Exclusive Interview by James Slater , photo by Peter Mark Heintzelman / ESB — Former “Contender” star and current middleweight contender Peter Manfredo Junior of Providence, Rhode Island says he feels better than ever at age 28. Coming off his November 5th, 1st-round win over Ronald Weaver, the 33-6(18) warrior is now signed with TKO Promotions, and he hopes to be back in action as soon as January.
The exciting Manfredo’s main goal now is to capture a world title at middleweight, and the crowd-pleaser spoke about this goal and other things as he kindly gave me an over the phone interview from his car earlier today. Here are Peter’s answers to my questions:
James Slater: It’s great to speak with you, Peter. I appreciate your time as always. First of all, congratulations on your November 5th win over Ronald Weaver – who you stopped in just one-round. You must have been glad to get back in action?
Peter Manfredo Junior: Definitely. I’d not been in the ring for a while, and I wanted to get back. Ideally I’d wanted to get back right after the win over Walid Smitchet (KO 7, April of this year), but it isn’t what you want all the time. I’ve signed with TKO promotions now though, and I hope to be back as soon as January.
J.S: The Weaver win is listed as retirement win. I never saw the fight, but you knocked him down in the 1st-round, correct?
P.M: Yes, that’s correct. I punished him so bad the doctor wouldn’t let him out for the next round. The doctor stopped the fight.
J.S: Were you happy with a quick win, or were you hoping for a few more rounds?
P.M: I’d have liked a few more rounds, but at the same time I can’t complain. A quick win is always good. I just hope I can get back in the ring now quickly and get a couple more confidence boosters.
J.S: I noticed you weighed-in for the Weaver fight at 166-pounds. Are you most comfortable at middleweight though?
P.M: I weighed-in at 166 – I was a little lower when I got in the ring. But I’m a middleweight. I feel stronger at that weight and I have more of a chance of fulfilling my goal of winning a world title at 160.
J.S: That’s your ultimate goal, to win a world middleweight title?
P.M: Yeah. I do think I can do it. It’s wide open right now at 160 – everyone seems to be going up to super-middleweight. I don’t want to rush. I want another four or maybe five wins over good competition, before I’m ready to go for a world title. That way there will be no excuses. I will be ready.
J.S: Ideally, when would you like to fight again? How soon?
P.M: I want to get back as soon as I can. TKO have mentioned January, so I hope that comes through. I want to be back in the ring as soon as possible. I feel great right now, I’m probably at my peak, and as I say, I want to win a world title at middleweight.
J.S: The last time we talked, you very much wanted a fight with John Duddy. We both agreed that would be a great crowd-pleasing fight. But he then lost to Billy Lyell. Is the Duddy fight something you’ve moved on from now then?
P.M: The John Duddy fight still interests me. I know that would definitely be a great fight for the fans – and that’s what I always want to do, please the fans. It would be like Gatti-Ward. They both had losses, but the fans never cared about that. They just put on a truly great fight. I’m definitely still interested in a fight with John Duddy.
J.S: The Smitchet fight was back in April, as you know. You always wanted to stay more active, was the reason you weren’t due to you changing promoters and stuff like that?
P.M: Yeah, I guess so. I became a free agent after “The Contender” and I was kind of working on my options. I’m a gym rat, you know. I want to fight as often as I can – I train practically every day. I think it’s easier to stay in shape; that way it’s harder to get out of shape. But as I say, TKO are trying to line up a January fight, so I hope that comes off.
J.S: You want to win a world title at middleweight – and it really would be great to see you do it – but do you have a particular champion in mind to fight?
P.M: I’ve got no guy in mind yet, no. I want to get a few more wins first. I don’t want to rush it.
J.S: You have shown in the past how you are not afraid to travel abroad to fight – having boxed in the U.K and in Canada, for example. Is there any country you’d really like to fight in?
P.M: I’d love to fight anywhere in Europe. I’d really like to fight in Italy – I’m Italian by heritage, by descent. Anywhere in Europe would be great. It’s really nice in Europe. TKO say they can get me there, so I hope they keep their word on that.
J.S: You are a very popular fighter, Peter. And you’ve given us some exciting fights in your now nine-year career. How long do you plan to box on for? Do you have a timeframe in mind?
P.M: I’m 28 now, and I feel great. But I’d say around 31 or 32 – I don’t plan to go past that. I don’t want to wind up speaking with a stutter. I’ve got three kinds, and it’s not worth it. But I definitely feel I’ve got a good couple of years left in me at least.
J.S: It’s been great speaking with you, Peter. You have a lot of fans in the U.K. We hope to see you back in action soon – you’re too much of an exciting fighter to be out for seven months. I hope the January fight comes off. I also hope you find the time to check out this interview on Eastside.
PM: Okay, James. Call me any time. I’ll definitely read the piece. I appreciate all my fans. That’s my aim; to please the fans.