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On Sept 8 Fernando Vargas faces off against Ricardo Mayorga on PPV in a bout of egos and will. Although there is no title at stake, it promises to be an all out war for what many are predicting to be a short night. While the two former world champions are going to be the headliners, it is the undercard that may be where all the drama lays as it is those fighters that have the most to gain in their matchups that night.
Roman Karmazin, 35-2-1 (22), the former 154 IBF Champion from Russia is on the comeback trail looking to secure another title shot for himself. Karmazin will be taking on Italian born fighter Luca Messi, 30-7-1 (11), a former Italian Welterweight Champion and former WBA Intercontinental titlist at 147 lbs.
It will be that same title that he and Karmazin face off for on Sept 8 except that this time around, the gold is at the 154lb version and may lead to a world title shot for the winner, raising the stakes for both menʼs careers even higher.
Also on that same card, IBF Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron, 28-1 (26), will make the second defense of his crown when he faces Jesse Feliciano, 15-5-3 (9).
Cintron, who is coming off a spectacular second round KO victory over Walter Dario Matthysse this past July, wants to establish himself as a top star in the boxing world and put out of everyone’s mind his loss to Antonio Margarito back in 2005.
Cintron, a strong power punching champion, has every intention on using this night to help catapult his status to headliner instead of backup. His opponent Jesse Feliciano has a questionable record on paper but is a capable fighter with wins over former world champion Vince Phillips
Feliciano has a draw with the lately popular Alfonzo Gomez and recently won the USBA Welterweight title by TKO over prospect Delvin Rodriguez. A win for Jesse will boost his career to the next level that he has been hoping for while a loss puts him back into obscurity.
A win for Cintron puts him in line for the next big showdown with any of the other big names at 147 and a loss will certainly end the hopes of any resurrection against Margarito, a fight Kermit would like more then anything else.
Here is what each man had to say at today’s teleconference about the upcoming bouts and what they are looking to accomplish next in their careers if successful.
Boxing Press: Roman and Luca, how is training going? How ready are each of you for this bout?
Roman Karmazin: I am training hard. It is tough. I am dedicating this fight to my late trainer Boris Zykanov. So I am taking this very serious and will make him proud.
Luca Messi: I have been training in Italy for the last two months. I will be here in the United States for the next five weeks getting in my sparring. I am also using this time to adjust to the weather difference, the heat here in the USA.
BP: Roman, what do you know of Luca other then the fact that he is coming off a loss?
RK: I have not really had a chance to study him. I do not take him for granted, though.
BP: Luca, it has been a year since your last fight. What have you been doing to keep yourself in shape and prepared to fight?
LM: I train all the time. I own a gym in Italy. I had promotion problems. I was with Don King, went to another promoter and things did not work out. I was in legal problems keeping me from fighting. Now I am with Don King again. So I have been prepared in the gym training to get ready for any upcoming bout.
BP: Can we have predictions from the fighters?
RK: I came to fight and win. I am not making predictions.
LM: I am looking to fight and win. If I win this fight, Don King stated he will get me a title fight next so it is important to me I win.
SaddoBoxing: Roman, your record is fairly impressive. You have two losses; one to Javier Castillejo back in 2002. The other to Corey Spinks to whom you lost your IBF title. Are you going to use this fight as a way to put yourself back into contention for another shot at a world belt? If that does happen do you want it to be against Spinks?
RK: I am looking to fight anyone for a world title. I want a rematch with Spinks, though. That is who I am looking at after this fight.
SaddoBoxing: Luca, you stated you had promotional problems. Now that all of those seem to be settled, will you become more active? Win or lose, are you going to come back full time to boxing? Do you think a win over Roman will put you into the spotlight?
LM: Now that my promoter situation is fixed I will be fighting on a regular basis. It was those problems that have kept me away. As for Roman, that is exactly what I am doing. He is highly regarded and a win over him will put me in line for a title. It will put me in the position he is in.
BP: Roman, how has the loss of your trainer affected your camp?
RK: I train at the Wild Card gym. When Boris was alive, that is where we trained so the atmosphere is the same and has not really changed much.
BP: Luca, how do you like training in the US?
LM: I like it a lot. There are much better sparring partners here to help me prepare. They are a higher quality than in Italy. I like it very much.
Promoter: I would like to thank both men for their time and now we are going to move on to Kermit Cintron and Jesse Feliciano.
Boxing Press: We want to thank both Kermit Cintron and Jesse Feliciano for their time. How is training coming along?
Kermit Cintron: Training is going very well. I want to thank Showtime and Don King Productions for making this fight happen.
Boxing Press: Kermit, what do you think about Jesse Feliciano, as a fighter, from what you know of him?
KC: He seems like a strong fighter. Likes to come forward and is very determined. I am training hard. I am not underestimating him and I will be ready.
BP: Jesse, what was your reaction when you received the call offering you a shot at Cintron’s title?
JF: I couldn’t believe it. I was not expecting the call at all. I figured that maybe in a year or so I would get a shot at a title but no so soon. I want to thank Kermit for fighting me and I am going to put on a tremendous show come September 8th.
BP: Many people are calling this a stay busy fight for Kermit. Something to keep him active until one of the big name fighters are available. How does that make you feel?
JF: It motivates me. If that’s what people think, then I can only use it to my advantage. It makes me work harder.
BP: Kermit, why are you fighting Jesse? He has been on a bit of a roll as of late and there are other fights out there. Some are criticizing this choice of opponent. What do you have to say about that?
KC: I fight who they put in front of me. I take no one lightly. There is a reason why he got this shot. So I am not going to underestimate him at all.
BP: Jesse, are you ready for someone like Kermit?
JF: I have been on a bit of a streak as of late. I am improving each time out. I will do my best.
BP: Jesse, why is it that you were 1-4 in fights for a while and it was becoming a trend that you were on the losing side. All of a sudden you are a different fighter who has stepped up his performances.
JF: Well my son Jesse James is my inspiration, also my father has helped me a lot. He has helped keep me in the ring working out steady, making sure I stay on track. [Jesse’s son died of lung complications and heart complications in June of this year]
BP: Kermit, what is the difference between the fighter you are now and the fighter you were in the Margarito fight? What makes things different from that night? What went wrong that night?
KC: I was not prepared. I was not ready for the fight. I had hand problems. There was a circulation problem and I had some chipped cartilage. I had a ruptured tendon. Everything was repaired after that fight and is 100% now. It made me stronger mentally. It taught me a lot.
BP: Were you surprised you were able to overcome all that so soon and comeback to win a title?
KC: No, because I was prepared for that night. I knew as long as I am ready, I could do it.
BP: Would you like to fight Margarito again?
KC: Yes, of course. I would like the chance to avenge my loss, then move on.
BP: Your last fight against Walter Matthysse was impressive. Will you be able to top that?
KC: I am still learning. I am maturing. I can do better and will do better.
BP: You say you are still learning. What do you mean by that?
KC: You never stop learning in boxing. There is always something new. I will continue to learn for as long as I keep fighting.
BP: Kermit, Emmanuel Steward said you would be the man at 147. He said in his opinion, you could beat Floyd Mayweather. Do you have any comments on that?
KC: I think that would be a great fight for me. I think I could beat him with my style.
BP: Kermit, do you think the easy win over Matthysse has given you more respect as being a champion? Though you had a title, many still doubted you?
KC: I think so, but I also think there are many out there who doubt me.
BP: Kermit, what is more important to you; a rematch with Margarito or fighting other champions?
KC: Both. I want another fight with Margarito, but I want to fight the other champions as well.
BP: Kermit, you call out Margarito but what about Paul Williams?
KC: What about Paul Williams? He is avoiding me. His promoters are avoiding me. If I fight Williams, all it is will be a win for me.
BP: What is it about Paul Williams that makes you think you can beat him?
KC: He is more amateur then pro. I do not think there is any doubt I can beat him. If I get the chance, I will prove that.
SaddoBoxing: Jesse, is there anything you have seen in Cintron over his last few fights that you can exploit as a weakness to your advantage?
JF: Nothing really. I don’t see any certain weakness. He is a dangerous fighter.
SaddoBoxing: Kermit, for the last two years all you have heard is Margarito, Margarito, Margarito. Even today, almost every question had his name involved. You have to be tired of hearing it.
The other name that keeps coming up not just for you but everyone is Floyd Mayweather. There is a chance that a fight with Antonio may never come off. Floyd is fighting Hatton next and more than likely retiring. The future for Margarito is not certain either.
The fans and especially the press are unforgiving in some situations. What do you think you need to make that loss go away? 28-1 with 26 KO’s and all everyone mentions is Margarito.
Do you think a big fight with someone like maybe Williams, that is a hard 12 round fight, without a KO that proves you are not just a knockout artist who was outboxed by a more skilled fighter will make the constant Margarito questions go away? Perhaps make the fans and critics realize that you are the complete package?
KC: I think a fight like that would erase the Margarito fight. It would let everyone know it was just an off night. I had problems and short notice going in. I can never go back to that night, I can only move forward. People are still going to doubt me. They are still going to mention that fight no matter what. All I can do is ignore them and move on to bigger and better things.
