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WBC Cabofe Champion and current #8 ranked WBC Heavyweight contender Manny “El Toro” Quezada (29-4-1, 18 KOs) is making final preparations for his first fight of 2010 against the very tough veteran Jason “The Sensation” Gavern (18-7-3, 8 KOs), on Thursday evening, April 8.
The contest and undercard will also be the first of four scheduled shows at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California this year presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions.
The 32-year old Quezada, who hails from nearby Wasco, California, will be making his 18th appearance at his “Home Away From Home” at Tachi. He will be seeking his 19th consecutive victory overall and a potential next bout against a Top 10 World contender, as he continues his climb up the heavyweight ladder toward a world title opportunity.
We now take you “Inside the Mind” of Quezada leading into the final days prior to the biggest fight of his career with “Six Questions” for the American heavyweight hopeful of Mexican descent:
Question: On April 8th you will be making your 18th appearance at Tachi. Talk about your experiences of fighting at Tachi and about the success you have enjoyed there.
Manny Quezada: “It’s great. It’s my home. Lots of my family and friends come out and I love fighting there. Them being there gives me that extra little push when I am there fighting in front of a lot of people.”
Q: Your April 8th opponent at Tachi is Jason Gavern, a tough out for anybody. What do you know about his boxing style and what have you done to prepare for him?
MQ: “All I know is that he’s a slick little boxer who comes to fight. I know I have to get in shape and be ready. And I will be ready to go 10 rounds hard. I will be ready for him.”
Q: You’ve won 18 straight bouts after an inauspicious 11-4 start to your pro career. What has changed for you inside and outside the ring that has turned you from journeyman to world title contender?
MQ: “That’s a good question! Now I’ve got a good team around me, good training and that’s been a key. Plus I changed my attitude. I go in there to fight. I try to get in the best shape I can and try to fight every round hard and try to win every round.
Hopefully, that kind of preparation will help me win a fight. Definitely I am staying in better shape outside the ring as well, so that I can be at my best inside the ring. I definitely come ready to fight every time I step inside the ring now, whereas before it wasn’t that way.”
Q: You are now ranked as the WBC #8 heavyweight contender in the World. How long do you think it will be before you face a Top 10 contender?
MQ: “I really don’t know that answer. Hopefully, it won’t be too long. Hopefully, this year I can get a crack at a Top 10 opponent and get a shot at a World Championship soon after that.”
Q: What are your goals for 2010?
MQ: “To just keep on winning and moving up in the rankings and getting a title shot. If not this year, then sometime in the beginning of next year.”
Q: What can boxing fans expect from Manny “El Toro” Quezada in the ring on Thursday, April 8th at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino?
MQ: “Oh they can expect a fight! You know I am going to be ready to fight and I know Gavern will be ready as well. They can expect a real good, competitive fight and I’m going to bring it. I’m going to give them everything I’ve got like I always do. So it’ll be a good, exciting fight and I hope the fans will turn out and watch it and enjoy it!”
Tickets for the April 8 event – priced at $225, $60, $40, $35 and $20 – may be ordered online at www.tickets.com; by phone at 1-800-277-2255 or at the Tachi Palace Gift Shop, 17225 Jersey Avenue, Lemoore, CA 93245.
