LAS VEGAS, NV (March 10, 2009) “I’m tired of this waiting, I’m a prize fighter not some dude working in a restaurant serving food” said Deandre “THE BULL” Latimore after a morning run in Las Vegas. “Every day I’m in the gym here in Vegas and when we finally get in the ring I’m going to take out all my anger over this waiting out on Cory Spinks, he’s going to pay for these delays” said the St. Louis native..
The cross-town showdown between junior middleweight Latimore and former world champion Spinks for the vacant IBF Junior Middleweight title has been in the works for months but no date has been set. The IBF has ordered the title fight between Spinks and Latimore, who are ranked #3 and #5 respectively, which is set to take place in St. Louis.
Training in Las Vegas with Kenny Adams since his ESPN2 knockout of Sechew Powell last June, Latimore has grown weary of the delays. “We’ve wanted this fight since last summer, then they made it for the title when Verno Phillips vacated. I fought eleven times in 2006 the year I turned pro, eight times in 2007 and now I’ve been off nine months and I’m very upset about this.”
The 23 year old Latimore carries a record of 19-1-0 (16KO’s). Growing up on the mean streets of South Side St. Louis he always knew about the older Spinks who was raised on the North Side.
“It was never personal but it is now, all this making me wait. Maybe where he comes from it’s cool to fight once or twice a year, but I want to fight four or five times a year. I’m ready to show the folks back home who the boss of St. Louis is and then I want to prove it to the rest of the division.”
Latimore is managed by Jerry Giuliano’s Sandman Boxing Management LLC and promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Rumble Time Promotions of St. Louis..
Khan nightmare still haunting Fagan
The nightmare of his defeat to Amir Khan continues for Oisin Fagan as a planned appearance on the Hunky Dorys World Title Fight Night at The O2 on March 21 has had to be scrapped.
Fagan suffered a broken leg in his defeat to Khan last December and despite having had his cast removed and returning to training Fagan has been told he will not receive medical clearance in time to fight at The O2.
“The Khan fight was a nightmare and I just wanted to put it behind me as quickly as possible. It was a high profile fight and I felt embarrassed after being stopped in 2 rounds. That’s all people saw on the night and it’s all people remember. Nobody seemed to be too interested in the fact that I broke my leg on that first knockdown.
“Khan caught me with a nice hook but it was a punch that wouldn’t normally have been enough to put me down. It put me off balance though and when my foot turned awkwardly. I felt my ankle doubling up underneath me and heard a sickening crack. I knew at that moment, that I had broken something but I thought it was my ankle. The pain was incredible, but I got back up to fight.”
On his return home to Dublin Fagan was diagnosed with a spiral fracture of the fibula with the doctors amazed that he had managed to stand up let alone fight on with such an injury.
“Most people think I was nuts to get up and fight on with a broken leg but I feel like I have a heart, second to none and while it was very painful trying to reset my feet anytime he’d move, I had every intention of continuing for the whole fight but it was stopped and the defeat definitely goes down as the biggest disappointment of my boxing career.”
The prospect of making a quick fire return to action had motivated Fagan to return to fitness as quickly as possible and he was targeting a comeback on the undercard of the Bernard Dunne – Ricardo Cordoba WBA World title fight at The O2.
“I was very down about the Khan fight but I knew that the best way out of that was to get back in the ring as quickly as possible. After the operation the doctors told me that I could be out for up to a year which was devastating but I dedicated myself and worked so hard to put myself in a position to recover as quickly as possible.
“I converted an old office swivel chair into a training device that allowed me to shadow box while sitting in it and I also took to doing roadwork even on my crutches. When I heard about the big show at The O2 I set my heart and soul on getting a place on that card. I know it sounds crazy but in anticipation of fighting again, I had been sparring 8 and 10 rounds in training and running 10 miles on my roadwork days and generally training like a lunatic to get back in there stronger than ever.
“The bottom line was that it was medical decision to disallow me to fight and even though I made the point that we’re not all clones and we don’t all heal at the same time, I guess the doctors can’t make an exception to the rule for an (extraordinarily and) determined quick-healer like myself, by allowing me to fight just 3 months after breaking my leg
“Personally though, I would much rather hazard physical pain and scars to my body than having to endure these mental scars that I am now tormented with and when it comes to overall health, I think that these psychological torments are so much more difficult to deal with than cuts, bruises and breaks.
“However, I don’t blame the Boxing Union of Ireland or the doctors. Rules are rules and they operate to the highest medical standards to ensure that the boxers safety is paramount. Truth be known they have been fantastic and extremely generous, accomodating and supportive since my last fight. Mel Christle and Dr. Joe McKeever in particular have helped me so much through the many troubles and obstacles, which have happened as a result of the Khan fight.
“To be fair to them, their reputation would be on the line if they sanctioned a man to fight just 3 months after breaking a leg, no matter how miraculous my recovery seems to have been. However, I was just so determined to make the Irish people proud and show them that being Irish, for me, is a deep seeded mark of resilience and something that has shaped me throughout my life. This ideal is what drives me through the pain barrier every time I fight or anytime I am posed with a great challenge in my life. I remember where I am from and the courage and great tenacity that we, as a people are born with.
Fagan will now target a return in May. “I just have to wait for word to be released. I was told that since I am showing great improvement, that they would reduce the comeback date from the original 12 months, down to 6 months so that means I should be able to get back in the ring in May.
“I’m not going to stop training even though I have to take this heartbreaking news on the chin. I know at the age of 35, I am coming to the twilight of my career, but I am adamant that I have a few super fights left in me and I’m definitely not finished yet and I believe the underdog will rise, once again!”
“Date With Destiny” Heating Up: Walker vs Waite April 25th
March 10 (Merrillville, In) – Less than a month ago Michael “Midnight Stalker” Walker (19-1-2, 12 KOs) had a sparring partner Orphius Waite (4-0, 3 KOs), but there was always this buzz in the air at the One In A Million Inc. training facility when this duo would strap on the head gear and spar.
“This card is definitely going to be worth the price of admission,” said One In A Million Inc. CEO Octavius James. On Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at the Hammond Civic Center, there will be no head gear and this definitely won’t be a sparring session between Walker & Waite. “The million dollar question has always been when is Walker and Derrick “Superman” Findley going to fight, but here we have another one of our young warriors that is ready to go to war with Walker. “This fight is sure to be a barnburner”, James said.
Walker is coming off of an incredible eight-round decision over former world champion Antwun Echols on October 3rd, 2008 and even after that win, Walker doesn’t feel that Waite respects him. “(Waite) is messing with a different level of fighter and I don’t feel any respect at all from him, but I will get that respect when I whoop him without the head gear,” said Walker.
“I could tell (Waite) was trying to size me up during our sparring sessions,” added Walker. “Orphius wants to be me and he is trying to fight like I do, I’m ready and he is ready so let’s get it on.”
Waite enters this grudge match after defeating Chance Western by 1st round TKO back on January 23rd, but the only thing he has on his mind is making good on his biggest fight of his career. “It’s a very big fight, biggest fight of my career and secondly it’s going to be a stepping stone in my career,” said Waite.
“(Walker) had his chance to shine and he didn’t do too well and now it’s my turn,” added Waite. “When we walk into the training facility we both get that weird vibe and when we sparred I left his face battered a few times even with the head gear.”
Waite’s trainer Alex Sepulveda knows that his talented and chiseled star is ready for this level of fight. “If I didn’t think Orphius was ready for this I wouldn’t put him in there, but we are ready for Walker and we are going to take advantage of this great opportunity that Octavius James has presented us with,” said Sepulveda.
This card is loaded from top to bottom as Middleweight Sensation Derrick “Superman” Findley (13-2, 8 KOs), Welterweight Ed “2 Fast 2 Furious” Ochoa (7-0, 7 KOs), Light Welter Angel Hernandez (11-3, 9 KOs), Middleweight Josh Crouch (3-0, 3 KOs) and for the first time ever the brother-sister pair of Light Heavyweight “Pit Bull” Jimmy Perez Jr. (4-1, 1 KOs) and featured in an special amateur bout 2008 Golden Gloves Champion Tiffany Perez will be fighting on the same card.
Tickets for “Date With Destiny” can be purchased at VIP $100, VIP ringside $75, ringside $50, and general admission $30 and they are available from any Ticket Master location at (219) 791-1234, (312) 559-1212, (866) 438-7372, www.TicketMaster.com or at the Hammond Civic Center Box Office (219) 853-6378.
Hammond Civic Center, 5825 Sohl Ave. Hammond, IN located just 20 minutes from downtown Chicago, doors will open at 6 p.m. with the first bout at 8 p.m.