by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) – This week’s edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with junior middleweight contender Carlos Molina (19-5-2, 6 KOs) who recently suffered an extremely controversial disqualification loss at the hands of James Kirkland (31-1, 27 KOs) last weekend. Molina spoke about all of the unusual circumstances surrounding the end of that contest and the inexplicable disqualification issued by the referee. Here is what Molina had to say:
His views on the fact that he was disqualified in his bout against James Kirkland last weekend:
“That’s terrible! That’s the thing about boxing that I hate the most is when something like that happens. The fans and the fighters don’t get an opportunity to finish the fight. That’s just terrible.”
On whether he felt he was effectively following his game plan up until the point he was disqualified against Kirkland:
“Yeah, yeah, I was. That was the game plan. I was trying to frustrate Kirkland. That was our game plan from the beginning. I thought we were going good and everything was going good in the tenth round. You know I wasn’t hurt when I went down and I was feeling good.”
Regarding what was going through his mind when he was knocked down at the end of the tenth round and subsequently disqualified:
“Yeah at the end of that round I heard the bell ring, and then after he threw a shot at me he bumped into me, and I was kind of leaning in and I went down. More than anything I was pissed! I was pissed off that it happened and then the ref was counting me. I was like sh*t, you know that just made the fight closer with that. But more than anything I was pissed! I never ever thought that he was going to go out there and disqualify me. You know I didn’t even see my corner go in or anything. Then he said he didn’t go in. He just said he was on the outside of the ropes, but on top. Then I guess the ref warned him and told him to get back downstairs. So he did. Then the next thing you know, I see the ref going over by Kirkland and he was talking over there somewhere by Kirkland’s side. He was talking to somebody and then he waved it off. That was bullsh*t. I didn’t know what to think or say. I was trying to get an explanation from the ref right then and there, and he said my corner went in and that’s it.”
His views on how he would have been able to do in round eleven had he not been disqualified:
“I mean I wasn’t even hurt. You know with the eleventh round you get a whole minute of rest and you get to talk to your team to be ready for the next round. I actually feel like he, in that tenth round he kind of pushed for that. He kind of gave it all he had in that tenth round. I think in the eleventh round I would have came out more fresh than him, because he made a little rally there at the end of the round and I think he was trying to go for it right there. But I mean he wasted a lot of energy with that and I was fresher. I felt good and I would have came out. I trained for fifteen rounds and I would have came out and I would have finished strong. I mean to take me down you’re going to have to keep hitting me and keep going at me to take me down, because I was determined and I was in good shape, which helps out a lot.”
Regarding whether Kirkland’s speed was slower than he was expecting going into the fight:
“No, no, not necessarily. I never really thought he was that fast, I guess. I guess he is kind of fast if you stand right in front of him and let him throw combinations at you. Like he’s fast at throwing combinations I think once he’s set up, but our plan was to not let him set up, and to move my head to the left and the right. You know they always say that! Every time I fight somebody they always say that about the guy that I fought! ‘Oh he didn’t look good, he couldn’t get his shots off, he looked slower, he looked like he wasn’t in the fight’. You know I always hear all of that, but I think it’s to the credit of how I fight them! I take them out of their game and I don’t let them get comfortable in there. That’s my plan. That’s what I’ve done to everybody that I fought.”
On how he will remain focused going forward given his controversial loss against Chavez Junior, his controversial draws against Erislandy Lara and Chavez Junior, and this recent disqualification loss against Kirkland:
“You just have to. You have to. I feel like nothing can keep me down no matter what! I feel like that’s just the way I am. It’s the kind of person I am. I’m always a positive person and a happy person no matter what. I’m always happy! I mean as long as I’m alive and healthy and everything, then that’s the most important thing to me, and with anything else I don’t let anything get to me. That’s why I never quit, even after bad decisions, and being stuck for two years with Don King not fighting, and I had problems with my manager and I wasn’t fighting for another year another separate time. I just don’t let anything get to me and I look at boxing the same. I just roll with the punches and keep going.”
Regarding how badly he would like to get back in the ring and have a rematch with James Kirkland:
“That’s the number one thing we’re going for right now. We want it so bad, and we just want to go in there and finish the whole fight. You know it will really erase all the doubts, because a lot of people were saying I was hurt or you got two more rounds to survive in there with Kirkland. I feel like I was doing a good job for the first ten rounds and I didn’t get a chance to finish the whole fight. We’re pushing for that rematch hard right now. We’ll see what happens.”
On whether he feels he was able to disrupt Kirkland’s rhythm more easily than he imagined during training and preparations:
“No, not easier than I imagined. I knew what I could do to him with my style of fighting. I feel like I can adjust to any fighter, to any boxer. I always go in there with a good game plan. I feel like it worked good for Kirkland, but now that I’m looking at the fight I know that I could do better and I know what I could have done better, and I just want to get a second opportunity to do even better than I did the first time against James Kirkland.”
On whether he feels the verdict of his fight against Kirkland should be changed to a No Contest:
“Yeah I think that’s what my team is working on right now, to have this overturned into a No Contest because it says in the rulebook in Texas that if the bell rings and you’re down like that, then just get up and go to your corner. There’s not supposed to be a standing eight count. So yeah, I agree with that. I should get a No Contest ruling on that.”
His views on whether the referee was acting in favor of Kirkland or whether he believes the ref was just confused:
“I mean I don’t know! I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think he was confused in there because I think the ref is from California, and he probably wasn’t sure with the Texas rules that you don’t get a standing eight count after the bell rang. All you got to do is get up and then go to your corner. Maybe he didn’t understand that. I mean I’m not sure. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe he didn’t understand the rules, but either way it should be ruled a No Contest I feel.”
Regarding his reaction when he first heard that one of the judges inexplicably had Kirkland ahead at the time the bout was stopped:
“Yeah that was crazy! When I heard that I was surprised! They had him ahead and I don’t know why! But I mean I still wasn’t that pissed because I saw two judges had it for me, so I saw that it would have been a win for me. Either way that’s awful! That shouldn’t be allowed. I don’t know how he saw Kirkland winning, but either way they would have given me the decision.”
On what he thinks he can do differently in a rematch to be more successful against Kirkland:
“Yeah. I mean there are a couple of things that we want to work on and do a little better. I mean work his body more. I kind of got away from that in the later rounds. I started off working the body a little bit with the right hand, the straight right down to the body. I just didn’t keep on working the body, and that’s usually my style working the body, but for some reason I got away from that. Yeah, there are a couple of other things we have to work on. I have to get back with the team and we’ll start thinking about that next week.”
On whether he has any message that he would like to pass on to his fans and supporters:
“Yeah. I just appreciate all the fans, and I’m going to just try and keep improving with every fight. You know I always give it everything I have. I always fight with my heart and go all the way out. I’m always there to fight to the death and give it all I have. I appreciate everybody who watches my fights.”
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For those interested in listening to the Carlos Molina interview in its entirety, it begins right at the start of the program.
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