“Those Pitty-Pat Punches won’t work against Roy Jones!”
Roy Jones Jr: (Losing those fights) makes me want to go out and perform more because of what happened. I am as fit as ever. He’s a fit as ever. We are both telling the truth when we say that. I know I’m going to almost have to kill him to take that undefeated record away. This will be one of the hardest fights of my career because of his style..
It is such a good feeling to be in a fight like this that I just want to go to the gym and train right now. How am I going to deal with the amount of punches he will throw? The only way to find out is to wait until Saturday night to see how I’ll deal with it. I know that the quality of my punches will overcome his quantity. A bunch of his punches will probably not add up to half of the power of my punches.
Continuing to fight is not by choice. It is in my blood.
This fight has nothing to do with my legacy. This fight is about his legacy. There is more pressure on him to win. I’ve already done everything. I don’t have to prove anything. I will just win. I would love to stop him and not leave it in the judges hands, but my job is to just win.
I was middleweight champion then won heavyweight world championship then went back down to light heavyweight and won again. Who else can say that?
If he loses this fight, it will tarnish his legacy. Then I would love to do a rematch at Millenium Stadium where he lives. I will return the favor. The pressure is on him because he is trying to cement his legacy. It is his second time fighting here.
When fighting in Madison Square Garden (where Jones is 5-0) there is a responsibility to be impressive. You take chances that you normally wouldn’t take.
Right now I think Joe is in the top 4 P-4-P. Hey, the guy is 45-0, he should be at the top.
The difference between now and the Johnson fight? Watch me work. Now I can throw 15 punches and it doesn’t bother me. Then I would throw 5 punches and I was dead tired. It was hard taking all of that weight off. You try losing 25-pounds of muscle and see if you can whip some top people.
Reverse the clock? The clock has already been in reverse. I have won my last three fights after losing those three. I am a little older and I can’t do some of the things that I could do before. I just have to adjust. He knows he has to change to fight me. He has to change his game plan some because those pity-pat punches won’t work against Roy Jones.
I don’t hate Joe Calzaghe. I just have to beat him, I don’t have to hate him. We’ve been training for the fight. I’m not going to bother him when he is training and he’s not going to bother me when I am training. We got to fight and we have to put on a show.
Why didn’t we fight before? Other than Frank Warren, I was the man then. Why would I go over there to fight? If he wanted to be the man he should have come over here then. Now, he is the man and I am doing what he wants to do. I am fighting at the weight he wants to fight at. Whatever he wants to do, I am doing.”
Joe Calzaghe
“I am a person who does actions more than words. I am not going to talk this up more than it has to be. To finish my career fighting at Madison Square Garden is all the motivation I need. I am happy to be here. On Saturday night, you aren’t going to see a good fight, you are going to see a great fight. Roy says he is in the best condition he has been in years and I believe that. I am also in the best shape I’ve been in years. Its going to be a great fight.
“I am one guy who wrote Roy off, but he came back and won three big fights. He is a legend bigger than Hopkins. He’s hungry and you can’t write him off. He is in great shape and I can’t come in as sloppy as I was with Hopkins.
“I was happy with Hopkins win (against Pavlik). I am not friends with him, but I was happy he beat Pavlik because it showed how big my win was over him. Either I am doing something right in the ring or they are all having off days.
“I wish I had never mentioned retirement. I am a fighter focusing on this fight and this fight only. Not what I am going to do once I retire. I am not planning any retirement parties I am going to come 100% I am hungry for this fight.”
Roy Jones Jr.:
“There are a lot of hungry fighters on the undercard. I want to say I am more proud to be an American now, more so than I have ever been in my life. With that can being said, we can all move on. It was a long drawn out campaign. Those guys fought their hearts out. It makes me feel so good to be an American.
“The 20 years I have been representing this country, I have poured my heart out and on Saturday, I am going to pour my heart out again.
“I know Joe is punching already. I’ve been ducking and dodging in my sleep.
“Joe is a man of his word. We made this fight together. I feel proud to face someone with dignity and pride in himself.
“I am still the man and I will bring it Saturday night.”
Enzo Calzaghe, Calzaghe’s dad and trainer:
“The road has been very long. Twenty-five years of being a pain in the ass to Joe. I remember the first fight and now we are going to Madison Square Garden.
“As many of you know I never boxed in my life. It has been exciting. One thing I would like to make clear is that Joe was the first to say to me, ‘Dad I want to box Roy Jones. Dad, I want to box in America. Dad I want to box at Madison Square Garden.’
“Of course I was thinking we could box in Wales. And he said no, dad I want to go to America and I want to fight at Madison Square Garden.
“Joe is going to kick Roy Jones’ ass. What do you think of that?
“We have just come across the shore to kick ass. We don’t need cheerleaders. On fight night, Joe possesses what no other fighter does; and its called a heart.
“When Joe’s been down in the fight, he always finds a way to win. The harder the fight, the harder he works to win.
(To Jones) “Roy you are a good friend, but make no mistake Joe Calzaghe is coming to kick ass. On Saturday night, he is going to become 46 and 0. You are going to see a fantastic display of Joe Calzaghe. Roy is going to fight his heart out, but it won’t be enough to beat Joe.
“Joe is my son first and a great fighter second. I am proud to be his trainer.
“I believe the fight will go 12 rounds. It will be a long road.
“People say that Roy needs to seal his legacy. They welcome that conversation in America. They put Joe on the back burner.
“This is not going to be a cat and mouse fight. This is a great fight. Joe has that extra special something.
“We didn’t come here to fight to lose. We are going to be at Madison Square Garden with all the Americans pulling for Jones. We picked this place. We picked this place to kick ass.”
Alton Merkerson, Jones’ trainer:
“I would especially like to thank these two young individuals that took it upon themselves to put this promotion together and a great undercard. This is going to be a great night of boxing with a lot of young energetic guys who want to fight.
“I would like to say that I think everyone is pleased that the campaign for the Commander in Chief is over. It was a long campaign. It is time to try to bring this nation back to where it is supposed to be.
“Just like the campaign, it is has been a very long training camp for these two fighters. This fight was supposed to be September 20th. It has been very long very hard and very strenuous on both athletes.
“Our camp has been a small productive camp. Roy is ready. He is more ready now than he has ever been for any fight that I have been with him for in the last 18 years.
The fight on November 8th is going to make history. Roy will make history.”
Gareth Williams, Calzaghe’s Attorney:
“This may very well be Joe’s last fight. Having said that, I know on Saturday night his intensity and passion will be 100% and he is going to have a great night and be victorious against Roy Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.”
McGee Wright, Jones’ Manager:
“In my eyes, Joe Calzaghe is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Now, Roy knows what he has to do. To be the man you have to beat the man.
“On November 8th, you are going to see what you’ve been told and what you’ve been hearing.
“You guys are going to see a battle. It will go on for 12 rounds because there’s no stopping either one of them.
“Joe is going to be ready and prepared. If Joe beats Roy, make no mistake about it, Joe would have beat the best Roy Jones Jr he could have possibly beat.”
John Wirt, CEO Square Ring Inc:
“Roy and Joe really made this fight. After the Calzaghe vs. Hopkins fight, Roy was at the post-fight press conference, they exchanged numbers and the rest is history. This is really a mega fight.”
Mark Taffet, Senior Vice President of HBO Pay-Per-View & HBO Sports
“Calzaghe is the gold standard in boxing. He is an undefeated superstar at 45 and 0. He is supremely talented in the ring. He is a tremendous guy outside of it. Fighting in the other corner is Roy Jones, one of the greatest fighters of our era. At the age of 39, he is out to beat Joe Calzaghe Saturday night.”
Malvina Lathan, New York State Athletic Commissioner:
“On the tails of one of the most profound moments in our nation’s history comes Calzaghe vs. Jones on Saturday November 8th. I am proud of these fighters. They came together on their own and have put together one of the most respectful promotions in the history of boxing. Please come out on Saturday and be a part of Calzaghe vs. Jones.”
Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, Madison Square Garden:
“Roy and Joe are two of the greatest boxing ambassadors that we have. Boxing fans all over the world will get to see this fight on HBO Pay-Per-View, and if you get to see this fight live there will be nothing like it.”
UNDERCARD FIGHTERS
Zab Judah:
“With the way the world is going today, it is time for a change. I am happy to be fighting on the same week that Obama won.
in that fight. And now, we’re going to get him on Pay-Per-View and put him where he belongs. And he’ll turn into the superstar fighter that has all the potential to be.
Lee Samuels: Nonito was born in General Santos City, the same hometown as Manny and he has some incredible stories about life in the Philippines. He now lives in San Leandro, in the Bay Area ofCalifornia
At this time, I want to introduce Nonito Donaire, who’s been training at the Top Rank gym for weeks and weeks to get ready for his title defense on November 1.
Nonito, how’s training going and any updates about your opponent?
Nonito Donaire: Well, first off, I wanted to thank you guys at Top Rank for giving me this opportunity. But training has been really great for me — everything is good right now. I’m ready for this. I’m ready.
Bernard Fernandez: Look, I wanted to ask you about your memories about what happened at the Olympic trials and the sit-down strike that you and your brother staged. And if you felt that maybe not going to the Olympics and having a chance at a medal might have hindered you at the outset of your pro career and it had maybe made you even more determined to have success as a professional?
Nonito Donaire: Yeah, I think it helped out a lot for me because, you know, for me it was another path that I had to take — I didn’t have to take. I wasn’t pampered to fight this and this. I didn’t have any option. I had to fight the toughest guy out there and he made me who I am today.
Bernard Fernandez: Did your dad and your coach talk it over about — I mean, ’cause you or your brother had a chance to go to — I guess to box, obviously, you know, neither one of you was going to have a chance to do that by staging the sit-down strike.
But what was your rational behind doing that? And how upset were you with the entire amateur boxing establishment in the United States.
Nonito Donaire: Oh, being 16 or 17, that was my life’s goal. I wanted to be an Olympian. I wanted to fight like everybody did, you know. That’s what they wanted to do, you know. And life hit me in a way — ’cause I thought I won that fight. But like I said, it just made me who I am. It made me strong and it made me take life — that life’s not going to give it to you as easy as you think it may be.
Bernard Fernandez: You fought Brian Viloria who was the U.S.A. boxer of the year and defending world champion. Everybody talks about, there’s one or two sacred cows going to the trials that aren’t supposed to lose. And they do everything they can not to knock ‘em out. But did you feel that the deck was stacked against you because it was Brian Viloria?
Nonito Donaire: Well, yeah, because everybody, you know — how the amateur goes, everybody that said they fought ‘em hard, beat ‘em, this and this. And I saw that with my brother. My brother really destroyed ‘em, but still, you know. And there was no way of winning except for knocking ‘em out and that was in our heads.
Steve Kim: Nonito, my question is, how important is Manny Pacquiao to the Philippines? Can you even put into words?
Nonito Donaire: No. You know, just the way he — he’s the key. He was the key to opening the door. He’s done everything for all the Filipino fighters and there’s no … we can always thank him for everything. I mean, just endless thanks, because he’s done a lot for the Philippines, for the Filipino community and for the Filipino fighter, for me as well. So, we just bow our head. We’re just thankful for him being there.
Steve Kim: And Nonito, my second part of that question is — and how much of an opportunity does that possess for you in terms of your marketability and building a fan base because of Manny’s popularity?
Nonito Donaire: Well, I just do my best. Just being a few Filipinos in the industry it helps out too, because he’s Manny Pacquiao and we’re coming up — I’m coming up and then those people are seeing that, ‘hey, Filipino people have talent,’ and stuff like that. So, it helps out a lot knowing that there’s — right now there’s only a few. But, yes.
Steve Kim: Nonito, has your life changed a lot from winning the title. You haven’t fought in a while. I believe you got married.
Can you describe what the last 10, 11 months have been for you?
Nonito Donaire: It was an on and off schedule here and there, and it was frustrating, But my people, my family and the people that care about me, you they were there for me. And they held me up. It was a rough time, but I’m just thankful that my family’s there for me, especially my wife.
Bob Velin: We seem to be seeing more stoppages, KOs and TKOs in the flyweight division in recent years. Do you think that’s the case? And if so, why?
Nonito Donaire: When I started fighting, I didn’t have the people behind me that I have now. I was fighting guys at 122 and 118 when I should’ve been fighting a 108, 112 before. So going back to my real weight, my real power is there. And that has to do with everything else. Aside from that, my mentality is just on another level now.
Bob Velin: Do you think — within the division itself, do you think there are more stoppages?
Nonito Donaire: I guess so. Everybody fights and they’re not afraid to fight. And they’re just lighter, so it’s easier for me to take them out.
Robert Morales: Nonito, I’m wondering I think I wanted to kind of play off of one of Steve Kim’s questions. I think maybe he wanted to know that from a positive standpoint, how have things changed for you in the Philippines? As far as your popularity, as far as being recognizable, walking up and down the street, that kind of stuff? I know it’s not on the level of Manny, of course. But how has your life changed in that regard?
Nonito Donaire: Oh, it changed a lot. I mean everybody’s noticing me. Especially when I’m in the Philippines, they gather around me. And my wife gets pushed aside all the time and.
But it’s tremendous and that’s one thing that keeps me going as well is because these guys are looking at me and a lot of them are looking at me in a way that helps them, that encourages them in their daily life. And I want to be able to give out more as well to that. That’s why I fight as hard as I can too.
Robert Morales: Not to overlook your opponent that’s coming up on November 1, but there’s a couple of things I want to ask you as far as your immediate future.
Vic Darchinyan is going to be fighting on the same day. And at a recent press conference, he was talking about how he thought you were nothing, and he went out there to knock you out and he just got caught; that it was just an accident, and “I’ll prove it in the rematch.” Basically, he’s not giving you any credit for knocking him out in the fifth round. And of course we’ve all seen that fight and we pretty much know that you had him going the whole time. It wasn’t just the one round that you got lucky.
But what do you say to those comments from Vic? And would you like to fight him in a rematch down the line?
Nonito Donaire: That’s most likely. That’s most definitely, Vic just can’t accept it. I took everything away from him that night, everythin. His nose was bloodied up, he got a cut, he was dropped. He had everything taken away from him that night. He’s in denial of that.
My promoter will make it happen if they want to. That’s up to them. My manager will decide on that. For me, I’m a fighter. My promoter, my manager — and I’m a fighter. And that’s all I do is fight. And they do their own thing. And for me, whatever they want me to do, I’ll do it. I’ll fight who’s ever out there. But if that fight ever does happen, that would be good. And I think that would be really fun.
Rick Folstad: Nonito, what did you learn from your fight with Darchinyan? What did you learn about yourself?
Nonito Donaire: My confidence was boosted a lot, you know. In my mind now, I know I’m at this level. And, you know, just the — just everything just went up, skyrocketed: my physical, my mental, you know, everything. I can see everything just because of the confidence levels that I can feel — and I know that I can take on anybody now in my weight class.
Rick Folstad: But you’d feel confident fighting him a second time?
Nonito Donaire: Oh, yeah. Like I said, I think it’ would be fun. I figured him out before, and there is nothing more that he can do. He hasn’t shown anything that’s shown me he has changed and he can do something against me. I feel that everything that he’s done is the same thing. It will be the same old story if it comes down to it.
T.K. Stewart: Nonito, your last fight, which I saw from ringside at Foxwoods against Louis Maldonado, you complained afterwards about not really having your legs because of the weight that you had to lose. And I’m just kind of wondering how is your weight now because you’ve been off a while? And I’m just kind of wondering how you’re adjusting?
Nonito Donaire: I went to the gym and started training early for this fight. We started our training camp early this time so that we wouldn’t have the weight issue. The last time around we had about a month for that fight; this time we had two months or more to get ready for it. So my weight is really good right now. I’m ready for this fight.
T.K. Stewart: Okay. And then one of the things that I noticed last time is you and your dad — you know, your father’s very animated, he’s obviously very concerned about how you’re doing. And he yells instructions to you from ringside and he seems to get very excited.
And I was just wondering if you could kind of talk about your boxing relationship with your father a little bit for us.
Nonito Donaire: Well, I started with my dad. He taught me everything I know. Everything that I’ve learned, everything that — who I am now as a fighter is because of the way he made me think inside that ring. He taught me how to be smart, how to be strong, how to be fast. And like a father and son relationship, there’s always a problem. We have our ups and downs, but when we’re together, we’re unstoppable. Okay?
Chris Cozzone: The flyweight division is probably turning into one of the toughest divisions in boxing and there are a lot of great matches for you in the future, whether it’s Arce or a rematch with Darchinyan or Mijaris.
Is it hard to keep focused knowing that all these great fights are in the future? Because you’ve got a tough guy ahead of you next week.
Nonito Donaire: I think that’s what makes it easier to focus knowing that, there are these guys who are really tough. If I’m fighting the guys that people are like ah, it’d be about then, you know, the lack of discipline is there. But if I’m focusing on these guys knowing that they’re great and I have a lot of respect for those guys and knowing that they’ve done so much in boxing and for themselves. It really helps me to focus and to know that, this is the guy that I want to chop down. These are the obstacles and the hurdles that I have to jump over. And it really helps me to focus really to be the best.
Chris Cozzone: Well, what about the guy you’re fighting next week? What do you know about him? He is coming in as an underdog just like you were last year with Darchinyan. Does that factor into your preparation at all?
Nonito Donaire: Well, my mentality right now is like — since I have been fighting a while — I don’t put myself in that level right now because, that’s why I’m training as hard as I can and I want to give it all I got. I still have that hunger. I’m not taking this guy lightly, but my mentality is that I’m fighting for this belt, because that’s — if I put it in my head that, hey, I’m the champ and this and this and that, you know, it just brings my mentality down.
So for me to get me going, I tell myself — this is the title that we’re fighting for. This is not my title yet until I really feel that I own this title. And then that’s why I’m going into this ring as hungry as I came into that ring with Darchinyan.
Ramon Aranda: Nonito, what can you tell us about the opponent? Have you had a chance to either see some tapes or have you seen him fight before? What have you been able to learn from some of his previous fights?
Nonito Donaire: Well, he has a style. He’s always in shape. He’s one dimensional. He fights fair, but he’s really tough. He can take a punch. He can dish out a lot of punches; he throws a lot of punches. I haven’t really, really seen him fight much, but one thing I know, this guy can be tough if you take him lightly. We’ve already come up with a game plan that if I throw out this punch and it lands, I know I can take him out.
Ramon Aranda: You haven’t fought in a while. I believe your last fight was with Luis Maldonado. And I know you had been kind of frustrated not really being able to get a fight.
Now that you’re with Top Rank, how does it feel to have a different promoter? There are guys that like to push, especially a lot of the young talent out there, to have a big Filipino following as well.
Nonito Donaire: Well, I love being in Top Rank. They’ve taken care of me. All I’ve had ever since I’ve been in this office is a smile. They’ve been great to me. I’m confident that I don’t even have to worry about calling them about this and that, and bugging them about getting a fight because I know they’ll take care of me. And the Filipino people out there as well are making a wave and I’m definitely sure and confident that they’re taking care of me the way they’re taking care of me now.
Robert Morales: Cameron, I just wanted to talk about Nonito’s overall talent as far as you know. His knockout victory over Darchinyan was really a tremendous accomplishment. You’ve had a lot world champions over the years during your career.
What do you think about Nonito in comparison to some of, you know, the better fighters that you’ve had. I mean, does Nonito have that possibility to be one of your best?
Cameron Dunkin: Well, I mean, everyone’s going to always say that, but I mean, I really mean this. I managed Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, who I thought was for a while and I — just a phenomenal fighter. And Johnny Tapia also, you know, a light division fighter and Danny Romero, and they’re all terrific fighters.
Nonito can be as good as Mark Johnson, and I know you were right over there by him when he’s fighting at the Forum. He just has so much talent. He is so fast. Kenny Adams, who I really admire, okay? And he’s a great trainer. He said the other day when he was — he brought over a sparring partner for Nonito, and he pulled me aside and said, “This guy,” he goes, “I don’t know where you got this guy. He’s better than Corrales,” God rest his soul. But as a fighter, this kid can be so, so, so terrific.
He’s got speed. He’s got power. He’s huge for a flyweight. He’ll be big at 18. He was knocking out 22 pounders when he weighed 115 pounds. That I had guys like Agiñaga who didn’t stop in eight rounds. He was knocking them out in four rounds at 115 pounds. I could just go on and on and on. This kid can be tremendous.
Robert Morales: How did you come upon him? I know you’re the one that brought him to Top Rank. How did that work? You finding him and bringing him over?
Cameron Dunkin: I saw him in 2000 when I signed Pavlik and Luevano, and all of them. And I was interested in him, but at that time he signed with Jackie Kallen and it didn’t go real well, I guess, with them. And I just kept tracking him and following him. And I saw that he wasn’t fighting.
And I finally got in touch with him and I asked him. Nonito was to the point where he wasn’t going to fight. Glenn came to the phone, his brother, and he wanted to fight, but they had to talk Nonito into fighting. He was ready to retire. He wouldn’t even come to the phone to talk to me. And now, he’ll laugh about it. But now he’s going to be on top of the world, so it really turned out great.
Robert Morales: Nonito, can I just ask you bout at what point were you really seriously considering retiring?
Nonito Donaire: I did. I did. I stopped. My brother kept calling Cameron and I was like, no, just go. For me, I was done with boxing then. I was really done. I didn’t have — I didn’t want to do anything. I wanted to go back to school…just work and live my life as a normal guy. And I was really done with it. I always thank Cameron for it. That’s why I give everything to Cameron. Whatever Cameron says goes.
Robert Morales: What year was this? Do you remember?
Nonito Donaire: I think it was in 2003 or 2004, something around that time.
Karl Freitag: They’ve been talking about after this fight putting you in with Arce. Are you going to be paying extra close attention to his fight on the same card? And what do you think about that? Is that what you’re looking at?
Nonito Donaire: Right now I have a guy in front of me who’s trying to take my belt, who’s trying to take away everything that I have. And that’s the one thing that I’ll focus on.
If that fight happens with Arce next year or anything like that, then that’s when I’ll focus on that. I know I’ll have time after that. But the guy in front of me is the main person that I’m focusing on right now.
Karl Freitag: Yeah, the guy coming in, he’s a big puncher and so are you. Do you think this fight’s going to not go the 12?
Nonito Donaire: I think not. I mean we’re both warriors, you know. And I’m the type to fight and he’s the type to fight, so it’ll be an exciting, exciting fight. I can’t wait for it if it does happen, so.
Karl Freitag: There’s a conference call the other day and both the Mijares camp and Darchinyan were both trash talking you. So it looks like you’re really in the mix, so all these guys and Arce also are at 115. So if you go out and start fighting them, are you going to move up a division, or are you going to stick with the flyweights?
Nonito Donaire: You know that’s a decision that my promoter and manager will have to decide on. For me, whatever they decide to do, but just the fact to be in the 115 pounds is very exciting and it brings out — those guys will bring out the best of me and I would love to fight those guys. Those guys are great.
Karl Freitag: How you feel at that weight as opposed to how you feel at this weight?
Nonito Donaire: I think I’ll feel a lot, lot better. But like I said…at 122 that’s where you have to have some discipline. I can get any weight they want me to be. But I think I’ll feel really good at that 115 pounds.
Colin Seymour: Hello, Nonito. I’m calling from San Jose. We’re talking about how you, you know, what it’s like for you when you go to the Philippines. And now of course you’re training in Las Vegas. But, you’re basically a Bay Area guy aren’t you? Are you going to continue to be based in San Leandro?
Nonito Donaire: I think so. For me it’s home. If it’s not in San Leandro, it has to be somewhere in the Bay Area. The hills are there for me to run, my friends are there, my family is there. And when I’m not fighting, it’s home for me. So most likely I’ll be out there still and come out here when it comes to hard training.
Colin Seymour: San Leandro used to be sort of a White enclave racist, and now it has sort of a Black image. But apparently the Filipino community is pretty strong there. Can you tell us what it’s like there and how much support you have from the community in the Bay Area?
Nonito Donaire: There’s a lot of — of course there’s a lot of Filipino support, but usually I’m a homebody, so I don’t really know what goes around outside. I know I’ve had a lot of Filipinos, you know, when I go to Filipino stores and then, they support me and they cheer me on. So it’s really nice to know that they do support me.
Q:: Can you put this in perspective — do you know the comparisons between you and Manny? Are you sort of just trying to make a name for yourself? How hard is it to overcome Manny’s shadow, especially because you’re both Filipino and you came from the same town? Is that something that you’re trying to do, just sort of like step away, or — tell us a little bit about that.
Nonito Donaire: I don’t really put it in my head where I’m going with it. For me, I fight. I’m provided with a great manager and a great promoter. I just fight, fight, fight.
If I can give out at the same time to help people mentally and get them going with their lives and then to do their best, you know, for me that’s good enough for me. However far I get in my career is God’s will, and I’m going to do the best I can, but I never really put it in that perspective where I thought about in the shadow of somebody or putting on my own path.
I’m putting on my own path, but one thing is that I’m thankful for the fact that Manny’s in front of me and he’s giving me all these examples. And he’s giving me this determination to fight hard, stay hard and that sums it up. That’s just how it is for me.
Ramon Aranda: This is kind of a follow-up question to the question about being out here in the Bay Area. Myself, I’m actually calling from Union City. How do you see the boxing scene out here in the Bay Area? What would you like to do in the future? I mean, like to possibly fight in like San Jose or San Francisco, or anything like that?
Nonito Donaire: Oh, yeah. That would be great. I mean, being in my hometown, we can fill up that place like nothing. I’ve known a lot of friends there. There’s a lot of people out there, my family, friends of family. We can definitely, definitely make it fun if we fight out there. And we could definitely pack that place up.
And I think that the boxing in the Bay Area, or just the fighting itself in the Bay Area is increasing and they’re seeing it more. And that’s good for me in boxing.
Lee Samuels: That was our last call. Nonito, let’s — first of all I want to ask Cameron, what do we expect to see on Saturday night, and where do we go from there?
Cameron Dunkin: You’re going to see a tremendous fight. The opponent’s a very tough guy and no body knows of him, but we’ve watched him and he’s a very, very tough guy.
But you’re going to see a special talent in Nonito; that I think you’re going to see a difference in speed and strength and extreme power. He’s one of the hardest punchers in boxing. And I think you’ll see Nonito take over and knock this guy out with a tremendous knock out.
Lee Samuels: And to all the fight press, Nonito will be in the Top Rank gym on Tuesday for his media day workout. We’ll send you a complete schedule. All the Pay-Per-View fighters will be there at the Top Rank gym on Business Lane in Las Vegas.
Nonito, you’ve been training for many, many weeks in the Top Rank gym. I know you’re in condition, but what do you expect to happen — will happen on Saturday, November 1?
Nonito Donaire: I’m going to go in there more confident. You know, I’m confident as a fighter. And I’ve always been this type of a fighter. And I don’t make much prediction on how the fight’s going to go, but one thing is that I’m the type to take guys as early as I can, if I can. So, you know, I’m going to do that.
I’m going to be the same person, you know. You’re going to see power; you’re going to see speed. And if this guy comes in tougher than we expect him to be, then you’re going to see a lot more change in style from me. I’m ready for this and I’m just excited.
Lee Samuels: And thank you. It was a great call. And I want to thank all the fight press and we’ll see you all next week at Mandalay Bay for Final Impact.
GONZALEZ VS ARCHULETA BATTLE FOR IBA TITLE
WEST VS KNIGHT CLASH FOR FEMALE BELT
Table Mountain Casino’s Big Night of Boxing On Nov. 18th
Friant, CA, October 24 – A very good boxing show just became a great boxing show, as promoter Roy Englebrecht announced today that he has added a second Championship Bout to the Table Mountain Casino show set for Tuesday, November 18th. This second title fight will featured two undefeated female warriors, when 10-0 Kaliesha West meets 4-0 Ava Knight for the IFBA North American Bantamweight Belt. This mega female title bout will be the Semi Main Event to the Main Event which features an IBA World Championship Fight.
In the unpredictable world of boxing, dreams can come true or be broken with a single punch. No one knows this better than veteran contenders Roger ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez and Frankie Archuleta, but on Tuesday, November 18th, these fighters will have the opportunity to achieve a lifelong dream of becoming a world champion when they square off at Friant’s Table Mountain Casino for the IBA World Junior Lightweight crown.
This high-impact night of professional boxing presented by Table Mountain Casino in association with Roy Englebrecht Events, will take place at the Table Mountain Casino Events Center in Friant, California. This combative sports series was launched in 2007, and not only has it featured both boxing and mixed martial arts events that have met with a rousing reception from fight fans, but the series is also presenting its fourth world title fight in just two years on November 18th.
Chino, California’s Roger ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez (27-2, 18 KOs) is a former bantamweight contender who won his first 23 fights and the NABO title before losing to future world champion Jhonny Gonzalez in 2004. Opting to step away from the game later that year, Gonzalez would eventually return to the ring at his optimum weight of 130 pounds in 2007, and the 30-year old’s 2-1 record in his comeback has shown that he still has what it takes to compete against and beat the best the junior lightweight division has to offer.
The pride of New Mexico, Bernalillo’s Frankie Archuleta (25-5-1, 14 KOs) has garnered a devoted fan following for his warrior’s heart and willingness to go to war each and every time the bell rings. An 11 year pro, this former NABA champion built his reputation in memorable battles with Kevin Kelley, Rocky Juarez, Emmanuel Lucero, and in two fights which he split with Johnny Tapia. Now ready to challenge for the IBA crown, Archuleta – who is coming off an eighth round TKO win over Armando Cordoba – is eager to put another title belt around his waist on November 18th.
What will certainly have world title implications, the Kaliesha West vs Ava Knight IFBA North American title fight will be watched closely by every female boxing fan. Not because you have two quality and undefeated fighters facing each other, but with a win, both are in line for a world title shot in the first half of 2009. West out of the Morena Valley is 10-0 with two knockouts in her two year career is trained by her father Juan West. Knight from Chico, is 4-0 with two draws and two knockouts, including in 2008 a win over 9-2 Noriko Kariya and a draw with title holder Elena Reid
The five bout card will also feature undefeated Aaron Martinez who at 8-0 will face 10-6 Hilario Lopez in a six round welterweight bout, and Fresno’s tough middleweight Loren Myers meeting Orange County’s Derrick Thomas.
Doors open at 6pm, and the first bell rings at 7pm. Tickets, priced from $50 to $30, are available at the Table Mountain Casino box office or online at www.tmcasino.com.