked about Jason Litzau, his Jan 28 opponent at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ on the Gatti-Damgaard undercard. Contreras also offered the following opinions as well: On Litzau as a boxer: “He is an unknown fighter for me. I’ve heard he has a good record. But he has never fought a real good fighter.”
On how Litzau rates compared with other fighters Contreras has fought: “He’s got to be a blue chip fighter and a future world champion to beat me. I fought Tapia, Daniel Ponce de Leon, [Lehlo] Ledwaba, Enrique Sanchez, and Carlos Navarro. I think I won all of these fights, but the judges are always on the hometown fighter’s side. In my last fight I had in Tucson I fought the Thai fighter Terdosk Jandaeng, and his manager Sampson Lukowick told my manager Oswaldo Kuchle that this Thai guy was the best 130 lbs in the world and that I was going to get crushed. He won a decision, but the crowd knew I was the winner.”
Contreras’ Advantages: “I have fought very tough opponents and I’m prepared to go to war with anyone. I could go to war, toe-to-toe, with Erik Morales or Marco Antonio Barrera tomorrow and I could stand up to them. So the question is, is Litzau that kind of fighter? Does he have the heart to go 10 rounds TOE-TO-TOE with me?”
How long has Contreras been in camp? “I’m always in shape because of my work as an officer in Juarez, Mexico. It makes me tough; plus, I train on the holidays, so I’m 100%.”
Sparring: “I train in a very good gym that my promoter Oswaldo Kuchle has. My trainer is Edgar Garcia. I’m working out with Juan Carlos Ranchero Ramirez, unbeaten Mickey Roman, top ranked Gerson Guerrero, and world champion Jhonny Gonzalez who is fighting Mark Johnson on Feb 25. So it’s an all-out war during sparring sessions.”
Prediction: “I will win a good fight, and I will try to knock him out so that the judges won’t affect me. I will guarantee anyone that Litzau won’t knock me out because I am very tough. I am like a small Arturo Gatti; you need two fighters to bring me down.”